Jamaican international joins RIFC after title-winning season with Cavalier FC
PAWTUCKET, R.I. (Aug. 7, 2025) – Rhode Island FC announced today it has signed midfielder Dwayne Atkinson on a permanent transfer from Jamaican Premier League side Cavalier FC, pending league and federation approval. The 23-year-old Jamaican international joins the Ocean State club after leading Cavalier FC to three Jamaican Premier League titles and one CONCACAF Caribbean Cup title in five seasons, scoring 50 goals in more than 130 appearances for his hometown club.
“Dwayne is a young, exciting attacking player with a lot of potential,” Rhode Island FC Head Coach and General Manager Khano Smith said. “He is full of energy and creativity, and will give us a spark in the attack for the second half of the season and beyond.”
During the 2024/25 Jamaican Premier League season, Atkinson was a mainstay in the starting 11 for Cavalier FC. He made 41 appearances across all competitions, including all five games of the club’s playoff run to its second-straight Jamaican Premier League title. He scored a career-best 19 goals last season, including the game-winning goal in extra time of the club’s quarterfinal tie vs. Portmore United FC, helping fuel a run that took the club all the way to the championship.
In continental competition last season, Atkinson was instrumental in Cavalier FC’s journey to its first-ever CONCACAF Caribbean Cup final, lighting up the competition with 11 goal contributions in seven games. Atkinson tallied one goal and a pair of assists in the club’s 7-0 victory over Moca FC in the semifinal, before scoring both of the club’s goals across two legs in the final two games to secure the Caribbean Cup title and qualification to the CONCACAF Champions Cup. Atkinson went on to appear in both of the club’s CONCACAF Champions Cup Round of 16 legs vs. Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami CF, logging 175 minutes against a side headlined by legendary global talents Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Sergio Busquets.
Prior to his breakout season in 2024/25, Atkinson enjoyed steady success with Cavalier FC after signing his first professional deal with the Kingston-based club in 2018. Through seven seasons, the midfielder netted an impressive 50 goals and added nine assists, leading the club to the Jamaican Premier League title in 2021, 2024 and 2025.
At the international level, Atkinson has made six appearances for the Jamaican National Team. He most recently made his first-ever start for The Reggae Boyz in their 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup Group C win over Guadeloupe on June 20, representing one of just five domestic Jamaican players to feature in the country’s 2025 Gold Cup squad.
Name: Dwayne Atkinson
Position: Midfielder
Height: 5-7
Weight: 150 lbs.
Birthday: May 5, 2002
Hometown: Tivoli Gardens, Kingston, Jamaica
Previous teams: Cavalier FC (Jamaica), ÍBV Vestmannaeyjar (Iceland)
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