Cozy up, crack a beer and happy Frid…. WHAT!?

Under the cover of beer o’clock, RIFC snuck through some unfortunate news. Just eight months after his signing Aimé Mabika has agreed to mutually part ways with the club, becoming the third player to depart after Maxi Rodriguez and Albert Dikwa.

Joining the club days after the home opener, Mabika was a much needed bit of reinforcement on the defensive end during a time where our center back depth had dwindled to almost nothing.

From his first start, it was easy to see the qualities that made Khano Smith excited to sign this player. Outside of his 6′ 8″ frame, the defender was smooth on the ball and showed a great ability to read the game across the back three. There was also hope that, at the time, a team struggling on set pieces could benefit from such a tall target. If you are a watcher, reader or listener of Tide Talk, you will be well aware that Big Chicken made sure that was not the case.

What is Rhode Island FC losing?

Mabika played 1,391 minutes in the league this season, ranking 14th on the team (between Herivaux and Ybarra). He racked up a 6.76 FotMob rating, tied with Amos Shapiro-Thompson for 9th on The Tide, mostly due to his 46.1 accurate passes per 90 (first on the team) and 5.5 clearances per 90 (second on the team).

His ability in possession and decision making at the back will be missed but overall what RIFC is going losing with this transaction is depth. His inclusion in the squad this season, as seen as his minutes at the end of last season, was a luxury.

Where do The Tide go from here?

With Yao, Nodarse, Stoneman, Bacharach and Diop all returning for the 2026 season, there was always going to be a fight for minutes at center back but a lot of this depends on how RIFC plan to line up this season. If Coach Khano reverts to three at the back again this season, another depth center back would be a necessity unless we want to go back to the dark days of Clay Holstad or Zachary Herivaux at center back.

If the plan is, dare I say, a back four, The Tide should be able to get away with Yao, Nodarse, Stoneman and Diop as a four man rotation for two positions with Bacharach able to sub in if needed.

With the signing of Nick Scardina and rumors of additional full back depth incoming, this is a smart decision to reinvest wages in positions of greater need and allow a player who may struggle to get minutes a pathway to play.