Rhode Island FC lost 4-2 on the road to Louisville City FC on Saturday afternoon.

The result was complicated. On the bright side, Rhode Island FC look dangerous again in a way that we didn’t really see for all of 2025. Scoring two goals at Louisville is no small feat, and we could’ve had more. Putting eight shots on target is something that we only accomplished two times last season.

On the other hand – each of the four goals that we conceded was more embarrassing than the one prior. They weren’t so much individual mistakes as they were lapses by the entire defensive unit. Louisville is a good team and they’re going to score one way or another, but we made it a bit too easy for them. Especially after losing our heads and going down a man (and a manager) before immediately conceding a fourth.

It’s early in the season, but you’ll be able to track historical ratings for the year using this document:

Rhode Island FC Player Ratings:

Koke Vegas (GK) – 5/10

Koke made a couple of solid saves, and really could not have done anything differently on any of the first three Louisville City goals. Perhaps he could’ve done better on their final goal, and his distribution on the night was underwhelming with just 23% pass accuracy on his 26 long pass attempts.

Frank Nodarse (D) – 5/10

Not Frank’s most active defensive game, but I thought he maybe had the best game out of any of our central defenders. Khano also leveraged Frank’s flexibility and utility by moving him to RWB for a section of the game.

Karifa Yao (D) – 4/10

Mixed game for Yao – he had a shot hit the post in the first half, but also got outmuscled in the build up to Louisville City’s first goal. He narrowly avoided being sent off for a potential Denial of a Goal Scoring Opportunity after getting turned inside out by a Louisville attacker. I’m not positive this would’ve held up to scrutiny from VAR.

I’m less disappointed in our individual defenders than I am in the defensive unit as a whole. On multiple occasions they were lackadaisical in their response to Louisville threats. Look no further than Louisville’s third goal, where they have about five players run to the near post and our entire team is slow to react.

Grant Stoneman (D) – 4/10

Disappointed with Stoneman as well as the veteran presence in this backline. Not only did he fail to organize the unit and/or lead on the field during the scuffle that saw JJ and Khano sent off, but he failed to really get into the game in general: with 0 defensive contributions, 0/4 on duels, and only two passes into the final third.

Aldair Sanchez (MF) – 5/10

Aldair wasn’t hugely involved in attack but had a handful of solid defensive contributions, including drawing a couple of key fouls to relieve pressure while the ball was in the Rhode Island FC half.

Hugo Bacharach (MF) – 5/10

Hugo had good moments, but looks like he is still getting up to game speed after coming off the bench in the season-opener against Jacksonville, and then underperforming against CD Faialense in the Open Cup. He led all players in defensive contributions with 12 total, including seven tackles, but I thought his short passing and build-up continued to disappoint tonight.

Clay Holstad (MF) – 7/10

Clay showed up when the team needed him most with his 56th minute equalizing goal. It was a high-difficulty tap-in, but also largely of Clay’s own making with a great carry to the edge of the Louisville box and outside-of-the-boot layoff to Leo Afonso. He nearly scored again in the 87th minute with a long distance strike – which would not be a new sight to the fans at Lynn Family Stadium.

Jojea Kwizera (MF) – 7/10

I’ve been skeptical of Jojea playing on the right, but he proved me wrong tonight as he repeatedly looked dangerous cutting inside onto his left foot. He was rewarded for his efforts with what will surely be a contender for Goal of the Week; a curling shot to the top corner in the 21st minute.

Pity Rodriguez (MF) – 6/10

Pity didn’t hit the score sheet, but I still think he can hold his head up after this performance. Not only did he continue to be relentless going forward (with mixed effectiveness – as he was 0/2 on attempted dribbles and was dispossessed twice), but also displayed a willingness to back press and chip in defensively when needed.

JJ Williams (F) – 5/10

I have to just split it down the middle and go 5/10 here. JJ worked hard all night long – winning 11 out of his 16 duels – and looked dangerous several times in attack. He made a great cross to pick out Clay for an equalizing goal in the second half, and even stopped a Louisville goal-scoring threat by tracking back late in the game.

Then, in the 88th minute when it was still a one-goal game, he was first to arrive at a scuffle in the Louisville net and got sent off for letting his hands go high on Kyle Adams. I’m all for standing up for his teammates, but this is really disappointing from JJ – and now we’ll be without him next week. We saw something similar in August last year against Pittsburgh.

It’s hard to tell from the camera angle exactly what happened – but just don’t give the ref the chance to make that call.

Leo Afonso (F) – 6/10

Afonso did find the scoresheet tonight with his assist on Kwizera’s golazo – and is another Rhode Island player who made the fans proud with how he played. Much like last week, Afonso is just very much in and around the attack, and looks very dangerous even if he hasn’t been totally clinical with his chances just yet.

Where Afonso was most notable for his high shot total last weekend, he played the role of creator in this match – leading all players with three chances created.

Subs

CJ Williams – 4/10

All love and respect to CJ Williams but, maybe bringing him on in a tied match for 35 minutes on the road at Louisville City was a bit much for his first appearance in the league? He looked great against CD Faialense, but this would’ve been a tough spot for ANY defender.

Logan Dorsey – N/A

Dwayne Atkinson – N/A

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Rating Scale:

• 1/10 – Abysmal. You might as well have me on the pitch.
• 2/10 – Very bad
• 3/10 – Bad
• 4/10 – Below Average
• 5/10 – Average. The player did their job.
• 6/10 – Good
• 7/10 – Very good
• 8/10 – Great
• 9/10 – Outstanding
• 10/10 – Transcendent performance. Watch out, because Real Madrid may come knocking.