U.S. Open Cup First Round Preview: Rhode Island FC vs. CD Faialense: March 17, 2026
USL Rhode Island FC

U.S. Open Cup First Round Preview: Rhode Island FC vs. CD Faialense: March 17, 2026

Published on March 16, 2026 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Rhode Island FC News Release


After showing off its new-look attack in a hard-fought 1-1 tie vs. Sporting Club Jacksonville in its 2026 Home Opener, Rhode Island FC will return to Centreville Bank Stadium on a quick turnaround, beginning its third U.S. Open Cup campaign with a First Round on Tuesday. The Ocean State club will host Cambridge, Massachusetts-based amateur side CD Faialense in its first-ever game vs. amateur competition, and will join 16 other USL Championship teams who will kick off the 111th edition of the historic tournament in the First Round. Ahead of Tuesday's U.S. Open Cup clash, here is everything you need to know.

AT A GLANCE

Date | Tuesday, March 17

Kickoff | 7:00 p.m. ET

Location | Centreville Bank Stadium - Pawtucket, R.I.

Broadcast | U.S. Soccer Youtube Channel

Social | @rhodeislandfc (X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok)

Game Hashtag | #RIvCDF

ABOUT THE U.S. OPEN CUP

The U.S. Open Cup is the only competition in USA-based team sports where amateurs have the chance to play professionals in direct competition. It is the oldest active professional soccer tournament in the country and the third-longest continuously run national cup competition in the world. Conducted on a single-game, knockout basis, the tournament has crowned a champion every year since 1914, with the exception of 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19. The first-ever Final of the tournament took place at Coats Field in Pawtucket, Rhode Island in 1914, and RIFC's Round of 32 matchup on May 7, 2025 marked the first time in more than 80 years the tournament returned to the Ocean State.

CD FAIALENSE

Roster

GOALKEEPERS (2): Tomasz Marczak, Lucas Verge

DEFENDERS (6): Alan Kehoe, Mirko Nufi, Taj Salawu, Mauro Fernandez, Denis Petro, Damian Attidore

MIDFIELDERS (23): Linus Fallberg, Graham Brenner, Jordan Koduah, Josh Ofosu, Guilherme Barbosa, Christian Baltier, Francis Mulkern, Josue Ruiz, Andrew Ortiz, Bryant Keeney, Drew Lovely, Marci Killeen, Melton Semedo, Gianluca Arlotti, Connor Bagdon, Garrett Leahy, Michael Willis, Eoin Houlihan, Kyle Ryan, Nicholas Awada, Jacob Maddox, Martin Vician, Alessandro Negri

FORWARDS (4): Max Krause, Yanis Lakhlifi, Alessandro Arlotti, Jonathan Klein

Running it back

CD Faialense, who is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts and competes in the Bay State Soccer League, made club history when it qualified for the Open Cup for the first time ever in 2025, falling 4-0 to Portland Hearts of Pine in the First Round. It secured qualification to the historic tournament for the second-straight year on Nov. 24, 2025, after a commanding 5-2 win over United Premier Soccer League club FC Lonestar in the qualifying rounds. Its First Round clash with RIFC is a throwback to the ethnic teams of old that ruled the Open Cup in the years between World War II and the founding of Major League Soccer in 1996.

Deep-rooted history

Founded in 1971 and winning its first trophy just two years later, CD Faialense holds a decorated history that predates the birth of America's modern professional soccer leagues. The club derives its name from its history - founded by a group of men on a bumpy grass field at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the team's inception brought together a group of immigrants from the small Portuguese Island of Faial. After a 1957 volcanic eruption on the island drove nearly 4,000 Faial natives to Massachusetts, the club was formed by "a bunch of guys who used to kick the ball around for fun," according to player-coach Paul Correia in this February 2026 U.S. Soccer feature. Now, the club's roster has evolved to feature players from more than 10 different countries, recruiting former NCAA Division I players from some of the top local college programs in New England. For more on CD Faialense's history, see Jonah Fontela's feature here.

Going for Glory

CD Faialense's game vs. Rhode Island FC will mark the highest level of modern professional competition the club has ever faced, after previously setting the mark in its 2025 First Round game vs. USL League one side Portland Hearts of Pine. Despite losing 4-0, the game set a standard which the club matched in 2026, qualifying for the historic tournament in back-to-back years. Now, the two-time Bay State Soccer League Division I champions will look for their first-ever goal and first-ever victory vs. professional opposition as they take the field against a USL Championship club for the first time.

RHODE ISLAND FC

Roster

GOALKEEPERS (3): 1-Koke Vegas, 13-Will Meyer, 29-Jacob Castro

DEFENDERS (8): 2-Dani Rovira, 3-Aldair Sanchez, 4-Hugo Bacharach, 5-Grant Stoneman, 15-Frank Nodarse, 22-Nick Scardina, 24-Karifa Yao, 32-Hamady Diop

MIDFIELDERS (7): 7-Dwayne Atkinson, 10-Agustín "Pity" Rodríguez, 12-Clay Holstad, 17-Jojea Kwizera, 19-Kevin Vang, 20-Zachary Herivaux, 77-Amos Shapiro-Thompson

FORWARDS (5): 8-Leo Afonso, 9-JJ Williams, 11-Noah Fuson, 14-Logan Dorsey, 20-Jamin Gogo Peters

RIFC in the Cup

Rhode Island FC will embark on its third U.S. Open Cup campaign in 2026 after making its farthest run in the tournament in 2025, advancing to the Round of 32. After earning its first-ever win in the competition, a gritty 2-1 victory at USL League One side Portland Hearts of Pine on April 15, 2025, the Ocean State club fell in a hard-fought 2-1 defeat to Major League Soccer club New England Revolution in the Round of 32 on May 7 to conclude its 2025 cup run. In 2024, its first-ever U.S. Open Cup appearance on April 16 ended in a penalty-shootout defeat after a back-and-fourth 4-4 tie vs. USL League One side Charlotte Independence through 120 minutes.

Depth on Display

Rhode Island FC signed a wealth of talent in the offseason, complementing a squad that will show off its impressive depth just two days removed from its Home Opener. Nine RIFC players have yet to appear in 2026, giving Head Coach and General Manager Khano Smith plenty of fresh legs to choose from as he balances a busy opening stretch of the season that includes three games in RIFC's first seven days of competition. Forward Jamin Gogo Peters and defender CJ Williams - two of the club's newest collegiate acquisitions - are among a core group of young players who will look for their first opportunity to represent the Ocean State club. Midfielders Dwayne Atkinson and Kevin Vang, as well as defenders Dani Rovira and Aldair Sanchez, were all 2025 signings that give Smith experienced options to fill out Tuesday's squad. Finally, goalkeepers Will Meyer and newly-signed Jacob Castro are also looking for their first test between the sticks for the Ocean State club.

For the Recordbooks

Rhode Island FC have played just two Tuesday night games in three seasons, putting together a perfectly balanced 1W-1L-0T record. This week's First Round game will mark Rhode Island FC's first Tuesday night game at Centreville Bank Stadium. The club is 5W-3L-1T in all-time cup competition - and 2W-2L-1T at Centreville Bank Stadium - most recently making a run to the Semifinals of the Prinx Tires USL Cup in 2025 that included an unbeaten group stage slate. Rhode Island FC have scored 19 goals across its nine all-time games across all cup competitions, averaging more than two goals per game in that time. That slate includes three separate four-goal performances, headlined by a pair of 4-1 wins vs. USL League one clubs Portland Hearts of Pine and Westchester SC in the USL Cup Group Stage.

Check out the Rhode Island FC Statistics

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from March 16, 2026


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