Welcome back to Under the Surface. In this final offseason edition, I’ll be looking into each of RIFC’s acquisitions for the 2026 season. The rest of the Tide Talk blog team has done a great job highlighting each of these players individually, but in the spirit of my blog series, I have to dive into the numbers for each of them as well. This offseason has felt like it would never end, and our patience is being tested even further with the cancellation of the preseason friendly against Brooklyn FC and the postponement of our home opener against Loudoun United. Barring a disaster in the form of a players strike, it would appear that we have flipped the calendar for the final time before we finally get to see RIFC and its new additions in action. I’m excited to see what this latest crop can do for the amber and blue, so let’s dive into it.

Leo Afonso (Free Agent – Atlanta United FC, MLS) – 1.45

Acquired from Inter Miami in July of 2025 for the international spot that was eventually used on World Cup winner Rodrigo de Paul, Leo Afonso didn’t have many opportunities for Atlanta United in either MLS or the Next Pro level and had his contract option declined. In 10 league matches between MLS and MLS Next Pro, Leo averaged 1.45 shots on target per 90 minutes, a mark that is 49% better than Maxi Rodriguez’s team leading 0.97 in 2025. Only Isaac Angking’s 2.17 shots on target per 90 in league play in 2024 have been better in RIFC’s 2 year history. For a team that had the league’s 2nd worst offense, a player that can not only get shots off, but put them on target is a valuable asset.

Nick Scardina (Free Agent – Charlotte FC, MLS) – 0.11

As discussed on the latest episode of Double Pivot, this signing may very well be the most important one of the offseason for it addresses 2 major issues with the squad in 2025. Most obviously, it finally replaces the hole that was left in the squad when Stephen Turnbull was transferred out to Birmingham Legion that Dani Rovira was not able to take hold of. It also allows Clay Holstad, who spent a large portion of his minutes in 2025 out in the right wingback position, to go back into the midfield where he was one of RIFC’s best players in 2024. Unlike Leo Afonso, he was more involved with Charlotte’s senior side in 2025, creating 0.11 big chances per 90 in league play. While that might not seem like a lot, that is the exact same production that Stephen Turnbull generated 2 seasons ago. If RIFC can find some degree of consistency and competency from the right wingback position, that would be a major step in the right direction for 2026.

Jacob Castro (Free Agent – Tacoma Defiance, MLS Next Pro) – 0.71

The job of the 2nd choice keeper is thankless, constantly being compared to the measuring stick that is the regular starter. That job is even harder to take on when you’re the replacement for one of the best 2nd choice keepers in the entire league in the departed Jackson Lee. It’s not a signing that gets you out of your seat, but it’s an absolutely necessary one, especially given the injury history that captain Koke Vegas brings into his age 30 season. Statistically, there’s not a whole lot to say about Castro that can get fans too excited if I’m being honest. But if it’s any indication of the type of keeper that he is, in MLS Next Pro play in 2025, he averaged 0.71 actions where he acted as a sweeper per 90 minutes, coming off his line to clear a ball over the top. Koke Vegas, known for his nontraditional positioning, only averaged 0.43 in 2025. It will be interesting to see how Khano chooses to deploy Jacob in 2026. Does he actually believe in having a cup keeper? Or was Jackson Lee just too good of a keeper to keep cold on the bench every week unless Koke is injured. I would have to imagine that it’s a near certainty he will start the Open Cup match against amateur side CD Faialense, but where he goes from there will be something to monitor.

Agustín “Pity” Rodríguez (Loan – Lanús, Argentine Primera División) – 1.88

Originally on loan in Cyprus to start the 2025/26 European season, Pity saw his game time quickly dry up for a struggling side. Surely his parent club wants a talented 21 year old to get game time out on loan, so you would have to assume he’s going to be a main fixture in the RIFC team this season if he is being reassigned from his initial loan. I’m inclined to think that he’s going to be the type of player that we hoped Maxi Rodriguez would be and a comparable archetype to Dwayne Atkinson. He’s a 10 by nature, but could be deployed as a winger depending on how Khano decides to set up the team. His game time has not been consistent for over a year, but in 2024, he averaged 1.88 dribbles completed per 90 minutes. Whether he’s on the wing or playing centrally, a player that is willing and able to take players on 1 on 1 like we saw out of Jojea Kwizera in 2024 when he averaged 2.12 dribbles completed/90 as one of our most valuable contributors to the attack.

Jamin Gogo Peters (Free Agent – Brown University, NCAA) – 15

As Timmy mentioned, there’s not much that you can find about Jamin and his collegiate career outside of the 15 goal contributions: 12 goals and 3 assists that he posted across his 4 years with the Brown Bears. Unlike Mathieu Ndongo, who was brought in as a developmental piece to become either a first team contributor or a piece to make a profit on (of which the latter was realized this offseason), Jamin projects as a player whose biggest contributions to this team will likely come on the training pitch as a player to push the first teamers with a high work rate. I could be totally off with that assumption, and I will happily be proven wrong if he can contribute in a meaningful way.

Logan Dorsey (Loan – Minnesota United 2, MLS Next Pro) – 12

This addition in the 11th hour of the offseason could prove to move the needle more than any of the previous 5 because of his ability to find the back of the net. The 2025 MLS Superdraft selection posted 12 goals in 22 league matches last campaign, a mark that has never been reached by any RIFC player. In fact, Albert Dikwa is the club’s leading scorer in the regular season, with only 13 goals across his 2 seasons and JJ Williams right behind him with the same 12 that Dorsey scored in 2025 alone. Yes, MLS Next Pro is a Division 3 league, but goals are goals and if we saw anything from this team in 2025, we are in desperate need for them. However he fits into this now fully loaded forward room alongside JJ Williams, Leo Afonso, Jamin Gogo Peters, and technically Noah Fuson, his presence is very reassuring for the potential this team has to improve upon its disappointing sophomore season.

Thank you all for your support! Come on back next month for some more RIFC stats content! Feel free to connect with me in the Defiance 1636 Discord, Twitter (@TylerJHatch), or Instagram (@tjhatch2001) if there’s anything you would like to see come of this blog! Opening day can’t come soon enough, T-13 days. Next time around, we’ll finally be able to talk about some regular season ball. Until next month, Up The Tide!