Rhode Island FC vs. Charleston Battery Ratings - 10/30/2026

Rhode Island FC have just concluded their third season in the USL Championship with a penalty kick loss at Charleston Battery in the first round of the playoffs.

For two seasons now, we've been banging the drum about how bad this team is at playing from behind. The one thing we've had going for us, on the other hand, is that we rarely (almost never) gave up a lead.

Well, for the third consecutive week, Rhode Island FC have done exactly that.

After conceding in the final seconds against Pittsburgh, and then losing a second half lead against Hartford in the regular-season finale, RIFC managed to do it again in the first round of the playoffs. This time, the late equalizer forced extra time, before Charleston eventually prevailed in the penalty shootout.

The frustrating thing is that Rhode Island comfortably looked like the better team for the opening 30 minutes. We were aggressive, creating chances, winning set pieces, and putting Charleston under quite a bit of pressure. Once Kwizera scored the go-ahead goal, you would've thought we'd be the more likely team to score the next goal.

Instead, for the next hour, Rhode Island conceded possession, defended deep and honestly just hunkered down and prayed that Charleston wouldn't find a way through. And it nearly worked. The defensive effort was sensational for much of that time. But when you spend 60+ minutes inviting pressure, eventually something is going to give.

Another late equalizer, another blown lead, and a devastating end to a Rhode Island season. The part that hurts the most is that I never expected to get anything from this game - but then, once it was within our grasp, I allowed myself to start believing again.

Click below to see 2026 player ratings for the full season.

Rhode Island FC Player Ratings:

Koke Vegas – 6/10

Koke had a pretty good game, even if he wasn't called upon to make a huge number of saves. He finished with two saves - plus a penalty save in the shootout - and did a good job coming off his line to collect balls before Charleston could create more danger. He also scored a penalty of his own (for the second time this season), which is always a treat.

There wasn't a whole lot more he could have done on the equalizer.

Frank Nodarse – 7/10

Another very good performance from Frank, who finished tied with a game-high 17 defensive contributions. He was excellent for the vast majority of the match, helping Rhode Island withstand Charleston's pressure.

He was the nearest defender on the Charleston goal, but honestly, he does everything that he can to defend that sequence. He's falling down from the initial clearance, and the ball falls to Berry's feet. Not much Frank can do there.

Karifa Yao – 6/10

Yao was very good defensively, helping Rhode Island (nearly) withstand a barrage of Charleston pressure. He finished with nine defensive contributions and also stepped up to convert his penalty in the shootout. Another dependable performance.

Grant Stoneman – 9/10

Easily the best defensive performance I've seen from Grant in a Rhode Island FC shirt. And it's one of the best individual defensive performances we've seen from anyone on this team. Not to mention the fact that he won our penalty kick that led to the go-ahead goal in the 27th minute. He never would've bought a beer in Rhode Island again for his goal line clearance in the 32nd minute, if we had seen out the game.

I will always admit when I am wrong - and I was disappointed to see him back in the starting lineup, but boy, did Grant shut me up. The positioning, clearances, blocked shots, and blocked crosses — heck, even his recovery speed on a few chances - he did just about everything you could ask of a center back. He was tied with Frank for the game-high 17 defensive contributions and seemed to magically pop up everywhere Charleston tried to attack.

Jojea Kwizera – 6/10

I thought Jojea had a decent game, especially considering he was primarily deployed at left wingback rather than his preferred (or, just better?) position on the right. Defensively, he did a solid job tracking back and helping the back line.

His attacking contributions were a little more sporadic than usual, but dangerous when they came. He helped create the sequence that led to the free kick, that led to the corner, that led to the penalty (hah), and then scored the rebound after his initial attempt was saved. He also finished tied with a game-high four chances created.

Also - very impressive for Kwizera to take and score the first penalty of the penalty shootout. It's notoriously hard to take a second penalty in a match (even against a different keeper) - especially when your first one was saved. Well done.

Hugo Bacharach – 6/10

Hugo was particularly good during Rhode Island's dominant opening 30 minutes, progressing the ball through midfield with both his passing and dribbling. He then did a good job breaking up play as we tried to protect the lead. I definitely think he played a bit more conservatively after picking up the yellow card.

Hugo finished with 13 defensive contributions, won all five of his tackles, and recorded 14 duels won. Unfortunately, the missed penalty in the shootout is going to be the moment people remember. It's a shame, because I thought he otherwise had a solid game.

Zach Herivaux – 6/10

I actually thought this was one of Zach's better performances since returning from injury. I've been critical of his play since coming back in September, but he looked more comfortable here, recovering and recycling possession while also looking to progress the ball forward.

I think we missed Zach after he made way due to injury after just 37 minutes.

Nick Scardina – 5/10

Perfectly fine performance from Nicky the Fish. He had some good moments going both ways - particularly carrying the ball forward and defending, as his passing was a bit under par at only 50% completion rate.

Amos Shapiro-Thompson – 6/10

Amos had a good game starting in a slightly more advanced midfield role. He did plenty of defensive work and was one of our more progressive players when we were actually trying to get forward in the first 30 minutes.

He finished tied with a game-high four chances created, although a couple came from corner kicks. He also had two shots from outside the box, both on target, and delivered some very good set pieces. He was clearly running out of steam by the end of his 105 minutes (and who can blame him?), but gave us a solid performance.

Leo Afonso – 5/10

Leo had a decent opening 30 minutes, getting involved in some of Rhode Island's better attacking sequences and forcing a diving save with a hard, low shot from the edge of the box.

There were a couple of moments where I'd have liked to see better decision-making, including one opportunity where he probably should have passed rather than taking the shot himself. After we took the lead, there wasn't much for him to work with as Rhode Island largely stopped attacking.

Stas Korzeniowski – 5/10

I thought this was a brighter performance from Stas than we saw for most of October. He had three shots in the opening 25 minutes, although none on target.

Unfortunately, like the rest of the attack, he largely disappeared after Rhode Island went ahead. That's not entirely his fault when the team had so little interest in keeping possession.

Subs

Osman Foyo – 5/10

Foyo came on for Zach in the 37th minute and did a reasonable job defensively, tracking back and helping protect the lead. He also had a good rundown in extra time that forced the Charleston goalkeeper into a yellow card.

He still struggles in physical duels, though, and doesn't consistently offer enough when asked to compete for long balls. Not a bad performance, but not one that changed the game.

Noah Fuson – 4/10

Fuson looked like the player we've seen for much of 2026: lacking confidence and aggression, and playing with hesitancy as a result. He didn't create a chance in the 42 minutes he played and didn't offer the attacking spark we needed.

Aldair Sanchez – 5/10

Aldair came on late and didn't have much opportunity to influence the game. If anything, I thought he might've been a hair below the standard that we've seen him at over his recent run of seven consecutive starts.

Eric Klein – 5/10

Controversially, I thought bringing Klein on for Leo in the 88th minute was the right decision. Rhode Island needed a little more control in midfield, and the substitution made sense given the circumstances.

Klein was far from being the reason we conceded. He was absolutely fine.

Yutaro Tsukada – 5/10

Tsukada finally made his appearance in the 106th minute and received a big roar at the Guild. I think plenty of people would have liked to see him introduced earlier, given what he can offer in attack.

He didn't have much time to make an impact, but did his job by converting his penalty in the shootout.

Pity Rodríguez – 4/10

It was good to see Pity back on the field after a lengthy absence, having not appeared since September 5. Unfortunately, he didn't have much time to settle into the game before being asked to take a significant penalty.

His attempt was saved, giving Charleston the opportunity to win the shootout and ultimately ending Rhode Island's season.

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.