After clinching its spot in the 2025 USL Championship Playoffs with a scoreless tie at North Carolina FC, Rhode Island FC will head out west as it gears up to take on New Mexico United in its 2025 regular-season finale. While both clubs have already secured a postseason spot, there is still everything to play for as the two sides look to lock in a favorable seed in the final week of regular-season play. Ahead of a regular-season finale between two of the hottest teams in the USL Championship, here is everything you need to know.
AT A GLANCE
Date | Saturday, Oct. 24
Kickoff | 9:00 p.m. ET
Location | Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park – Albuquerque, N.M.
Broadcast | NESN, ESPN+
Radio | WPRO 99.7 FM (AM 630)
Social | @rhodeislandfc (X, Instagram, Facebook)
Game Hashtag | #NMvRI
Last Meeting | March 16, 2025: RI 1-1 NM – Smithfield, R.I.
NEW MEXICO UNITED
Roster
GOALKEEPERS (2): 1-Alex Tambakis, 13-Kristopher Shakes
DEFENDERS (7): 3-Chris Gloster, 4-Kipp Keller, 12-Talen Maples, 16-Will Seymore, 22-Kalen Ryden, 24-Jaylin Lindsey, 79-Kyle Hofmann
MIDFIELDERS (9): 5-Dayonn Harris, 6-Gedion Zelalem, 7-Sergio Rivas, 8-Marlon Vegas, 14-Carlos Mofuel Jr., 15-Ousman Jabang, 19-Zico Bailey, 21-Valentin Noel, 27-Tomas Pondeca
FORWARDS (5): 11-Mukwelle Akale, 17-Greg Hurst, 23-Thomas Amang, 25-Daniel Bruce, 29-Luther Archimede
Homefield Advantage
New Mexico United will finish a three-game homestand in its regular-season finale vs. Rhode Island FC, but will be guaranteed at least one more home game in the playoffs after securing the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. Boasting a 6W-4L-4T record at Rio Grande Credit Union Field and a 13W-10L-6T overall record in the regular season, the Albuquerque club joins Rhode Island FC as one of four teams in the USL Championship that are unbeaten in their last six games. It has lost just two of its last nine games, with its only losses in that stretch coming at the hands of second-place Sacramento Republic FC and first-place FC Tulsa. Although its postseason seed has already been confirmed, it will look to continue its positive momentum with a result vs. Rhode Island FC on Friday.
Closing out Games
Despite New Mexico’s positive run of form, it has struggled to close out games recently. It is coming off of an eventful stretch of back-to-back 3-3 ties vs. Orange County SC and Oakland Roots SC, settling to split the points in games where it has led as much as twice. In its last game vs. Oakland Roots, New Mexico let a 3-1 first-half lead slip, and in its prior tie vs. Orange County, the Albuquerque club came back from behind to lead 2-1 before once again settling for a tie. In total, New Mexico United has dropped 17 points from winning positions this season, which is the fourth-most in the USL Championship. It has proven it can score, netting a league-sixth-most 43 goals, but it will need to find a way to hold onto the lead and see out games as it looks to prime itself for a postseason run.
Key Contributors
The New Mexico United attack has been proficient in the home stretch of the season, scoring 21 goals in its last 10 regular season games. USL Championship veteran Greg Hurst has led the way with seven goals in his third season with the club, netting his first brace of the season in the 3-3 tie vs. Orange County SC on Oct. 18. Following closely behind him is defender Talen Maples, who has six goals, including a red-hot streak of three goals and an assist in his last four games. Maples is familiar with RIFC, as he scored the lone goal for New Mexico when they played to a 1-1 tie against the Ocean State club in RIFC’s first-ever game in 2024. Finally, Mukwele Akale leads the team with six assists, and is coming off of one of his strongest games of the season vs. Oakland. He scored the opening goal of the contest just 13 minutes in before drawing a penalty just before halftime, which Maples stepped up to convert and re-take the lead for New Mexico.
RHODE ISLAND FC
Roster
GOALKEEPERS (3): 22-Jackson Lee, 1-Koke Vegas, 13-Will Meyer
DEFENDERS (7): 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
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 (3): 10-Albert Dikwa, 11-Noah Fuson, 9-JJ Williams
*Out on loan
Defense Wins Championships
With its back to the wall, the Rhode Island FC defense did what it does best to send the club to its second-straight postseason: kept the ball out of the back of the net. On top of three important saves from goalkeeper Koke Vegas, the defense weathered a second-half storm to frustrate a threatening North Carolina FC side on its home turf, keeping its second-straight shutout. The clean sheet was the 11th of the regular season for Vegas, the 20th shutout of his RIFC career, and the 31st of his USL Championship regular season career. As a team, RIFC is second in the USL Championship with 12 shutouts, behind only Players Shield winners Louisville City FC (13). Its 27 conceded goals is the third-lowest total in the USL Championship, and the 17 goals conceded by Vegas is the lowest total of any goalkeeper who has made at least 21 appearances in the 2025 regulars season.
Peaking at the Right Time
Prior to the 0-0 tie vs. North Carolina FC, the RIFC attack had produced some of its strongest performances of the year to keep its season-best six-game unbeaten streak alive. In total, RIFC has averaged two goals per game over its last six contests, nearly doubling its season-long goalscoring total in that time to launch itself into a playoff berth. Headlined by the largest shutout in club history, a dominant 5-0 win over Tampa Bay Rowdies on Oct. 11, the Ocean State club’s six-game undefeated run is the longest since a stretch of nine games that brought it all the way to the USL Championship Final in 2024. After falling victim to its first shutout in six games dating back to the beginning of September, the Ocean State club will hope to get back on the scoresheet vs. New Mexico in order to continue its momentum heading into the postseason.
Who Can RIFC Play?
With one game remaining in the regular season, Rhode Island FC can either finish in seventh or eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings. If the club wins at New Mexico, it would claim the No. 7 seed, setting up a first-round playoff matchup at Charleston Battery on Sunday, Nov. 2, at 2 p.m. If Detroit City loses at Tampa Bay Rowdies on Saturday, RIFC would claim the No. 7 seed regardless of its result in New Mexico. If RIFC loses or ties at New Mexico and Detroit City FC wins at Tampa Bay Rowdies, RIFC would fall to the No. 8 seed and travel to league-leaders Louisville City FC on Saturday, Nov. 1, at 7 p.m. for its opening postseason matchup.
