Rhode Island FC has reached the USL Championship Final for the first time in its history, defeating three of the Eastern Conference’s top four seeds on the road. Now, it will face the Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, who will serve as the host at Weidner Field in Colorado Springs, Colorado on Saturday, November 23 at 12:00 p.m. ET.
The Switchbacks, who finished the regular season as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, are also making their first appearance in the Championship Final. They will aim for their first-ever USL Championship trophy following a 1-0 result against Las Vegas Lights FC in the Western Conference Finals. The Switchbacks also advanced to their first USL Championship Final after previously falling 2-0 to San Antonio FC in the 2022 Western Conference Final.
Rhode Island FC, an expansion club in its first USL Championship season, became just the second team to win at Patriots Point Soccer Stadium this season, defeating the Charleston Battery 2-1 in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. It then defeated Louisville City FC 3-0 at Lynn Family Stadium, handing the league leaders their only shutout loss at home.
This matchup presents a historic opportunity for Rhode Island FC to become the first expansion club to win the USL Championship Final since Sporting Kansas City II in 2016. The only other first-year team to lift the trophy was Sacramento Republic FC in 2014.
The match will be broadcast on CBS, TUDN, and SiriusXM channels 206, 209, and 968. Radio coverage will be available on 790 The Score (790 AM). An official watch party will take place at Moonshine Alley in Providence, Rhode Island.
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) assisted a What’sUpNewp journalist with the reporting included in this story.
