Game Preview: Rhode Island FC vs. North Carolina FC: June 14, 2025

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USL Rhode Island FC

Game Preview: Rhode Island FC vs. North Carolina FC: June 14, 2025

June 12, 2025 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Rhode Island FC News Release


After falling to its third-straight defeat in a 2-1 loss at league-leading Louisville City FC on Wednesday, Rhode Island FC will look to rebound when it kicks off a four-game homestand at Centreville Bank Stadium on Saturday vs. North Carolina FC at 7 p.m. The Ocean State club is still in search of its first-ever win at its new home, where it will spend six of the next seven games as a busy summer of soccer in Pawtucket gets underway. Ahead of 401 Night presented by Rhode Island Lottery, which will celebrate everything Rhode Island at Centreville Bank Stadium, here is everything you need to know.

AT A GLANCE

Date | Saturday, June 14

Kickoff | 7:00 p.m. ET

Location | Centreville Bank Stadium - Pawtucket, R.I.

Broadcast | NESN, ESPN+

Radio | 790 The Score (790 AM)

Social | @rhodeislandfc (X, Instagram, Facebook)

Game Hashtag | #RIvNC

Last Meeting | July 27, 2024: RI 2-1 NC - Smithfield, R.I.

NORTH CAROLINA FC

Roster

GOALKEEPERS (3): 1-Jake McGuire, 24-Trevor Mulqueen, 25-Akira Fitzgerald

DEFENDERS (9): 4-Justin Malou, 5-Paco Craig, 11-Patrick Burner, 14-Rafa Mentzingen, 20-Conor Donovan, 27-Bryce Washington, 42-Ezra Armstrong, 55-Triston Hodge, 66-Finn Sundstrom

MIDFIELDERS (9): 8-Pedro Dolabella, 10-Jaden Servania, 13-Louis Perez, 15-Mikey Maldonado, 16-Rodrigo Da Costa, 17-Collin Martin, 19-Ahmad Al-Qaq, 44-Raheem Somersall, 71-Jayson Quintanill

FORWARDS (3): 7-Evan Conway, 9-Oalex Anderson, 26-Adam Luckhurst

Red Hot Run

Across all competitions, North Carolina FC is in the midst of a five-game winning streak, and its 4W-0L-0T run of form in league play is tied for the longest active winning streak in the USL Championship. After ending April with a 2W-3L-2T record, it managed not to drop a single point in the month of May, keeping four shutouts, earning three road wins, conceding just two goals and catapulting itself into fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings since May 3. The dramatic turnaround earned North Carolina FC Head Coach John Bradford his fourth career USL Championship Coach of the Month in May, and first such honor since April 2023, continuing a legendary coaching career in North Carolina in his fifth season at the helm.

Leaving it Late

Although North Carolina FC's winning run has set the standard in the USL Championship over the last month, it has not always been comfortable. The latest in the quartet of league wins came in a gritty 1-0 road win at Hartford Athletic, where the two clubs were knotted in a scoreless tie until deep into second half stoppage time. In the 94th minute, Pedro Dolabella snuck a header into the side netting, scoring his tied-team-leading third goal of the year to steal all three points from the hosts in dramatic fashion. Throughout the last five wins in all competitions, five of North Carolina's nine goals have been scored in the 70th minute or later, including three game-winners and two goals in second-half stoppage time.

Spreading the Scoring

10 different scorers have found the back of the net for North Carolina this season, including 2/3 of all North Carolina players who have started at least seven games. Dolabella and Evan Conway lead the charge with three goals each, with Louis Perez following behind closely with two and seven other players finding the back of the net once. Eight of North Carolina's 16 league goals this season have been scored in the last four games, with the club averaging two goals per game in regular-season action since the beginning of May. Against a Rhode Island FC attack that has only given up two goals in a single game once since mid-April, North Carolina FC will need to rely on what has been a free-flowing attack over the last month.

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

Positives from Louisville

Despite losing in Louisville, the Ocean State club made the league leaders work for it. After going down in the first half, Rhode Island FC did something that it had not managed in two league games - score an equalizer. Fighting back just seven minutes after falling behind, Frank Nodarse curled a long ball from inside his own half and found a streaking Joe Brito, who made a blistering run into the box before forcing an own goal with a dangerous cross to level the score. The goal, which was just the second LouCity has conceded at Lynn Family Stadium this year, ended a 211-minute scoreless streak for the Ocean State club, and allowed it to take momentum into the locker room after going behind. Throughout the game, RIFC continued its trend of bossing possession, holding at least 57 percent of the ball for the seventh-straight game, but once again struggled to break through in the second half as its search for a result came up empty.

Score First

Dating back to last season, Rhode Island FC is unbeaten in 18-straight games across the regular season and playoffs when scoring first, and has only ever lost once in club history when leading at halftime. The Ocean State club is 3W-0L-1T in league play when striking first this season, including back-to-back shutout road wins against Birmingham Legion (1-0) and Tampa Bay Rowdies (3-0) in May. However, when RIFC concedes first, it is winless in its last seven games dating back to 2024, and has earned just one point in four games from losing positions this season (0W-5L-1T). Against North Carolina FC, it is critical that Khano Smith's men get on the board first and set the tone as the club searches for its first-ever win at Centreville Bank Stadium.

Home Sweet Home

After suffering its third-straight USL Championship loss for the first time ever, Rhode Island FC will return to Centreville Bank Stadium to play four straight home games through the beginning of July, kicking off a stretch of nine home games in 12 weeks through the end of August. After a slow 0W-2L-2T start at its brand-new stadium, the summer home field advantage provides a perfect chance for Rhode Island FC to get back on track and pick up much-needed points in front of its home fans in the back half of 2025.

Check out the Rhode Island FC Statistics



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