Rhode Island FC are travelling down to Virginia for a meeting with Loudoun United on Saturday at 6pm. It’ll be the fifth ever meeting between the two teams. The previous four consisted of three 0-0 draws and a 2-0 Loudoun win. This match will also be RIFC’s last until July 4th. This is due to having a bye next week and the whole league having the following week off. But before the boys get to have a break, they’ll need to try to take care of business on Saturday. Here’s what to watch for from both teams:

Last Time Out

RIFC secured three points in the USL Cup last weekend with a 3-0 win over Westchester SC. It was a straightforward affair with goals from Clay Holstad and JJ Williams just before halftime and a second half goal for Leo Afonso. Due the quality of the opponent, there’s little if anything to take away from the game. The bigger story is RIFC’s recent form. Their last five games look like this: D,L,W,L,W. The epitome of inconsistency.

Players to Watch

• Frank Nodarse (DF)
  • I’ll always take any opportunity I have to talk about my favorite player. As RIFC’s most versatile defender, Frank has moved around the back line this year. For a time, he was the starting RB. But since Nick Scardina has found some form and Hamady Diop has been out injured in recent weeks, Frank has found himself back in the middle next to Karifa Yao. I’m curious to see where he lines up on Saturday (hopefully not the bench)
• Pity Rodriguez (MF)
  • Another player who I’m curious to see where they end up, Pity began the season as a central number 10. Lately though, Khano has switched up the midfield and Pity has been on the bench. We have seen him get some time playing on the left wing and I’m interested in seeing more of it
• Leo Afonso (FW)
  • Leo feels like a player whose talent has not been fully utilized. A familiar story. He’s often played off the left but I’m dying to see him play up top with JJ. It’s unlikely to happen given the team’s setup, but I think they could be a lethal pairing. Leo would probably take 20 shots a game. At this point though, an argument could be made that he’s the backup to JJ now that Logan Dorsey has left. We will have to wait and see

Storyline

End on a High Note

As I mentioned earlier, after this game RIFC won’t play again until July 4th. That’s a pretty nice break. So coming into this one, it’s all about finishing strong as you head into that time off. You don’t want a poor performance that you have to wait three weeks to correct. And while it’s important for the team, it’s arguably more important for us fans. I don’t want to be feeling bad about the guys as I shift my focus fully to the World Cup. I don’t want any lingering bad vibes. I just want to see the guys go out and play well so I can enjoy the break. Fingers crossed that it happens.

Last Time Out

Loudoun come into this one having lost 3-1 at League One Greenville Triumph on Wednesday in the USL Cup. It’s not a great look as they were down 3-0 an only got a consolation goal in 2nd half stoppage time. Loudoun were on short rest though, having beaten Richmond Kickers 2-0 last weekend. But what about actual USL Championship play?

The last time Loudoun played a league game was on May 30th when they lost 4-1 at Monterey Bay. At the time, Monterey Bay were coming off their first win of the year (leaving out a penalty shootout win in the USL Cup). Losing in that fashion is not great against a team that is still bottom of the Western Conference (though they’d be 10th in the East right now, ahead of Loudoun who are 11th).

Players to Watch

• James Murphy (MF)
  • Unclear if he can “Dance Hmself Clean” (kudos if you get the reference) but he certainly can play some soccer. Murphy has been Loudon’s best player this season, at least according to Fotmob which as we know is always correct. The Loudoun captain is a key cog in their midfield and definitely one who hasn’t been “Losing His Edge” (ok I’m done)
• Jack Panayotou (MF)
  • I really can’t write about an opposing team without mentioning players who spent some time in the Ocean State. Jack P is on yet another USL loan after having been with RIFC in 2024 and Hartford Athletic in 2025. It’s clear from watching him that he has natural ability but he’s yet to provide a goal contribution this season. I do hope he does well and finds a place where he can settle for his career. Just not on Saturday
• Thorleifur Ulfarsson (FW)
  • Just going to call this guy Thor. Thor started his career in his native Iceland but moved to America to play collegiately at Duke, where he scored 19 goals in 25 appearances. That lead to him being drafted by the Houston Dynamo where he’d score 7 goals in 49 appearances before moving back to Europe to play in Hungary and Iceland. He’s now back in the US and has 7 goals in 13 appearances across all competitions. It seems he’s found his home in the USL and he’s definitely one to watch on Saturday

Storyline

Getting Reinforcements

So I know I’ve just wrote about three players for Loudoun that we should be watching for on Saturday. But I’m here to give you another three. Loudoun have had a rough start to the year with only one win in the league. They’ve managed to stay afloat with 6 draws, tied with San Antonio for most in the league (though Loudoun have played two fewer games). But they now have a few reinforcements coming in. The first is goalkeeper Jordan Farr. Farr has been a great goalkeeper in the Championship over recent years. His standout year for Tampa Bay in 2024 lead to him signing with DC United ahead of the 2025 season. However, he didn’t really get playing time and was just loaned out to Loudoun. He should make his third start on Saturday.

The other two players are defender Jacob Erlandson and my personal favorite from 2025, attacker Abdellatif Aboukoura. Both were injured and have recently returned. Erlandson was a mainstay for Loudoun in 2024 but missed a lot of 2025. Aboukoura was one of the most exciting attacking players in the league last season. Loudoun certainly need them after their poor start.

Prediction

I have faith in Loudoun to get better this season with their new additions/returning players. The question is, how soon will that happen? Farr has stepped right in but Erlandson and Aboukoura haven’t reached full fitness. Combine that with the fact that Loudoun are on short rest and I think RIFC have a good chance to come away with all three points. They’ve had the full week of rest and the players should be able to go all out with such a long period off coming up. So for that reason…

Final Thoughts

I’ve referenced this all over the blog already, but RIFC’s upcoming break is a kind of weird one. It does at least give us all time to reset and we get to return with what should be an awesome fireworks night at Tidewater. First though, I’ll be back here with the Riptide Report after the game on Saturday. Hopefully it’ll be a good one. Until then though, UP THE TIDE!