Rhode Island
Khano Smith Leads Rhode Island FC to Victory Over His Former Club
Rhode Island FC extended its unbeaten streak to six matches without a loss as they cruised to an easy 3-1 win over Birmingham Legion FC. The win was led by the efforts of RIFC midfielder Zachary Herivaux, who the club recently acquired from Tampa Bay and who previously played 75 matches with Birmingham, scoring two goals in that time. Also leading RIFC to victory was Head Coach Khano Smith, hired in the offseason from the Birmingham Legion to head Rhode Island’s USL Championship expansion club.
The win marked RIFC’s fifth straight match scoring at least three goals and their fifth win on the season. Also the victory saw RIFC soar into the playoff positions. Ever since their June 22nd victory over Louisville City FC, Rhode Island have looked like a much different and more dangerous team.
Rhode Island winger Noah Fuson displayed that danger immediately in the first half. He received a headed pass from striker Albert “Chico” Dikwa within the box and in front of the Birmingham right goalpost and beat the diving Birmingham goalkeeper Trevor Spangenberg with a low shot to the far corner to give Rhode Island a 1-0 lead. Some 54 seconds had elapsed since kick-off.
Chico picked up a yellow card a few moments later, and shortly after that RIFC goalkeeper Koke Vegas bobbled a dangerous shot that almost gave Birmingham an early equalizer. Birmingham had a few more good chances, including one in the 16th minute when Vegas came off his line and offered Birmingham a shot at an open goal, which they thankfully missed just wide to the right. Birmingham and Rhode Island both squandered whatever other chances the first half gave them, and Rhode Island FC took their 1-0 lead into the half.
The second half started with Birmingham getting right back into the game as Birmingham Legion FC striker Prosper Kasim curved a beautiful and unsavable shot well beyond a frozen Vegas into the top-left corner of the goal. There was absolutely nothing the Rhode Island goalkeeper could do in this instance and Birmingham thus leveled the score at 1-1.
From there, Birmingham seemed well in control of the game. Indeed, after Fuson’s opening-minute goal, Birmingham had by far the better chances all game, and only luck and uneven-but-lucky play from Vegas had kept Rhode Island from losing.
The change came when former Birmingham-Legion player Zachary Herivaux came on as a substitute for Rhode Island in the 63rd minute. He made an immediate impact, but it was RIFC striker JJ Williams who enabled him to do so. Williams sprinted to intercept an admittedly lazy sideways pass from Birmingham in their own final third, charged into the Birmingham box, and then backheeled the ball to Herivaux who curled the shot around Spangenberg to give RIFC a 2-1 lead in the 68th minute.
Nine minutes later, RIFC defensive back Stephen Turnbull passed to Herivaux once again, who curled a long shot from beyond the box past Spangenberg – who got a touch to it but only redirected it into the interior netting – to give Rhode Island a 3-1 lead.
In one night, Herivaux earned not only his first-ever career brace, he also matched his goal total from his entire career with Birmingham. From there, Rhode Island FC had total control of the match and closed it out calmly.
Rhode Island FC will next enjoy a well-earned ten days off before they return home to Beirne Stadium in Smithfield, Rhode Island, to play North Carolina FC on Saturday, July 27 at 7:30 pm ET. North Carolina are presently only three points behind RIFC in the playoff race with a game in hand so the match could prove to be very important come October.
Given their recent run of form, Rhode Island FC should play with plenty of confidence and show Smithfield exactly how they’ve turned things around in recent weeks.