Between opening its brand-new home and making another playoff run, year two of Rhode Island FC delivered. Here is a look back.
2025 was an action-packed year of firsts for Rhode Island FC.
A magical run all the way to the USL Championship Final during the club’s inaugural season in 2024 had fans excited for what 2025 had in store. After playing at a temporary venue through its first season and spending 11-straight games on the road from the end of 2024 to the start of the 2025 season, the only thing that was missing was a home.
In March, Rhode Island FC players and technical staff got a first taste of what would turn into one of the USL Championship’s premier new venues, training at its brand-new stadium for the first time. As time went on and the final seats were bolted into the stands, almost three years of work came to fruition as the state-of-the-art stadium began to take its final shape. On April 8, less than one month removed from Rhode Island FC’s long-awaited home opener, the Ocean State club proudly announced the name of its new home, and Centreville Bank Stadium was officially born.
Between debuting the award-winning venue in front of a packed house to becoming the second team in USL Championship history to advance to back-to-back conference finals in its first two years, the Ocean State club delivered a season to remember in 2025. Five sellouts, eight wins and more than 166,000 fans later, 2025 will be remembered fondly in the Ocean State.
Here is a look back at another historic year for Rhode Island FC:
Home at Last
On May 3, more than five years of planning, building and waiting with mounting anticipation finally came to life. In front of a sold-out crowd of 10,700 fans on a beautiful spring afternoon in downtown Pawtucket, the Ocean State club took the field for the first time at Centreville Bank Stadium.
As 22 players walked out to a flurry of blue smoke in front of an overflowing crowd, the energy was palpable well before a ball was kicked. Pawtucket’s six-year wait for a professional team to return to the city translated into an exuberant crowd who were just minutes from watching what once seemed like a distant dream turn into reality.
Midfielder Amos Shapiro-Thompson, who grew up in Massachusetts and played both academy and collegiate soccer in New England, started the historic match after being sidelined for the majority of 2024 with an injury. For him, the homecoming felt personal.
“Growing up in New England, when I began my career, I never imagined this would have existed,” said Shapiro-Thompson. “Walking out onto the field, the level of passion, the level of infrastructure, the level of support we have for soccer in this community is so moving to me, and it is amazing to be a part of it.”
Although the game ended in a scoreless tie, it was not short of excitement. In a true full-circle moment, RIFC’s captain and first-ever signing, goalkeeper Koke Vegas, stole the spotlight with the first real moment of the game when he produced a spectacular diving save that later took home USL Championship Save of the Week honors and was a finalist for USL Championship Save of the Year. Arching back to swat away a long-distance shot in the 37th minute, Vegas set the stage for an impressive shutout, keeping his team in the game – and electrifying the crowd – up until the final whistle.
“It means everything,” said Vegas after the game. “I think that this city, this state and all the community was really looking forward to having our own home in professional sports, and that is amazing. That means a lot for me, for everybody in the club. We are really, really happy.”
Although RIFC did not get the win, it put on a show for the home crowd. As a spurt of late-game rain dissipated and the players walked off the field, a rainbow painted the sky over Centreville Bank Stadium, wrapping a bow on what was a historic day in the Ocean State.
The Magic of the Cup
There was not much time to ride the high of RIFC’s home opener, as the club had to do it all again just four days later. Debuting its new home under the lights for the first time, 9,539 fans packed Centreville Bank Stadium in a near-sellout crowd for what promised to be yet another memorable night.
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup was made for nights like this. Returning to Pawtucket for the first time in more than 80 years, the country’s oldest active professional soccer tournament once again showcased the magic of cup competition. Playing in the Round of 32 following its first-ever win in the single-game knockout tournament just weeks prior, Rhode Island FC found itself trailing the New England Revolution 1-0 at halftime of its first-ever competitive game vs. Major League Soccer competition. The atmosphere on the banks of the Seekonk River never wavered.
In the second half, RIFC fans watched with baited breath as the Ocean State club began to turn up the pressure, charging towards goal in a desperate hunt for an equalizer. Opportunities were coming, and the USL Championship underdogs were knocking on the door. The only thing missing was a moment of brilliance – but not for long.
In the 50th minute, Noah Fuson tore down the right wing, squaring a low cross to the top of the box. The first to the ball was a streaking Maxi Rodriguez, who wasted no time snapping a first-time effort into the bottom-right corner, rippling the back of the net for the first time ever at Centreville Bank Stadium.
The packed crowd responded in force. Lights flashed, ‘Psyco Killer’ blared and a sea of amber and blue smoke rose from the stands. On a night where not everything went RIFC’s way (it would end up falling 2-1), that was the moment RIFC fans will put in a time capsule forever. The first RIFC goal at Centreville Bank Stadium could not have come in a better way.
Pandemonium in Pawtucket
In its young history, Centreville Bank Stadium already had a wealth of memorable moments, but the one thing missing from the repertoire was a win. RIFC came close on several occasions, but had yet to reach the finish line in front of the home fans. On June 14, that would all change.
As the 90th minute came and went in a 1-1 deadlock vs. North Carolina FC, the game looked destined for yet another draw – another game where Rhode Island FC came close with a strong performance, but could not quite do enough to take home all three points. Deep into second-half stoppage time, however, Frank Nodarse had other ideas. The second-half super-sub charged into the box with the ball and evaded his defender, drawing a foul and winning the Ocean State club a decisive penalty kick that – guess who – Rodriguez converted with confidence.
After scoring the first goal in the stadium’s history, Rodriguez had made history once more just over a month later, burying the stoppage-time winner to deliver RIFC’s first-ever win in Pawtucket. The wait was finally over, and the stadium burst to life once again. As the final whistle blew and the lights flashed, it felt like RIFC had found a groove at its new home.
Taking the City by Storm
The booming start to life at Centreville Bank Stadium set the stage for what was an energetic summer for the community. Throughout the 2025 season, Rhode Island FC welcomed 166,598 fans through the gates of Centreville Bank Stadium, including five sellouts and a club-record attendance of 10,749, which was set during RIFC’s 1-1 tie vs. Birmingham Legion FC on July 5. The total fan turnout marked an 128 percent increase from RIFC’s temporary home in 2024.
The record crowd vs. Birmingham packed the stadium to witness the return of a long-beloved tradition in the city of Pawtucket: postgame fireworks. A fan-favorite memory with the Pawtucket Red Sox, Pawtucket’s minor league baseball team that moved away from the city in 2019, the summer series of three postgame fireworks shows brought back a festivity that fans had dearly missed for more than half a decade. After the game, players, families and fans gathered as the lights dimmed at Centreville Bank Stadium and the sky above the Seekonk River came alive with vibrant colors, kicking off Independence Day weekend with a night of fireworks.
Later in July, RIFC welcomed regional rival Hartford Athletic for another major milestone on the national stage: the first-ever regional derby game at Centreville Bank Stadium. Playing in front of a sellout crowd for the second-straight game and featured on CBS television network, the two closest regional teams in the USL Championship renewed a young, but passionate rivalry as they did battle on national television for the first time. The matchup had everything: tense duels, close chances and big saves. Although the game ended in a 0-0 tie, the result did little to quell the rising intensity of American soccer’s newest professional rivalry, and entered another chapter into Centreville Bank Stadium’s young and exciting history.
New Faces, More Magic
Lost in the excitement of a RIFC’s long-awaited homecoming was a sneakily strong campaign in the USL Cup, the league’s newest competition that brought together two professional divisions within the U.S. Soccer Federation for the first time. The World-Cup style competition featured every team from the USL Championship and USL League One, and RIFC dominated its way through the group stage. It led the entire 38-team field with 12 goals through its four group stage games, winning Group 4 and highlighting its dominant run with 4-1 wins over USL League One clubs Westchester SC and Portland Hearts of Pine.
The strong group stage showing set the stage for a pair of home knockout games during the Ocean State club’s run to the semifinals of the competition. It began on a wet, rainy Wednesday night in Pawtucket when RIFC welcomed Birmingham back to Centreville Bank Stadium, where the two Eastern Conference foes would play to a tense, cagey quarterfinal affair through 70 minutes.
As the deadlock continued into the final 20 minutes of the game, the RIFC bench turned to a new face – newly-signed Jamaican talent Dwayne Atkinson – to inject fresh life into the squad. Less than two minutes after coming on in just his second appearance for the club, Atkinson did just that. Tearing down the left wing, Atkinson’s quick footwork dropped a defender before he cut into the box, icing a brilliant solo dribble with a calm finish into the back of the net to send RIFC through to the semifinal with a gritty 1-0 win. Atkinson’s first goal for the Ocean State club was a memorable one, securing RIFC’s first-ever home knockout win and highlighting the club’s memorable run to the semifinals in its first-ever USL Cup campaign.
The Final Homestand
As RIFC entered the final month of the regular season with its cup run behind them, the focus turned back towards the playoffs. The race for the top eight spots in the Eastern Conference could not have been tighter with the end of the season looming. RIFC sat just one point removed from the final spot with four games to play in October, and points were at a premium. Any minor slip-up could cost a team its season.
Las Vegas Lights FC, who were battling to keep its season alive, were the first to visit Pawtucket in October. The Western Conference club struck first in what was a decisive game for both teams, scoring early in the second half to take the lead on the road. It held the lead up until the final 10 minutes of the game, coming within reach of a historic road win that could have been the final blow for RIFC’s playoff hopes. Instead, Khano Smith’s men had other plans, pulling off a feat they had not managed all season.
Hugo Bacharach got the party started in the 77th minute, rippling the back of the net with a long-range laser to level the game at one with what would have been his first professional goal (Las Vegas was later issued a forfeit for fielding an ineligible player). Then, in a quickfire barrage of goals, Noah Fuson and JJ Williams added impressive efforts in stoppage time to complete RIFC’s first come-from-behind win of the season – and it could not have come at a better time. Williams iced the win with one of the last kicks of the game in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time, lifting RIFC back above the playoff line with one of its most crucial wins of the season.
The win, while impressive, would not have meant much if RIFC was not able to get the job done against the Tampa Bay Rowdies in its final home game of the regular season one week later. Despite the momentum, RIFC still had multiple teams on its tail in the playoff race, and its postseason spot was far from safe. With the pressure on in a game against another team that was clinging onto slim playoff hopes, RIFC delivered in a powerful way.
The Ocean State club came out swinging, taking the lead in the eighth minute and never looking back. Williams and Fuson overwhelmed the Tampa Bay defense, exploding for three goals in the first half to put RIFC firmly in charge at the break. In the second 45 minutes, substitutes Albert Dikwa “Chico” and Rodriguez added to the onslaught with goals of their own, wrapping up RIFC’s biggest shutout win in club history that put USL Championship on notice and brought RIFC within touching distance of a second-straight playoff berth.
“I do not think for a second that anyone in our locker room does not believe that we have what we need to go win a championship and go back to where we fell short last year,” said Fuson after the win. “People looking from the outside might think, ‘Oh, they don’t have it, they’re done.’ Internally, we all believe that we can make the same run we did last year and we can win this thing.”
As RIFC entered the playoffs, that belief was on full display.
Running it Back
After wrapping up the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference standings, RIFC was due for another postseason trip to Patriots Point Soccer Stadium, where it famously upset the Charleston Battery 2-1 to lift the Eastern Conference trophy during its inaugural season in 2024. RIFC had met Charleston twice in 2025 up to that point, falling 2-0 on the road in its season opener on March 15 before pulling off a crucial 1-0 upset win on August 30 at Centreville Bank Stadium.
Facing the No. 2 seed in the playoffs for the second-straight year, RIFC did something no other side had accomplished in 2025: shut out the Battery’s league-leading attack on the road. Charleston, who netted a whopping 62 goals in 2025, were led by the USL Championship’s deadliest striker pairing: Cal Jennings (17 goals) and MD Meyers (15 goals). The pair were held to just three combined shots on target through 120 minutes, one of which resulted in a fantastic one-on-one save from Vegas that denied the USL Championship’s second-highest scorer in the second half.
After shutting down the Battery’s attack through regulation for the first time at Patriots Point, the quarterfinal tie went to extra time, where it finished scoreless after 120 hard-fought minutes. Heading into the deciding shootout RIFC had never won in penalties, and were about to face the league’s most prolific attack from the spot.
Undeterred, RIFC confidently buried all five penalties, winning its first-ever shootout to send the No. 2 seed home in the first round and pulling off one of the biggest upsets in USL Championship Playoff history in the process. RIFC further etched its name in the history books with the win, becoming the only team to win at Charleston multiple times in the last two seasons. Both wins took place in the playoffs.
The win was the launchpad for another memorable run to a second-straight Eastern Conference Final. In the Eastern Conference Semifinals, Chico’s late brace off the bench lifted RIFC to a 2-0 victory over No. 3 North Carolina FC, marking its fifth playoff win against a top-4 seed in just two seasons. Although it narrowly fell 1-0 at Pittsburgh RIverhounds SC in the Eastern Conference Final, it had successfully orchestrated another dramatic playoff run, making more history in the process.
Another Year, Another Record
Rhode Island FC rose to the occasion in the back half of 2025, losing just twice in its final 10 games to fuel another memorable postseason run and scoring 15 goals in that stretch. It became just the second expansion team in the USL Championship era to advance to back-to-back conference finals in its first two seasons, and just the second No. 7 seed in league history to appear in a conference final.
Throughout the playoff run, RIFC continued to rely on what got it there: a defense that rarely wavered. The Ocean State club gave up just 29 goals in 34 games across the regular season and playoffs, which was the fourth-fewest in the league, and finished second in the USL Championship with 14 clean sheets. Vegas led the way with 13 clean sheets in 24 games between the sticks, making 55 saves and finishing second in the USL Championship allowing an average of just 0.86 goals per game. Vegas kept four clean sheets in his last six games, going 265 minutes without conceding a single goal in the playoffs to help fuel RIFC’s run to the Eastern Conference Final.
Heading into 2026, RIFC has proven to be a late-season threat yet again, and is primed for another exciting year in its third season. With a large core of players returning in 2026 and a full season at the award-winning Centreville Bank Stadium ahead, the future is bright for the Ocean State’s only professional soccer team.
