PAWTUCKET — The financial questions remain. There’s no escaping them.
Rhode Island FC is behind schedule attempting to complete its stadium project at Tidewater Landing. There is growing skepticism as to whether or not the planned 10,500-seat venue and surrounding development will be finished.
Brett Luy and Khano Smith operate separately from that set of circumstances. The club’s president and head coach/general manager are in the process of building a sporting entity. Their offices on Main Street buzz with activity on a summer Friday morning, preparing for a USL Championship, as the league is known, to debut next spring.
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“If clubs can get this portion right, it tends to have a snowball effect year over year in terms of their competitiveness in the league,” Luy said in an extended joint interview. “You look at a Louisville City, a Sacramento Republic, a San Antonio FC, the group of perennial contenders in the USL Championship — they got the sporting side right out of the gate. It not only makes them an intriguing on-field product, but it helps with the business side as well.”
What goes into establishing this type of enterprise? What kind of player will represent Rhode Island FC on the pitch? What can supporters expect when the club makes its expected debut in March 2024? The answers to those sporting questions — save for one rather large lingering matter along the Seekonk River — are gradually coming into focus.
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When and where will Rhode Island FC play?
Rhode Island FC will play its first matches on campus at Bryant University.
The club and the school have an agreement that will allow the use of Beirne Stadium and the adjacent training facility.
“They have excellent facilities there from a performance center perspective,” Luy said. “They have locker rooms in Beirne Stadium that can be used on match days. We’re working with them on the current footprint they have to possibly bring in some temporary locker room facilities to make Khano and the staff comfortable on a day-to-day — give them a space that’s their own and make sure the players are looked after after.
“That’s going to be a huge component of the recruiting process.”
The Bulldogs have several spring sports that will be competing for time on the field — men’s and women’s lacrosse, spring football practice and more. It will present a logistical challenge both for the club and the school. Bryant is also scheduled to begin construction shortly on its Convocation Center and Arena, which will include 3,400 seats for men’s and women’s basketball and a new dining facility.
“That consistency is something we’re going to provide,” Luy said. “That professionalism is something that’s of the utmost importance to us — that we’re maintaining that professional standard and ensuring the players are well looked after, treated like proper professionals and prepared.”
What is the USL?
The USL Championship was founded in 2011.
It’s the second tier of professional soccer in the United States. Major League Soccer tops the pyramid. There is no promotion or relegation. MLS expansion created opportunities for FC Cincinnati, Nashville SC and Orlando City SC to graduate from the USL and move on.
“Players who maybe five or 10 years ago could have been playing in MLS are now playing in the USL,” Smith said. “It only helps the game. It helps our league.”
Smith is actively recruiting his roster and hopes to announce his first signings in the fall. Players with existing contracts in MLS or internationally can begin negotiations six months prior to their existing deals expiring.
“If you look back at the history of the league, most expansion teams come to announce their first signing in November and December,” Smith said. “We’re trying to be ahead of that. There are some things we obviously can’t control — when players decide to sign offers. But there are a few players we’ve identified.”
Who is RIFC coach Khano Smith?
Smith was an attacking winger who played for more than a decade both in the professional ranks and with the Bermuda national team.
He moved to the coaching ranks in 2015 and was hired away from Birmingham Legion FC. What type of players is he scouting? What sort of style will he adopt?
Answer the first question and you can start working on the second. Smith anticipates recruiting from various pools — college, MLS, USL, possibly filling all seven available international roster spots and from the local youth ranks.
“I think we should focus on players who have experience in the league,” Smith said. “With USL and how USL is structured, it’s different from MLS. The way contracts are structured, it’s a lot more free agency. You’re able to go after players within the league.”
Some have gone on to considerably larger stages. Jonathan Gomez was signed away from Louisville FC by Real Sociedad, a two-time La Liga champion and three-time Copa del Rey winner in Spain. Rhode Island FC would like to rival the New England Revolution when it comes to identifying talent inside and just beyond the state’s borders.
“I love working with young players,” Smith said. “I think young players are different. They have no fear — that quality about them where they’re not afraid of anything. They want to learn — they’re like little sponges.”
How have ticket sales been?
Luy said the club has received 4,200 deposits for season tickets. Beirne Stadium has a capacity of 5,000 with the potential for standing room on three sides of its turf field.
“That means we want as many people to be able to sample that product as possible,” Luy said. “We certainly anticipate and hope we have the first-world problem of needing to cap season-ticket membership at a certain point.”
Bryan Kim is the club’s director of ticketing. His background includes stints with the Florida Panthers in the NHL and Phoenix Rising Football Club. Rhode Island FC will target community partners like Project Goal and local youth sides to build its following.
“The people are the most important part,” Smith said. “The fans are the most important part. We need their support.”
What other teams are in the USL?
There is a natural geographic rival already playing in the league.
Hartford Athletic started in 2019 and is the only current New England club in the USL. Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC and Loudoun United FC in Virginia represent the two shortest current road trips.
Luy and Smith both hope for some tension to grow organically between the two teams. Seattle Sounders FC and Portland Timbers enjoy one of the premier rivalries in MLS, as the two Northwest clubs routinely play in front of large crowds in their respective home venues.
“Hopefully it’s healthy,” Smith said. “Hopefully no lines are crossed. But things like that are always good for sport and competition.
“Having somebody right down the road that you’re able to compete with and try to beat and, hopefully, brag about beating for a couple of days is perfectly healthy.”
On Twitter: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: What to know about Rhode Island FC, the state’s newest soccer team