Rhode Island FC entered this game with everything going well. The Tide defeated the league’s best team in Louisville and the second-best team in Charleston. Over the past 23 games, no player has scored more goals than Rhode Island FC’s 51 goals. None of that mattered today, as RIFC made every wrong choice and every wrong play leading up to the most lopsided loss in the club’s history. .
Frankly, the losses started earlier this week. Their opponent in the USL Championship Finals, Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, will play at an altitude of more than 6,000 feet with 21% less oxygen than Smithfield, Rhode Island. It can take up to three days for a person to get used to this difference in oxygen, but Rhode Island FC only arrived in Colorado Springs at noon Thursday. That failure directly affected management and ownership, which led to this entire team failing for no reason. Once the first whistle blew, their lack of preparation for the game was glaringly obvious.
The Switchbacks dominated Rhode Island in every phase of the game, and there’s a lot of blame for that. RIFC head coach Kano Smith opted to play with the same lineup as last week against Charleston, removing winger Johea Kwizera and bringing in striker Albert “Chico” Dikwa. All of Rhode Island’s recent wins have come while Chico was on the bench, so the offense’s performance deteriorated when Chico was added to the starting lineup.
Colorado’s first goal came in the 22nd minute, when winger Yosuke Hanya easily beat RIFC midfielder Marc Ibarra and sent a cross into the box, which Colorado midfielder Juan Tejada tucked away. Goaltender Cork Vegas made no attempt to prevent either of the first two goals Colorado scored. The second one is especially egregious. Colorado midfielder Jairo Enriquez fired the ball over the frozen Las Vegas, scoring the second goal in the 42nd minute.
After the first half, Rhode Island FC finally introduced several attacking subs, including Kwizera and midfielder Jack Panojotou. The two won some balls, fed some potentially dangerous crosses into the box, and were nearly all of Rhode Island’s only bright spot on the pitch.
Defender Frank Nodalus made the only threat, taking a cross from forward Noah Fuson and heading it to Colorado goaltender Christian Herrera, who did what Vegas did not. Made a save and denied a goal. The nail in the coffin came in the 53rd minute, when Rhode Island FC pushed all of its outfield players into the corner and Colorado striker Ronaldo Dumas took advantage of the ball, running through it without any contest and taking on Las Vegas in a one-on-one match. I decided on 1. It gave Colorado a 3-0 lead. Las Vegas’ only good save came in stoppage time when Dumas refused.
Too little, too late.
This loss reminded me of Rhode Island FC’s early playing performance when the Tide only won one game (4 losses, 9 ties), but their play today was even worse. They seemed lost, with no coherent identity to speak of.
Colorado was better in shots, better in passes, better in tackles, better in possession, especially Rhode Island. Ultimately, what was perhaps the most promising season for an expansion team in USL Championship history would end on a bitter note that could erase much of the goodwill and excitement the team has generated over the past few months. . This ignominious loss will befall Smith, Vegas and all RIFC players as they prepare for next season. Hopefully, the team takes these as a lesson and after a strong offseason, they bounce back when they take the field next March.
