The Riptide Report: Rhode Island FC vs Monterey Bay FC - 8/22/2026

Rhode Island FC came way with the three points tonight as they defeated Monterey Bay FC 3-1. Goals from Leo Afonso, Hugo Bacharach, and Grant Stoneman were the difference. Sebastian Lletget got on the score sheet for Monterey Bay. Here are my quick takeaways from another home win:

Leo for JJ

The biggest question for RIFC heading into this one was who was going to play at striker with JJ Williams reportedly on the move to Heart of Midlothian. It ended up being Leo Afonso who got the nod up top and it paid off early:

It was a terrible back pass from Monterey Bay but it was still good from Leo to be aware and take advantage of that situation.

I thought overall Leo had a pretty good game and it was interesting seeing the difference in RIFC's approach without JJ Williams. Outside of just his goal scoring, JJ's ability to be an outlet on long balls was crucial for the team. Without him, that option wasn't there anymore. Instead, RIFC relied on playing through their opponents and being more aggressive in the press. The forwards also interchanged often when the ball was in the attacking third. It worked well tonight and I'm curious to see how that plays out for the rest of the season.

Lletget Levels

After going ahead early, I thought the game could get ugly quick. But you have to give credit to Monterey Bay for fighting back and getting this equalizer:

It was some good work from the three players I mentioned in the Prematch Lookout. I had to point that out because it's probably the first time in 3 seasons now that I've gotten that right. But Glasgow did well out wide and Paul was strong in holding off his defender and laying it off for Lletget to finish. You could argue RIFC needed to do a better job there of picking up Lletget but overall I think it was a really good goal.

Hugo and Grant Secure the 3 Points

I felt RIFC were the better team throughout this one and that only got more evident as the second half went on. These goals from Hugo and Grant were definitely deserved:

Hugo's goal was mostly down to poor defending from Monterey Bay again. You can't leave someone open at the back post like that. It's Hugo's third goal of the season and you have to love his propensity to show up in good spots like that in addition to everything else he does on the field.

As for Grant's goal, credit to Noah for his good work to start it off. I thought Foyo could have finished there (more on him shortly) but Grant did well to bury it and guarantee the win.

Foyo Debut

I know we're going to hear about Osman Foyo's debut from Timmy in his Player Ratings but I had to give my own thoughts here too. I, along with I'm sure all of us, was really excited to see Foyo in action. And I have to say, I saw a lot of good things. He showed some hold up play and got into some dangerous areas in his 10 minutes on the field. He actually had two chances to score in that short time. The first was on that Grant goal and the second was a play where he slid down and hit the ball across goal back at the goalkeeper instead of into what was essentially an empty net. I'm not going to be too harsh on him for missing that one but it is one that he had to finish. It would've been an incredible way to mark his debut. Still, I'm really excited for what he'll bring to the team moving forward.

RIFC continue to do well at home as they've now won 5 games to go along with 4 draws and 1 loss at Tidewater. This was a game we always expected to win but it was good to see it actually play out on the field. We'll have the Player Ratings and Podcast tomorrow to further go over this one. I'll be back here on Friday with the Prematch Lookout as we look ahead to RIFC's trip out to Logan Dorsey's FC Tulsa. Until then, as always, UP THE TIDE!