USL Rhode Island FC

Match Preview: Rhode Island FC at Louisville City FC: November 9, 2024

Published on November 6, 2024 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Rhode Island FC News Release


After JJ Williams's second hat trick in back-to-back matches delivered RIFC its first-ever playoff win over the weekend against Indy Eleven, Rhode Island FC now heads to Louisville City FC on Saturday, Nov. 9 with a spot in the Eastern Conference Final on the line. Although LouCity has only lost once at home this season with an 17W-1L-0D record, that one loss came against Rhode Island FC. The Ocean State club will look to repeat history in a win-or-go-home match as it fights to keep a historic inaugural season alive against the eight-time conference finalists and two-time USL Championship Final winners. Ahead of a highly-anticipated Eastern Conference semifinal matchup, here is everything you need to know.

AT A GLANCE

Date | Saturday, Nov. 9

Kickoff | 7:30 p.m. ET

Location | Lynn Family Stadium, Louisville, Ky.

Broadcast | ESPN+

RIFC Official Watch Party | The Guild

Social | @rhodeislandfc (X, Instagram, Facebook)

Match Hashtag | #LOUvRILast Meeting | June 22, 2024: RI 5, LOU 2 - Louisville, Ky.

LOUISVILLE CITY FC

Roster

GOALKEEPERS (4): 12-Danny Faundez, 18-Damian Las, 30-Ryan Troutman, 92-Crew Hartlage

DEFENDERS (13): 2-Aiden McFadden, 3-Jake Morris, 4-Sean Totsch, 5-Arturo Ordoñez, 6-Wes Charpie, 13-Amadou Dia, 15-Manny Perez, 32-Kyle Adams, 63-Sebastian Sanchez, 67-Owen Damm, 70-Issac Cano, 80-Hayden Stamps, 83-Brandon Dayes

MIDFIELDERS (7): 8-Carlos Moguel Jr., 11-Nial McCabe, 17-Taylor Davila, 22-Dylan Mares, 23-ELijah Wynder, 25-Jansen Wilson, 27-Evan Davila

FORWARDS (7): 7-Ray Serrano, 9-Phillip Goodrum, 10-Brian Ownby, 14-Wilson Harris, 16-Adrien Perez, 20-Sam Gleadle, 21-Jorge Gonzalez

A Historic Run

Louisville City FC took the USL Championship by storm this season, finishing well above the competition with a 24W-6L-4D overall record, 76 points, 86 total goals and a +43 goal differential. The impressive record awarded LouCity the USL Championship Player's Shield, given to the club with the highest regular-season point total. LouCity averaged almost three goals per match throughout the season, scoring four or more goals in a staggering ten matches. At home, the club managed 3.4 goals per match, losing only once in 17 regular-season matches with a 16W-1L-0D record at Lynn Family Stadium. Like RIFC, Louisville has not lost in seven matches dating back to late September, and The Boys in Purple were shutout just twice in the regular season. Against Rhode Island FC, LouCity will look for its ninth-straight Eastern Conference final berth, having made it to the penultimate playoff match in each of its first eight seasons in the USL Championship.

Out For Revenge

Although LouCity lost just six matches and failed to score in only two, Rhode Island FC had a role to play in both of those statistics, representing the only club in the USL Championship that Louisville failed to beat in multiple meetings this season. During the first meeting on May 25, RIFC kept the league-leading attack scoreless in a 0-0 draw at Beirne Stadium, before stunning Louisville with a dominant 5-2 win at Lynn Family Stadium on June 22. The latter win marked the most goals ever scored against LouCity at Lynn Family Stadium, the Kentucky side's only multi-goal loss of the season, and the club's only loss on home soil in 2024.

Clash of Titans

Louisville will match an equally in-form attack on Saturday in a semifinal match that puts the first and third-highest scoring teams up against each other in a win-or-go-home scenario. RIFC finished third in the regular season with 56 goals, 30 behind Louisville's league-leading tally. Leading the charge for LouCity is Wilson Harris, who is enjoying a career-high season, leading the Players' Shield winners and finishing second in the league with 19 regular-season goals. Harris registered a first-half brace in the club's regular-season finale against Phoenix Rising FC, marking his sixth multi-goal performance of the year. Phillip Goodrum and Janeson Wilson also neared double-figures for Louisville with nine goals in the regular season. All three leading scorers for the league leaders are still looking for their first postseason goals after Amadou Dia, Taylor Davila, and Adrien Perez found the back of the net in The Boys in Purple's 3-2 quarterfinal win over North Carolina FC.

RHODE ISLAND FC

Roster

GOALKEEPERS (3): 1-Koke Vegas, 22-Jackson Lee, 30-Nate Silveira

DEFENDERS (7): 2-Nathan Messer, 3-Stephen Turnbull, 4-Collin Smith, 5-Grant Stoneman, 6-Morris Duggan, 15-Frank Nodarse, 16-Gabriel Alves, 24-Karifa Yao

MIDFIELDERS (12): 8-Jack Panayotou, 12-Clay Holstad, 17-Jojea Kwizera, 18-Joe Brito, 19-Kevin Vang, 20-Zachary Herivaux, 21-Kofi Twumasi, 23-Marc Ybarra, 28-Conor McGlynn, 77-Amos Shapiro-Thompson, 80-Isaac Angking

FORWARDS (4): 9-JJ Williams, 10-Chico, 11-Noah Fuson, 14-Mark Doyle

Wonderful Williams

Rhode Island FC carried over its attacking explosion from the end of the regular season to its first-ever playoff win over Indy Eleven, bringing its total to 20 goals in the midst of a seven-match unbeaten streak. In that span, JJ Williams has been one of the main drivers of an extremely efficient attack, scoring the first two hat tricks in club history in back-to-back matches. Scoring five goals inside the first half of the last two matches, six of Williams' nine goals this year have come in that span. Williams's hat trick in Indy showcased his versatility as a striker, as he scored three different goals, coming from the penalty kick, a header and an open play sequence. Williams is also responsible for the club's only two penalty conversions this season, both of which came during RIFC's last two matches.

Keeping it Close

Although RIFC has not lost in seven matches and is approaching its club record eight-match unbeaten run, the team has kept just one clean sheet in that time, with four of those matches finishing in a one-goal margin. The Ocean State club has averaged one goal conceded per match in its last seven matches, and against Indy, had to sustain huge amounts of pressure through almost nine minutes of stoppage time after allowing the host to cut a two-goal deficit in half. In order to keep the best attack in the league at bay, Koke Vegas and the RIFC backline will need to bring their best, and aim to return to a defensive structure that kept eight clean sheets throughout the club's inaugural regular season.

Staying Alive

With a win on Saturday, Rhode Island FC would become the first expansion club to qualify for a conference final in its inaugural season since Western Conference club El Paso Locomotive FC did so in 2019. The potential to make more history comes after RIFC finished fifth in the Eastern Conference, setting the all-time single-season record with 15 draws and finishing with the third-lowest loss total (seven) across the entire 24-team league. After earning its first-ever playoff win in convincing fashion in Indianapolis and looking towards a venue where it has already won this season, the stage is set for the Ocean State club to continue writing its name in the USL Championship history books.

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