When the Rhode Island FC rumor mill started spinning with regards to yet another player departure this offseason, I, along with probably the majority of RIFC fans feared the worst. Was it Koke? Clay? Noah? Well, in true Rhode Island FC fashion, the news that Mathieu Ndongo had been transferred to USL Championship Eastern Conference foe Miami FC broke Saturday morning, sneaking in yet another late news dump after the shocking announcement that Club President David Peart would be departing the club yesterday afternoon.

What is Rhode Island FC Losing?

As far as player departures go, this one probably impacts the club in the short term about as little as you could realistically expect. The Cameroonian striker was signed by the club on August 25th, 2025 at the age of 18. The need for another striker on the roster was made very apparent after failing to find a direct replacement for Mark Doyle following the 2024 season paired with the long-term injury that JJ Williams suffered just ahead of the 2025 home opener that saw him miss 13 matches across all competitions. However, it was fairly obvious that his signing was not the answer to our pleas for another striker to fill out the room, but rather a statement of intent to develop a young player in the absence of an academy system in the hopes that in a year or so down the line, he could become a key piece in a system that he was moulded in and become a valuable asset for a potential sale.

Well, as it would be, that day for a sale came today for an undisclosed fee after only 22 minutes played for the Tide across 2 matches with minimal material impact. He didn’t exactly stuff the stat sheet, but was just about as effective as you could expect from an 18 year old without much prior professional experience. His lone shot attempt came against New Mexico United in the regular season finale and was blocked. He only recorded 8 total touches, so there’s not much to unpack here when it comes to the physical player we’re losing, but more so the bigger picture takeaways from this transaction. As it stands, Mathieu remains the youngest player to appear for the club in its short history after his debut at the age of 18 years, 7 months, and 18 days and that may very well be the only lasting impact he has for the Amber and Blue.

If you thought the forward group was thin in 2025, it just got even more slender. Our current options, as listed on the RIFC website, include Noah Fuson, JJ Williams, and Leo Afonso. We’ve never seen the best of Noah when he has played up top, JJ raises serious questions in terms of his availability for a full healthy season, and Leo is brand new to the system. In isolation, moving on from all of the previous forwards that have been signed to the roster: Prince Saydee, Mark Doyle, and Albert Dikwa in addition to Mathieu could be considered “good moves”, but the gross loss has only been replaced by the 22 minutes from Ndongo and Leo Afonso. For a team that greatly struggled to score goals in 2025, this doesn’t fill me with a ton of confidence that we will be able to turn a corner without some serious tactical changes in addition to the need for a return to form from the guys that are still here.

Where does The Tide go from here?

No one really expected much from Mathieu Ndongo in 2026, at least to start, so the glaring issues at forward are not necessarily any more pressing than they were yesterday. But, he was at least a warm body that was capable of playing the position in a pinch and didn’t require something like Clay Holstad playing his 10th (11th if you count his most recent training activities) different position to fill in there. The fact that we don’t even have this safety net any longer is going to further accentuate the need for another signing.

I’m very well aware that the departures of Club President David Peart and Mathieu Ndongo on back to back days are not linked in any way (that we know of), but it does raise questions about some of the long term plans for the club. Another Tide Talk blogger will definitely unpack this further, but Interim President Sean Carey is the 3rd person to hold that title as RIFC enters its 3rd season of play. The USL Championship is a high turnover league, and that rings true from top to bottom with front office executives, coaching staff, and players always searching for moves up to the next level. Both of these moves were made at the discretion of the club, stifling some progress that had been made in this club’s infancy. We don’t know the terms of the deal that sent Ndongo to South Beach, but it’s definitely not as lucrative as they surely expected to eventually receive when Mathieu was initially signed some 173 days ago that was definitely intended to be a long term project. 

On the plus side, they clearly received an offer they couldn’t refuse. Whether it was the club giving up on the project, or Miami making an offer that was good enough to justify the premature end to what was supposed to be a long career at RIFC, I’m inclined to believe that this was just a good piece of business. Making a profit on an unproven 19 year old is still a feather in the cap for this club’s scouting department. It marks the 3rd transfer out this offseason, all for undisclosed fees. He follows in the footsteps of Maxi Rodriguez and Albert Dikwa, all a part of the planned attacking group for 2026. In no way am I questioning the ambitions of Brett Johnson and the ownership, who more than earned that respect by making all 3 of those signings in the first place, but the 3 transfer fees plus salary relief from likely 2 of the top earners on this team have not been reinvested in this squad that still has plenty of needs to be addressed. We’re not up against the clock of an impending transfer deadline, and the club has not shied away from midseason acquisitions, but it would be nice to have the assurances of a concerted effort to not start slow for a 3rd consecutive season.

I’m sure this is much more content than you expected to receive about Mathieu. In fact, I spent 4 times as long writing this blog as Ndongo spent on the pitch in a Rhode Island FC uniform. Sorry, not sorry. We’ve only got 21 days until we return to Centerville Bank Stadium, and as much as I may sound like a Debbie Downer here, I can’t wait to be back. This move generally doesn’t move the needle too much today, but it could very well turn into a huge turning point if something goes poorly at any point this season if we aren’t able to sign another forward to bolster the attack. Under the Surface will return for one last offseason edition at the end of the month. Until then, Up The Tide!