Rhode Island FC took a huge leap toward a third-straight playoff berth with a 1-0 win over Indy Eleven on Wednesday, but it still has work to do on a quick turnaround as it looks to carry its momentum into Brooklyn FC on Saturday. The Ocean State club will travel to Maimonides Park for the first time after facing the expansion club twice at Centreville Bank Stadium this year, highlighted by a dominant 4-1 win in the regular season on May 23. After rising above Indy to seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings, the Ocean State club has kept itself in contention for a home playoff spot and sits just four points removed from the top four. RIFC will look to close that gap to as little as a point against New York’s newest professional side, which was eliminated from playoff contention on Wednesday. Ahead of a pivotal road contest, here is everything you need to know.
AT A GLANCE
Date | Saturday, Oct. 3
Kickoff | 7:00 p.m. ET
Location | Maimonides Park – Brooklyn, N.Y.
Broadcast | NESN, ESPN Select
Radio | 790 The Score (WPRV 790 AM)
Social | @rhodeislandfc (X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok)
Game Hashtag | #BKNvsRI
Last Meeting | July 11, 2026: RI 1(4)-1(3) BKN – Pawtucket, R.I.
BROOKLYN FC
Roster
GOALKEEPERS (2): 1-Jackson Lee, 30-Lukas Burns
DEFENDERS (7): 3-Gabriel Alves, 4-Rocco Romeo, 6-Vuk Latinovich, 13-So Nishikawa, 23-Ryan McLaughlin, 24-Callum Frogson, 92-Thomas Vancaezeele
MIDFIELDERS (7): 5-Malik Pinto, 8-Johnny Klein, 21-Anthony Fontana, 27-Peter Mangione, 56-Christopher Olney Jr., 86-Taimu Okiyoshi, 95-Abdoulaye Kanté
FORWARDS (6): 7-Thomas McNamara, 9-Shaan Hundal, 11-Jaden Servania, 19-Stefan Stojanovic, 29-Juan Carlos Obregón Jr., 98-Pierre Da Silva
Finishing Strong
A difficult inaugural season for Brooklyn FC met its fate on Wednesday, as a 3-1 home loss to Detroit City FC officially eliminated it from playoff contention. The club has suffered back-to-back losses and is winless in its last six games, totaling 18 points on a 4W-16L-6T record this season. With four games remaining in its first USL Championship campaign, it will return to Maimonides Park for its penultimate home game looking to close out the year on a high note. Three of its four regular-season wins have come in front of its home fans in 2026, and it was unbeaten in three-straight games at Maimonides Park prior to Wednesday’s loss to Detroit.
Young Talent
19-year-old CJ Olney has been a revelation for Brooklyn this season, appearing in all 26 games, making 24 starts and becoming the first ever men’s player to eclipse 2,000 career minutes for the club. Olney is a product of the Philadelphia Union Academy, which is known for producing some of the nation’s top youth prospects, and made his Major League Soccer debut with the Union’s first team at just 17 years old. The Philadelphia homegrown signing is enjoying a successful loan spell with Brooklyn – he leads the club this season with seven assists, which ranks top-three all-time among teenagers in the USL Championship. He is tied for third with three goals on the season, the first of which came in the club’s 4-1 loss at Rhode Island FC in May.
Veteran Leadership
On the other end of the scale, veteran forward Thomas McNamara has been a reliable presence for Brooklyn, scoring his third goal of the season in Wednesday’s loss vs. Detroit. The 13th-year professional has played for six clubs across the MLS and USL Championship throughout his career, with stops at regional clubs New England Revolution and New York City FC accounting for the majority of his 217 career MLS appearances. The veteran has worn the captain’s armband for the majority of his first season with Brookyln, and has scored two of his three league goals in the club’s last two games. His 70th-minute penalty kick briefly leveled the score vs. Detroit, and a stoppage-time spot kick two games earlier helped Brooklyn rescue a point in its 2-2 tie vs. FC Tulsa on Sept. 19.
RHODE ISLAND FC
Roster
GOALKEEPERS (4): 1-Koke Vegas, 13-Will Meyer, 29-Jacob Castro, 31-Nate DiLoreto^^
DEFENDERS (9): 2-Dani Rovira, 3-Aldair Sanchez, 4-Hugo Bacharach, 5-Grant Stoneman, 15-Frank Nodarse, 22-Nick Scardina, 24-Karifa Yao, 25-CJ Williams, 28-Cai McLean
MIDFIELDERS (8): 7-Dwayne Atkinson, 10-Agustín “Pity” Rodríguez, 12-Clay Holstad*, 16-Eric Klein, 17-Jojea Kwizera, 19-Kevin Vang, 21-Zachary Herivaux, 30-Kevin Medina^, 77-Amos Shapiro-Thompson
FORWARDS (7): 8-Leo Afonso, 11-Noah Fuson, 14-Yutaro Tsukada, 18-Osman Foyo, 20-Jamin Gogo Peters, 27-Nikolai Pierre, 37-Stas Korzeniowski
*Out on loan for 2026 season | ^USL Academy Contract | ^^25-Day Contract
New Connections
A pair of RIFC newcomers combined for the game’s lone goal in Wednesday’s 1-0 win vs. Indy Eleven, earning the Ocean State club a massive three points in the midst of a tight playoff race. Forward Stas Korzeniowski continued his strong start to his RIFC career, scoring his third goal in just his sixth appearance for the club. The 23-year-old talent netted the game’s lone goal in the 22nd-minute, slotting Osman Foyo’s low cross into the far corner with a quick first-time finish to give the Ocean State club one of its biggest wins of the season. Foyo’s first career assist in his seventh appearance matched the quality of Korzeniowski’s finish – Foyo picked up the ball in the midfield before flying down the right wing at speed, carrying the ball into the box before finding Korzeniowski’s feet with a perfect low cutback. Six of RIFC’s last eight goals have included contributions from RIFC’s trio of midseason acquisitions, with Yutaro Tsukada, Korzeniowski and Foyo combining for eight goal contributions dating back to Aug. 22.
Brick Wall
RIFC’s defensive line showed up when it mattered most on Wednesday, keeping its 11th clean sheet of the season across all competitions to preserve the narrow win. In the absence of goalkeeper Koke Vegas, who was serving a red card suspension, goalkeeper Jacob Castro came up clutch in his first-ever start for the club. The 26-year-old shot-stopper matched RIFC’s season-high five saves to keep the visitors out, playing a major role in lifting the Amber and Blue within four points of a top-four home playoff spot. Defensively, RIFC tallied its third-highest clearance total of the season (39) through 90 minutes, led by Karifa Yao’s season-high 13.
For the Recordbooks
Rhode Island FC has faced Brooklyn FC twice in the New York club’s inaugural USL Championship season, with both games producing memorable moments for the highlight reel. Both matchups took place at Centreville Bank Stadium, with Saturday’s contest marking the first time the series will head to Brooklyn. The first-ever competitive fixture between the two clubs on May 23, 2026, ended in a dominant 4-1 win for RIFC. The explosive attacking performance marked the second time in club history that two players have recorded a brace in the same game, with Jojea Kwizera and JJ Williams both scoring a pair of goals. Kwizera’s long-range curling strike was the highlight of the game, and was named the USL Championship Week 11/12 Goal of the Week. The two clubs met again on July 11 in the Prinx Tires USL Cup. After fighting to a 1-1 tie in regulation, Koke Vegas stole the show in the deciding penalty shootout, dropping his gloves and burying the first penalty of his professional career to give RIFC the extra point and end its cup run on a high.
