Pawtucket, RI. (July 11th, 2026) – Brooklyn FC Men played their last match in the Prinx Tires USL Cup at Rhode Island FC on Saturday night. An eventful contest ended 1-1 and after a penalty shootout, Rhode Island won 4-3, allowing them to earn two points to Brooklyn’s one. With this result, Brooklyn’s run in the 2026 USL Cup comes to an end.
Brooklyn started the match with a rotated side, as six changes were made to the starting XI that beat Pittsburgh on the Fourth of July. The team started slowly with a few nervy moments between the defense as Rhode Island controlled much of the first half.
Rhode Island opened the scoring in the 19th minute through midfielder Augustin Rodriguez. Midfielder Jojea Kwizera dribbled into the box and passed a ball back across goal which found Rodriguez who calmly found the back of the net.
Standout midfielder CJ Olney Jr was forced to come on in the 25th minute as Abdoulaye Kanté was unable to continue playing due to an injury.
Rhode Island had a few more chances to get their second goal including two opportunities for forward Leonardo Afonso. In the 28th minute, he had a one-on-one shot with the Brooklyn goalkeeper Lukas Burns that he skied over the bar. Afonso also hit a volley that struck the crossbar in the 40th minute.
Brooklyn was able to find their equalizer just before halftime through forward JC Obregon. A long ball from Burns was flicked on and sent Olney Jr through on goal where he was taken down by a Rhode Island defender just outside the box. Obregon stepped up to the free kick which he curled over the defensive wall and past the Rhode Island keeper.
Early in the second half, Rhode Island defender Frank Nodarse was sent off after he received his second yellow card in the 50th minute.
In the next 15 minutes, Brooklyn piled lots of pressure on the Rhode Island goal but were unable to go ahead. Shortly after the 61st minute, Olney was able to get two different shots on target forcing saves from the goalkeeper, Koke Vegas. The Brooklyn attack also earned a couple corners and looked dangerous from set-pieces all night.
The final 15 minutes of the match were a roller coaster as both teams traded blows, trying to find the decisive goal and the three points. Rhode Island threatened multiple times through veteran forward JJ WIlliams who had a couple shot fly just wide of the Brooklyn goal.
Brooklyn created their own chances including a close range volley from Obregon which was forced over the bar by Vegas in the 90+3rd minute. In the next minute, substitute Stefan Stojanovic powerfully hit a shot from outside of the box that found the post but the two teams ended level and went to a penalty shootout. In all this chaos, Rhode Island substitute defender Grant Stoneman was sent off for dissent, earning a straight red card and leaving his team with nine men on the pitch.
In the shootout, Brooklyn defender Rocco Romeo stepped up to take the second shot and had his penalty saved. Later, Lukas Burns responded by saving Williams’ shot from the spot to tie things up again but it would not be enough as Obregon put his own penalty wide. Rhode island keeper Vegas then scored a penalty himself to earn the extra point for Rhode Island.
Given Hartford Athletic’s 2-1 win against Westchester SC, neither team was able to win the group. The draw left both teams level on seven points which is not enough to earn the wild card spot and move on to the quarterfinals. This marks the end of Brooklyn FC’s involvement in the USL Cup in their inaugural season, allowing them to shift focus to the rest of the USL Championship season.
SCORING SUMMARY
Brooklyn FC: JC Obregon Jr 45+4’
Rhode Island: Augustin Rodriguez 18’
DISCPLINE
Brooklyn FC: Pierre Da Silva 28’ (Yellow), Rocco Romeo 82’ (Yellow).
Rhode Island: Frank Nodarse 35’ (Yellow), Karifa Yao 45+2’ (Yellow), Frank Nodarse 50’ (2nd Yellow), Jojea Kwizera 52’ (Yellow), Grant Stoneman 90+4’ (Red).
LINEUPS
Brooklyn FC – Lukas Burns; Thomas Vancaeyezeele (Ryan McLaughlin 72’), So Nishikawa, Callum Frogson, Rocco Romeo, Taimu Okiyoshi (Ryan McLaughlin 72’), Pierre Da Silva (Stefan Stojanovic 58’), Johnny Klein (Tommy McNamara 45’), Peter Mangione (Markus Anderson 72’), Abdoulaye Kanté (CJ Olney Jr. 25’), JC Obregón Jr.
Unused Substitutes: Jackson Lee, Gabriel Alves
Rhode Island FC – Koke Vegas; Nick Scardina, Aldair Sanchez, Karifa Yao (Grant Stoneman 69’), Frank Nodarse, Dwayne Atkinson (Calvin Williams 76’), Dani Rovira (Hugo Bacharach 57’), Augustin Rodríguez (Amos Shapiro-Thompson 57’), Noah Fuson, Leonardo Afonso, Jojea Kwizera (J.J. Williams 57’)
Unused Substitutes: Jacob Castro, Kevin Vang
UP NEXT FOR BROOKLYN FC MEN
Brooklyn FC Men plays the final match of its road trip on July 18th at 7 PM ET where they will travel to Florida again to face Sporting JAX. The club will then return home on July 25th to face San Antonio FC at 7 PM ET. Multiple home match ticketing options, including multi-game and single-game, are available. Tickets are available on SeatGeek.
