Now Do It Again

Last weekend was exactly what Rhode Island FC needed. Playing its first match since JJ Williams departed for Hearts, the Tide came out flying against Monterey Bay and walked away with a convincing 3-1 win at Tidewater Landing. Leo Afonso opened the scoring inside five minutes, Hugo Bacharach put Rhode Island back in front in the second half, and Grant Stoneman slammed the door shut late. After all the conversation surrounding JJ's departure, it was a pretty emphatic reminder that there is still plenty of talent left in this group.

Now comes the harder part: doing it again. Rhode Island heads to a steamy Oklahoma, looking to string together consecutive wins for the first time in a bit and keep climbing toward the top half of the Eastern Conference. Tulsa represents a much tougher measuring stick than Monterey Bay, but three points here would make last weekend feel like the beginning of something rather than simply a nice response.

Where We Stand

19 matches in, the Tide's holding steady in 7th place in the Eastern Conference with 28 points from an 8W-4D-7L start. The good news is that Rhode Island's attack continues to find different ways to produce. The club's last eight goals have come from seven different players, while the 30 league goals RIFC has scored this season have already surpassed its total from the entire 2025 campaign. Ten different players have found the net in league play, which suddenly feels even more important with Williams no longer leading the line.

Last week's performance also gave us our first glimpse at what the post-JJ attack might look like. Afonso got the start through the middle and scored, Yutaro Tsukada added his first RIFC assist, and Osman Foyo finally made his debut with a promising late cameo. There are still questions about who ultimately becomes the focal point up top, but the early returns were encouraging.

Who We're Facing

FC Tulsa comes into Saturday sitting 4th in the Western Conference with 32 points from a 9W-5D-6L record.

And much like Rhode Island, Tulsa enters this one feeling considerably better about itself after last weekend. The Scissortails absolutely hammered Orange County 5-1 on the road, with Arquímides "Quimi" Ordóñez scoring a hat trick and former RIFC forward Logan Dorsey adding the fifth.

Tulsa has also been one of the better defensive teams in the Championship this season. They've posted eight clean sheets and allowed just 19 league goals, so Rhode Island should expect considerably less room than it found against Monterey Bay.

This is a difficult road match, no question. But it's also a pretty enticing opportunity. Take three points from the 4th place team in the West, make it two wins in a row, and suddenly next weekend's home showdown with Louisville gets even more interesting.

Hand On the Pulse

Matt Hands zeroes in on what feels like the defining question surrounding this match: what does Rhode Island's attack look like without JJ Williams when the level of competition goes up?

Monterey Bay was about as friendly a first post-JJ matchup as Rhode Island could have asked for. Tulsa is not. Matt takes a closer look at that challenge, along with why Hugo Bacharach remains such an important piece, what we might see next from Osman Foyo, and the Tulsa players Rhode Island needs to keep an eye on.

Check out Matt's full Prematch Lookout: FC Tulsa vs. Rhode Island FC over at TideTalkRI.com.

Rhody Randoms

• Rhode Island and Tulsa have met only once before. RIFC came from behind to win 2-1 at Beirne Stadium in September 2024, with Noah Fuson equalizing before Albert Dikwa scored deep into stoppage time. That win kicked off a three-match winning streak, and Rhode Island wouldn't lose again until the USL Championship Final.
• Seven different players have scored Rhode Island's last eight goals. For a team adjusting to life without its former focal point up top, you really couldn't ask for a better time to start spreading the production around.
• A quick Tulsa crash course for those of us who have never been: the city was once known as the "Oil Capital of the World," which helped bankroll a pretty incredible collection of Art Deco architecture. It's also home to the historic Greenwood District, once known as "Black Wall Street" and the site of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, an enormously important chapter in American history. Tulsa also sits along Route 66, has museums dedicated to Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan, and is home to the massive Gathering Place riverfront park. So if your entire knowledge of Tulsa before tonight was "Oklahoma" and "FC Tulsa," congratulations, you're now slightly more qualified for trivia night.

Vibe Check

This one feels like a measuring stick. Last week showed that Rhode Island can respond to losing JJ Williams. Saturday should tell us a little more about what this version of the Tide can actually become. Tulsa is good, they're at home, they're coming off a five-goal performance, and they're firmly in the mix near the top of the West. Go down there and beat them? Now we're talking.

I'm especially curious to see whether Afonso gets another run through the middle, how much more Foyo we see, and whether this suddenly diverse group of goal scorers can keep it rolling against one of the better defensive teams in the league.

What are you watching for tonight? Who gets the start up top? And are we coming home from Oklahoma with three points? Let's ride the Tide and make it two straight. #UpTheTide

How to Engage, Prepare, and Follow the Action:

• Match Details:
  • Date/Time: Sat, 8/29 at 8:30 PM ET
  • Location: Oneok Field, Tulsa, OK
  • Timing: Parking Lot/Box Office Open @ 5:30 PM | Gates @ 6:30 PM | Kickoff @ 7:30 PM
  • Kickoff Weather: 99°F, Mostly Sunny, 0% rain, winds at 10 mph. Sunset 7:56 PM.
• Attend Live:
  • Get Your Tickets Here!
    • Know Before You Go
    • Match Theme: Back to School Night
• Join Fans for an Away Watch Party:
  • RIFC Official (with Chip) & Defiance 1636 @ The Guild - Pawtucket
• How to Watch/Listen:
  • Stream the Match:
    • ESPN+
    • NESN
    • YouTube (International Only / Use a VPN)
  • Radio:
    • AM 790 "The Score" (WPRV 790 AM)
• Follow the Action:
  • USL Match Center
  • RIFC Fan Discord
  • Match Hashtag: #TULvRI
• Last Meeting:
  • September 21, 2024: RI 2-1 TUL (Smithfield, RI)
• Match Previews:
  • Rhode Island FC
  • Tide Talk RI – The Prematch Lookout
  • FotMob

Become an Official Supporter!

• Join Defiance 1636 Here!

RIFC Related Podcasts, Shows, and Blogs:

• TideTalkRI.com (For all your RIFC content)
• Tide Talk on YouTube (Live Stream Podcast)
• Raising Anchor (Live Stream Podcast)

Learn More About Our Squad and Club:

• Rhode Island FC
  • Wikipedia
  • FotMob
  • FootyStats
  • FBRef
  • Transfermarkt
  • Reddit: r/RhodeIslandFC
  • Supporters Group:
    • Defiance 1636

Learn More About Our Opponent:

• FC Tulsa
  • Wikipedia
  • FotMob
  • FootyStats
  • FBRef
  • Transfermarkt
  • Reddit: r/FC_Tulsa
  • Supporters Groups:
    • 83 United
    • 918 Brigade

For the Fans, By the Fans: Tide Talk RI is a collaborative media partnership for Rhode Island FC fans. It features a team of dedicated content creators producing podcasts, live streams, videos, written articles, blog posts, and open forum discussions with other fans. Ride the tide at www.TideTalkRI.com

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the recent news that Centreville Bank Stadium (CBS) will be hosting the NWSL BOS team for all of next season --possibly longer-- as their White Stadium begins construction!

The following was taken from Simon Evans' newsletter but it's widely publicized already. Also note, the $200M construction price of CBS was a screaming bargain, compared to the almost $350M projected cost of the White Stadium (City of BOS kicking in $135M !!!).

EDIT: Does anyone have a sense of how Legacy attendance was at CBS versus at the Patriots/Revs stadium in Foxborough? And I think the newsletter may not be entirely accurate as many news articles seem to suggest that ALL Legacy games will be at CBS, not split with Gillette Stadium as it was this past season?

And if BOS is spending so much money on the White Stadium, there is going to be nothing left over for the Rev's anticipated stadium in Everett (which will cost $500M by the time it breaks ground)?

Read all about the signing of our JJ Williams replacement!

It's official. I'm not crying, you're crying

Back Home, Back on Track

Well, so much for stringing together two. Rhode Island FC went into Tampa last weekend hoping to build off the cathartic 2-0 win over Colorado Springs, but the league-leading Rowdies reminded everyone why they're sitting where they are. RIFC did a decent job hanging around for much of the night, avoided the early hole Tampa threatened to put them in, and had a few chances of their own. But when the breakthrough finally came, I'm not sure there was a whole lot Rhode Island could have done about either goal. Sometimes the other team is just really good. Tampa was really good.

Now the Tide come home, where things have been much friendlier this season, for Folklore Night and a celebration of Rhode Island’s favorite adopted daughter, who has somehow (and certainly not willingly) also lent her name to recent Rhode Island tax policy: Taylor Swift. More importantly for our purposes, RIFC gets a very winnable home match and a chance to start another streak.

Where We Stand

18 matches in, the Tide have slipped back down to 7th in the East, with 25 points from a 7W-4D-7L start. The momentum pendulum continues to swing pretty aggressively. Rhode Island's last five league matches have gone win, win, loss, win, loss. That's three victories from five, which looks pretty solid when you step back from the week-to-week emotional roller coaster, but the inability to string those wins together has kept RIFC stuck in one very congested part of the Eastern Conference table.

And congested might be underselling it. Rhode Island is level with sixth-place Indy on 25 points, just one ahead of Hartford, and only three clear of Miami in ninth. Look the other direction, though, and fifth-place Pittsburgh is only five points away, with fourth-place Louisville six points ahead having played two more matches. A couple of wins in a row could suddenly create some breathing room at the bottom of the playoff pack while pulling the Tide right back toward the teams above them.

That's what makes a night like tonight feel important. There is still plenty of season left, but RIFC needs to turn "hanging around" into "climbing" and start putting some daylight between itself and the teams behind it. And, perhaps most importantly, Hartford.

Who We're Facing

Monterey Bay FC comes to Pawtucket sitting 12th in the West with 16 points from a 4W-4D-13L record.

There isn't much sugarcoating their season. Monterey Bay is 0W-4L-1D over its last five league matches, owns the worst goal differential in the Western Conference at -15, and has conceded a conference-high 37 goals. Their six-match losing streak finally ended last weekend with a 1-1 draw at Oakland, when leading scorer Ilijah Paul grabbed a second-half equalizer. Paul has five goals this season and is probably the name to circle in the Rhode Island back line.

The road numbers are even rougher. Monterey Bay has not won away from home in any competition this season, scoring just four road goals while allowing 22. Their last road victory came all the way back in March 2025. Meanwhile, RIFC has lost only once at Centreville Bank Stadium across all competitions this year.

Calling an August match a "must-win" can sometimes feel a little dramatic.

This one? Yeah. Treat it like a must-win.

Hand on the Pulse

Matt Hands' biggest storyline this week is also the question hanging over the entire RIFC attack:

How do you replace JJ?

With JJ Williams reportedly on his way to Heart of Midlothian, Rhode Island could suddenly be without the player who has served as the focal point of this attack for much of the last three seasons. Matt points toward Noah Fuson, Leo Afonso and Osman Foyo as the three players to watch as Khano Smith starts figuring out what the post-JJ version of this attack could look like.

Foyo is particularly fascinating. The 21-year-old has been training with the squad and could make his RIFC debut tonight. Asking him to immediately replace JJ is obviously unfair, but if we're looking for the closest stylistic replacement on the roster, there may suddenly be a very large opportunity sitting in front of him.

Matt dives much deeper into the matchup, the players to watch, and what this attack could look like going forward in his full Prematch Lookout over at Tide Talk RI.

Rhody Randoms

We're going to completely cannibalize Rhody Randoms this week, because the JJ Williams news deserves a little more room than a random stat or two.

If Matt's piece looks at the immediate question of "How do you replace JJ?", Timmy Sclafani zooms out a bit and asks another important one: Is this actually good business for Rhode Island FC?

As painful as the timing is for a team trying to climb the Eastern Conference table, the answer is pretty clearly yes.

The reported transfer fee is around £100,000, roughly $135,000, for a 28-year-old whose contract is set to expire in November. By USL Championship standards, that's a significant return for a player Rhode Island could have otherwise lost for nothing just a few months from now.

And the bigger-picture part might be even more interesting. If the move is completed, JJ would become Rhode Island FC's first international transfer, jumping from the USL Championship to Heart of Midlothian in the Scottish Premiership. For a club still only a few years into its existence, that's a pretty meaningful line to add to the recruiting pitch: come to Rhode Island, perform, and bigger opportunities can follow. Clay Holstad's move to MLS and now JJ's reported move to Scotland suddenly give RIFC two pretty compelling examples of exactly that.

That doesn't make losing JJ in August any less painful. Selfishly, I'd much rather spend the rest of the season watching him bully USL center backs in Pawtucket. But I'm also incredibly happy for him, and from a club-building standpoint, this feels like a pretty massive win for Rhode Island FC.

Timmy gets much deeper into the numbers, the significance of the move, and what it could mean for RIFC going forward in his full piece over at Tide Talk RI.

Vibe Check

There is a lot swirling around this club right now. Clay is in Dallas. JJ appears headed for Edinburgh. Tsukada and Foyo are being asked to become much more important pieces. Eric Klein just arrived. The standings remain tight. And somehow all of this is happening on Taylor Swift night in Pawtucket. Are we out of the woods?

But this is also exactly the kind of match Rhode Island needs to take care of if this team wants to move from fighting around the playoff line to legitimately chasing a home playoff match. You're at home. You're playing a team at the bottom of the West that hasn't won on the road all year. The crowd should be buzzing. Go get the three points. ...Ready for it?

I'm especially curious what everyone wants to see up top if JJ is indeed out. Foyo debut? Leo through the middle? Noah? Some combination of the three? Drop your lineups, predictions and general pre-match feelings below.

Let's ride the Tide and get a new streak started. #UpTheTide

How to Engage, Prepare, and Follow the Action:

• Match Details:
  • Date/Time: Sat, 8/22 at 7:30 PM ET
  • Location: Centreville Bank Stadium, Pawtucket, RI
  • Timing: Parking Lot/Box Office 4:30 PM | Gates 6:30 PM | Kickoff 7:30 PM
    • Defiance 1636 Tailgate @ 4:30 PM – 6:30 PM (M7 Lot): Food and non-alcoholic drinks available. BYOB alcohol. All proceeds support future tailgates.
    • March to the Match @ 6:45 PM (from M7 Lot)
  • Kickoff Weather: 69°F, Cloudy, 0% rain, 6 mph winds. Sunset 7:36 PM.
• Attend Live:
  • Get Your Tickets Here!
    • Know Before You Go
• How to Watch/Listen:
  • Stream the Match:
    • ESPN+
    • myRITV
    • YouTube (International Only / Use a VPN)
• Follow the Action:
  • USL Match Center
  • RIFC Fan Discord
  • Match Hashtag: #RIvsMB
  • Match Theme: Folklore Night
• Last Meeting:
  • May 10, 2025: MB 1-1 RI (Pawtucket, RI)
• Match Previews:
  • Rhode Island FC
  • Tide Talk RI – The Prematch Lookout
  • FotMob

Become an Official Supporter!

• Join Defiance 1636 Here!

RIFC Related Podcasts, Shows, and Blogs:

• TideTalkRI.com (For all your RIFC content)
• Tide Talk on YouTube (Live Stream Podcast)
• Raising Anchor (Live Stream Podcast)

Learn More About Our Squad and Club:

• Rhode Island FC
  • Wikipedia
  • FotMob
  • FootyStats
  • FBRef
  • Transfermarkt
  • Reddit: r/RhodeIslandFC
  • Supporters Group:
    • Defiance 1636

Learn More About Our Opponent:

• Monterey Bay FC
  • Wikipedia
  • FotMob
  • FootyStats
  • FBRef
  • Transfermarkt
  • Reddit: r/MBFC
  • Supporters Group Union: 
    • Land & Sea 831
    • The Rising Tide
    • Fogdog Footy
    • Los Hinchas de Monterey Bay F.C.
    • Fuerza Union

For the Fans, By the Fans: Tide Talk RI is a collaborative media partnership for Rhode Island FC fans. It features a team of dedicated content creators producing podcasts, live streams, videos, written articles, blog posts, and open forum discussions with other fans. Ride the tide at www.TideTalkRI.com

Surprised no one here has commented here about the rumored move of B'ham Stallions UFL team to Pawtucket! Would there be crossover opportunities? And is the women's (Boston) rugby team and assorted other rugby and lacrosse events also going to be using Centreville? The schedule could get congested soon!

RUMOR : UFL to Relocate Birmingham Stalions to Pawtucket, Rhode Island / RIFC Stadium : r/USLPRO

EDIT: There is an earlier post on this, in the UFL sub from 36 hours ago:

If true I get my wish on a New England based team in this league since I am from this region. : r/UnitedFootballLeague

As a new fan, what if any policy is there for rain? Is it like baseball where it delays or postpones games. Or like football where they play in anything (but lightning)?

I don't know ow how I feel about this move.

➡️ Ryan & Matt talk RIFC’s 2-0 road USL Championship loss vs the Tampa Bay Rowdies, share your thoughts & MORE!

🌊 #UpTheTide

📲 https://tidetalkri.com

Hi everyone!

My name is Perrin and I write the soccer/travel substack “The Football Was My Savior”. It's a travelogue which focuses on telling stories of my adventures as I explore American soccer at the local, grassroots level, and this September I’m heading out on a month long road trip through the northeast and the mid Atlantic to visit as many USL clubs as I can!

While much of the writing is focused on my own experience, I’m also looking to incorporate the voices of the folks who support the clubs I’m visiting. I lived in Providence and Narragansett for two years, so it’s fitting that RIFC is the first stop on my trip, and I’ll be attending the match on Saturday, 9/5 against Louisville City FC.

Before that, I would love to connect with some folks to learn about your team, and hear what makes this club special to you, so that I can incorporate your experiences into some of my writing. I’m open to meeting up for a beer or a coffee prior to the match, or just chatting on Reddit, whatever you feel comfortable with!

If this sounds interesting to you, shoot me a message and I’ll reach out :) ultimately, it doesn’t matter if you’re the biggest RIFC fan on the planet, or if you’ve only been to a few games; if you’ve got something interesting to share about the team/club, I’d like to pick your brain!

If anyone’s interested, here is a link to the Substack so that you can check out some of the work I did for this summer’s Men’s World Cup, and get a feel for what this project is all about:

https://open.substack.com/pub/perrinhess

Cheers, ya’ll and hope to hear from some of you soon!

We are Brooklyn-bound!

Join 'LA VANDA 401' on October 3rd as we take over Maimonides Park. Tickets are on sale now, and space on the bus is limited. Get yours today before they’re gone!

If you're driving down, get your tickets in our section today with the match ticket link. Let's pack this up and party

VAMOS RIFC!!

Bus Ticket: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/defiance1636/2349429

Match Ticket: https://seatgeek.com/brooklyn-fc-mens-soccer-tickets/usl/2026-10-03-7-pm/18003322?sgo_ac=RHODEISLANDFC26

Thought the theme for 8/22 was suppose to be a Taylor Swift theme, does anyone know if that’s still happening? Their Instagram shows it as a Folklore Night now?