Rhode Island

Match report

Rhode Island hold firm for USL victory over Colorado Springs

Rhode Island beat Colorado Springs 2-0 in the Group Stage of the USL Championship on Friday night. The hosts took their time to impose themselves, but they did manage to break the deadlock when Y. Tsukada struck in the 69th minute. His side had been under threat for much of the second half, but they kept their shape and waited for their moment.

Colorado Springs dominated possession and created more attacks, but they struggled to convert their chances. The visitors finished with 4 shots on target against 5 for Rhode Island, yet they could only manage 1 big chance created compared to 2 for the hosts. The game came alive late on when J. Williams added a second in the 90+2nd minute to put the result beyond doubt.

It was a character display from Rhode Island, who sat deep and absorbed pressure before turning it around. They have hit a wall recently, losing their last two matches, but this result puts them back on track. The visitors have been inconsistent all season, and this defeat drops them further down the standings.

Statistics tell the story of a match where possession did not equal penetration. Rhode Island had 40 per cent of the ball but made more key passes — 12 compared to 7. They also won 23 aerial duels to 12, which helped them clear their lines when Colorado Springs pressed high. The visitors had 95 attacks to 66 but failed to find the net until the closing stages.

Rhode Island move up to 8th place with 21 points from 21 games, while Colorado Springs remain 6th on 34 points from 23 matches. The hosts have won 8 games this season and will be pleased with how they closed out a difficult fixture. The visitors have dropped points in 3 of their last 5 matches and will need to respond quickly.

Prepared from match data

Key numbers

Possession, % 40 – 60

Shots on target 5 – 4

Shots off target 5 – 6

Big chances 2 – 1

🟨 9' J. Kwizera — Yellow card 🟨 26' F. Nodarse — Yellow card 🟨 41' H. Bacharach Capdevila — Yellow card 🟨 43' Y. Tsukada — Yellow card 🟨 52' A. Sanchez — Yellow card ⇄ 63' N. Fuson — Substitution ⇄ 65' J. Fjeldberg — Substitution ⚽ 69' Y. Tsukada — Goal 🟨 72' I. Foster — Yellow card 🟨 73' A. Rodriguez — Yellow card 🟨 73' S. Masereka — Yellow card ⇄ 78' B. Creek — Substitution ⇄ 81' Y. Tsukada — Substitution ⇄ 86' D. Williams — Substitution ⇄ 89' J. Kwizera — Substitution ⚽ 90+2' J. Williams — Goal

Match events

9' 0:0 Rhode Island Yellow card J. Kwizera
26' 0:0 Rhode Island Yellow card F. Nodarse
41' 0:0 Rhode Island Yellow card H. Bacharach Capdevila
43' 0:0 Rhode Island Yellow card Y. Tsukada
52' 0:0 Rhode Island Yellow card A. Sanchez
63' 0:0 Rhode Island Substitution N. Fuson off: A. Rodriguez
65' 0:0 Colorado Springs Substitution J. Fjeldberg off: S. Masereka
69' 1:0 Rhode Island Goal Y. Tsukada
72' 1:0 Colorado Springs Yellow card I. Foster
73' 1:0 Rhode Island Yellow card A. Rodriguez
73' 1:0 Colorado Springs Yellow card S. Masereka
78' 1:0 Colorado Springs Substitution B. Creek off: T. Magee
81' 1:0 Rhode Island Substitution Y. Tsukada off: D. Atkinson
86' 1:0 Colorado Springs Substitution D. Williams off: S. Williams
89' 1:0 Rhode Island Substitution J. Kwizera off: C. Williams
90+2' 2:0 Rhode Island Goal J. Williams assist: Leo Afonso

Statistics

40 Possession, % 60

5 Shots on target 4

5 Shots off target 6

2 Big chances 1

66 Attacks 95

2 Corners 2

23 Fouls 10

8 Free kicks 23

1 Offsides 1

6 Yellow cards 2

0 Red cards 0

7 Goal kicks 6

23 Throw-ins 19

All statistics

23/3566% Aerial duels 12/3534%

39 Backward passes 71

3 Blocked shots 3

29 Clearances 27

7/1258% Crosses 4/1625%

5/1050% Dribbles 4/1040%

82 Failed passes 71

3 Goalkeeper saves 2

13 Interceptions 13

12 Key passes 7

21/4646% Long passes 26/4953%

45 Passes into the final third 68

145 Passes in the opposition half 232

151 Passes in own half 206

0.38 Shot accuracy 0.31

9 Shots inside the box 7

7/1070% Tackles 5/956%

284 Total passes 422

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Colorado Springs

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