Game Preview: Rhode Island FC vs. Portland Hearts of Pine: June 27, 2025

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USL Rhode Island FC

Game Preview: Rhode Island FC vs. Portland Hearts of Pine: June 27, 2025

June 23, 2025 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Rhode Island FC News Release


After falling 2-0 to Sacramento Republic FC at Centreville Bank Stadium on Saturday, Rhode Island FC will look to bounce back as it continues its four-game homestand on Friday against USL League One side Portland Hearts of Pine. The game is the third game of the 2025 USL Jägermeister Group Stage, and the second meeting between the two clubs in cup competition this season after RIFC defeated Portland 2-1 in the Third Round Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on April 15. In the Jägermeister Cup, Rhode Island FC currently leads Group 4 with six points and five goals scored in two games, holding a perfect 2W-0L-0T record in the newly-expanded competition with wins over USL League One side Westchester SC and Eastern Conference rivals Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC. With Portland, Hartford Athletic and Detroit City FC all within three points of RIFC in the group, Friday's game presents a valuable chance for Rhode Island FC to distance itself from the pack and inch closer to punching its ticket to the knockout round. Ahead of Pride Night at Centreville Bank Stadium, here is everything you need to know.

AT A GLANCE

Date | Friday, June 27

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 | #RIvPOR

Last Meeting | April 15, 2025: RI 2-1 POR - Lewiston, Maine

PORTLAND HEARTS OF PINE

Roster

GOALKEEPERS (2): 1-Hunter Morse, 23-Kash Oladapo

DEFENDERS (8): 2-Jaden Jones-Riley, 3-Nathan Messer, 4-Samuel Mahlamäki Camacho, 7-Sean Vinberg, 19-Shandon Wright, 21-Colby Quiñones, 50-Mo Mohamed, 66-Kemali Green

MIDFIELDERS (9): 5-Mikey Lopez, 6-Pat Langlois, 8-Michel Poon-Angeron, 10-Ollie Wright, 17-Mickey Reilly, 47-Nathaniel James, 77-Masashi Wada, 80-Jay Tee Kamara, 90-Khalid Hersi

FORWARDS (5): 9-Azaad Liadi, 11-Evan Southern, 12-Jake Keegan, 14-Titus Washington, 22-Walter Varela

The Wright Way

Since opening Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland, Maine on May 4, Portland Hearts of Pine have lost just one game (3W-1L-4T) in its last eight games across all competitions. The club has sold-out all four games at its new home, and is undefeated (3W-0L-1T) in Portland. The impressive stretch included a come-from-behind 3-1 win over defending USL League One Champions Union Omaha in its last home game on June 14. After going down 1-0 late in the first half, Ollie Wright scored the first-ever hat trick in Hearts history in the second half to power the club to a resurgent 3-1 win, earning himself a nod to the USL League One Team of the Week. With two assists so far in the regular season and a goal in the Jägermeister Cup, Wright leads Portland with six goal contributions across both competitions, with forward Azaad Liadi also netting four times to split the team lead. On the attack, Portland has only been shut out on three occasions this season, and has never conceded more than twice in a game.

Jäger Journey

Across all competitions this season, Portland holds a 2W-2L-0L record against USL Championship teams this season. Last time the club went up against Championship competition, it downed Detroit City FC at home in a dramatic 4-2 victory in front of a sold-out crowd to pick up its first-ever Jägermeister Cup win. Both Liadi and Wright scored goals in the win, giving Portland a 2-0 lead inside the opening half-hour that set the tone for the game. Prior to the win, Hearts of Pine lost its Jägermeister Cup opener 2-0 at Hartford Athletic on April 26. Its other two games against USL Championship competition came in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup at its then-temporary home at Lewiston High School earlier in the season, where it defeated Hartford in a come-from-behind, penalty-shootout win before falling to Rhode Island FC. To date, Rhode Island FC is the only team this season to come home from Maine with a win.

Road Struggles

Despite Portland's red-hot form in the Pine Tree State, it is still looking to find its footing on the road. It is winless (0W-3L-5T) in eight games away from Fitzpatrick Stadium this season, most recently battling to a 1-1 tie at Lancaster Municipal Stadium against fellow USL League One expansion side AV Alta FC. The tie was its fifth such result on the road this season, and sixth overall. It's only loss in its last eight games - a 2-1 loss against Chattanooga Red Wolves SC - also came on the road. Portland's game at RIFC will round out a two-game road stretch for the club before it heads back to Portland for three of its next four games.

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

History vs. Hearts

The last time Rhode Island FC faced Portland Hearts of Pine, it delivered the young expansion club its first-ever loss at Lewiston High School in the Third Round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Behind first-half goals from Frank Nodarse and Clay Holstad, RIFC battled to a tight 2-1 win, cementing itself as the only team to win in Maine so far this season. Coupled with a dominant 4-1 win over Westchester SC in its first-ever Jägermeister Cup contest on April 27, Rhode Island FC is undefeated against USL League One teams on the road this season, outscoring them 6-2 across two games and finding goals from four different goalscorers. Friday's game will mark the first-ever time a USL League One club visits the Ocean State.

Perfect at Pittsburgh

In its last action in the Jägermeister Cup, Rhode Island FC kept its unblemished record in the competition alive with a 1-0 win at Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC. The win was a milestone moment in several ways: it was the first time in four all-time meetings the Ocean State club found the back of the net against the Riverhounds, and the first-ever win against its Eastern Conference foes. It was also the first clean sheet of the season for goalkeeper Jackson Lee, who made a season-high four saves to preserve the club's fourth-straight road win. Although the club is struggling to find results in the league with just one win in its last five USL Championship games, a return to the competition where RIFC sits in first place with a perfect record could be just what the club needs to regain its momentum at home.

Bossing the Ball

Although the results have not always gone RIFC's way this season, it has bossed possession in all but two games in the USL Championship, and has shown an ability to control the game. Rhode Island FC sits second in the USL Championship holding an average of 56.11 percent of the ball per game, and third with 6,400 passes, averaging 475 per contest in the regular season. Rhode Island FC also leads the league with 907 passes into the final third, and its 249 total crosses are fourth-best in the USL Championship. With the attacking buildup clearly in operation, Khano Smith's men just need to find a way to become more clinical in front of goal. If RIFC can turn chances into shots and test the keeper more often, it has the potential to become an extremely dangerous attacking threat.

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