The Prematch Lookout: Brooklyn FC vs Rhode Island FC - 10/3/2026

Rhode Island FC make the trip to Coney Island to take on Brooklyn FC Saturday night. The teams have met twice already this year, with both meetings being in Pawtucket. The first was a 4-1 RIFC win in the league back in May. The second was a virtually meaningless game in the USL Cup in July where it ended in a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes and RIFC won on penalties. Here's what you need to know heading into the weekend:

Last Time Out

It was a huge night at Tidewater on Wednesday for RIFC as we beat Indy Eleven 1-0. Stas Korzeniowski scored the lone goal in the first half and Jacob Castro came up huge in his first start in goal. The result pushed RIFC ahead of Indy and into 7th in the Eastern Conference. It was a must win for the team if they wanted to move up and get away from 8th place. It's a good start but they'll need to continue getting results if they want a better playoff matchup.

Players to Watch

Koke Vegas (GK)

• Koke will return to the team on Saturday after serving his red card suspension midweek. Before that red card in Charleston, he was having a fantastic game with some brilliant saves. Hopefully he can carry that form forward and leave the red card stuff behind him. The fun he had in 116 on Wednesday night certainly showed he's in good spirits

Aldair Sanchez (LB)

• Aldair has started at LB/LWB these last two games with Jojea Kwizera away on international duty. Jojea will not be back for Brooklyn so I expect Aldair to get another start. It's been a strange season for him as he was a mainstay in the starting 11 for the first half of the year and then randomly found himself out of the squad for awhile. His performances since coming back in have been great and he definitely deserves to keep his starting role

Amos Shapiro-Thompson (MF)

• Amos played the last half hour against Indy, replacing Zach Herivaux. That makes me think the reverse will happen in Brooklyn with Amos starting and Zach coming off the bench. He's been such a crucial part of this team, especially after Clay Holstad's move to FC Dallas. Amos should have a big impact on Saturday

Storyline

Momentum?

Sure, it was only one game. Against a not-so-great Indy Eleven team. At home. But the win midweek has brought in some good vibes. The question now is whether or not the team can use the win to gain some momentum heading into the last 5 games of the regular season. A win against Brooklyn could propel the guys further up the table and they have a great opportunity to get it on Saturday.

Last Time Out

Brooklyn also played midweek but had a much different result than RIFC. They lost at home to Detroit City 3-1. Tommy McNamara converted a penalty in the 70th minute to tie the game at 1-1 but Detroit's Callum Montgomery scored just two minutes later to restore the lead. And then with goalkeeper Jackson Lee up for a corner in stoppage time, Kobe Hernandez-Foster scored from his own half into an empty net to seal it. The loss means Brooklyn are winless in their last six games. They've had 4-0 losses at Birmingham and Indy during that span and are currently 12th in the Eastern Conference and 24th in the league overall.

Players to Watch

Jackson Lee (GK)

• This is my third Prematch blog for Brooklyn and I'm going to talk about Jackson Lee once again. But really it's anyone's guess who starts in goal in this one. Brooklyn have played three goalkeepers this year, with Kayne Rizvanovich starting the first three games before getting recalled from loan. Since then, Lukas Burns has started 12 games and Lee has started 11

Tommy McNamara (MF)

• I'd be remiss if I didn't put Tommy Mac in here. After a long MLS career that ended with the New England Revolution, McNamara dipped his toes into the USL Championship last season with Las Vegas. This year, he's been captaining Brooklyn

Christopher Olney (FW)

• Markus Anderson was Brooklyn's best attacker but he was recalled from loan a month ago. So with him no longer being with the team, Olney is probably Brooklyn's most dangerous player. He leads the team in goal contributions with 10 (3 goals and 7 assists) and should be dangerous down the wing

Storyline

Playing Spoiler

Brooklyn have had a terrible first season and they're completely out of contention for a playoff spot. So at this point, their only goal should be to find something to build on and play spoiler along the way. It's going to be tough for them against an RIFC team that has a lot to play for and will have great travelling support. But Brooklyn will hope that playing with zero pressure will make it a bit easier.

Prediction

Rhode Island FC 2-0 Brooklyn FC

It's hard to pick RIFC to blow away any opponent on the road given the team's struggles away from Tidewater this season. However, I do think they get a comfortable win in the end. I'm going with a brace for Stas with one of them being assisted by Osman Foyo for the second consecutive game.

I am unfortunately not making the trip for this one but I know a lot of RIFC fans are and I hope you all have a great time. Away days are special and this one should be no different, regardless of the result.

Being at home should allow me to get the Riptide Report out at a decent time, where I'll give my immediate reaction to the game. Depending on the shenanigans in Brooklyn, we should have the player ratings and postmatch podcast on Sunday. Until next time, UP THE TIDE!