Ocean State club returns to Centreville Bank Stadium for Folklore Night on Saturday, Aug. 22 at 7:30 p.m.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Aug. 15, 2026) – Rhode Island FC fell 2-0 at Tampa Bay Rowdies on Saturday in a hard-fought Eastern Conference battle at Al Lang Stadium. Although the Ocean State club generated a handful of dangerous opportunities in a tightly-contested first half, it was not enough to overcome a pair of second-half strikes as the hosts came away with all three points.
The Tampa Bay Rowdies (13W-2L-5T) got off to a quick start, testing the Rhode Island FC (7W-7L-4T) net in the fifth minute when Ethan Bartlow fired a close-range header towards goal. RIFC goalkeeper Koke Vegas sprawled to make a quick save before Evan Conway pounced on the rebound and nailed the woodwork.
Two minutes later, it was RIFC’s turn to attack. Yutaro Tsukada picked up the ball in the midfield and tore down the left wing, cutting around his defender and into the box. The winger completed the crafty solo run with a powerful shot on goal, but Tampa Bay Rowdies goalkeeper Jahmali Waite palmed away the shot to keep the game level. Although Tampa Bay out-shot the Ocean State club 9-4 in the first half, neither side could find the opening goal before halftime.
Three minutes into the second half, Tampa Bay nearly broke the deadlock when Karsen Henderlong raced into the final third in transition, unleashing a low shot that Vegas denied. The rebound fell straight to the feet of Marco Micaletto in the box, but Noah Fuson slid to the rescue just in time to clear the shot from the goalmouth.
The persistent pressure would eventually pay off for the hosts, who opened the scoring in the 61st minute when Dion Acoff played Conner Antley into the box with a well-weighted ball. Antley got on the end of the pass and took a quick touch around his defender, before curling a ball inside the far post to give the league-leaders a 1-0 advantage.
Although the game slowed down through the final half-hour, the Rowdies put the game to bed in the second minute of second-half stoppage time when Russell Cicerone found Louis Perez with a cross to the top of the box. Perez plucked the ball out of the air with a first-time volley, firing a shot past Vegas to confirm a 2-0 win for the hosts.
Up next, Rhode Island FC will return to Centreville Bank Stadium for Folklore Night on Saturday, Aug. 22 at 7:30 p.m. ET vs. Monterey Bay FC, presented by GEM Plumbing. Tickets to the next home game are available now at rhodeislandfc.com/tickets.
GOAL SCORING RUNDOWN
TBR – Conner Antley (Dion Acoff), 61st minute: Antley finds the far-side netting from close range. TBR 1, RI 0
TBR – Russell Cicerone (Louis Perez), 90+2nd minute: Perez launches a first-time volley into the back of the net. TBR 2, RI 0
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- Forward Noah Fuson became the first player in club history to reach 100 appearances for Rhode Island FC across all competitions, accomplishing the feat after just 105 games.
- Midfielder Eric Klein made his Rhode Island FC debut, coming in as a second-half substitute in the 72nd minute.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Yutaro Tsukada
Game stats and information available here.
For Rhode Island FC news and updates, visit rhodeislandfc.com, subscribe to RIFC’s monthly newsletter, follow the club on Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok, X and LinkedIn, and download the official team app.
