Rhode Island FC’s historic inaugural season came to an end in the USL Championship Final on Saturday when it fell 3-0 to Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC at Weidner Field. Becoming the first Eastern Conference team in league history to advance to the final match in its first season, the Ocean State club will return to Rhode Island proud after making the farthest run by an expansion side in eight years.

Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC had a golden chance to take the lead less than a minute into the match when Yosuke Hanya was on the receiving end of a central pass as he cut behind the Rhode Island FC defense.  Sprinting into a one-on-one opportunity with Koke Vegas, the midfielder dragged his shot just wide of the right post.

Holding just 30 percent of possession throughout the first 15 minutes, RIFC got its first real chance of the match when it won a dangerous free kick at the corner of the 18-yard-box in the 14th minute. JJ Williams stepped up to take the free kick, and curled it narrowly over the bar as the match stayed scoreless.

Colorado Springs eventually broke the deadlock in the 22nd minute when Hanya broke free on the right wing, sending a cross into the six-yard box for Juan Tejada. Making a run into the open space, Tejada side-footed the ball into the back of the net from close range to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.

In the 42nd minute, Colorado Springs doubled its lead with a powerful strike from the top of the box. It happened when Jairo Henriquez tore down the left flank, cut inside and took a shot that was blocked by RIFC. Unfortunately for the Ocean State club, the rebound fell kindly to Haneriquez, who made no mistake on his second effort and picked out the top-left corner to make it 2-0.

The Switchbacks nearly took complete control with a third goal in first-half stoppage time when Quenzi Huerman unleashed yet another shot from distance, but Vegas punched the effort over the bar and took care of the resulting corner to keep the match 2-0 at the break.

Nine minutes into the second half, RIFC nearly cut the deficit in half when Clay Holstad connected on a corner kick from the top of the box. Instead, Colorado Springs blocked the shot and quickly broke out on the counter-attack, where Roaldo Damus finished with a low, one-on-one effort to make it 3-0.

RIFC came within inches of getting one back in the 64th minute when Frank Nodarse headed a corner towards the bottom-right corner, but Colorado Springs goalkeeper Christian Herrera produced a sharp diving save to deny the Ocean State club. Minutes later, Jack Panayotou forced another save out of Herrera, and Morris Duggan couldn’t keep the close-range rebound on frame.

The opportunities were as close as RIFC could get to finding the back of the net in the match as the USL Championship Final ended 3-0.

After the match, the visitors walked over to thank the over 400 Rhode Island FC faithful who made the trip out west. The fanbase’s incredible support during the record-breaking inaugural season fueled the team to a memorable finish. The Ocean club will now look forward to its launch of season two from The Stadium at Tidewater Landing in downtown Pawtucket.

GOAL SCORING RUNDOWN

COS – Juan Tejada (Youke Hanya), 22nd minute: Tejada connects with Hanya’s right-wing cross from inside the six-yard box. COS 1, RI 0

COS – Jairo Henriquez, 42nd minute: Henriquez picks out the top-left corner with a powerful strike from the top of the 18-yard box. COS 2, RI 0

COS – Ronaldo Damus (Matt Real), 53rd minute: Damus finishes a one-on-one counter-attack with a low finish into the bottom corner. COS 3, RI 0

ADDITIONAL NOTES

• Saturday’s match was the first-ever USL Championship Final to air nationally on network television (CBS).
• The opening goal for Colorado Springs in the 22nd minute marked the first time RIFC trailed during the 2024 USL Championship Playoffs.
• The 2-0 halftime deficit marked the first time RIFC has trailed by multiple goals at halftime since April 26.
• RIFC will return to the Ocean State after making the furthest playoff run by any Eastern Conference expansion team in league history, and becoming the first expansion club in eight years to advance to the final.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Clay Holstad

Match stats and information available here.