A Win for All Rhode Island

April 25, 2024 – United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Rhode Island FC News Release

Draw, draw, loss, draw, draw. The Rhode Island FC faithful had long been anticipating the first taste of victory. Through grit, determination and a resilient defense, the Ocean State club earned its first-ever USL Championship win on Saturday, defeating Las Vegas Lights FC 2-1 at Cashman Field in downtown Las Vegas.

As the final three whistles blew to signal the end of the match, the entire Rhode Island FC bench, field players and staff erupted in excitement as they knew they had finally made history.

“We were just so happy to finally get the first one out of the way,” said Rhode Island FC forward Noah Fuson. “It was a big exhale. And now that we’ve had that first winning feeling, it only gives us that much more momentum moving forward.”

Fuson echoed the feelings of the locker room and the club as a whole. Every member of the squad and technical staff has put in a tremendous amount of work while sharing a common goal since day one – to win for all of Rhode Island. The team’s passion and dedication has continued to spread throughout the entire organization and fan base. On Saturday, every single supporter of the Club for All Rhode Island was ecstatic to be part of a milestone moment in RIFC history.

“I was just really happy to get the result,” said Rhode Island FC defender Stephen Turnbull. “It was a long week. Losing the Open Cup match in Charlotte was tough on us, and all the traveling added to the adversity going into the match. So to get a win like that felt really good.”

Both Turnbull and Fuson played key roles in the win in Las Vegas. In the 25th minute, the visitor’s first damage to the scoreboard came thanks to brilliant play from Albert Dikwa “Chico,” Fuson and Turnbull. As Fuson was streaking down the left wing, Chico sprung the ball down the path of the Glendale, California native. Fuson carried the ball into the box and towards the endline before cutting the ball across the six-yard box. The golden opportunity would make its way to a charging Turnbull, who slammed his left-footed shot into the back of the net.

“The goal felt really good,” said Turnbull. “It was probably the hottest game I’ve played in and I was feeling it. It was a lot of running back and forth in that dry heat, and to get a goal like that felt big. It fell to me pretty nicely thanks to the build up from Chico and Noah.”

The trio continued to make plays in the first half and gave Rhode Island FC its…