There is no comparison in roster depth as the Revolution rested 11 starters, including Gil, from last Saturday’s game, a 2-0 win over Toronto FC, their fourth successive shutout victory in MLS play.
Along with a seasoned lineup of domestic and international players, the Revolution boast extensive support staff, and they are financed by billionaire owners, the Kraft family.
Meanwhile, RIFC, which has been competing for less than 14 months, has a sparkling new home; what appears to be a solid fan base; and a rich investor of its own.
For the May 3 home opener, while workers were putting finishing touches on Centreville Bank Stadium, the team attracted a sellout crowd of 10,700.
RIFC is filling a sporting void left not only by the Pawtucket Red Sox, who moved to Worcester in 2021, leading to the demise of McCoy Stadium; but several soccer teams, as well.
Local soccer history dates to the late 1800s, when the Pawtucket Free Wanderers, Olympics, Howard & Bullough FC, et al., were going at it. The Lonsdale Avenue Grounds played host to the first US Open Cup final in 1914 and seven more through to 1942. J&P Coats AAFC, which called Lonsdale Avenue home, captured the 1922-23 American Soccer League championship, and as the textile industry declined, the “Threadmen” were replaced by the Pawtucket Rangers, who won the 1941 US Open Cup and fielded a team at least into the 1970s.
Providence picked up the ball with the ASL Rhode Island Oceaneers performing at Pierce Memorial Field, succeeded by minor league teams such as the Rhode Island Stingrays.
The inaugural US Open Cup final, a 2-1 victory for Brooklyn FC over Brooklyn Celtic, banged out Lonsdale as 10,000 “New England soccer lovers poured into Pawtucket,” according to Spalding’s Soccer Football Guide. Judging from photos, many spectators stood throughout the 90-minute contest and the overflow included some perched on fences and the scoreboard.
Unlike their Lonsdale predecessors, the 9,539 spectators arriving on Wednesday enjoyed comfortable seating and extensive concessions. They included a supporter group, called Defiance 1636, complete with drums and smoke bombs.
“We wouldn’t have built it if we didn’t think it was a soccer haven in Rhode Island,” said Michael Parkhurst, an RIFC co-founder along with venture capitalist Brett Johnson, a Brown University graduate. “You see the television numbers in Providence for European games and national team games, and they are consistently high. We knew they were there and we were excited for [the crowd] Week 1, and now we are doing everything we can to keep interest strong.”
Parkhurst, 41, a Providence native, attended the Revolution’s inaugural game as a fan in 1996 and became one of the team’s all-time best players as a defender from 2005-08.
“It’s a melting pot in Rhode Island, a lot of nationalities,” Parkhurst said. “Because there’s not a ton of professional opportunities in Rhode Island, it’s an opportunity to grab casual sports fans, who like being around friends at a game. Also, there’s a ton of students, a lot of colleges, and we know the younger generation likes watching and playing soccer, and that level is growing nationwide.”
The potential for a rivalry between RIFC and the Revolution is limited by the teams’ competitive levels.
“I don’t want to lose any game, I especially don’t want to lose to a team 30 minutes down the street that plays in the USL,” Revolution coach Caleb Porter said. “We needed to make sure that everybody knows who’s the MLS team, at the end of it.”
Said RIFC coach/general manager Khano Smith: “He’s right. How many million dollar players did they have on pitch and how many did we have?”
Smith, 43, a former Parkhurst teammate who also competed at Maine Central Institute and Champlain Junior College, guided RIFC to last year’s USL title game, a 3-0 loss to the Colorado Springs Switchbacks.
“They should beat us, but sports doesn’t work like that, especially soccer,”” Smith said. “Unlucky to lose the game but that’s football. So, obviously disappointed but no reason to hang your head at all.
“Big picture, you couldn’t ask for a better opponent to play our second game in our stadium. Unfortunately, we only play them one time a year, unless we play them in a friendly.”
In fact, RIFC does not aspire to challenge the Revolution’s regional hegemony. Stadium plans allow for expansion to 15,000, below MLS requirements. And, lacking promotion/relegation, future matchups will be rare.
“We’re very happy with the USL and the league’s growth and building a niche in Rhode Island with our fan base,” Parkhurst said. “The only way I ever see it happening would be with [promotion/relegation], if MLS would ever entertain it. There is a possibility that maybe it will happen but probably not in our lifetime.”
