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USL Rhode Island FC

Match Preview: Rhode Island FC vs. Louisville City FC: June 22, 2024

June 21, 2024 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Rhode Island FC News Release


Following a dramatic 2-2 draw at Memphis 901 FC, Rhode Island FC returns to USL Championship action on Saturday for a second meeting with league-leading Louisville City FC. After holding the Kentucky club to its only shutout of the season in a scoreless draw on May 25, RIFC will look to replicate its defensive success against the league's best attack as it faces a repeat opponent for the first time ever. Ahead of RIFC's second-straight road match, here is everything you need to know.

AT A GLANCE

Date | Saturday, June 22

Kickoff | 8 PM ET

Location | Lynn Family Stadium, Louisville, KY

Broadcast | NESN, ESPN+

Social | @rhodeislandfc (X, Instagram, Facebook)

Match Hashtag | #LOUvRI

LOUISVILLE CITY FC

Roster

GOALKEEPERS (3): 12-Danny Faundez, 18-Damian Las, 30-Ryan Troutman

DEFENDERS (11): 2-Aiden McFadden, 3-Jake Morris, 4-Sean Totsch, 5-Arturo Ordoñez, 6-Wes Charpie, 13-Amadou Dia, 20-Sam Gleadle, 32-Kyle Adams, 63-Sebastian Sanchez, 67-Owen Damm, 80-Hayden Stamps

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, 10-Brian Ownby, 14-Wilson Harris, 16-Adrien Perez, 21-Jorge Gonzalez, 24-Tola Showunmi, 70-Issac Cano

Breathing Room at the Top

In several statistical categories, Louisville City FC sit comfortably at the top of the USL Championship. LouCity's 35 points and 11 wins put the club six points clear at the top of the league, with Charleston Battery (29 points) the closest behind in the standings. Louisville also leads the Championship with 40 goals scored, a staggering 13 goals ahead of second-best Charleston for an average of 2.6 goals per match and a +25 goal differential. Defensively, Louisville's seven clean sheets are the second-most in the league, and its 15 goals conceded is tied for third-least. The scoreless draw between Rhode Island FC and Louisville marked one of a league-lowest four occasions where Louisville dropped points this season. In four matches since that meeting, LouCity has continued to display its offensive dominance, out-scoring opponents 12-6 with a 4W-1L-0D record. On the attack, Wilson Harris leads LouCity this season with 10 goals, placing him second in the league behind Charleston's Nicholas Markanich as one of only two players to have scored in double-figures. Adrien Perez also sits third in the league with a team-leading five assists.

Bounce-Back Win

Although Louisville followed up its first meeting at RIFC with three consecutive wins, including a commanding 5-1 route of Detroit City FC, a dramatic 3-2 stoppage time loss on the road against Tampa Bay Rowdies on Saturday halted the club's impressive run of form as it fell in just its second loss of the season. Fortunately for the league leaders, a busy stretch of three matches in eight days saw the club bounce back on the road against Pittsburgh Riverhounds FC on Wednesday, coming away with a 1-0 victory to further widen the gap at the top of the table to six points. LouCity's lone goal of the match came in the 49th minute via a powerful long-range effort from Janeson Wilson, who became the seventh Louisville player to score three or more goals in 2024 and tenth overall to find the back of the net multiple times.

Dominance at Lynn

So far this season, Louisville boasts a perfect 7W-0L-0D at Lynn Family Stadium, taking every one of a possible 21 points in front of its home fans. Remarkably, the club has netted five or more goals at home on four separate occasions, with three of those wins coming in consecutive matches. The club has won by multiple goals in six of its seven home matches. In total, the league leaders have outscored opponents 29-6 at home, scoring an average of more than four goals per match while allowing less than one. LouCity's match against Rhode Island will be its third in eight days and will mark a return from a two-match road trip, where it will look to remain one of only two teams in the league to stay perfect at home as the halfway point of the season approaches.

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, 15-Frank Nodarse, 16-Gabriel Alves, 24-Karifa Yao

MIDFIELDERS (11): 7-Prince Saydee, 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

The Rematch

Although Louisville's offensive statistics may look daunting, Rhode Island FC has experience handling the league leaders. Louisville is the first club to face Rhode Island FC for a second time and also the Ocean State club's last recorded shutout. After putting together an impressive defensive display in the first meeting, RIFC remains the only club to have shut out the league leaders in 20 straight USL Championship matches dating back to September 30, 2023. In its second meeting with LouCity in less than a month, RIFC will look to replicate a defensive line that held the league's most prolific attack to just three shots on goal, limiting its offensive options and controlling the middle of the pitch. In total, RIFC out-possessed (52.3 percent) and out-passed (326-281) Louisville in its first meeting, with more than 67 percent of those passes (221) completed on Louisville's half of the pitch. With a pair of shutouts recorded against the top two teams in the USL Championship, Khano Smith's side has proven it has what it takes to defend the best attacking talent.

Finishing Strong

After holding a 2-0 lead into second half stoppage time in its last match that ultimately ended in a 2-2 draw at Memphis 90 FC, the focus for Khano Smith's squad will be late-match composure. Especially against a Louisville attack that scores more than four goals per match at home, a complete defensive performance will be imperative. The Ocean State club has proven it is capable of defensive resilience. The club's four shutouts and a 2-1 win at Las Vegas Lights FC all featured performances in which the club was able to see out a result through the final whistle. To avoid a finish similar to the one in Memphis, RIFC will need to re-discover previous defensive form in order to take points from a Louisville side that has been relentless at Lynn Family Stadium.

Lee Gets the Call

With veteran goalkeeper Koke Vegas serving a one-match red card suspension, goalkeeper Jackson Lee is set to get the call between the sticks against Louisville. In seven USL Championship appearances, Lee has proven he is more than capable of stepping up. After initially getting the call early in the season when Vegas sustained an injury, the 22-year-old rookie has impressed in his debut professional season, earning back-to-back Team of the Week selections after making nine saves in two matches to lift RIFC to its first two shutouts in club history. One match later, Lee commanded the net during the first win in club history at Las Vegas. During the three-match stretch, Lee went 234 minutes without conceding a goal, which stands as the longest streak in club history. In total, RIFC is 1W-2L-2D when Lee gets the start.

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