RIFC and Hartford's rivalry match flopped; Here's what happened

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20-07-2025

PAWTUCKET — Rhode Island FC struggled again offensively. And Hartford Athletic was content with a draw.
Saturday afternoon's Derby Match was the antithesis of a rivalry game. The final result was unfortunate for USL Championship soccer as dives and delays marked the final 45 minutes of a scoreless draw at Centreville Bank Stadium.
The first scoring chance, for either side, didn't arrive until the 70th minute. Albert Dikwa's shot from the box was denied by Antony Siaha as the Hartford goalie kicked away a sure score. It incited more crowd noise than anything else that had happened in the match to that point.
The announced attendance of 10,619 shouldn't need to wait 70 minutes for something exciting on a postcard day in Pawtucket. Instead, fans saw 36 combined fouls and 12 minutes of second-half stoppage.
'It's not good [for soccer],' RIFC coach, Khano Smith said of the play. 'Fans come to be entertained and for me, it's fast and aggressive [play]. It's shots on goal and it's crosses. When the ball is out-of-play and people are laying on the ground, it's so frustrating, but the rules of the game don't help. For me, the game should be played fast.
'If the officials don't do anything about it, the players are going to do it. They need to warn them, give yellow cards and speed the game up.'
Smith's right. The USL bears some responsibility as it just fumbled a chance to grow the league and the rivalry. The neighboring clubs secured a nationally televised match on CBS. And Hartford didn't manage a shot on goal and only five shots total. RIFC opened the field in the second half as JJ Williams subbed on for the home side but even then, they only finished with three shots on target.
Williams' free kick, from outside the box, nearly lifted RIFC as the striker found the far post before Siaha made the stop. Williams was a breath of fresh air in his direct play that Smith desires.
'Disappointed to not get three points, but we were better in the second half,' Smith said. 'We created enough to win the game, but unfortunately when you don't take opportunities and don't score, especially at home, you won't win.'
Rhode Island, who is tied for second to last in goals scored, has been without Williams' direction this season as he rehabbed from a calf strain. Hartford never had any offensive direction and seemed happy with its 41.8% possession.
'Our fans showed up once again,' Smith said. 'For us, we haven't probably given them the results that they want. But they keep showing up and it's another sell out.'
Siaha earned a yellow card in the 112th minute for his extracurricular postgame celebration. Celebrating a scoreless draw, rivalry or not, should earn a card every match.
Hartford returns to Pawtucket next Saturday for the Jägermeister Cup, we should all hope for a better product.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RIFC and Hartford's rivalry match didn't meet expectations