The Prematch Lookout: Birmingham Legion FC vs Rhode Island FC - 8/1/2026

It's nice to be back writing about a game rather than outside interests. RIFC are out on the road for a second consecutive weekend as they head down to Alabama to take on Birmingham Legion. It will be the seventh time the two teams have met, with RIFC winning four of them to go along with one draw and one Birmingham win. The lone victory for Birmingham came earlier this season at Tidewater when they came away with a 3-1 win. It was a very poor defensive performance that doomed RIFC that night. Will things improve on Saturday? Here's what to know as we head into it:

Last Time Out

RIFC came away with a 1-0 win against the Riverhounds in Pittsburgh last weekend. A second half header from JJ Williams was the difference. It was a very solid performance where RIFC were able to stifle Pittsburgh for the majority of the game. It only looked a little dicey after RIFC went ahead but the team did well to see it out.

Overall, it's been a decent run of form for the boys in amber and blue (or maybe just blue....branding can get confusing). Over the last five games, RIFC have won 2, drawn 2, and lost 1. The loss came on a midweek trip to Sacramento where RIFC fell 2-1. The draws were against Orange County (top of the Western Conference) and a mostly meaningless game in the cup against Brooklyn (where RIFC won the penalty shootout). And the wins have been back to back 1-0 victories over Hartford and Pittsburgh.

Players to Watch

Grant Stoneman (CB)

• Grant has had two of his best performances this season in this short two game winning streak. The team has really needed him with Hamady Diop out and Frank Nodarse getting starts at LB over Aldair Sanchez. That leaves Grant and Karifa Yao to man the middle of the back line with the only other natural CB being CJ Williams, who is in his first year as a professional

Amos Shapiro-Thompson

• Amos has been fantastic in his last four starts, which goes back to the 1-1 draw against Orange County. His engine in the midfield has become even more crucial now that Clay Holstad has moved to FC Dallas on loan. With the team so thin in the center of the park, they'll need Amos to continue to be at his best

Yutaro Tsukada (LW)

• Tsukada was just announced as a new signing on Thursday. It remains to be seen if he'll be with the team for this game in Birmingham. But seeing as I always talk about the same players on here, I figured I'd highlight him as one to watch. The team released a video of him in the jersey so he's at least been hanging around. I'm really excited to see what he can do on the left wing (where he's likely to play) so hopefully he's in the squad

Storyline

Staying Strong Defensively

As I mentioned earlier, RIFC were really sloppy defensively against Birmingham in their meeting back in May. The team has been much better on that end of the field lately, not conceding in their last 240 minutes (approximately). They'll be hoping to keep that up down in Alabama on Saturday. Another clean sheet might be difficult though as Birmingham haven't been held scoreless since a 2-0 loss to Monterey Bay on May 23rd. However, in each of their seven league games since that loss Birmingham have scored exactly one goal. A clean sheet here for RIFC would almost guarantee a win.

Last Time Out

Birmingham head into this game having just played midweek on Wednesday night. They suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Louisville City. Louisville CB Kevon Lambert scored just six minutes into the game but Birmingham midfielder Samuel Shashoua tied it just before halftime. Lambert got a second goal in the second half to give Lou City the three points.

Taking a look at Birmingham's season as a whole, it hasn't been great. They're 11th in the Eastern Conference with 14 points from 16 games and have only won twice in the league. In fact, their last league win was that 3-1 over RIFC back in May.

Players to Watch

Samuel Shashoua (MF)

• Shashoua has been an important player in the midfield for Birmingham. He's often paired with Seth Antwi. Antwi does more of the dirty work while Shashoua is tasked with progressing the ball forward. Look for him to make an impact on Saturday

Sebastian Tregarthen (FW)

• The Uruguayan is in his second season with Birmingham. He's already matched his 4 goals and 2 assists from last year and is one of the team's more dangerous players. He'll likely be playing on the right wing

Ronaldo Damus (FW)

• Damus is a bit of an enigma. In his last four seasons in the USL Championship, he scored 18, 15, 14, and 11 goals. This year, he only has one so far. And yes, it was against RIFC. Birmingham need him to consistently perform or they have no chance of moving up the table

Storyline

Draw Kings Flashback

I know, I know. Draw Kings was so 2024. But stick with me here. As I started to reference in the RIFC section, Birmingham are scoring goals. The problem is it's almost only ever one goal per game. They're literally 23rd in the league in goals scored per game with exactly 1.0. On the defensive side of things, they haven't been that bad. And they have goalkeeper Jassem Koleilat to thank for that. Koleilat is fourth in the league in save percentage and the team is conceding 1.2 goals per game. All of this in combination makes for a team that just consistently gets draws. They've drawn half of their league games (8 out of 16), which is the second most in the league. And four of their last seven league games have ended in 1-1 draws. While there is room for improvement defensively, I think the attack is the bigger issue.

Prediction

Rhode Island FC 3-1 Birmingham Legion

After some thought, I think RIFC do end up getting some revenge here in Birmingham. I can see Birmingham getting their customary goal but I have a feeling that RIFC's attack will be on point. It's really just a hunch and I could end up jinxing it. But I'm throwing it out there anyway. I'm predicting a goal each for JJ, Pity, and one of the defenders from a corner.

I appreciate the team being on the road again so I can give my leg more time to heal before heading back to Tidewater next weekend. Perfect scheduling there. I'm really hoping the team can keep up this momentum from their past couple of games and continue to move up the table. I feel like I've said this often over the past couple of years but it really is about time the team shows how good they can be by actually getting the results. I don't even need some magical run like in 2024. Just live up to the expectations that the roster has set out. With that, I'll see you all after the game with the Riptide Report. Until then, UP THE TIDE!