Ocean State club returns to Centreville Bank Stadium to kick off two-game homestand on Wednesday, April 1 at 7 p.m. vs. Hartford Athletic
MIAMI (March 28, 2026) – Rhode Island FC came up just short at Pitbull Stadium on Saturday when it fell 2-1 to Miami FC, despite another strong offensive performance. Dwayne Atkinson’s first goal of the season headlined a second half that saw the Ocean State club control the majority of the attacking possession, but it was not enough to overcome a 2-0 deficit as a late comeback bid fell just short in the Sunshine State.
Rhode Island FC (0W-2L-1T) pressed early, nearly finding the first goal when Agústin “Pity” Rodríguez threatened twice down the left wing. In the 11th minute, goalkeeper Felipe Rodriguez rushed off his line to deny Pity’s one-on-one chance. Ten minutes later, Pity sprinted down the same wing in a nearly identical breakaway, this time sending a low attempt just narrowly wide of the far post.
Miami FC (2W-1L-1T) made the Ocean State club pay for the missed opportunity just one minute later, taking a lead which it would not relinquish. Mason Tunbridge picked up the ball on the edge of the box and unleashed a curling shot that rattled the far post, before Arney Rocha tucked in the rebound to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.
RIFC ended the half with a pair of dangerous opportunities, beginning in the 40th minute when Logan Dorsey connected with Aldair Sanchez’s cross into the box, drilling a header goalward that was saved by Rodriguez. Five minutes later, RIFC nearly broke through on the counter when Karifa Yao played a direct central ball to Pity, who poked a one-time ball through the Miami defense to the feet of Leo Afonso. Afonso flew into the box from the right side, but Rodriguez rushed quickly off his line to deny the effort, preserving the 1-0 lead into the halftime break.
Just five minutes into the second half, Miami doubled its lead when former Rhode Island FC forward Mathieu Ndongo raced to get on the end of a dangerous pass in the final third. Taking the ball onto his left foot, Ndongo fired a left-footed rocket from the top of the box, beating a full-stretch Vegas and nestling into the side netting to give the hosts the insurance goal. Down 2-0 on the road, Rhode Island FC quickly turned up the pressure, dominating the attack for the remainder of the game and outshooting the hosts 10-5 through the final 45 minutes.
The Ocean State club cashed in on its increased attacking presence in the 65th minute, cutting the deficit in half when Atkinson netted his second career goal for the club less than a minute after coming off the bench. After Noah Fuson’s cross from the left wing was cleared, Atkinson pounced on the rebound and powered a low shot into the bottom-left corner to make it 2-1 with his first touch of the game.
Rhode Island FC continued to push for the equalizer, nearly finding the game-tying goal several times. In the 70th minute, Clay Holstad found the target with a powerful right-footed shot that was swatted away by Rodriguez. With just five minutes left in regulation, second-half substitute Jamin Gogo Peters redirected Fuson’s long-range effort towards goal, but Rodriguez came up big with another diving stop to deny the visitors.
Through 90 minutes, RIFC forced six strong saves out of Rodriguez and outshot the South Florida club 20-9, but Miami FC held on with a resilient defensive performance to see out the 2-1 result.
Up next, Rhode Island FC will return to Centreville Bank Stadium for a two-game homestand. It will host regional rival Hartford Athletic in the Second Round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday, April 1, at 7 p.m., before welcoming Detroit City FC to Centreville Bank Stadium just three days later on 401 Night (Saturday, April 4 at 4 p.m.). Tickets for the next home games are available now at rhodeislandfc.com/tickets.
GOAL SCORING RUNDOWN
MIA – Arney Rocha, 22nd minute: Rocha tucks home the rebound from Mason Tunbridge’s shot. MIA 1, RI 0
MIA – Mathieu Ndongo (Arney Rocha), 50th minute: Ndongo buries a powerful left-footed shot from the top of the box. MIA 2, RI 0
RI – Dwayne Atkinson, 65th minute: Atkinson powers a low shot into the bottom-left corner from just inside the box. MIA 2, RI 1
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- Hamady Diop made his first appearance of 2026, coming in as a second-half substitute in the 64th minute.
- Jamin Gogo Peters made his USL Championship debut, coming in as a second-half substitute in the 83rd minute.
- Dwayne Atkinson scored his first goal of 2026, and second career goal for RIFC, just 50 seconds after coming off the bench.
- Atkinson’s goal is the fastest goal ever scored by a Rhode Island FC substitute. He is the first-ever RIFC player to score less than a minute after coming off the bench.
- Atkinson is the second player this season, and one of seven RIFC players all-time, to score less than five minutes after coming off the bench. He is the only player in club history to do so twice.
- Atkinson’s first career goal for RIFC came less than two minutes after coming off the bench in RIFC’s 1-0 win vs. Birmingham Legion FC in the USL Cup Quarterfinals on Aug. 20, 2025.
- Leo Afonso led both teams with seven shots. As of Saturday, March 28, He leads the USL Championship with 17 shots through three games.
- Rhode Island FC took at least 20 shots for the third time in four games across all competitions this season. It averages nearly 18 shots per game through three USL Championship games this season, beating last season’s single-game high of 17.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Dwayne Atkinson
Match stats and information available here.
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