May 9, 2024 – United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Rhode Island FC News Release
Following its third scoreless draw of the season at North Carolina FC, Rhode Island FC will continue the search for its first-ever win at home as the club returns to Beirne Stadium to face undefeated Western Conference leaders Sacramento Republic FC. As RIFC welcomes the best in the west to the Ocean State for the first time on Saturday, here’s everything you need to know about the match.
AT A GLANCE
Date | Saturday, May 11
Kickoff | 7:30 PM ET
Location | Beirne Stadium, Smithfield, RI
Broadcast | NESN, ESPN+
Social | @rhodeislandfc (X, Instagram, Facebook)
Match Hashtag | #RIvSAC
ACROSS THE ATLANTIC
The USL Championship may be far from declaring a 2024 champion, but overseas, the English Football League finds itself in the midst of late-season drama. In a pivotal EFL Championship match between Ipswich Town FC and Huddersfield Town A.F.C. last week, Ipswich secured a 2-0 win on the final matchday to complete its second-consecutive promotion and earn a spot in next season’s Premier League, the club’s first in England’s top flight since 2002. The win may seem worlds away from Beirne stadium, but for Rhode Island FC Co-Founder and Chairman Brett Johnson, the Premier League promotion hit closer to home as Johnson also serves as Director and Shareholder at Ipswich Town.
The connections to the USL Championship, and Saturday’s RIFC match, don’t end there. On the Huddersfield side, Sacramento Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Kavin Nagle has 100 percent ownership in the English club, and former USL President Jake Edwards currently serves as Huddersfield’s CEO. Additionally, former USL Sporting Director Mark Cartwright now serves under Edwards as Huddersfield’s Sporting Director.
SACRAMENTO REPUBLIC FC
Roster
GOALKEEPERS (2): 1-Danny Vitiello, 99-Jared Mazzola
DEFENDERS (10): 2-Jack Gurr, 3-Damià Viader, 4-Lee Desmond, 5-Jared Timmer, 6-Shane Wiedt, 17-Jonathan Rickets, 24-Conor Donovan, 40-Aldair Sanchez, 42-Felix Contreras, 55-Chibuike Ukaegbu
MIDFIELDERS (4): 19-Nick Ross, 20-Blake Wiley, 41-Luis Gomez, 96-Luis Felipe
FORWARDS (8): 7-Trevor Amann, 8-Rodrigo Lopez, 9-Sebastian Herrera, 10-Cristian Parano, 11-Russell Cicerone, 14-Da’vian Kimbrough, 15-Rafael Jaurgui, 23-Kieran Phillips
Best in the West
Heading into Saturday’s matchup at Beirne Stadium, Sacramento Republic FC are in red-hot form. The Northern California squad stands alone at the top of the Western Conference as the…