2024 Rhode Island FC season

The 2024 Rhode Island FC season is the first ever season for Rhode Island FC. The club debuted in the USL Championship, the second tier of professional soccer in the United States.

Preseason
RIFC announced their first player signing on November 1, 2023, and continued to add players to the team over the course of the winter. By mid-January, the team had announced 15 players under contract, and brought players and coaches together for training camp starting on January 15, 2024.

Training camp was held in outdoors in Smithfield, Rhode Island, and indoors at a facility in North Smithfield, Rhode Island. The team worked out in Rhode Island before continuing on to a two-week session at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, including closed-door friendlies against MLS and MLS reserve clubs. A 6-day training session in Bermuda, capped by two exhibition matches against a Bermuda select team, was held in late February. A free friendly against Providence College's men's soccer team rounded out the team's preseason.

High-profile signings including Koke Vegas, JJ Williams, and reigning USL most valuable player and golden boot winner Albert Dikwa, led to high expectations for an expansion team. The team entered the season with projections of making the USL playoffs, and being a contender for a home playoff game at the end of the season.

March
The team played its inaugural regular season game against New Mexico United on March 16, 2024, at Beirne Stadium. The game was announced as a complete sellout with attendance of 5,252 people. After falling behind in the second half, RIFC scored an equalizer in stoppage time to finish with a 1-1 draw. The goal was initially credited to Mark Doyle, but was determined to be an own goal scored by New Mexico's Chris Gloster.

After the inaugural home game, RIFC had a two-game road trip to Monterey Bay FC and the Tampa Bay Rowdies. In their initial away game, Albert Dikwa scored the first goal by an RIFC player, following up with a second goal later in the game. Despite Dikwa's brace, the team tied Monterey Bay 2-2. In their game at Tampa, the team took a 1-0 first-half lead, but lost 4-1.

April
RIFC opened April with a pair of scoreless draws, home against Charleston and Pittsburgh. Goalie Jackson Lee, playing in place of injured Koke Vegas, recorded the first two clean sheets of his career, and was named to the USL Championship Team of the Week for each game.

After not scoring or conceding in consecutive games, RIFC scored and gave up four goals in its U.S. Open Cup debut on April 16 at USL League One side Charlotte Independence. In the Third Round cup game, RIFC was tied 3-3 at the end of regulation, and 4-4 after extra time. During the ensuing penalty shootout, RIFC had a chance to win 4-3 in penalties, but ended up losing 5-4 in seven rounds of shots, with Charlotte advancing over RIFC to the Fourth Round. The eight-goal game was the highest-scoring to that point of the tournament.

Once back in league play, RIFC played at Las Vegas on April 20. Goals by Stephen Turnbull and Noah Fuson were enough to secure the first victory in team history. Turnbull and coach Khano Smith were named to the USL Championship Team of the Week for the goal and for the team's first win.

Playing at home against defending champions Phoenix Rising FC, RIFC closed the month with a 3-1 loss.

May
The team opened May with a goalless draw on the road at North Carolina. Koke Vegas returned from injury absence and recorded his first clean sheet for the team.

On May 10, RIFC announced that New England Revolution midfielder Jack Panayotou was sent on loan to the team. Panayotou played the following day in their game against unbeaten Western Conference first-place Sacramento Republic FC, providing an assist on the team's go-ahead goal. A late Sacramento goal resulted in a 2-2 tie.

On May 23, the Boston Globe reported that team President Brett Luy was leaving the team to take a special advisory position with Fortuitous Partners, the corporation that is developing the team's Tidewater Landing stadium.

The team's final game in May was against second-place Louisville City FC. The goalless draw at home was the first time in the 2024 season that a clean sheet was recorded against the Louisville team.

Preseason friendlies
On November 20, 2023, Rhode Island FC announced that the Bermuda Football Association would host the team for a week of training from February 23 to 28, 2024. The partnership was spurred by Khano Smith, Rhode Island's manager and a former Bermuda national football team player.

Regular Season
All times in Eastern Time Zone.

U.S. Open Cup
Along with 15 other teams in the USL Championship, RIFC entered the 2024 U.S. Open Cup in the third round. They played the first ever U.S. Open Cup game in club history in Charlotte, North Carolina against the Charlotte Independence of USL League One. The game ended in a 4–4 draw after extra time, with the Independence advancing to the next round after a penalty shootout.

League Honors
2024 Season
 * USL Team of the Week
 * Week 2 – Clay Holstad
 * Week 3, 19 – Albert Dikwa
 * Week 5, 6 – Jackson Lee
 * Week 7, 16 – Stephen Turnbull
 * Week 12 – Koke Vegas
 * Week 13 (bench) – Mark Doyle
 * Week 16, 17 – Jojea Kwizera
 * Week 16 (bench) – Joe Brito
 * Week 18 – Frank Nodarse
 * Week 18 – Marc Ybarra
 * USL Coach of the Week
 * Week 7, 16 – Khano Smith