A couple of weeks have passed since Rhode Island FC’s elimination in a 0-1 loss to Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC in the Eastern Conference Final. Fans have had a bit of time to process the season and the result, and it’s now time to look ahead to 2026.

Today, the club has released it’s official roster update to kick off the offseason for our 2026 season. Here are some of the key takeaways:

The Core Returns (Again)

Rhode Island FC has once again maintained the majority of its core roster – a trademark of a serious team that is raising the bar for how USL Championship clubs should operate. Roster continuity is not a given in this league, but Rhode Island FC has made it the norm and the expectation for fans going forward.

Most of these names are not a surprise, as they had publicly announced extensions and/or multi-year deals when they signed.

• Grant Stoneman
• Albert Dikwa “Chico”
• Noah Fuson
• Clay Holstad
• Frank Nodarse
• Maxi Rodriguez
• Karifa Yao
• Aimé Mabika
• Hamady Diop
• Mathieu Ndongo
• Aldair Sanchez
• Hugo Bacharach
• Zachary Herivaux
• Dwayne Atkinson
• Dani Rovira
• Jojea Kwizera

These players also had their options exercised, returning for 2026.

• Koke Vegas
• Amos Shapiro-Thompson
• JJ Williams 
• Kevin Vang

So, even stronger roster continuity heading into 2026 than we had in 2025. 15 out of our top 16 players in Minutes Played will be returning for 2026. While I think it’s fair to say that we want to see more out of some of these key players in 2026, there’s no world where it’s not a great thing to have them all back.

Equally as important as retaining our core for the second consecutive year; my top priorities for 2026 would’ve been extending or holding on to Hugo Bacharach and Hamady Diop – both of whom will be returning for next season. This is excellent news, and fans should be excited to see a full season of these two in Amber and Blue.

JJ Williams, Aldair Sanchez, and Aime Mabika were all question marks as well at the end of 2025 – but I’m thrilled to see all three returning.

JJ Williams is one of the biggest names at the club, and he’ll be looking to prove himself after what I think he’d call a disappointing season in 2025. On paper he did score seven goals – but four of those seven goals came in a window of 2.5 games in late-September to early-October. Of course, those goals helped to propel the team into the playoffs – but Williams can score goals much more consistently than that in 2026.

Aldair Sanchez is a great, young player who can play as a traditional fullback or wingback comfortably in Khano’s system, and will only improve at just 23 years old. Aime Mabika will likely enter the 2026 season as he finished 2025 – as a very, very capable, surely overqualified, 4th or 5th choice center back.

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*Discussions are ongoing with multiple players out of contract or who had options declined about a possible return for the 2026 season.

*Options declined:

• Cole Dewhurst
• Will Meyer
• Isaac Angking
• Taimu Okiyoshi

It’s crucial in the USL Championship to fill out the roster with some cheap, young players who are well-liked and train hard. That’s exactly what most of these players are / were.

Most notable on this list are Isaac Angking and Taimu Okiyoshi, who each had some brief but encouraging moments with the first team in 2025… I’d love to see both return and continue to progress as rotational options who can see out league games and contribute in cup competitions. But, I also wouldn’t blame either player for seeking opportunities with more playing time.

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*Out of contract:

• Jackson Lee
• Joe Brito (retired)
• Marc Ybarra
• Rio Hope-Gund

Compared to 2025, this section has a few names that will hurt to see. Ybarra, Lee and Brito were all important parts of the beloved inaugural team. As for their actual impact on the field over this past season… I would categorize it as inconsistent.

Marc Ybarra was injured for most of April, May, and June, and wasn’t able to steer the ship in the right direction after his re-insertion to the starting lineup in July. Ybarra may pursue a starting role elsewhere (with his best position largely expected to be occupied by Hugo Bacharach in 2026), but I wouldn’t be shocked to see him negotiate a return to Rhode Island FC, either.

Jackson Lee looked solid again in a decent run of games in 2025, so will surely be looking for a starting job for the 2026 season. As for Joe Brito, he also saw a significant drop off in his contribution for the 2025 season – as noted by Tyler Hatch in his excellent November edition of Under the Surface. Of course, he announced yesterday that he will be retiring from professional football – a career which he should be very proud.

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Final Thoughts

It’d be hard to chalk this up as anything other than a massive win heading into the 2026 season. While you could argue that this almost-entirely-in-tact roster grossly underperformed in 2025, there’s no doubt that it’s chock-full of talented, game-changing players. I feel very good about running this roster back with a couple of additions and tactical improvements.

I’d like to see some more consistency from Khano in how and where each of these players are deployed, so that they can build up some rhythm and chemistry – which really never happened in 2025. I don’t think that any of the departing players demand an immediate replacement. Instead, I would look to add a couple of players who can solve our revolving door at the right-sided forward position and right wingback in 2025, and add some depth (or an upgrade, if available) to our forward lines.

I’m excited to see this team, largely unchanged, get another crack at it – hopefully with better injury luck and some learnings from 2025, along with less of the pressure, spectacle, and distractions that come with opening a new stadium in the middle of the season.