USL Rhode Island FC

Match Preview: Rhode Island FC vs. Hartford Athletic: June 1, 2024

Published on May 29, 2024 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Rhode Island FC News Release


After holding the USL Championship's best attacking force, Louisville City FC, scoreless for the first time all season at Beirne Stadium, Rhode Island FC returns to action on Saturday as it gears up for its inaugural Rhode Trip to regional rivals Hartford Athletic for the first-ever meeting between the two clubs at Trinity Health Stadium. With both teams separated by just two points in the Eastern Conference standings, Saturday's match will be a pivotal one as both squads look to build momentum heading into the heart of the 2024 season. Ahead of Saturday's historic matchup, here's everything you need to know about the match.

AT A GLANCE

Date | Saturday, June 1

Kickoff | 7 PM ET

Location | Trinity Health Stadium, Hartford, CT

Broadcast | NESN+, ESPN+

Social | @rhodeislandfc (X, Instagram, Facebook)

Match Hashtag | #RIvHFD

HARTFORD ATHLETIC

Roster

GOALKEEPERS (3): 1-Greg Monroe, 40-Renan Ribeiro, 44-Justin DiCarlo

DEFENDERS (7): 3-Joey Akpunonu, 4-Jordan Scarlett, 5-Triston Hodge, 15-Joe Farrell, 19-Rece Buckmaster, 23-Thomas Vancaeyezeele, 27-Pele Ousmanou

MIDFIELDERS (8): 6-Beverly Makangila, 8-Jay Chapman, 10-Danny Barrera, 12-Anderson Asiedu, 18-Joe Schmidt, 29-Emmanuel Samadia, 43-Ian Shaul, 94-Marlon Hairston

FORWARDS (7): 7-Marcus Epps, 9-Romario Williams, 11-Michee Ngalina, 17-Kyle Edwards, 31-Deshane Beckford, 33-Mamadou Dieng, 77-Enoch Mushagalusa

Snapping the Streak at Home

After winning three of its first four matches, Hartford Athletic (6W-4L-0D) dropped five straight, including a stretch of three matches without a single goal before finally snapping the losing streak last weekend with a 2-1 win over Monterey Bay F.C. During the five-match skid, the Connecticut club was outscored 16-2, including a 6-0 loss at the hands of Louisville City FC. Putting together a multi-goal performance for the first time since early April against Monterey Bay, Thomas Vanccaeyezeele's first career two-assist match and subsequent Team of the Week selection helped power Hartford to a come-from-behind victory. Michee Ngalina's second goal in as many matches coupled with Deshane Beckford's close-range strike in the second half erased an early one-goal deficit. Hartford won its third match in front of its home fans at Trinity Health Stadium, improving the club's home record this season to 3W-2L-0D and finally bringing its losing streak to an end.

Ngalina Off the Mark

After finding the back of the net once through eight matches, Hartford's highly-anticipated signing, 2022 USL Championship Young Player of the Year Michee Ngalina, is finally beginning to pay off. The Congolese forward has two goals in his last two matches and leads the team with three total goals. Reuniting with Hartford Head Coach Brendan Burke after the two reached the Western Conference final together in 2022 at Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, sparks of Ngalina's career-best 12-goal, eight-assist season are starting to appear on the opposite coast as Burke looks to lead Hartford to similar success in 2024. Against Monterey Bay, Ngalina's deflected strike from distance leveled the match at halftime, ultimately setting the stage for Hartford's fourth win of the season.

Starting Fresh

After the worst statistical season in Hartford's five-year history, which saw the club win just four matches in 2023, the club showed ambition in the offseason in a near-complete rebuild. Beginning with the hiring of a brand-new front office staff, including experienced former Major League Soccer executive Nick Sackiewicz as Chief Operating Officer and the former Colorado Springs Head Coach in Brendan Burke, Hartford brought in an entirely new roster that saw just four players return from the club's 2023 campaign. Filled with USL talent and experience, including four players from Burke's 2022 Colorado Springs team that made the club's first-ever conference final, a new-look Hartford team has already matched last season's four-win total just 10 matches into the season. Hartford looks set to make some serious noise in search of what would be the Connecticut club's second-ever postseason appearance come November.

RHODE ISLAND FC

Roster

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

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

MIDFIELDERS (12): 7-Prince Saydee, 8-Jack Panayotou, 12-Clay Holstad, 17-Jojea Kwizera, 18-Joe Brito, 19-Kevin Vang, 21-Kofi Twumasi, 23-Marc Ybarra, 25-Kevin Orduy, 28-Conor McGlynn, 77-Amos Shapiro-Thompson, 80-Isaac Angking

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

Defense the Key to Success

Before RIFC's (1W-3L-7D) scoreless draw with second-place Louisville, the visitors managed to score in its last 14 USL Championship matches dating back to September 30, 2023. LouCity's 28 goals led the USL Championship through 12 matchweeks and the Kentucky club had scored at least two goals in each of its last four matches prior to facing RIFC. A stout defensive performance from the Ocean State club, however, shut down the league's most powerful attack, limiting them to just three shots on target. The performance added to a list of impressive shutouts for Rhode Island FC against top-tier opposition, as the club also kept league leaders Charleston Battery quiet on April 6. Following a three-save performance that earned him his second RIFC clean sheet, goalkeeper Koke Vegas was named to the USL Championship Team of the Week. Frank Nodarse also earned his second-consecutive Man of the Match nod in the heart of the defense.

Turning Chances into Goals

When at its best, Rhode Island FC has proven to be a very challenging team to score against. The club has also shown that it can generate quality goal scoring chances. Against Louisville, Khano Smith's side displayed quality buildup in the midfield and found its way into the final third 65 times compared to Louisville's 49. The Ocean State club's 326 passes bested Louisville's 281, with more than half (221) coming inside Louisville's defensive half and 117 coming in the final third, putting pressure on the visitors throughout the match. The numbers showed a clear advantage for RIFC in the attack, but the Ocean State club was unable to hit the target on any of its nine shots despite the attacking momentum. RIFC would instead settle for its league-high fourth scoreless draw of the season. Khano Smith's side will now need to focus on improving its execution in the final third to start turning chances into goals.

McGlynn, Saydee Return to Connecticut

Saturday's trip to Hartford will mark the first time Conor McGlynn and Prince Saydee return to Trinity Health Stadium since making the move from Hartford to RIFC in the offseason. For both players, their time at Hartford marked a major milestone. McGlynn's professional career began in Hartford when he was the first and only player to sign a professional contract out of the club's open tryout ahead of its inaugural season in 2019. In five seasons in green and blue, the midfielder netted four goals and four assists, including two SportsCenter Top 10 selections, as the Queens, New York native became a regular in the starting lineup in his last three seasons. McGlynn captained the club twice in 2023. Saydee scored 14 total goals during his two seasons in Hartford in what were the most productive scoring seasons of his career. Last season, he led the club with 10 goals in 32 appearances during a career-best year, starting all but two matches after netting four goals in 2022 in what was his first multi-goal season. For both players, Saturday will mark a return to familiar scenes and a first chance to greet the fans that supported them prior to joining RIFC.

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