After stringing together its second-straight win with a 1-0 victory at Miami FC, Rhode Island FC will look to keep its winning run of form alive when it heads to Texas on Friday to face El Paso Locomotive FC. The late-night matchup is RIFC’s third Western Conference road trip of the season, and it will look to stay unbeaten down south as an intense race for the playoffs remains as tight as ever. While the win on Friday saw the Ocean State club hold its place in the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, it sits just one point clear of ninth-place Indy Eleven, who also picked up a valuable win to keep the pressure on Rhode Island FC. With just five games remaining in the regular season and all 12 Eastern Conference teams still in playoff contention, a third-straight result for the Ocean State club is a necessity to hold the course as the postseason looms nearer. Ahead of a huge cross-conference clash, here is everything you need to know.
AT A GLANCE
Date | Friday, Sept. 26
Kickoff | 9:00 p.m. ET
Location | Southwest University Park – El Paso, Texas
Broadcast | NESN, ESPN+
Radio | 790 The Score
Social | @rhodeislandfc (X, Instagram, Facebook)
Game Hashtag | #ELPvRI
Last Meeting | June 26, 2024: RI 3-0 ELP – Smithfield, R.I.
EL PASO LOCOMOTIVE FC
Roster
GOALKEEPERS (3): 1-Sebastian Mora Mora, 19-Marco Canales, 23-Jahmali Waite
DEFENDERS (8): 3-Wahab Ackwei, 5-Tony Alfaro, 7-Bryan Romero, 15-Noah Dollenmayer, 18-Alvaro Quezada, 24-Guillermo “Memo” Diaz, 25-Arturo “Palermo” Ortiz, 29-Kenneth Hoban
MIDFIELDERS (7): 6-Eric Calvillo, 8-Frank Daroma, 12-Ricky Ruiz, 16-Gabriel “Gabi” Torres, 21-Kofi Twumasi, 30-Robert Coronado, 31-Emiliano Rodriguez
FORWARDS (6): 9-Frank Lopez, 10-Amando Morena, 11-Christian Sorto, 13-Andy Cabrera, 14-Roberto “Beto” Avila, 28-Omar Mora
Snap the Slide
El Paso Locomotive FC hold a perfectly balanced 8W-8L-8T record, sitting sixth in the Western Conference with 32 points. Friday’s game vs. Rhode Island FC will be the second of a vital three-game homestand, and fourth-straight matchup against Eastern Conference opposition, as it fights for a home playoff berth. Although El Paso has been strong at home this year with a 5W-3L-4T record, two of its three home losses this season have come in its last two home games, leaving the club searching for a return to good form at a crucial juncture of the season. In total, El Paso is winless in its last four USL Championship games, has won just once since the beginning of August, and suffered its third loss in a row in a 2-0 home defeat to Charleston Battery last time out. Its three-game losing streak is the club’s longest such run in more than a year, dating back to a five-game losing stretch during the 2024 season that included a 3-0 loss at Rhode Island FC on June 26. Sitting just three points removed from a home playoff berth in the Western Conference, Friday presents a massive opportunity for El Paso to get back on track as the regular season nears its conclusion.
Peppering the Goal
Despite El Paso’s recent struggles, it has not come from a lack of trying. Led by Wilmer Cabrera (10 goals) and Amando Moreno (7 goals), El Paso has scored 37 goals so far this season, which is good for seventh in the USL Championship. The Texas club has outshot its opponents in 17 of its 24 games, including all of its last five. Remarkably, it has outshot its opponents 324-208 over the course of the season so far. Its 324 total shots is the fourth-most in the USL Championship, while the 208 shots it has faced is the fewest of any team in the league. In total, El Paso has fired off 11 or more shots in seven of its last eight games, taking 20+ shots three times in that stretch. It has amassed a double-figure shot total in all but four games this season, while facing a double-figure shot total just eight times. While El Paso has proven that it can shoot the ball at one of the highest rates in the USL Championship, it will look to be more clinical in front of goal in order to prevent a third-straight shutout loss on Friday.
Reunited
Rhode Island FC’s trip to El Paso will see former RIFC midfielder Kofi Twumasi face his previous club for the first time. After making 15 appearances for the Ocean State club during its historical inaugural season in 2024, the midfielder signed with the Western Conference club ahead of the 2025 campaign. He has become an integral part of its defensive structure, making 17 total appearances and starting El Paso’s last nine games, playing nearly every minute in the heart of the backline. During that stretch, Twumasi has helped the club to three shutouts and picked up the first assist of his professional career in a 3-3 draw at Phoenix Rising FC on Aug. 30. Defensively, he leads the team with eight blocks, ranks third on the team with 51 clearances, fifth on the team with 18 aerial duels won and sixth on the team with 11 interceptions.
RHODE ISLAND FC
Roster
GOALKEEPERS (3): 22-Jackson Lee, 1-Koke Vegas, 13-Will Meyer=
DEFENDERS (8): 4-Hugo Bacharach, 6-Aimé Mabika, 14-Rio Hope-Gund, 15-Frank Nodarse, 2-Dani Rovira, 3-Aldair Sanchez, 5-Grant Stoneman, 24-Karifa Yao, 16-Cole Dewhurst, 32-Hamady Diop
MIDFIELDERS (12): 80-Isaac Angking*, 18-Joe Brito, 20-Zachary Herivaux, 12-Clay Holstad, 17-Jojea Kwizera, 8-Taimu Okiyoshi*, 21-Maxi Rodriguez, 77-Amos Shapiro-Thompson, 19-Kevin Vang, 23-Marc Ybarra, 7-Dwayne Atkinson
FORWARDS (4): 10-Albert Dikwa, 11-Noah Fuson, 9-JJ Williams, 27-Mathieu Ndongo
*Out on loan
Kwizera Opens his Account
In the 68th minute of RIFC’s 1-0 win at Miami last time out, JJ Williams made a dangerous dribble into the box, drawing a foul and winning a decisive penalty kick. Maxi Rodriguez, who had taken and scored every RIFC penalty up to that point, was sidelined with injury, so the responsibility fell to Jojea Kwizera to take the spot kick. Stepping up confidently, the midfielder buried the penalty into the right-side netting, scoring his first goal of the 2025 regular season and second of 2025 across all competitions. The strike marked his first regular-season goal since last season’s historic 8-1 win over Miami FC on Oct. 26, and his fifth career tally for the Ocean State club. The game-winner proved to be enough for RIFC to leave Miami with a massive three points in the playoff race, and gave the club its second-straight win across all competitions. During last season’s 3-0 win vs. El Paso, Kwizera had one of the most prolific games of his RIFC career, first assisting Albert Dikwa “Chico” for the opening goal before dribbling through the entire El Paso backline and slotting home RIFC’s second goal. With the goal, Kwizera became the first player in club history to score in back-to-back contests. Kwizera will hope to repeat history in its second-ever meeting with the Western Conference club on Friday.
Keeping it Clean
Friday’s win was yet another impressive showing from a Rhode Island FC defense that has been one of the strongest in the USL Championship over the last two months. The shutout was its third-straight across all competitions, and seventh in the Ocean State club’s last nine games dating back to the beginning of August. No team in the USL Championship has kept more shutouts than Rhode Island FC in that stretch, and RIFC’s 10 total regular-season shutouts are second behind only Las Vegas Lights FC (11) and Sacramento Republic FC (11). Rhode Island FC’s 24 conceded goals are the third fewest in the league behind Louisville City FC (19) and Sacramento (19). Led by goalkeeper Koke Vegas, who kept his 29th career regular season shutout in the win and 18th in two seasons for Rhode Island FC across all competitions, the airtight defense led RIFC to back-to-back shutouts wins for just the second time all season.
Scouting the Series
Rhode Island FC and El Paso Locomotive FC have met just once, but the result was monumental for them Ocean State club. The first and only other meeting between the two squads took place on June 26, 2024, at Beirne Stadium, with RIFC coming out on top 3-0. Fueled by goals from Chico, Kwizera and Noah Fuson, the dominant victory was RIFC’s first home win in club history and tied its second-largest margin of victory. It was the third of an eight-game unbeaten streak that helped the Ocean State club lift itself into the playoff picture and sparked its run to the 2024 Eastern Conference title and USL Championship Final. More than a year later, the two clubs will meet in the Lone Star State for the first time with huge playoff implications on the line.
