Amos Shapiro-Thompson, Karifa Yao named to bench after back-to-back wins
PAWTUCKET, R.I. (Oct. 6, 2026) – Rhode Island FC announced today that defender Frank Nodarse has been named to the USL Championship Team of the Week for Week 31. The 26-year-old earned his club-leading fifth selection of the season after surpassing 10,000 career regular-season minutes in RIFC’s back-to-back victories vs. Indy Eleven (1-0) and Brooklyn FC (3-1). Amos Shapiro-Thompson and Karifa Yao, who both scored in the win vs. Brooklyn, were also named to the Team of the Week bench, with Yao earning his first career selection.
Nodarse led both games in several statistical categories, anchoring the back line for the full 90 minutes in each contest. He led RIFC with 90 passes and 52 accurate passes vs. Indy, and finished second with 10 duels won. He was also a consistent force in transitioning the ball into the attack, leading the squad with 15 entries into the final third.
Nodarse followed up the shutout performance with another lockdown outing in Brooklyn, finishing the game with a team-leading four interceptions, 11 clearances, 73 touches and 44 accurate passes. Shapiro-Thompson, who scored a spectacular long-range goal to open the scoring, joined Karifa Yao’s second goal in four games to give the Ocean State club a 2-0 advantage in just 22 minutes.
The selection marks Nodarse’s club-leading fifth weekly honor of the 2026 season and the eighth of his RIFC career. Shapiro-Thompson’s selection is the second of his RIFC career, while Yao earns his first-ever selection to the Team of the Week. The trio represent the 17th, 18th and 19th Rhode Island FC selections to the league’s Team of the Week through Week 32, marking the second time this season three RIFC players have earned selections in the same week:
2026 USL Championship Regular Season: Team of the Week Selections
| WEEK | DATE | NAME | HONOR |
| 2 | 3/17/26 | Frank Nodarse | Team of the Week (Bench) |
| 3 | 3/24/26 | Jojea Kwizera | Team of the Week (Bench) |
| 5 | 4/7/26 | Frank Nodarse | Team of the Week |
| 8/9 | 5/5/26 | JJ Williams | Team of the Week (Bench) |
| 12 | 5/26/26 | JJ Williams | Team of the Week |
| 12 | 5/26/26 | Jojea Kwizera | Team of the Week |
| 12 | 5/26/26 | Nick Scardina | Team of the Week |
| 14/15 | 6/16/26 | Nick Scardina | Team of the Week |
| 14/15 | 6/16/26 | JJ Williams | Team of the Week |
| 19/20 | 7/21/26 | Frank Nodarse | Team of the Week |
| 19/20 | 7/21/26 | Jojea Kwizera | Team of the Week (Bench) |
| 21 | 7/29/26 | Hugo Bacharach | Team of the Week |
| 23 | 8/11/26 | Frank Nodarse | Team of the Week |
| 23 | 8/11/26 | JJ Williams | Team of the Week (Bench) |
| 25 | 8/25/26 | Hugo Bacharach | Team of the Week |
| 25 | 8/25/26 | Yutaro Tsukada | Team of the Week (Bench) |
| 28 | 9/15/26 | Jojea Kwizera | Team of the Week |
| 31 | 10/6/26 | Frank Nodarse | Team of the Week |
| 31 | 10/6/26 | Amos Shapiro-Thompson | Team of the Week (Bench) |
| 31 | 10/6/26 | Karifa Yao | Team of the Week (Bench) |
Up next, Rhode Island FC will return to Centreville Bank Stadium for its final two home games of the regular season, beginning when it takes on Loudoun United FC Wednesday, Oct. 14 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets to the Wicked Good Weeknight, featuring $4 beers and $1 kids drinks, are available now at rhodeislandfc.com/tickets.
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.
