After playing to a pair of ties against the top two Western Conference teams in its long-awaited homecoming at Centreville Bank Stadium, Rhode Island FC will continue a stretch of five games in 14 days when it hits the road to take on Birmingham Legion FC in a second-straight midweek contest. Both teams are tied with six points each in the Eastern Conference standings, hold identical 1W-3L-3T records, and will be hungry for a much-needed win on Wednesday. Rhode Island FC boasts a 2W-0L-0T record in the all-time meeting between the two sides, defeating the Legion 3-1 in their first meeting at Protective Stadium on July 17, 2024, and will hope to repeat history in its second trip to the Magic City. Ahead of Wednesday’s Eastern Conference matchup, here is everything you need to know.
AT A GLANCE
Date | Wednesday, May 14
Kickoff | 8 p.m. ET
Location | Protective Stadium – Birmingham, Alabama
Broadcast | NESN+, CBS Sports Golazo Network
Radio | WPRO 99.7 FM (AM 630)
Social | @rhodeislandfc (X, Instagram, Facebook)
Game Hashtag | #RIvBHM
Last Meeting | Aug. 31, 2024: RI 2-0 BHM – Smithfield, R.I.
BIRMINGHAM LEGION FC
Roster
GOALKEEPERS (3): 1-Matt Van Oekel, 18-Trevor Spangenburg, 57-Fernando Delgado
DEFENDERS (8): 2-Stephen Turnbull, 3-Phanuel Kavita, 4-Ramiz Hamouda, 5-Ethan Kos, 13-Jake Rufe, 20-AJ Patteron, 33-Moses Mensah, 43-Tiago Suarez,
MIDFIELDERS (7): 6-Sam Mcillhatton, 8-Kobe Hernandez-Foster, 11-Dawson McCartney, 19-Enzo Martinez, 25-Roman Torres, 32-Temi Ereku, 47-Finn Calloway
FORWARDS (6): 7-Danny Trejo, 9-Ronaldo Damus, 10-Preston Tabort Etaka, 15-Tyler Pasher, 21-Sebastian Tregarthen, 22-Lucca Dourado,
Dominant Damus
Rhode Island FC is particularly familiar with Birmingham Legion FC’s leading scorer, Ronaldo Damus. The two-time USL Championship winner leads the charge for Birmingham with four goals this season, having transferred to the Eastern Conference club off the back of a championship-winning season with Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC in 2024. During the historic run, Damus tallied his third season scoring in double-figures in the USL Championship, netting 14 goals across the regular season and playoffs. Three of those goals came against Rhode Island FC, including a brace in the first meeting between the two clubs on May 17 and the third goal of Colorado Springs’ 3-0 USL Championship FInal win over the Ocean State club. Prior to his time in Colorado Springs, Damus spent time playing alongside current RIFC players Koke Vegas and Grant Stoneman with the now-folded San Diego Loyal in 2023. Now with his fourth Championship club, Damus is on pace for yet another double-figure scoring season after a red-hot start to 2025.
Briggs at the Helm
After parting ways with seven-year Head Coach Tommy Soehn, who led the club through 207 career games and five-straight playoff berths from 2019-2023, Birmingham is in the midst of the first coaching change in club history. The club recently announced the hire of experienced USL Championship Head Coach Mark Briggs, who posted a 74W-47L-49T record in his previous five-year stint as coach of Sacramento Republic FC while leading the club to the 2023 Western Conference Final and 2022 U.S. Open Cup Final. His time in Birmingham began during the club’s 2-2 draw at Tampa Bay Rowdies last time out, and Wednesday’s game will see the newly-minted head coach make his Protective Stadium debut after more than a week of rest.
Last Time Out
During the first-ever game of the Mark Briggs era on May 3, Birmingham played to a dramatic 2-2 tie in Tampa, scoring a pair of quickfire goals within six minutes to overcome an early 1-0 deficit before conceding the equalizer late in second-half stoppage time. Enzo Martinez and Danny Trejo scored their first goals of the season in the tie, becoming the fourth and fifth goal scorers for the Alabama club and capitalizing on a performance that saw the Legion showcase its attacking prowess with a season-high 19 shots. However, despite a stout performance from the Birmingham back line, Tampa Bay eventually equalized in the third-minute of second-half stoppage time to force both teams to split the points.
RHODE ISLAND FC
Roster
GOALKEEPERS (3): 22-Jackson Lee, 1-Koke Vegas, 13-Will Meyer
DEFENDERS (7): 4-Hugo Bacharach, 6-Aimé Mabika, 14-Rio Hope-Gund, 15-Frank Nodarse, 2-Dani Rovira, 3-Aldair Sanchez, 5-Grant Stoneman, 24-Karifa Yao, 16-Cole Dewhurst
MIDFIELDERS (10): 80-Isaac Angking, 18-Joe Brito, 20-Zachary Herivaux, 12-Clay Holstad, 17-Jojea Kwizera, 8-Taimu Okiyoshi, 21-Maxi Rodriguez, 77-Amos Shapiro-Thompson, 19-Kevin Vang, 23-Marc Ybarra
FORWARDS (3): 10-Albert Dikwa, 11-Noah Fuson, 9-JJ Williams
Back from Behind
Prior to last weekend’s 1-1 tie with Monterey Bay FC, Rhode Island FC was winless (0W-3L-0T) when conceding first this season, and struggled to find its way back into the game when going behind. After conceding in the 17th minute against Monterey Bay at home, the Ocean State club’s performance told a different story, as it dominated the statsheet with 12 shots, 25 crosses, 81 final-third entries and a season-high 556 passes. Although RIFC completed 200 passes in Monterey Bay’s attacking third and possessed a season-high 61 percent of the ball throughout the game, Khano Smith’s men struggled to convert, eventually equalizing with its only shot on target of the game to preserve a valuable point at home.
Firepower off the Bench
Although RIFC struggled to find its shooting boots in an otherwise dominant performance, the one goal the club scored was nothing short of spectacular. Coming into the game in the second half, Joe Brito made an instant impact, finding an equalizer in the 77th minute. After Jojea Kwizera’s cross was blocked at the goalmouth, the rebound fell kindly to Brito, who took it off his chest and picked out the top-right corner with a first-time volley to knot the game at one. The highlight-reel strike, which was Brito’s first of the season, was named a finalist for the USL Championship Week 10 Goal of the Week.
A Loaded Schedule
Rhode Island FC’s matchup in Birmingham is RIFC’s second-straight midweek game, and it’s fourth in a 12-day span. With another game in Tampa Bay on Saturday to complete a marathon two-week stretch, Head Coach Khano Smith will have to keep his squad healthy while securing much-needed results against the two Eastern Conference teams ranked directly above and below the Ocean State club. With just four points separating last place from sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings, this week is a crucial opportunity for Rhode Island FC to start building momentum as the midpoint of the season approaches.