Match Preview | RI vs. LDN - Loudoun United FC

Match Preview | Rhode Island FC vs. Loudoun United FC

The Red-And-White are back on the road to take on Rhode Island FC at Beirne Stadium on Sunday, October 13th at 4:00 PM EST.

The Match-Up

Loudoun United FC sits in 9^th place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 11-12-8, while Rhode Island sits five points above Loudoun at 6^th place in the East with a record of 11-7-13. Loudoun has struggled on the road, posting a record of 3-7-5 so far this season. Rhode Island has been solid at Beirne Stadium, with a record of 6-2-7 on their home pitch. The first meeting between the two clubs this season was a 0-0 draw at Segra Field in July.

Loudoun is back on the road following a 0-1 loss to Indy Eleven on Tuesday, October 8th at Segra Field. After 80 minutes of play, James Musa found the back of the net to secure a road win for Indy and keep Loudoun United in 8^th place in the East. It wasn’t until North Carolina FC’s 2-0 victory over Tulsa the next night that lifted North Carolina from 10^th place to 8^th place, effectively bumping Loudoun down to 9^th place, one spot short of the playoff line with three games left to play. Rhode Island comes into the match off a 3-1 home victory over Tampa Bay. Both Loudoun and Rhode Island are looking to book their ticket to the playoffs in a very tight Eastern Conference race.

Loudoun United’s Zach Ryan still leads the club in goals on the season with 10. Rhode Island’s Albert Dikwa leads his team with nine goals, and Noah Fuson leads the Eastern Conference with nine assists this season. Hugo Fauroux has 87 saves on the season thus far.

Thoughts from the Team

Head Coach Ryan Martin on how to break through a solid Rhode Island defensive line:

“We are well aware of the task at hand. It comes down to winning our duels and creating opportunities to get in behind. Everything must be perfect, the pass, the touch, the finish, execution. That will be our focus heading into Rhode Island.

Captain Zach Ryan on the team’s thoughts heading into Rhode Island:

“It was a tough first match against them earlier in the season, they are a quality club and strong defensively. But it’s an exciting time of year, we are ready. We can do something that this club has never done in its history.”