Under the Surface - We’re Halfway There

Welcome back to Under the Surface. After taking June off to spare myself and our readers of the pointless exercise of breaking down a 2-game month (only one of which being a league match at that), I’m back in the weeds unpacking the month of July for a Rhode Island FC team that has seen itself vault up to 6th place position with game(s) still in hand after winning back to back league matches for the first time since April. A pair of 1-0 wins isn’t necessarily anything to write home about, but there’s a lot under the surface that is telling a promising story of what this team could be destined to do in 2026. Let’s dive into it.

Koke Vegas - 2

Thanks to Hartford’s flaccid attack and Koke’s 4 big saves against Pittsburgh, Rhode Island FC has kept back-to-back clean sheets in league play for the first time since October 2025. While RIFC’s “fraudulent” attack ranks 4th in the league in goals scored per game, they have only scored 1 in their last 2 league games. However, that has proven to be just enough to pick up all 3 points and move RIFC up the table because of Koke’s clean sheets.

Dani Rovira - 2.31

Out of necessity due to a plethora of injuries that have left the central midfield room thin (who thought we’d ever say that?), Dani Rovira has taken to a new role within the team with his chances of seeing minutes at right back growing slimmer by the day. In 1 USL Cup start and 3 league substitute appearances totalling 78 minutes, Dani led the team with 2.31 interceptions per 90 minutes. He has proven to be a valuable asset for this team during its desperate time of need, though hopefully we see a corresponding move in the wake of Clay Holstad’s departure to reinforce the midfield with natural midfielders.

Aldair Sanchez - 4

Aldair’s position in the team was thrown into question after the break, and may still not be entirely secure with Frank’s incredible form. A player who couldn’t get a single break during the first half, Sanchez finally got a rest right before RIFC’s 3 week break against Loudoun, but got limited minutes against Orange County when the team returned. Regardless of his starter status, he did complete 4 successful dribbles, his best for a single month in his RIFC career. In fact, those 4 completed dribbles represent ⅓ of all his dribbles completed in an RIFC shirt. 

Hugo Bacharach - 2

Timmy already covered his club record 19 duels won against Pittsburgh, so I’ll pick a different angle for Hugo. In July, Bacharach scored 2 goals, which led the team. They came in back to back games from crosses by Amos Shapiro-Thompson. Set pieces have become a valuable part of RIFC’s game, and having someone from the gaggle of tall dudes finally nod in some goals is more than welcome.

Grant Stoneman - 35

I’ve been very critical of Grant this season, but has been a steady presence on the back line when called upon. He’s seen an uptick in minutes with the injuries to Hamady Diop and now Karifa Yao. While the lack of midfield depth is well documented, the central defense has been equally affected. Grant Stoneman has single-handedly made sure that we haven’t suffered from it. In July, he ranked 2nd on the team with 35 defensive contributions in all competitions. He has barely put a foot wrong all season, often flying under the radar, but has stepped up big time lately.

Dwayne Atkinson - 4.14

While he still may not be the player we were promised or expecting, Busy has found ways to contribute to this RIFC team wherever and whenever he’s been deployed. A shock start in the double pivot alongside Dani Rovira, Atkinson dealt with just about everything Brooklyn threw his way despite his small stature. He lived up to his nickname in July, leading the team with 4.14 dribbles completed per 90 and 8.29 ground duels won per 90. While the volume of goal contributions may be lacking, he does lead the league in goals per 90 at 1.48 (Shoutout Matt Hands for that nugget).

Leo Afonso - 7.11

Leo hasn’t necessarily been the player we were promised or were expecting either, but I believe he would be much better off playing up top alongside JJ. We just don’t play that way in the current setup. However, we so a bit more out of Afonso in July going forward getting into dangerous positions where he led the team with 7.11 touches in the opposition’s box per 90. It will be interesting to see if the arrival of Osman Foyo has any impact on Leo’s standing in the team with the newcomer coming in with a track record of playing across the front line.

JJ Williams - 3

JJ’s contributions to the success of Rhode Island FC go far beyond his goal scoring, though it is obviously a huge part of it. In July, JJ Williams missed 3 big chances, and converted 1 for his lone goal of the month against Pittsburgh. He is now up to 14 on the season, bringing him level with Chico on /90 basis who was infamous for the big chances that he missed for RIFC. Dikwa’s struggles were a bit more extreme, with his big chances missed outnumbering his goal scoring output, but JJ is now at and equal 29 goals and 29 big chances missed in all competitions for the Amber and Blue.

Pity Rodríguez - 0.93

Pity’s work on the pitch is often overlooked with it not always registering on a stat sheet recorded as a dribble completed or chance finished for an assist, but he has been an important connection between the pivot and the rest of the front line all season. In July, he netted his first goal for the club and led the team with 0.93 shots on target per 90 along the way. It will be interesting to see if Foyo takes away any of his minutes, but what a brilliant option either would be to come off the bench if that ends up being the case.

Noah Fuson - 207

After a string of promising substitute cameos and midfield injuries, Noah’s role in the RIFC team grew to the tune of 207 league minutes played in July including his first 2 league starts of the whole season. That now accounts for 46.6% of his season total which plain and simply means he effectively doubled his minutes on the season. However, only produced 0.87 chances created per 90, one of the lowest marks in his RIFC career.

Clay Holstad - 1

Go check out Ryan’s blog and last week’s pod to get some deeper thoughts on Clay’s departure on loan to FC Dallas. But as he only played in 1 match and came off injured in July, this section feels better if used to give some context to Clay’s place in RIFC’s 2.5 year history statistically. He ranks 1st in passes completed (3067), passes attempted (3710), touches (5249), passes into the final third (620), tackles (164), and yellow cards (28). Unfortunately he ranks 2nd in appearances (96) behind Noah after the injury sustained against Orange County, and would have been able to reach 100 against Pittsburgh had he played the other 4 matches this month. What a fitting honor that would have been, but apparently not meant to be.

Will Meyer - N/A

Logan Dorsey - N/A

Frank Nodarse - 630

Frank had one of his best months in an RIFC shirt in July, stepping up big time on both sides of the ball. He really is one of the first names on the team sheet and virtually undroppable when in form. His flicked on cross from Jojea Kwizera in the derby against Hartford was his first league goal in 630 days in the 8-1 win over Miami during the 2024 regular season finale. It’s honestly a shocking drought for Frank given that he ranks 6th on RIFC’s all time scoring charts, though he did chip in 2 goals in cup competitions in 2025.

Jojea Kwizera - 11

Jojea had another strong month in July, taking a break from goalscoring to get back to his 2024 roots as a creator. He led the team with 11 chances created, and netted 2 assists as a result. The fluidity and overall consistency of the RIFC attack would not be possible without JJ’s health and Kwizera’s return to form after a dip in 2025.

Kevin Vang - 1

Everyone’s favorite Rhode Islander, Kevin Vang played 8 minutes this month against Sacramento late in the match and created 1 big chance. In a different world where Pity is able to get it over and/or around Danny Vitiello, it could have led to a late equalizer that would have RIFC on a 2 month unbeaten run. Desperate times call for desperate measures, but Kevin is a far better option during those desperate times than a lot of teams around the league can say.

Jamin Gogo Peters - N/A

Zachary Herivaux - N/A

Nick Scardina - 46

I remember when Nick Scardina was failing to impress at the beginning of the season and playing a reserve role behind Frank at right back. We’re well and truly past that and Nick has cemented himself as the lock on starter for RIFC at right back. His 46 passes into the final third in July led the team, a stat that frequently favors midfielders that are generally more involved with progressive play. HIs linkup play on the right side has been a huge part of Jojea’s resurgence as one of the most important players for RIFC this season.

Karifa Yao - 73.3%

Karifa Yao constantly stuffs the stat sheet with his defensive contributions, that’s nothing new. It was pretty well documented last season how much progress he had made as a distributor, which has continued on to 2026, but he had an especially good month in that department. He not only led the team with 73.3% long ball accuracy, but also with 88.3% pass accuracy overall. 

CJ Williams - 15

CJ Williams returned to the pitch for his first minutes since March after recovering from injury and also out of necessity due to other injuries to the central defense. In 15 minutes of action, he made 4 defensive contributions. It may not sound like a lot, but that’s more than someone like Grant Stoneman were putting in for entire 90 minute games early in the season. He did his part in preserving results against Brooklyn and Pittsburgh, not conceding a goal in his time on the pitch.

Jacob Castro - N/A

Hamady Diop - N/A

Amos Shapiro-Thompson - 6

It cannot be understated how important Amos is to the RIFC team. We can only speculate how the 2024 RIFC regular season would have turned out if he had been healthy, but I doubt we’d still be chasing our first home playoff berth in year 3 if that were the case. His motor in the midfield has always been one of the biggest strengths, but we have seen a lot more from him on the ball going forward in 2026 that we did not see in 2025. In July, AST had 6 successful dribbles and 2 assists, each of which led the team. His set pieces have been especially dangerous as well, constantly causing chaos with his deliveries.

Thank you for checking out my first blog! Come on back next month for some more RIFC stats content! Feel free to connect with me in the Defiance 1636 Discord, Twitter (@TylerJHatch), or Instagram (@tjhatch2001) if there’s anything you would like to see come of this blog! We’re getting into the home stretch, so get out to Tidewater and let’s lock down this home playoff spot. Don’t hesitate to come over and say hi in M7! Until next month, Up The Tide!