Rhode Island FC returns to Centreville Bank Stadium on Saturday to take on Miami FC at 7:30 p.m. As the scramble for playoff seeding continues, RIFC enters Saturday’s game in eighth place in the East Conference standings after a statement 3-0 win against Sporting Club Jacksonville on Sept. 12, holding at least one game in hand over each of the seven teams ahead of it. RIFC sits just five points back of a home playoff spot and will aim to close that gap to as little as one game on Saturday. A contest at Centreville Bank Stadium, where RIFC has remained unbeaten in its last nine games, is just the place to continue that push. Ahead of Portuguese Heritage Night and RIFC’s final postgame fireworks show of the season, presented by Rhode Island Energy, here is everything you need to know.
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AT A GLANCE
Date | Saturday, Sept. 19
Kickoff | 7:30 p.m. ET
Location | Centreville Bank Stadium – Pawtucket, R.I.
Broadcast | myRITV, ESPN Select
Radio | 790 The Score (WPRV 790 AM)
Digital | WPRI 12+ App
Social | @rhodeislandfc (X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok)
Game Hashtag | #RIvsMIA
Last Meeting | March 28, 2026: RI 1-2 MIA – Miami, Fla.
MIAMI FC
Roster
GOALKEEPERS (4): 1-Eloy Room, 25-Cristian Blanco, 31-Felipe Rodriguez, 41-Julian Rodriguez
DEFENDERS (10): 2-Harwan Alzubaidi, 4-Angelo Calfo, 6-Tulu, 13-Daltyn Knutson, 14-Arthur Rogers, 17-Jonathan Levi, 21-Alessandro Milesi, 35-Brandon Bent, 39-Santiago Garcia, 46-Justin White
MIDFIELDERS (11): 5-Riyon Tori, 7-Mason Tunbridge, 8-Matias Romero, 9-Joel Sonora, 12-Bachir Ndiaye, 16-Gerald Diaz, 18-Mame Diallo, 22-Rodrigo Da Costa, 23-Thomas Musto, 26-Arney Rocha, 37-Diego Mello
FORWARDS (4): 11-Jurgen Locadia, 24-Denilson Milanes, 27-Mathieu Ndongo, 47-Massimo Mlekus
Back on Track
Miami FC heads to Pawtucket in search of the club’s first win since July 15, looking to snap a nine-game winless streak. Despite the skid, Miami has earned a point in its last two outings, securing a 2-2 tie against Pittsburgh Riverhounds FC on Sept. 6 and a 1-1 tie against Brooklyn FC on Sept. 12. Those results put Miami’s record at 5W-9T-10L, good for ninth place in the Eastern Conference and eight points out of a playoff berth. For Miami, points against eighth-place RIFC are critical in clawing back into the playoff race with just over a month left in the season.
Physical Attack
Miami FC enters the matchup with Rhode Island as one of the toughest teams on the pitch. The Florida club is second in the USL in fouls conceded this season (398) and penalty kicks conceded (5). The Florida club also leads the USL with 72 yellow cards on the season, including five in the squad’s 1-1 tie to Brooklyn last time out. Miami also ranks top five in the USL Championship with 328 tackles this season, including 23 in its last outing. Bachir Ndiaye leads the way with 40 tackles on the season, while Riyon Tori and Alessandro Milesi round out the top three with 38 and 34 tackles respectively.
Last Time Out
Miami FC put together a solid outing against Brooklyn FC on Saturday, securing a 1-1 tie on the road. Although Miami has struggled to consistently score on the road, resulting in a record of 1W-6L-5T away from Pitbull Stadium, the Florida club struck first when Arney Rocha put a goal away in the 70th minute. However, Miami’s defensive struggles denied the visiting side the win. An own-goal in the 81st minute — Miami’s third of the season — evened the score with less than ten minutes to play, but it was not over yet. Miami FC nearly left the physical matchup empty-handed when Brooklyn was awarded a penalty kick seven minutes later. However, goalkeeper Eloy Room stifled the shot to secure Miami’s second-straight tie.
RHODE ISLAND FC
Roster
GOALKEEPERS (3): 1-Koke Vegas, 13-Will Meyer, 29-Jacob Castro
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, 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
Spreading out the Scoring
Following the departure of RIFC’s all-time leading goalscorer, JJ Williams, to Scottish club Heart of Midlothian FC on Aug. 25, Rhode Island FC has spread its scoring around. In its last four contests, six players have netted goals for the Ocean State club. Newcomer Stas Korzeniowski leads the way during the four-game stretch, tallying his first two career goals for the club in back-to-back games. Along with Korzeniowski, contributions from Yutaro Tsukada and Jojea Kwizera powered RIFC past Sporting Club Jacksonville, highlighted by Tsukada’s spectacular bicycle kick goal that is a finalist for USL Championship Goal of the Week. The three-goal victory marked the second time in four games that three different players have found the back of the net in the same game for RIFC – Leo Afonso, Hugo Bacharach and Grant Stoneman each scored in RIFC’s 3-1 victory versus Monterey Bay FC on Aug. 22. During the four-game stretch, RIFC has outscored opponents 7-2 and is 2W-1L-1T.
Team of the Week
Kwizera earned Week 28 USL Championship Team of the Week honors for his performance against Sporting JAX. Kwizera scored the final goal in the 3-0 victory from the penalty spot in the 90th minute, closing out a successful road victory for RIFC. Along with the goal, Kwizera boasted a strong performance, leading the team with four crosses and four successful dribbles in 90 minutes. He is the Ocean State club’s active leading scorer with six goals on the season, and has earned the weekly honor four times, the most by any RIFC player in 2026.
For the Recordbooks
Rhode Island FC has a back-and-forth history with Miami FC, maintaining a 3W-2L-0T record in the all-time series while out-scoring the Florida club 13-6 in those five games. After RIFC took two wins against the Florida club in its inaugural season, including a record-breaking 8-1 victory in its 2024 regular season finale, the clubs traded 1-0 results in 2025. Miami blanked the Ocean State club in the first matchup between the two clubs at Centreville Bank Stadium on June 7, 2025, before RIFC returned the favor at Pitbull Stadium on Sept. 19. In their first and only matchup of 2026 so far, Miami FC secured another one-goal result, taking a second-straight win against RIFC (2-1).
