
After coming back from behind to claim a club-best third-straight win in a 2-1 victory over North Carolina FC on Saturday, Rhode Island FC will kick off a busy eight-day stretch with a nationally-televised match at Detroit City FC. Looking to keep a club-best seven-match unbeaten streak alive against the club responsible for RIFC’s last loss on June 8, the Ocean State club will look to remain above the playoff line for a third consecutive week after jumping to seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings. Ahead of Saturday’s Eastern Conference showdown, here is everything you need to know.
AT A GLANCE
Date | Saturday, August 3
Kickoff | 4 PM ET
Location | Keyworth Stadium, Hamtramck, MI
Broadcast | CBS
Social | @rhodeislandfc (X, Instagram, Facebook)
Match Hashtag | #DETvRI
DETROIT CITY FC
Roster
GOALKEEPERS (2): 1-Nathan Steinwascher, 91-Carlos Saldaña
DEFENDERS (6): 2-Rhys Williams, 3-Alex Villanueva, 5-Stephen Carroll, 13-Matthew Sheldon, 17-Brett Levis, 30-Devon Amoo-Mensah
MIDFIELDERS (7): 4-Ryan Williams, 6-James Murphy, 8-Abdoulaye Diop, 12-Michael Bryant, 14-Daniel Espeleta, 21-Maximiliano Rodríguez, 24-Dominic Gasso
FORWARDS (5): 7-Victor Bezerra, 9-Ben Morris, 11-Connor Rutz, 19-Elvis Amoh, 27-Yazeed Matthews
Missing the Mark
Across five matches in the month of July, Detroit City FC was shut out three times and scored just two goals with a 0W-3L-2D record, matching its longest winless run of the season. The club’s most recent contest was a midweek loss at Eastern Conference side Hartford Athletic, where the visitors could not overcome a narrow first-half deficit despite dominating the stat sheet. Throughout the match, Detroit held more than 60 percent of the ball, outshot Hartford 15-7 and strung together 162 more passes than the opposition, but Le Rouge could not find the breakthrough, coming up empty-handed in a slim 1-0 loss and falling victim to a second-straight shutout defeat. In total, Detroit has racked up double-figure shots in each of its last four matches, including 21 shots inside the box in its last two outings, but has lacked a finishing touch, unable to find the back of the net in three of its last four.
Leading the Line
When Maxi Rodríguez finds the scoresheet, Detroit finds success – the two go hand-in-hand. Despite not registering a goal contribution during the club’s five-match winless skid, the midfielder leads the team with seven goals and comes second in assists with three. He last found the back of the net during the clubs last win, which came six matches ago in a 4-0 rout of Miami FC, scoring his first brace of the season. That completed a stretch of four goals in four matches for Rodríguez, where the club won all three matches in which he scored. In total, Rodríguez has recorded a goal contribution in seven of the club’s eight wins of 2024, including five during Detroit’s five-match winning run to open the season. So far, Detroit is undefeated when Rodríguez scores or assists.
Close-Range Killers
Detroit’s attacking unit thrives on creating chances in and around the box. Against Hartford, 11 of the club’s 15 total shots came within the penalty area. 22 of Detroit’s 25 total goals this season have been scored inside the box, three of which have come from the penalty spot. In total, 54 of Detroit’s 69 shots on target have come from within 18 yards. For Detroit, taking advantage of open space and creating crossing opportunities from close range will be key as the club searches for its first win in more than a month.
RHODE ISLAND FC
Roster
GOALKEEPERS (3): 1-Koke Vegas, 22-Jackson Lee, 30-Nate Silveira
DEFENDERS (7): 2-Nathan Messer, 3-Stephen Turnbull, 4-Collin Smith, 5-Grant Stoneman, 15-Frank Nodarse, 16-Gabriel Alves, 24-Karifa Yao
MIDFIELDERS (11): 12-Clay Holstad, 17-Jojea Kwizera, 18-Joe Brito, 19-Kevin Vang, 20-Zachary Herivaux, 21-Kofi Twumasi, 23-Marc Ybarra, 25-Kevin Orduy, 28-Conor McGlynn, 77-Amos Shapiro-Thompson, 80-Isaac Angking
FORWARDS (4): 9-JJ Williams, 10-Chico, 11-Noah Fuson, 14-Mark Doyle
Second Time’s a Charm
So far this season, Rhode Island FC is undefeated against repeat opponents, having taken down both Louisville City FC (5-2) and North Carolina FC when facing the Eastern Conference clubs a second time. Those victories account for two of five total wins across RIFC’s last six matches and supplement a club-record seven-match unbeaten streak that dates back to the club’s last loss on June 8, which came in its first meeting against Detroit. The 2-0 final score from Beirne Stadium marked the only time this season that RIFC has been shutout during a loss, and one of only three matches in which the Ocean State club failed to score at home. Since then, RIFC has put away more than 60 percent of its season-long goal tally during its current unbeaten streak, outscoring opponents 21-11 in seven-straight multi-goal performances – including the pair of wins against Louisville and North Carolina.
Leaving it Late
Four of RIFC’s last five goals, including both match-winners in its last two matches, have been scored by second-half substitutes. Against Birmingham Legion FC, a brace off the bench for RIFC’s newest signing, Zachary Herivaux, earned him a USL Championship Player of the Week nod, while also carrying RIFC to a 3-1 win. Against North Carolina, Herivaux once again found the scoresheet alongside Mark Doyle to lift the homeside after trailing 1-0 and extend the club’s season-best winning streak to three. In total, a productive bench from Khano Smith has delivered nine goals this season, which leads the Eastern Conference and falls just one short of Sacramento Republic FC, who leads the league in that category.
Movin’ Up
Last weekend’s win against North Carolina bumped Rhode Island FC up to seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings, putting it five points clear of the playoff line with a multi-match cushion inside the top eight for the first time all season. Saturday’s nationally-televised contest against Detroit represents a great opportunity to further solidify RIFC’s spot in postseason position, as Detroit and RIFC currently sit level on points at 28 each, with just one goal in the goal differential tiebreaker placing Detroit above the Ocean State club in sixth place. After spending the majority of the first half of the season below the playoff line, three points on Saturday could see Rhode Island FC move up as high as fifth on the table, depending on other results on the weekend, potentially placing them as close as one spot removed from playoff hosting position.