Rhode Island FC will begin a two-game road trip on Saturday when it travels to F.N.B Stadium for a matchup against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC at 7 p.m., where it will look to pick up its second win over the defending USL Championship title winners. After earning a critical three points and moving into a playoff position in its 1-0 win over Hartford Athletic on July 18, RIFC will aim to win two-straight games for the first time since the beginning of June. For the first time since last year’s Eastern Conference Final, RIFC and Pittsburgh will meet with important points on the line. With the chance to pick up an important win in the Eastern Conference standings, here is everything you need to know.
AT A GLANCE
Date | Saturday, July 25
Kickoff | 7:00 p.m. ET
Location | F.N.B. Stadium – Pittsburgh, PA
Broadcast | NESN+, ESPN Select
Digital | WPRI 12+ App
Radio | 790 The Score (WPRV 790 AM)
Social | @rhodeislandfc (X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok)
Game Hashtag | #RIatPIT
Last Meeting | Nov. 15, 2025: PIT 1-0 RI – USL Championship Eastern Conference Final – Pittsburgh, PA
PITTSBURGH RIVERHOUNDS SC
Roster
GOALKEEPERS (3): 1-Nico Campuzano, 20-Mitch Budler, 24-Mike Sheridan
DEFENDERS (7): 3-Perrin Barnes, 4-Lasse Kelp, 5-Victor Souza, 6-Owen Mikoy, 16-Beto Ydrach, 23-Guillaume Vacter, 28-Illal Osumanu
MIDFIELDERS (11): 2-Danny Griffin, 8-Junior Etou, 10-Charles Ahl, 11-Israel Neto, 13-Max Viera, 14-Robbie Mertz, 15-Bradley Sample, 18-Jorge Garcia, 19-Sam Bassett, 37-Eliot Goldthorp, 42-Jackson Walti
FORWARDS (4): 7-Trevor Amann, 9-Albert Dikwa, 17-Brigham Larsen, 27-Aldi Flowers-Gamboa
Defending Champions
The ‘Hounds are the defending champions of the USL Championship, winning the title in 2025 after a penalty-shootout win vs. FC Tulsa. After its success last season, Pittsburgh currently sits fifth in the Eastern Conference with a 7W-6L-2T record. In the last four weeks, it has had setbacks against Brooklyn FC and Sporting Club Jacksonville. On July 4th, Pittsburgh lost 2-0 to 11th-place Brooklyn FC. On July 15, it lost 2-1 to Sporting JAX, who currently sit last in the Eastern Conference. Despite the setbacks, it responded with a nationally-televised statement win over back-to-back Players’ Shield winners Lousiville City FC, downing LouCity 3-1 on CBS on July 18. Pittsburgh will look to stack wins this week against Rhode Island FC as it continues the fight for a top-four spot.
Head to Head Control
In six all-time meetings between Rhode Island FC and Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, Pittsburgh has the advantage with a record of 4W-1L-1T. In the regular season, Pittsburgh has not lost to Rhode Island FC and it has not conceded any goals. Across all competitions, it has only conceded one goal against the Ocean State club, which came during a 1-0 RIFC win on May 31, 2025 in the USL Cup group stage. In its four wins across the regular season and playoffs, it has out-scored RIFC 4-0, including a 1-0 win in the 2025 Eastern Conference Final the last time these two teams played each other.
Last Time Out
Riverhounds forward Trevor Amann rewrote the history books in Pittsburgh’s most recent 3-1 win over Louisville City FC. Just over one minute into the second half, Amann came out hot after a scoreless first 45 minutes and found the back of the net to earn the first goal of the game. After another minute went by, Amann converted once again off of a cross from Perrin Barnes and headed in his second goal of the night. In the 50th minute, Amann completed the fastest hat trick in USL Championship history, notching the feat in just three minutes and 27 seconds. Amann’s triple was Pittsburgh’s first regular-season hat trick in nearly two years dating back to October 2024. In the 68th minute, Pittsburgh conceded a penalty goal to bring the score to 3-1, but it was not enough to overcome Amann’s historic performance. The win was Pittsburgh’s first home victory against Louisville in club history, and its first season sweep over Louisville. It will look to pick up its third-straight home win against RIFC on July 25.
RHODE ISLAND FC
Roster
GOALKEEPERS (3): 1-Koke Vegas, 13-Will Meyer, 29-Jacob Castro
DEFENDERS (8): 2-Dani Rovira, 3-Aldair Sanchez, 4-Hugo Bacharach, 5-Grant Stoneman, 15-Frank Nodarse, 22-Nick Scardina, 24-Karifa Yao, 25-CJ Williams, 32-Hamady Diop
MIDFIELDERS (7): 7-Dwayne Atkinson, 10-Agustín “Pity” Rodríguez, 12-Clay Holstad, 17-Jojea Kwizera, 19-Kevin Vang, 21-Zachary Herivaux, 77-Amos Shapiro-Thompson
FORWARDS (4): 8-Leo Afonso, 9-JJ Williams, 11-Noah Fuson, 20-Jamin Gogo Peters
Moving up the Table
After its 1-0 win vs. Hartford Athletic, Rhode Island FC holds a 5W-5L-4T record in the 2026 regular season. With the victory, it leapt over Hartford Athletic in the Eastern Conference standings, moving it into the eighth and final playoff spot. Although there are still 16 games left in the regular season, every win is crucial for playoff positioning in a tightly-contested Eastern Conference. Rhode Island FC could rise as high as sixth place or fall as low as ninth depending on this weekend’s result, and could come within two points of a home playoff spot with a victory in Pittsburgh.
Team of the Week
Frank Nodarse earned Week 19/20 USL Championship Team of the Week honors for his performance against Hartford. Nodarse was the lone scorer for RIFC in the 20th minute of the derby matchup, giving the hosts the winning goal to defeat its regional rival 1-0. The goal was Nodarse’s first goal of the ninth of his RIFC career, solidifying his position as RIFC’s highest-scoring defender. The selection marked the third time Nodarse has earned Team of the Week honors in 2026, tying with JJ Williams and Jojea Kwizera for the team lead. Kwizera was also named to the Team of the Week bench for Week 19/20, earning a selection after tallying an assist in his second-straight game across all competitions. Kwizera is now up to ten assists in his RIFC career, becoming the third player in club history to reach double-figures.
For the Recordbooks
The last matchup between Rhode Island FC and Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC was in the 2025 Eastern Conference Final on Nov. 15, 2025, where Pittsburgh scored its only goal of the 2025 Playoffs in a 1-0 win that officially ended RIFC’s second season in the USL Championship. These two teams are very familiar with each other, having faced off three times in 2025. In six all time matchups, Rhode Island FC has a record of 1W-4L-1T against Pittsburgh. RIFC’s lone win in the series – a 1-0 USL Cup victory – came at F.N.B. Stadium in Pittsburgh, where the two squads will square off on Saturday. Kwizera bagged the lone goal in that win, and is the only RIFC player to ever score against The ‘Hounds. After this weekend’s game, RIFC will have faced Pittsburgh seven times, tying the most head-to-head matchups against a single team alongside Hartford Athletic and Charleston Battery.
