Rhode Island FC suffered its first home loss of the 2026 season Saturday, falling 3-1 to Birmingham Legion FC on Star Wars Night at Centreville Bank Stadium despite dominating possession and the shot count.
Birmingham (2-3-2) struck less than three minutes in, when Dawson McCartney tore down the left wing and crossed into the box for Sebastian Tregarthen, who side-footed a low shot past goalkeeper Koke Vegas to open the scoring.
Rhode Island FC (2-2-3) responded in the 17th minute. Clay Holstad won the ball in midfield and moved it to Leo Afonso, who took a touch in the box and curled a right-footed shot past goalkeeper Jassem Koleilat to level the match. The goal was Afonso’s first at Centreville Bank Stadium and his second in RIFC’s last three regular-season games.
The Ocean State club controlled the run of play in the opening half, outshooting the visitors 11-4 and forcing several saves from Koleilat. JJ Williams had one of the best looks in the 24th minute, and Jojea Kwizera nearly converted the rebound on the opposite side. Birmingham’s Ronaldo Damus had hit the woodwork in the 12th minute on one of the visitors’ few clear-cut chances.
The momentum shifted three minutes into the second half. McCartney sent a free kick into the box that the RIFC defense headed away, but the rebound fell to Phanuel Kavita, who lined a close-range shot into the net to put Birmingham ahead 2-1.
In the 57th minute, Tregarthen played Damus through into the box, and Damus sent a powerful shot from a tight angle into the far-side netting for a 3-1 lead.
Despite a late push, RIFC could not recover. The home side finished with the edge in shots (19-11), crosses (20-14), passes (523-331) and possession (61-39 percent). It marked the second straight game with at least 19 shots and the fifth time this season across all competitions. Rhode Island FC has not finished a match with fewer than 10 shots in 2026.
Holstad picked up his first assist of the season and the fourth of his RIFC career. Vegas surpassed 10,000 career regular-season minutes in the USL Championship. Afonso was named player of the game.
Rhode Island FC returns to Centreville Bank Stadium on Saturday, May 9 at 7:30 p.m. to host the Tampa Bay Rowdies on Hometown Heroes Night. Tickets are available at rhodeislandfc.com/tickets.
