Rhode Island
Rhode Island FC's Debut Season Grows Bleaker
For not the first time this season, Rhode Island FC held a convincing lead going into the final minutes of a game that they should have won. Once again, however, the Draw Kings found a way to drop two important points en route to their ninth draw through fourteen matches.
Though some of their previous matches have been bad, this one in particular stands head-and-shoulders above the rest as the single most ignominious, as Rhode Island watched a two-goal lead against Memphis 901 FC evaporate in second-half stoppage time.
Rhode Island FC’s hopes were bolstered early in the first half, as a chipped pass from RIFC striker JJ Williams found the right foot of Rhode Island midfielder Conor McGlynn 15 yards from the goal in the 18th minute, and McGlynn half-volleyed a blast towards the near post that Memphis goalkeeper Tyler Deric had no chance of stopping. It was the most attractive goal I’ve seen Rhode Island score all season, and McGlynn deserves some acclaim for having scored it.
Rhode Island went into the half up 1-0 despite Memphis having a goal called back for offsides and RIFC goalkeeper Koke Vegas making a brilliant save against Memphis 901 FC’s former USMNT midfielder Emerson Hyndman.
The second half began in just as positive a fashion for RIFC as the first did. In the 67th minute, Noah Fuson broke free on the right-hand side of Memphis’ goal and fired a close-angle shot that snuck through Deric’s legs and rolled towards goal before RIFC midfielder Joe Brito came sliding in to push it over the line, despite the best efforts of Deric to smother it and keep it out.
The goal was a scrappy one and exactly the kind of play fans will have wanted to see from their team, scoring goals however they can — pretty ones and ugly ones alike. The goal gave RIFC its first two-goal lead of the season and in club history.
The elation of the moment did not last long.
In the 87th minute, RIFC’s Vegas came rushing out of his box to make a challenge on a long ball to Memphis’ Nighte Pickering. Vegas missed the ball entirely and slammed Pickering to the turf and the referee gave him a red card for the careless, reckless challenge that Vegas quite frankly should have known better than to attempt, especially with a two-goal lead and only three minutes to play.
With Vegas sidelined, RIFC was forced to sub out Fuson for backup goalkeeper Jackson Lee and they were lucky to have the subs to do so. Lee’s first challenge was the free kick given for Vegas’ foul, which was taken in the 90th minute from a dangerous position just outside the RIFC box.
Memphis midfielder Samuel Alejandro Careaga lifted it up and over Rhode Island’s leaping wall and although Lee was able to get a fingertip to the blasted shot, he was unable to stop it from careening into the left side of his goal. Memphis was back in the match, with RIFC a man down, and the fourth official was about to give a healthy amount of stoppage time with which they could take advantage of that fact, fifteen minutes to be exact.
The seemingly inevitable came in the 11th minute of second-half stoppage time, as Memphis sent a long ball over the top into the box, and Lee collected it comfortably. Rhode Island’s Karifa Yao, however, had other ideas.
He tackled a Memphis attacker in the box and gave Memphis a gift penalty for his efforts. Memphis 901 FC striker Marlon easily converted it, as Lee guessed right and Marlon fired left, and Memphis tied it up. The final whistle blew four minutes later, with Rhode Island FC having dropped two points in only a handful of disastrous minutes.
Looking at the stats, however, one may find it impressive that Rhode Island managed a point at all, as Memphis outshot Rhode Island 22 to 8, held 68% of possession to Rhode Island’s 32%, completed 535 passes with 78% accuracy to Rhode Islands 258 passes and 58% accuracy. At this point, it’s becoming clear that Rhode Island FC’s on-pitch situation is growing ever-bleaker. What will RIFC Head Coach Khano Smith and the front office do to turn things around? What can they do?
Rhode Island FC fans can next catch their team in action away against Louisville City FC on Saturday, June 22nd, at 8 pm ET. Thanks to his red card, the team will be without star goalkeeper Koke Vegas for this important matchup against the highest-scoring team in the USL Championship.
Rhode Island
CRMC asks RI Superior Court to force Quidnessett Country Club to take down rock wall
Rhode Island
Why a Taylor Swift wedding might shut down Westerly streets
Forget limos, Taylor Swift will need buses for her wedding guests
Airline Express Limousine Owner Chuck O’Koomian tells us why.
As Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce eye possibly getting married at her Watch Hill, Rhode Island, mansion, The Providence Journal is surveying various wedding vendors about what it would take for the Ocean State to host a wedding befitting the most popular woman in the world.
Imagine a crowd of A-list celebrities descending on the village of Watch Hill in Westerly this summer to attend the wedding of mega celebrity Taylor Swift and football star Travis Kelce.
To Chuck O’Koomian, who owns Airline Express Limousine and Car Service with his wife Ginny Cauley, it’s like a scene out of a horror movie.
“It’s gonna be a logistical nightmare,” O’Koomian told The Providence Journal.
How will guests arrive at Taylor Swift’s wedding in Westerly?
While Swift has not announced when or where her wedding will be, O’Koomian talked about what would be involved in getting a large celebrity crowd to the wedding, if it were held at her Bluff Avenue mansion, the nearby Ocean House resort or the Watch Hill Chapel, where Miss Universe 2012 Olivia Culpo tied the know with football player Christian McCaffrey in 2024.
O’Koomian, who has provided transportation for comedian Jay Leno, who has a home in Newport, said there would be three distinct phases of ground transportation:
- Getting people from airports to their hotels
- Getting people from their hotels to the wedding activities
- Getting them back to the airports
The middle phase, delivering people to wedding activities, very well may not be just a one-day affair. Many say Swift won’t have a wedding day; they’re expecting a wedding week.
While some guests, especially those in New York or Connecticut, would probably just have their drivers bring them to Westerly, others would fly in by private jets, probably landing at Westerly State Airport or Quonset State Airport, whose military runway is long enough to handle larger jets. From there, guests would need a ride to where they are staying.
What Westerly residents have to say
Folks in Westerly have surmised that, even if it’s not the site of the ceremony or reception, the Ocean House, along with its sister property the Weekapaug Inn, plus several rented, private mansions would be needed to accommodate guests.
O’Koomian expects that a large limousine company – such as Boston Corporate Coach or Carey Limousine, in Massachusetts, or Hy’s Limousine, in Connecticut – with more than 120 cars each, would get the contract to serve Taylor Swift’s wedding. “There’s not even 120 cars in Rhode Island, all the companies combined,” he said, adding that, as a subcontractor, he would hope to get a piece of the business.
Could a fleet of private cars filled with stars snarl traffic in Westerly?
This first phase of local transportation would involve many trips of smaller parties. “They may come in two, three, four at a time,” he said.
While that is suitable for limousine service, getting from hotels to the ceremony, reception and other events, would require a different strategy for that second phase. “It’s like they’re transporting a football team,” he said.
That would mean “coaches,” the upscale version of buses. They would ease the traffic burden that would be created by limousines ferrying some 300 wedding guests around the tiny village of Watch Hill.
“It’s gonna take a lot of coordination if it’s Westerly,” O’Koomian said. “They’re going to have to shut down half the city. Police would have to shut down streets.”
Rhode Island
Rhode Island man crashes into house in Raynham after apparent medical episode
A car crashed into a home in Raynham Tuesday afternoon.
Police said they responded to a report for a vehicle that crashed into a home shortly before 1 p.m. on Broadway Street.
Officers at the scene said they found a sedan that had crashed into the lower brick portion of the home.
Investigators said a man from Rhode Island appeared to suffer from a medical episode before leaving the roadway and crashing into the home.
Police said the driver suffered non life-threatening injuries. He was transported to Boston Medical Center – South in Brockton.
Officers said the home was empty at the time of the crash.
The Raynham Building Department responded to assess the home for structural damage.
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The crash is under investigation.
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