The Long Road Back Home
USL Rhode Island FC

The Long Road Back Home

Published on August 22, 2025 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Rhode Island FC News Release


"I grew up in New England. When I began my career, I never imagined this would have existed."

Whether it was a state line or a continental divide that separated Shapiro-Thompson from home, the concept of a truly 'local' club was always foreign to him. In a pre-professional career defined by injury and language barriers, among many other difficult hurdles, distance was always the biggest obstacle.

However, the relationships he grew early in his career would eventually bring the 25-year-old back home to New England, marking a reunion with a community that loved and supported him in ways he had sorely missed. From Massachusetts, to Croatia, to Poland and eventually back to Rhode Island, Shapiro-Thompson's road to the professional game was long, bumpy and unpredictable.

Long Drives and Late Nights

Born in Worthington, Mass, Shapiro-Thompson's career began with his local youth club team, the Western United Pioneers. After spending the majority of his younger years with the club, he eventually took his first major step at age 13, joining New England Revolution's newly-established U-14 Academy. From here, the opportunity to develop as a player was abundant, but it came at a cost.

"My parents were sacrificing like crazy," said Shapiro-Thompson. "The commute to training was two hours each way, three days a week. We spent more time in the car than at training. I would get picked up right at the end of the school day around 3:30 p.m, immediately drive to training, and I wouldn't get back home until 10:30 p.m, and then do it all over again. It was crazy."

During his first year with the Revolution Academy, Shapiro-Thompson met current Rhode Island FC Head Coach and General Manager Khano Smith. The former Bermuda International player was an assistant coach with the U-18 squad at the time, and provided Shapiro-Thompson with his first real sense that he might just have a future in professional soccer.

After Shapiro-Thompson began his high school career at Milton Academy in Milton, Mass, living away from home for the first time, Smith began picking Shapiro-Thompson up and offering him regular rides to training. It was one of many ways that Smith began to take Shapiro-Thompson under his wing.

"Coach gave me a lot of encouragement early on that it was possible to be a professional and that I could do it," said Shapiro-Thompson. "It meant a lot knowing that he had played at a high level and believed I could do the same. One time, he showed me inside the first team locker room, and he kept telling me, 'keep following the path. You can make it.' He kept giving me subtle hints that I could get there."

Even Farther Away

The next summer, Shapiro-Thompson found himself at a regional talent camp in Boston, organized by Ivan Kepčija, who oversaw the academy of one of the most successful clubs in the Croatian top flight, Dinamo Zagreb. Impressed by Shapiro-Thompson's performance, Kepčija invited the midfielder to join him in Croatia for a two-week training period with the club's academy during the summer of 2017. Encouraged by Smith, Shapiro-Thompson decided to take the leap of faith to a brand-new country for the first time at just 15 years old.

"Once I started training in Croatia, they really liked me and they just kind of kept asking me to delay my plane ticket back to the United States," said Shapiro-Thompson. "I ended up staying for six weeks."

Living in a dormitory building with 40 other academy players, the experience opened Shapiro-Thompson's eyes to how serious the pre-professional path could be.

"It was just a different level of pressure," said Shapiro-Thompson. "Guys were more aware of earning money and supporting their families, even at young ages. That kind of pressure was not what I was used to seeing."

"The level was incredibly high," said Shapiro-Thompson. "I have never felt something like it before. My brain hurt as much as my legs after each session, because there was so much psychological demand. It was incredibly detail-oriented."

Although Shapiro-Thompson was unable to stay in Croatia full-time, he continued to return to the club during school breaks. Between playing for Milton Academy in the fall, continuing with the Revolution Academy during the spring seasons and traveling overseas in between, he was never sure what the next week had in store. He always arrived ready to embrace whatever opportunity came next.

Eventually, Shapiro-Thompson left Milton Academy after three rigorous years and completed his senior year of high school online. He took the opportunity to move to Croatia full-time, spending the first half of his senior year playing soccer by day while finishing his coursework by night.

Midway through the year, Kepčija left Dinamo Zagreb for a similar position with Polish professional side Legia Warsaw. On a whim, Shapiro-Thompson followed.

"There wasn't a lot of long-term planning," said Shapiro-Thompson. "I felt really open to whatever opportunities came. My goal was to be a professional, but education was always something I was really interested in. Suddenly, when the opportunity came up, I was like, 'all right, let's go to Poland, why not?' I flew there the next day."

Although Shapiro-Thompson got his first handful of professional appearances in the Polish third tier, he fell out of favor following a series of events including a coaching change, Kepčija's departure from the club and a new Polish Football Association regulation limiting roster spots to non-European Union citizens.

That, combined with a language barrier that limited Shapiro-Thompson more than it ever had before, left him with a difficult series of decisions about his future.

"It was really tough,'" said Shapiro-Thompson. "It was really hard. There were a lot of really great people I met, but the language barrier was huge. It affected my daily life. It affected training on the field. It was just another layer of difficulty on top of a tough situation."

Soon after he graduated high school, after nearly four years of bouncing between countries, a call came that would make that decision much easier.

Back to the States

In the crux of Shapiro-Thompson's struggle to break through in Poland, he received a call from Boston College.

"This new opportunity was not really planned," said Shapiro-Thompson. "I realized when I got the call that I was so excited about coming home because I had been away for three and a half years. It was this miraculous, perfect situation because I was a local kid. It was a scholarship to a great school that I was really excited about. When the opportunity came, I was not necessarily looking for it, but it was perfect."

Just like that, Shapiro-Thompson was on his way back to the states, and ready to get back into the world of academia that he had not experienced since his time in Milton.

"It was just so different not being 100 percent focused on soccer anymore," said Shapiro-Thompson. "Between school, having a social life, soccer, and playing a very short season compared to what I was used to, I just felt so much camaraderie and community that I had missed so much."

Although the beginning of his re-introduction to the United States was overwhelmingly positive, a new challenge quickly altered Shapiro-Thompson's entire college experience: injury. After initially suffering an ankle injury during his sophomore year, the midfielder went down with a season-ending ACL injury just six games into his junior season, forcing him to deal with the recovery process of a long-term injury for the first time.

"The ACL injury was really dark," said Shapiro-Thompson. "It was brutal. The surgeon told me that they were going to try to repair my meniscus, but it was really bad. I had moments where I thought, 'I'm never going to be a pro. I'm never going to make it. I'm never going to get a chance.' It taught me a lot about the uncertainty of the profession."

Leaning on the friends and family that were now much closer to him, Shapiro-Thompson eventually did return to the field to finish out his college career, captaining the team during his senior season. His perspective had changed, however, and he was not sure if there was a path forward for him professionally.

"I feel like I just never got that run to be able to really show myself in the way that I wanted to, and so it was frustrating," said Shapiro-Thompson. "However, I had a much better academic and social experience. When I was in Europe, I missed the intellectual stimulation of the classroom."

Professional Life

Although he did not have any invites to identification camps, the MLS college combine, trials or club preseasons following his graduation from Boston College, Shapiro-Thompson received a last-minute call from Major League Soccer's New York Red Bulls to join their college combine.

"I was not on any watch lists, and I did not have a great season my senior year," said Shapiro-Thompson. " I always believed that if I got the opportunity to show what I could do, I knew I would succeed. I just was not sure if I was going to get that opportunity. I thought people might fully count me out because of the injury history."

Fortunately for Shapiro-Thompson, New York gave him a lifeline that he took full advantage of. After impressing at the combine, the club showed interest in the midfielder, and eventually selected him in the Third Round of the 2023 MLS SuperDraft.

After signing his first professional deal with the Red Bulls' second team, Shapiro-Thompson took off in his first professional season, making 21 appearances in MLS Next Pro and scoring his first professional goal. He eventually made his debut for the first team on May 9, 2023, playing 11 minutes in a 1-0 win over DC United in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

"It was a dream come true," said Shapiro-Thompson. "I finally had an opportunity. It was an amazing feeling."

After his first professional season, Shapiro-Thompson saw an announcement for a new professional team based in Rhode Island. For the first time in his career, he knew exactly where his next step was.

When Khano Smith reached out, the move was instantaneous. There was no doubt.

Reuniting Close to Home

"Coach came to watch me a few times for the Red Bulls second team, and I had a feeling he was interested," said Shapiro-Thompson. "The moment he officially reached out, I did not look anywhere else. I could not wait to have the opportunity to help build the culture here and be part of something really special. I love this community, and I was ready to do whatever it took to be here."

Shapiro-Thompson officially put pen to paper ahead of the 2024 season, signing with Rhode Island FC ahead of its inaugural season and reuniting with the coach who encouraged him to pursue the sport at just 14 years old.

Khano Smith giving directions to Amos Shapiro-Thompson during a 2024 preseason friendly against New England Revolution II.

Although Shapiro-Thompson's professional homecoming seemed like the end of a long, windy road, his debut for the club he was so excited to join would end up getting excruciatingly delayed. Less than 24 hours prior to the club's first-ever game in March 2024, Shapiro-Thompson went down with a torn meniscus at training, once again forcing him to the sideline.

Although suffering yet another long-term injury just one day before such a monumental game was devastating, Shapiro-Thompson had gained new perspective from his ACL injury, and knew that he would eventually return to the field with a renewed mindset.

"My experience with my ACL gave me new belief in my own strength and ability to come through it," said Shapiro-Thompson. "I did not have the same kind of doubts. I just focused on the rehab task in front of me and took it day-by-day. I knew I could hammer it out. I knew I would be back."

Shapiro-Thompson eventually returned to the field during Rhode Island FC's historic 8-1 win over Miami FC in the 2024 regular season finale, in front of a sellout crowd. Just weeks later, he took the field during the USL Championship Final.

"After being out for six months, I played in the championship game," said Shapiro-Thompson. "I just came back and I showed what I am capable of. I was selected out of a really competitive roster. Those moments were really meaningful. The feeling of overcoming that again, and being back, was incredible."

So far in 2025, Shapiro-Thompson has made 13 starts in 21 appearances across all competitions, including the club's historic inaugural home opener at Centreville Bank Stadium on May 3. He has become an integral part of a Khano Smith's midfield unit, and scored his first career RIFC goal in a dramatic 2-2 draw vs. regional rival Hartford Athletic. His goal helped secure the Ocean State club's berth in the knockout stage of the league's newest cup competition, the USL Jägermeister Cup.

Scoring in front of his family, friends and network of coaches who have supported him throughout his career, including Khano Smith, was one of the most special feelings in Shapiro-Thompson's career. Doing it so close to home made it even better.

"Walking out onto the field, the level of passion, the level of infrastructure, the level of support we have for soccer in this community is so moving to me," said Shapiro-Thompson. "It is just amazing to be a part of it. To start and be named man of the match in front of all my friends and family in the stands, my own supporters section, it is incredible."

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