Founding and inaugural season (2019-present) On December 2, 2019, under the leadership of
Brett M. Johnson, the co-founder and owner of Rhode Island FC, it was announced that a USL Championship team playing in a new
soccer-specific stadium in Pawtucket, Rhode Island would be a centerpiece for a large development project to be named Tidewater Landing. The stadium was proposed to seat at least 10,000 fans and be connected to shops, apartments, offices, and a hotel in a $400-million plan. The project's initial goal was to have the team playing by 2022. In order to move forward with the project, team ownership requested partial funding from the
State of Rhode Island and City of
Pawtucket, with the remainder covered by team ownership. Plans moved slowly due to inflation and supply-chain delays caused by
COVID-19, and costs increased from initial projections. Rhode Island's Governor,
Dan McKee, cast the deciding vote in a Rhode Island Commerce Corporation meeting on July 25, 2022, to provide funding and allow construction of the stadium. Groundbreaking occurred on August 12, 2022. The day after the team name was announced, RIFC allowed fans to place advance deposits for purchase of season tickets, which could be applied for a later purchase. The team reported success with the deposits with more than 2,500 in the first week, exceeding volume from any previous USL franchise at their debut. By December, the team reported receiving season ticket deposits from customers in each of Rhode Island's 39 cities and towns. Former
Bermuda national team captain
Khano Smith was named the team's first head coach and general manager on March 8, 2023. This signing was followed up on November 1, with the announcing of the signing of the first player in team history, Spanish goalkeeper
Koke Vegas, a former player for
San Diego Loyal and many years at various clubs in Spain. He was subsequently named the team's first captain on March 12, 2024, several days prior to the team's first game. The team's inaugural match was a sellout on March 16, 2024, against
New Mexico United, ending in a 1–1 tie. The first goal in team history was an
own goal scored in second-half stoppage time by New Mexico defender
Chris Gloster. It was the first time in USL Championship history that a team earned a point in its inaugural game. The team finished the 2024 regular season 5th in the Eastern Conference of the USL Championship. The team showed significant improvement in the standings as the season went on, having been in 11th place as late as mid-June. Significant inaugural season milestones included their first win at the
Las Vegas Lights in April, the only regular season defeat of the
Louisville City FC at their home stadium, and a 3-0 victory against rivals
Hartford Athletic. The team had a mid-season unbeaten streak of 8 games and closed the regular season on a 6-game unbeaten streak, extending it further in the playoffs. Their final game against
Miami FC was an 8–1 victory, the largest margin of victory and highest single-game goal total of any game in the 2024 season. Rhode Island FC set the single-season USL Championship record for most draws, at 15. Team honors included
Noah Fuson as the 2024 Golden Playmaker,
JJ Williams as Player of the Month of October, and
Khano Smith as Coach of the Month for June. After defeating
Indy 3–2 in their first playoff game, RIFC traveled to Players' Shield winners
Louisville City FC, beating them 3–0. In the Eastern Conference Championship, they beat
Charleston Battery 2–1. RIFC lost in the 2024 USL Championship Final 3-0 to the
Colorado Springs Switchbacks. Season highlights included the team's first meeting against the
New England Revolution, a 2–1 home loss in the
U.S. Open Cup; scoring a 5–0 home victory against the
Tampa Bay Rowdies; and winning Group 4 and reaching the semifinals of the USL Cup. As the seventh-seed in the playoffs, RIFC won two playoff games, but lost to
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC in the USL Eastern Conference Final. == Stadium ==