After falling to its second shutout loss of the season last Saturday in a 2-0 loss at Loudoun United FC, Rhode Island FC will return to action on Saturday, April 5 when it travels to the historic Oakland Coliseum for the first time to take on Oakland Roots SC. Both clubs are hungry for their first win of the season after suffering shutouts last time out and need points with the first month of the regular season in the books. Ahead of Rhode Island FC’s second Western Conference road trip of 2025, here is everything you need to know.
AT A GLANCE
Date | Saturday, April 5
Kickoff | 4:00 p.m. ET
Location | Oakland Coliseum – Oakland, Calif.
Broadcast | ESPN+
Radio | 790 The Score (790 AM)
Official Watch Party | The Guild
Social | @rhodeislandfc (X, Instagram, Facebook)
Game Hashtag | #OAKvRI
Last Meeting | Aug. 17, 2024: RI 1-1 OAK – Smithfield, R.I.
OAKLAND ROOTS SC
Roster
GOALKEEPERS (4): 1-Kendall McIntosh, 35-Raphael Spiegel, 60-Timothy Syrel, 57-Alejandro Caracheo Luna
DEFENDERS (11): 2-Baboucarr Njie, 3-Julian Bravo, 4-Gagi Margvelashvili, 14-Justin Rasmussen, 15-Neveal Hackshaw, 25-Jürgen Damm, 26-Abdi Mohamed, 33-Kai Greene, 49-Tomas Caminos, 50-Thomas Camier, 88-Ilya Alekseev
MIDFIELDERS (9): 5-Camden Riley, 6-Daniel Gomez, 7-Wolfgang Prentice, 10-Panos Armenakas, 12-Tyler Gibson, 18-Bobosi Byahuranga, 39-Javier Bedolla-Vera, 42-Emilio Martinez, 45-Ali Elmasnaouy
FORWARDS (6): 9-Peter Wilson, 11-José Luis Sinisterra, 22-EJ Johnson, 47-Julio Martinez, 48-Luis Saldaña, 52-Juan Sanchez
Snap the Drought
Dating back to last season, Oakland Roots SC is winless in its last six games across the regular season and playoffs. It’s 0-0 tie vs. Las Vegas Lights FC last time out broke a club-record five-game losing skid, and was the club’s first point since a 3-2 win over Las Vegas on Oct. 19, 2024. After starting the 2025 season with three straight losses and conceding a league-high nine goals through the first three weeks, last weekend’s scoreless draw marked a much-needed clean sheet at home. Defensively, after making eight saves through the opening three games, Oakland goalkeeper Kendall McIntosh’s three-save performance preserved the club’s first point of 2025. He now sits fourth in the USL Championship with 11 saves, having denied more than half of the 20 shots on target he’s faced this season.
Get Back on the Scoresheet
Although the club solidified defensively against the 2024 Western Conference Finalists, Oakland struggled to find the back of the net for the first time all season. Despite the fact that it started the 2025 season 0W-3L-0T, Oakland’s five-goal output in that time was its best offensive start since its inaugural season in the USL Championship in 2021. Oakland has proven it can be efficient in front of goal, as it sits in the middle of the pack in the USL Championship with five goals scored despite holding the third-lowest shot total (25) in the league. Oakland leads the USL Championship with a 20 percent conversion rate, with its five goals coming from five different players.
Win at Home
After debuting in the historic Oakland Coliseum in front of more than 26,000 fans against San Antonio FC, marking the highest attendance at a USL Championship game since 2018, Oakland is still in search of its first win at its new home. Despite an acrobatic bicycle kick goal from Justin Rasmussen that was a finalist for the Week 3 Goal of the Week, the club fell 2-1 in its home opener on March 22. Rhode Island FC will mark the end of a three-game homestand for Oakland, and present a valuable chance to pick up points in front of its home fans.
RHODE ISLAND FC
Roster
GOALKEEPERS (3): 22-Jackson Lee, 1-Koke Vegas, 13-Will Meyer
DEFENDERS (7): 4-Hugo Bacharach, 15-Frank Nodarse, 2-Dani Rovira, 3-Aldair Sanchez, 5-Grant Stoneman, 24-Karifa Yao, 16-Cole Dewhurst
MIDFIELDERS (10): 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
FORWARDS (3): 10-Albert Dikwa, 11-Noah Fuson, 9-JJ Williams
Score Early
In Rhode Island FC’s first Western Conference road trip of the season – a 2-2 tie at Phoenix Rising FC – the Ocean State club struck early and took a 2-1 lead into halftime. The final score marked the 14th-straight game in which RIFC earned a result after leading at halftime, dating back to the second road match in club history at Tampa Bay Rowdies on March 30, 2024. When leading at the half, Rhode Island FC has only lost once in club history. In order for RIFC to get into the win column for the first time, it will need to replicate the early dominance it displayed in Phoenix.
Lock it Down
In both of Rhode Island FC’s losses this season, including its 2-0 defeat at Loudoun United FC last time out, the club conceded both goals in the first half and were forced to chase the game from the early stages. In total, five of the six goals Rhode Island FC conceded through its opening three games have come before halftime. The last time the club came back from a multi-goal deficit at the break was a 3-3 draw with Indy Eleven on July 5, 2024, and the club has never managed such a comeback on the road. In order to get back on track against Oakland, Rhode Island FC will need to stay strong in the back in the first half, limit mistakes, and establish a defensive presence early in the game.
Late Drama vs. the Roots
In the first and only other meeting vs. Oakland, the two clubs battled to a dramatic 1-1 draw at Beirne Stadium on Aug. 17, 2024. In that game, the visitors had the lead after scoring in the 33rd minute, and held it through the majority of the game. Rhode Island FC trailed until the 86th minute, when Albert Dikwa “Chico” scored a heroic close-range header to tie the game and pull back an important point for the Ocean State club. In 2025, Rhode Island FC is still looking to score its first goal in the second half, and has converted just six percent of its shots, the second-lowest clip in the USL Championship. RIFC will need to change that trend and find increased attacking efficiency in order to stay unbeaten against Oakland in its first trip to The Golden State on Saturday.