After Rhode Island FC fell 2-0 at Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC in its return to USL Championship regular season action, the Ocean State club will head back home to Centreville Bank Stadium for a stretch of two games in four days, beginning when it hosts Detroit City FC on Wednesday. With both teams struggling for results and going winless through the month of July in league play, the first-ever USL Championship midweek game at Centreville Bank Stadium is a massive one, with vital points on the line in an extremely tight Eastern Conference table. Despite recent struggles, Rhode Island FC and Detroit City FC are still very much in the postseason conversation, but need to start stringing together results in order to stay there. Ahead of a Wicked Good Weeknight in Pawtucket, here is everything you need to know.
AT A GLANCE
Date | Wednesday, Aug. 6
Kickoff | 7 p.m. ET
Location | Centreville Bank Stadium – Pawtucket, R.I.
Broadcast | myRITV, ESPN+
Radio | 790 The Score (790 AM)
Social | @rhodeislandfc (X, Instagram, Facebook)
Game Hashtag | #RIvDET
Last Meeting | April 19, 2025: DET 2-0 RI – Hamtramck, Mich.
DETROIT CITY FC
Roster
GOALKEEPERS (2): 21-Carlos Herrera, 91 Carlos Saldaña
DEFENDERS (6): 3-Alex Villanueva, 4-Shane Wiedt, 5-Stephen Carroll, 12-Michael Bryant, 13-Matt Sheldon, 30-Devon Amoo-Mensah
MIDFIELDERS (7): 6-Jay Chapman, 8-Abdoulaye Diop, 10-Jeciel Cedeño, 14-Haruki Yamazaki, 24-Dominic Gasso, 39-Ryan Williams, 45-Marcello Polisi
FORWARDS (7): 2-Rhys Williams, 7-Darren Smith, 9-Ben Morris, 11-Connor Rutz, 23-Sebastian Guenzatti, 32-Ates Diouf, 99-Jordan Adebayo-Smith
Struggling for Form
Detroit City has struggled mightily for form in the USL Championship since its 2-0 win vs. Rhode Island FC on April 19, winning just one of its last 10 USL Championship games. In that stretch, Detroit has been shut out four times, averaging less than one goal per game with a 1W-4T-5L record. The dropped points have been costly for Detroit, as nine of its last 10 opponents have been Eastern Conference teams. While Detroit did pick up a 2-0 win over Miami FC on June 21, Le Rouge has taken just 14 of a possible 39 points vs. Eastern Conference teams this season, and will need to turn things around soon to protect its current sixth-place position in the Eastern Conference standings. Rhode Island FC and Miami FC are the only two Eastern Conference teams Detroit City FC has beaten this season. Wednesday’s game vs. RIFC kicks off a four-game stretch of Eastern Conference opponents, giving the club an opportunity to right the ship with the business end of the season approaching.
Defensive Stability
Detroit’s 0-0 tie vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC last time out broke a two-game losing streak in the regular season, and was quickly followed by a dominant 3-0 shutout vs. USL League One club Westchester SC in Detroit’s USL Jägermeister Cup finale on July 26. In an otherwise poor run of form, the back-to-back shutouts highlighted a positive trend for Detroit City FC: its defense. Between goalkeepers Carlos Herrera and Carlos Saldaña, who have split time between the sticks this season, the club has eight clean sheets across all competitions. The scoreless tie vs. Pittsburgh was the club’s sixth of the regular season, which is the second-most in the league. With shutouts vs. Pittsburgh and Westchester, Saladaña led Detroit to a pair of back-to-back clean sheets for only the second time this season. Both Saldaña and Herrera have four clean sheets this year, giving Detroit valuable depth in goal.
Scouting the Series
Detroit City FC holds a 2W-0L-1T advantage in the all-time series vs. Rhode Island FC, out-scoring the Ocean State club 5-1 in that stretch. It is one of two Eastern Conference teams that has never lost to Rhode Island FC. Last time the two clubs faced off on April 19, Detroit City FC leading scorer Darren Smith scored a brace in the first half to defeat the Ocean State club 2-0 at Keyworth Stadium, keeping its unbeaten record against RIFC alive. In the first-ever meeting between the two clubs, Le Rouge topped RIFC 2-0 on June 8, 2024, becoming the only Eastern Conference team that beat RIFC at Beirne Stadium last season, before the two clubs shared the points in a 1-1 tie at Keyworth Stadium in the reverse fixture on Aug. 3, 2024. In the first-ever matchup, current Rhode Island FC player Maxi Rodriguez netted what ended up being the game-winner for Detroit City FC in the 36th minute.
RHODE ISLAND FC
Roster
GOALKEEPERS (3): 22-Jackson Lee, 1-Koke Vegas, 13-Will Meyer
DEFENDERS (7): 4-Hugo Bacharach, 14-Rio Hope-Gund, 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
Last Time Out
Rhode Island FC’s return to USL Championship action ended in disappointment at Highmark Stadium last time out when it fell 2-0, suffering its ninth loss of the regular season. Although the Ocean State club generated a handful of chances in the first half and entered the locker room scoreless, things quickly unraveled in the second half when The ‘Hounds scored two goals in a seven-minute span to take control of the game. In the 69th minute, JJ Williams was shown a straight red card, making a difficult game even harder for the Ocean State club. Although RIFC was not completely quiet on the attack, taking nine shots, it only put two on target, and was not able to create enough to beat the reigning USL Championship Goalkeeper of the Year Erick Dick. Ultimately, RIFC came back from Pittsburgh empty-handed, and is now winless in its last five USL Championship games. Two-straight games at Centreville Bank Stadium in quick succession will provide a good opportunity for the Ocean State club to bounce back in front of its home fans.
Offensive Dilemma
Although Rhode Island FC finished the USL Jägermeister Cup group stage with an impressive 11 goals in four games, capping it off with a 2-2 tie vs. Hartford Athletic, the Ocean State club has struggled to transfer that offensive production to the regular season. It’s 2-0 loss at Pittsburgh Riverhounds was the tenth shutout it has suffered in 18 games this season, and Rhode Island FC’s 14 total goals in the regular season is the second-lowest in the league. Rhode Island FC has shown that it has the capability to produce at an extremely efficient clip in cup competition, and a home matchup with a Detroit City FC squad dealing with similar offensive struggles could be the opportunity the Ocean State club needs to open the floodgates in league play.
Everything Still to Play For
With 12 games and 36 available points remaining for Rhode Island FC to claim in the 2025 USL Championship regular season, there is everything to play for as all 12 teams remain in a tight race for the top eight playoff spots. Currently, just three points separate 12th and eighth place, while just 10 points separate 12th and fourth place. With a double-game week at Centreville Bank Stadium on the horizon, Rhode Island FC has an opportunity not only to rise above the playoff line, but also to put itself back in the conversation for a top-four spot in the Eastern Conference standings with a set of results. As it stands, nine points separate 10th-place Rhode Island FC from fourth-place North Carolina FC. With Loudoun United FC set to visit Centreville Bank Stadium on Saturday following RIFC’s midweek game vs. Detroit, the Ocean State club will welcome two Eastern Conference teams who currently occupy playoff spots in a four-day span, and could make some serious noise with a pair of results.
