Game Preview: Rhode Island FC at Tampa Bay Rowdies: May 17, 2025

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USL Rhode Island FC

Game Preview: Rhode Island FC at Tampa Bay Rowdies: May 17, 2025

May 15, 2025 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Rhode Island FC News Release


After picking up its second win of the season vs. Birmingham Legion FC on Wednesday and extending its season-best unbeaten run to three games, Rhode Island FC will complete a stretch of five games in 14 days when it visits Tampa Bay Rowdies on Saturday. With the all-time series tied 1-1 between the two clubs and Tampa Bay hungry for its first home win of the season, Saturday's matchup against the Rowdies will provide a valuable chance for Rhode Island FC to continue building momentum as it searches for its first set of back-to-back wins this year. Ahead of Saturday's Eastern Conference battle, here is everything you need to know.

AT A GLANCE

Date | Saturday, May 17

Kickoff | 7:30 p.m. ET

Location | Al Lang Stadium - St. Petersburg, Fla.

Broadcast | NESN, ESPN+

Radio | 790 The Score (790 AM)

Social | @rhodeislandfc (X, Instagram, Facebook)

Game Hashtag | #TBRvRI

Last Meeting | Oct. 5, 2024: RI 3-1 TBR - Smithfield, R.I.

TAMPA BAY ROWDIES

Roster

GOALKEEPERS (3): 1-Nicolás Campisi, 35-Caleb Klepacz, 41-Ethan Bandré

DEFENDERS (6): 2-Robert Castellanos, 3-Forest Lasso, 14-Thomas Vancaeyezeele, 26-Joey Skinner, 27-Lawrence Wyke, 33-Aaron Guillen, 34-Mateus DeJesus

MIDFIELDERS (8): 4-Lewis Hilton, 5-Cammy MacPherson, 7-Pacifique Niyongabire, 8-Ollie Bassett, 10-Leo Fernandes, 11-Blake Bodily, 17-Danny Crisostomo, 18-Nate Worth, 20-Nick Moon

FORWARDS (4): 9-Manuel Arteaga, 21-Endri Mustali, 28-Woobens Pacius, 36-Alex Rodriguez

Looking for a win

Since returning to a newly-repaired Al Lang Stadium in April, Tampa Bay Rowdies are winless (0W-3L-1T) in four games at home, with its only league win of the season coming from their in-state rival, Miami FC, on March 22. After getting off to a 1W-6L-1T start in the 2025 regular season and picking up just one point during a winless stretch in their last five games, the Rowdies find themselves sitting in 11th place in the Eastern Conference standings, desperate for a much-needed three points to jump start their season. Tampa's winless run has extended into cup competition, as the Florida club lost to Miami FC in a penalty-shootout in the Jägermeister Cup and was on the wrong side of a 5-0 dismantling at the hands of Major League Soccer side Orlando City SC in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 32.

Change at the Helm

After announcing the dismissal of Head Coach Robbie Neilson on April 11, Tampa Bay has played the last four league games under the guidance of interim Head Coach Steve Coleman, who earned his first career head coaching role after joining the Rowdies in the offseason. The experienced coach served as an assistant with Loudoun United FC in 2024 after coming overseas from New Zealand, where he spent more than a decade working with New Zealand's U-17 and U-23 National Teams, helping New Zealand qualify for last year's Summer Olympics. Now, the Englishman is in the midst of a new challenge in Tampa Bay, and will look for the first win of his head coaching career against Rhode Island FC on Saturday.

Defensive Mishaps

This season, Tampa Bay has given up multiple goals on five occasions and sits tied for third in the USL Championship with 14 conceded goals, letting in an average of 1.6 goals per game. On the attacking end, the Florida club are among the bottom five USL Championship clubs with eight goals scored. In its 3-1 loss to Charleston Battery last time out, Woobens Pacius netted his team-leading fourth goal of the season in the 77th minute, but it was too little too late as the Battery had already netted three goals inside the first 28 minutes of the game. Against Rhode Island FC, who has proven that it can be dangerous in transition, Tampa Bay will need to find a way to limit turnovers, stay tight in the back and test the RIFC goal as often as possible to avoid digging itself into an early hole.

RHODE ISLAND FC

Roster

GOALKEEPERS (3): 22-Jackson Lee, 1-Koke Vegas, 13-Will Meyer

DEFENDERS (7): 4-Hugo Bacharach, 6-Aimé Mabika, 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

Midfield Dominance

Rhode Island FC has dominated possession in its last two games, holding more than 57 percent of the ball, exceeding 550 attempted passes and connecting passes at above an 85 percent accuracy rate in both contests. Although the Ocean State club controlled the midfield and proved dangerous on the attack, registering double-digit shot totals in both of the last two games, it has struggled to convert, netting just two goals in its last three league contests. After scoring with its only shot on target of the game in its 1-1 tie with Monterey Bay FC on May 10, RIFC peppered the goal with 10 shots on frame during Wednesday's win vs. Birmingham Legion FC, but still only managed to find the back of the net once in a narrow 1-0 victory. Against a Tampa Bay side who is struggling for form, Khano Smith's men will look to capitalize on its chances early and often in order to reward themselves for what has been an otherwise dominant stretch of games.

Maestro Maxi

After scoring a pair of goals in the Jägermeister Cup and U.S. Open Cup in the last five games across all competitions, Maxi Rodriguez finally opened his USL Championship account in Wednesday's win vs. Birmingham, netting the game-winning goal in the 14th minute. After finding his attacking form in the last three weeks, Rodriguez has been deadly in front of goal when he finds space, scoring all three of his goals with low, one-touch finishes directly from crosses. Displaying an elite ability to pick out accurate, powerful shots in the blink of an eye, Rodriguez's recent production is a positive sign for Rhode Island FC, who has struggled to be clinical in the final third this season.

A Loaded Schedule

Rhode Island FC's matchup in Tampa Bay completes a marathon stretch of five games in a two-week span across all competitions. After stretching its season-long unbeaten run to three games with a valuable midweek win over Birmingham, Rhode Island FC has managed the busy period well, taking five points from three games and moving up to sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings. With just five points separating last place from sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings, Saturday's matchup vs. 11th-place Tampa Bay presents a crucial opportunity for Rhode Island FC to string back-to-back wins together for the first time all season and create separation in a tightly-packed table as the midpoint of the season approaches.

Check out the Rhode Island FC Statistics



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