Inaugural Winner of Regional Talent Competition the Search to be Crowned at Rhode Island FC's Third-Annual 401 Night, Presented by Santoro Oil
USL Rhode Island FC

Inaugural Winner of Regional Talent Competition the Search to be Crowned at Rhode Island FC's Third-Annual 401 Night, Presented by Santoro Oil

Published on April 4, 2026 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Rhode Island FC News Release


PAWTUCKET, R.I. - Rhode Island FC's third-annual 401 Night, presented by Santoro Oil, is here, with the Ocean State club set to welcome Detroit City FC to Centreville Bank Stadium at 4 p.m. Complete with live bands, free giveaways, discounted drinks and specialty merch, 401 Night will feature an action-packed slate of fan activities and promotions celebrating everything that makes the Ocean State special.

For the first time ever, 401 Night will feature live, pre-game music on the concourse. Finalists from The Search, a talent competition spotlighting artists from across New England, will perform throughout the venue, with the winner of the nine-month competition to be announced during a special live halftime performance. Three finalists, selected among a field of hundreds of New England-based musicians, will perform: Love Marry Kill, Sioo, & Teevio & The Aces!

There is still time to take advantage of Rhode Island FC's limited-edition 401 Night Ticket and Merch Pack, which comes complete with a ticket to the game and a custom RIFC Pickleball Paddle!

Ticket holders should be sure to arrive early, as the first 3,000 people through the gate will get a free pair of RIFC-themed gloves courtesy of Santoro Oil - the second gate giveaway of the 2026 season. As fans enter the concourse and make their way to their seats, they should also be on the lookout for a festive surprise: 26 Easter Eggs hidden throughout the stadium, each holding exclusive prizes ranging from signed jerseys to Team Store gift cards! Be fast, be first, and be on the lookout for a TerRIFC Easter Egg hunt you will not want to miss!

For the second-straight home game, fans can also enjoy discounted drinks: $4 Coors Lights and $1 kids fountain drinks available at select concessions locations throughout the stadium! In addition, RIFC's all-new Signature Cocktail will be available at the Centreville Bank Stadium Bar. The new food offerings do not end there - the Rhode Island Pie Co., sponsored by High Noon, will be serving its Pizza Slice of the game, an all-new rotating menu item in 2026. On 401 Night, be sure to stop by and pick up a delicious chicken bacon ranch pizza slice!

The Rhode Island FC Team Store, powered by Capelli Sport, will offer several new merch items to rep the Ocean State with pride. The all-new 401 Night Tees, available in two different colors and designs, will be available in-stadium only, along with the second installment of RIFC's 2026 Gameday Poster Series. Be sure to stop by the Team Store to get these exclusive items before they sell out!

Before the game, fans should be sure to visit RIFC's free Fan Fest along the Riverwalk. California Taco Shop, Chick-fil-A Attleboro and Del's Lemonade will return food trucks to Fan Fest in 2026, while Green Line Apothecary and Saugy's Hot Dogs will join the lineup of local vendors along the Seekonk River. Fan Fest will be full of free, family-friendly activities, including face painting and balloon artists, presented by Centreville Bank, as well as airbrush tattoos, hair braiding, and RIFC-themed foosball and subsoccer tables.

When the game starts, the chances to win prizes does not end! Just before kickoff, fans should aim to be in their seats early to catch Rhode Island's favorite mascot, Chip the Harbor Seal! Hyping up the crowd with the infamous Breeze Chip Shot, Chip and his team will fire exclusive tees into the crowd with his airplane-shaped t-shirt launcher! One lucky winner will find round-trip airline tickets, courtesy of Breeze Airways, wrapped in their prize catch. Additionally, one lucky family, selected at random, will get the chance to upgrade to RIFC's all-inclusive Breeze Airways Loge Box, courtesy of the Breeze Airways Seat Upgrade! Another lucky row elsewhere in the stadium will be selected as Saugy's Lucky Row, and the entire row will get free Saugy Hot Dogs.

If Rhode Island FC scores a goal from any Chick-fil-A Attleboro Korner Kick during the game, every fan in attendance scores a free Chick-fil-A sandwich by showing their ticket on Monday at Chick-fil-A Attleboro! Through three home games this season, RIFC has scored three Chick-fil-A Attleboro Korner Kick's, and fans have already had the chance to claim three free chicken sandwiches!

At halftime, several new and returning promotions will give fans the chance to win various prizes - one lucky fan will have the opportunity to take home up to $1,000! The Centreville Bank Crossbar Challenge returns in 2026, headlining the halftime slate and giving one lucky fan the opportunity to win $500 courtesy of Centreville Bank. In back-to-back games during RIFC's 1-0 win over Detroit City FC and its 0-0 tie vs. Loudoun United FC in Aug. 2025, two young fans struck the crossbar on their first attempt, walking away with a hefty cash prize in front of a roaring crowd. Additionally, the Drippy's Drop Shot by Santoro Oil, which challenges contestants to pass the ball from the top of the penalty area and hit the midfield line, will give another fan a chance to win $1,000! This season, the all new Breeze Runway joins the party - a third fan will have the opportunity to win Breeze Points, courtesy of Breeze Airways, if they can score a long-range kick.

After the final whistle, be sure to stick around for Autograph Alley on the south goal line. Young fans will have a chance to meet, take pictures with and get autographs from their favorite RIFC players!

In the regular season, Detroit City FC is 2W-1L-0T, headlined by its 1-0 win vs. Charleston Battery over the weekend. Detroit's 2025 leading scorer, Darren Smith, continued his hot start to the season vs. the Battery, scoring in his fourth-straight regular-season game dating back to last season to lift Le Rouge over Charleston. Smith has led an extremely productive Detroit attack that has outscored opponents 5-2 through three games in league play. Smith took just 32 minutes to record a brace in Detroit's season-opening 3-0 win over expansion club Brooklyn FC on March 14, before netting the lone goals at Indy Eleven (2-1 loss) and Charleston. The brace vs. Brooklyn was the third of his Detroit City FC career, and the first since netting twice in Detroit's 2-0 win over Rhode Island FC on April 19, 2025.

Rhode Island FC advanced to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 on Wednesday, blanking regional rival Hartford Athletic 2-0 at Centreville Bank Stadium to set up a rematch of last season's Round of 32 loss vs. Major League Soccer club New England Revolution. Aldair Sanchez opened the scoring in the 12th minute, converting a JJ Williams headed assist to score his first career goal for the Ocean State club. Eighteen minutes later, RIFC doubled its advantage when Williams found the back of the net himself, getting on the end of Augustín "Pity" Rodríguez's corner kick and heading home his first goal of the season. The goal cemented RIFC's second-straight shutout win in the historic tournament, and cemented Williams as RIFC's all-time leading goalscorer. Rhode Island FC will look to carry its cup momentum into the regular season on Saturday, where it is still looking for its first win.

For Rhode Island FC news and updates, visit rhodeislandfc.com, subscribe to RIFC's monthly newsletter, follow the club on Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok, X and LinkedIn, and download the official team app.

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from April 4, 2026


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