The Riptide Report: Rhode Island FC vs Hartford Athletic - 7/18/2026

Rhode Island FC handled Hartford Athletic and came away with all three points tonight. A first half goal from Frank Nodarse was all RIFC would need to secure the 1-0 win. Here are my thoughts on another memorable night at Tidewater:

Seat Adjustment

I know these blogs are supposed to be about my reaction to the game but I'd be remiss if I didn't shout out the team and Amelia in particular for sorting out my seats. I had to move from my customary perch in 205 due to breaking my leg last week. I ended up right behind 104 which while not as great as 205, was the best I could realistically get. And it was pretty sweet. I had a great view of the game and even got to hang out behind the family of a player. An additional perk was being able to stay out of the rain (for the most part) as I was under the overhang of the 200s. I was very thankful to be saved from this:

Fantastic Frank

You know I'll always take every opportunity to give props to my guy Frank Nodarse. But he does deserve it tonight. He started ahead of Aldair Sanchez at left back and showed why he's a great option there despite naturally being a right footed center back (though admittedly he looked a bit shaky when he moved back to the middle later in the game). I thought he looked solid carrying the ball forward and he defended well against some big and athletic (no pun intended) Hartford players. The big moment for Frank though came 20 minutes in when he got this goal from a corner:

It was a nice touch from Frank to get it past Antony Siaha and a good ball in from Jojea. It's so good to see the team getting goals from set pieces. It helps alleviate the pressure of trying to score from open play, something that the team can struggle with at times.

The Two Halves

The first half was one of the best I've seen from RIFC in a long time. We completely dominated Hartford and probably should have had two or three goals. The only thing Hartford were able to do was play the ball long to the physical players they have up top. RIFC's back line responded and dealt with it well. I also have to mention a moment around 35 minutes in when JJ tracked back from his own box to break up a 2 on 1 for Hartford. It came after a JJ long throw into the box was cleared away. Nick Scardina stepped up to try to win the ball back but missed it, causing a break forward. JJ's hustle there was definitely worthy of a Tommy point (shout out the Boston Celtics and legendary former announcer/player/coach Tommy Heinsohn).

As for the second half it wasn't bad by any means, but I thought RIFC was protecting the lead too much. It was a nervy finish because as the game went on, I became increasingly aware of the fact that a chippy goal from Hartford could undo all of the good that the team did in the first half. There are a lot of times in this sport where you'll get punished for not taking enough advantage of the times in a game when you're on top. Fortunately, that didn't happen tonight. And the players do deserve credit for seeing it out.

Scared Siaha

I found it curious that Antony Siaha didn't come out to warm up in front of 116. Or if he did, he left early before defiance showed up. He had to face the fans at some point and was forced to in the second half when RIFC attacked that end of the field. There were some elite chants hurled in his direction that I won't discuss here (tune in to the podcast for details). The highlight for me though was that he made sure he had security with him as he walked off the field after the game. As if anything was going to happen. Just so soft after all of the taunting he did last year.

Final Thoughts

What an awesome way to mark RIFC's 100th game: a derby win. I was so glad to be back at Tidewater for this one. Up next we'll have the postmatch pod tomorrow night as well as player ratings where we always, I'll be looking out for Frank's score first and foremost. I'll be back here tomorrow with my final World Cup blog if you're into that sort of thing. If not, it's back to solely RIFC content on Friday with a preview of the team's trip out to Pittsburgh. Either way, I always appreciate anyone who consumes any of my content. And the same goes for the rest of the Tide Talk content I suppose 😄. Until next time though, as always, UP THE TIDE!