It's derby day at Tidewater as Rhode Island FC are set to take on Hartford Athletic Saturday night. It will be the eighth all-time meeting between the two teams. RIFC have two wins and Hartford have one, with the other four games all being draws (the cup games that went to penalties go down as draws in the books). Aside from the obvious intensity, here's what to look out for on Saturday:

Last Time Out

RIFC had a strange game to finish the group stage of the USL Cup last Saturday. They ended up drawing 1-1 with Brooklyn FC and then won the penalty shootout. It was a weird one because RIFC weren't mathematically eliminated coming into the game but needed a regulation win and a Hartford loss against a pretty bad Westchester SC in order to move on. Khano Smith also chose to rest a few players and put Dani Rovira and Dwayne Atkinson in the midfield. That's something I never thought we'd see. The highlight of the night was when Koke Vegas stepped up and converted the winning penalty. It was a fun way to end the night but overall, there isn't much to take away from the game as we head into this one.

Players to Watch

Koke Vegas (GK)

• Koke has played every minute for RIFC this season in every competition. It's hard to overstate his importance to the team. His penalty last weekend will go down in RIFC lore, even if it was in a meaningless game

Hugo Bacharach (MF)

• Hugo got the first hour or so off last weekend and he definitely needed and deserved the rest. He'll need to be strong in the middle against Hartford in transition and use his long legs to break up plays

JJ Williams (FW)

• JJ could and probably should be in every one of these blogs. He is the main man up top and carries this team's attack. We would all love to see him put one past Hartford

Storyline

Can a home derby be a launching point?

Three seasons in and RIFC are still having the same issue: the inability to consistently pick up points in the first half of the season. It actually extended out to the full year last year. But at some point, this RIFC team needs to kick on and start moving up the table. A home derby is as good a chance as any to get things going. The crowd will be up for it and I'm sure the players will as well. It's time to start producing.

Last Time Out

Hartford secured their spot in the knockouts of the USL Cup last weekend by defeating Westchester SC 2-1. First half goals from Barry Coffey and Augi Williams proved to be the difference for Hartford. Westchester did pull one back right before halftime but they couldn't get an equalizer. As for recent form, Hartford are 2-2-1 over their last five games in all competitions. The other win in addition to last weekend's was a surprising 1-0 over Tampa Bay in which Hartford gave the Rowdies their first loss this year. In between these two wins, Hartford drew Pittsburgh and Orange County and lost to Louisville.

Players to Watch

Antony Siaha (GK)

• It should come as no surprise that Siaha is getting mentioned first. He will likely be in every prematch blog for this derby as he has become the main villain. He has helped lead a Hartford defense that tied with Sacramento for the second fewest goals conceded in the league this season (13) just behind the Tampa Bay Rowdies (12)

Adrian Diz (DF)

• Diz is having arguably his best ever season this year. He has been such a critical part of Hartford's back line and he even ventures forward on occasion from his CB spot

Barry Coffey (MF)

• Coffey looked like a promising signing for Hartford this past offseason. It's taken some time but he's catching fire as of late. Coffey has three goals in his last two games, with a brace against Orange County and a goal last weekend against Westchester. The two goals against Orange County came off the bench as well so regardless of whether or not he starts, I'd expect to see him make some impact on the game

Storyline

Can Hartford even up the series?

The players will likely just be thinking about getting three points and separating themselves from RIFC even further in the table. But it has to be said that Hartford can get their second ever win in regulation against RIFC on Saturday. Their first and only so far was a 3-0 home win last season. RIFC's two wins were a 3-0 in 2024 and a 2-0 in the Open Cup earlier this year. Hartford fans will certainly be hoping they can get that second win and ruin what RIFC are hoping will be a great night at Tidewater.

Prediction

Rhode Island FC 1-0 Hartford Athletic

I think this could be a tight one. Hartford are hard to score against but also have the fewest goals scored in the league. They haven't gotten the production from Augi Williams up top that they need. For RIFC, I think a Hugo and Amos double pivot will be good enough and have the energy to stifle Hartford in transition. At that point, all it will take is one big moment and I think we see a powerful JJ header to make the difference.

I'll be back at Tidewater for this one after having missed last week's game due to injury (broken leg). Shout-out to the club (Amelia) for sorting out my tickets and moving them to a more accessible area. Sadly that means I won't get my birds eye view from 205 but it is what it is. I'll still be blogging from the stands and have the Riptide Report after the game to give my takeaways. Until then, UP THE TIDE!