Here with the soccer down here one to be one to catching up with the head coach of Rhode Island FC, Cono Smith, coach, thanks for dropping by for a quick one b one. I know you're kind of busy at the moment.
I appreciate it. Uh yeah, thanks for having me.
What's the season been like up there? A to r f C building something from scratch?
Overall, it has been fun. You know, with any any sports team, you have highs and lows, but we personally try to stay try to stay even keeled and and try to preach the same to the players. So yeah, it's it's it's been a lot of fun and we've had some tough moments for sure, but sticking to who we are as people and as athletes. It makes it all the sweeter when when you get rewards like we've gotten recently.
What's the biggest lesson you've learned about yourself as a coach in a season like this?
Really good question. I feel I feel like it's hard for me to deal with hard for me to deal with losses, so, you know, again, trying to preach to myself and try and stick to you know. I know it's cliche like stick to the process. But when things don't go your way, it's really hard to accept that. Ultimately,
you can control what you can control. And I try to stick to myself and who I am as a person and what I believe as a coach and as a as a man, and try to be respectful of my players, try to treat them the right way, try and treat them how I would like to be treated. But also I have to make tough decisions as a leader. So I know everybody's not going to accept up, but at least I think they would say that I'm fair.
When it came to the early part of the season, the running SoundBite around the USL Championship was is that RIFC were the draw kings of the league, and those draws turned into wins as the season went further and further along. What was the difference or what was that trigger the instigator that turned things over from being just one point at a time to three points at a time to get you north of the playoff bar, to get you into the postseason.
You think, honestly, I think the draw record. I've certainly heard that. You know that when the draw kings, and honestly, It's something that I'm actually really proud of in our first year because you can go around and look at expansion teams in this league and other leagues and other sports, and sometimes we maybe have fifteen losses. So we've only lost seven times, and the two teams that have lost, the only two teams that have lost two games us
our Louisville and Charleston. So you know, I think that puts US in pretty pretty good company. So I just feel like it made us we were difficult to beat instead of it wasn't eat. I think it was more that US be difficult to beat than it was us
not being able to win games. And I think if you put any group of people together and any sport, in any business in any world and expect immediate results by like April and May, when we got together in January fifteenth, I think, I think it's a pretty tough ask. So I think we were building, we were building our armor, build us in kevlar. We was making ourselves tough to beat. And I think the real defining moment for me, I
don't know what it was. I don't know what happened, but something happened against Memphis when we went to Memphis and we only had one one game. We were up to nil, gave up a penalty, got a red card in the eighty fifth minute, and end up tying the game. So I think something happened in that locker room. I think we gave the players three days off. You know, in some situations they may say, no, it's a terrible performance,
like you're back in the next day. Like we gave them three days off and we say, go clear your heads, let's come back. We're going to the toughest and best team in the league, toughest venue in Louisville, and let's see what we're made of. And we won the game five too. So I think something happened in that Memphis locker room. I can't quite put my hand on it, but I think we grew that night.
When it comes to building a franchise, have you always thought of yourself as a builder when it comes to taking something from scratch, reveling in that idea, seeing it grow, germanate, pollinate and expand it and become something large and successful. Or was this something when it came to having this as an opportunity, it was one of those ideas that you couldn't pass up because you got to build something.
Yeah, I think it was all of that, you know. I don't think I certainly saw myself as a builder. Like a year ago, I certainly didn't have it figure it out. I was trying to figure it out on the fly because it's just it's all new. But I had been in two situations prior, one in this league in Birmingham where we were an expansion team, and then my first year really as a professional coach as an assistant in Orlando coaching the NWSL team, So I had some experience with it. But I think the game in
both leagues, it has grown so much. That was what twenty sixteen, So in eight years time, both leagues have grown so much. Our league has grown so much since twenty nineteen to now, well, I guess still last year. So yeah, I certainly I think I've done things in my life to kind of set myself up for that situation, being in those two environments. But I know it sounds crazy,
but I felt like I always was a builder. Like in video games, like I enjoyed their process, like in the Championship Manager, you're playing FIFA like career mode, Like I like that stuff, and ultimately it's about being around the game and building a roster and the club is a fun part of that process.
All right. So when you're doing FIFA and you're building a championship team, how what was this roster construction like for you? What was what was it like? Who was on that roster?
Of years? Nothing like it? I think most of the time I probably spent building a team with Manchester United and have millions and billions of dollars to be able to go and sign whoever you want. But that wasn't the case. But I think what we what we tried to do was we tried to build a roster of ultimately guys that have good USL championship experience, because free agency is pretty prevalent in this league, not like MLS and other leagues around the world. Were guys on long
term contracts, players on short term contracts. So if you can build a good product and sell players on what you want to be on and off the field as a club and why they should join you, I think you could attract some pretty good players. So I think we did a pretty good job of that. We tried
to stay younger. The core of the roster. I think the average age for us now is right around twenty five years of age, so that gives us a lot of legs, a lot of any They are craving information and they want they want to be taught, So I think we have a good young core. That's something that we really wanted to focus on, players that could play in the manner that we wanted them to.
What was the biggest surprise, most pleasant surprise dealing with what soccer means to Rhode Island and to that section of the Northeast. Was there something that stood out to you as something that you got to learn about the fan base up there, or was the expectation met going in, Yeah, we know what this is the culture, We know that this is going to gravitate to Burn, we know what
it's going to be like. Or was it a pleasant surprise to see how Burn turned into a fortress and you really had a difficult time being there as an away team going to play you guys.
Yeah, I think for me, you know, I think again for me how I see the game, and I think every team needs to be unique to the culture of the environment. As you said, so if you look at Rhode Islanders, it's the smallest state in re Union. It's cold. Sometimes people have a chip on the shoulder, sometimes they're angry, but they can also be very pleasant and can be very nice. But sometimes you just have to roll your
sleeves up and battle and have some grit. But also in the summer, it's really beautiful and you have some of the best beaches in the United States. You have some of the best beach towns. So at some parts during the year we played some really beautiful soccer, but other times we needed to really grow up our sleeves and fight and have really good team spirit. So I think that's something that I'm really proud of with the group,
that we have really good team spirit. And I think the club has now adopted this saying that we are going into the playoffs and never say die, we never give up. We've scored twelve plus goals now I think past the eightieth minute and beyond, so I think that's a testament to the team spirit. But ultimately, I think what was really nice after the game last week was our last home game and potentially last home game this season.
Hopefully not hopefully we'll get a chance to host the playoff game, but the amount of people that came up and said said thank you coach, like we're really proud of this team, Like no matter what, that touched me the most because ultimately, I'm just trying to do my job and that's get results and win games. But if people people like my players and like me, that's just just a cherry on top of the cake.
When you look at the offense that you've been able to piece together, it's been a lot of different goal scorers this year. I know that a lot of folks would gravitate to somebody and sit there and look at a guy like Albert Dikua and know a few son and JJ Williams with his experience, you get no darse Zachary Arevo. A lot of different guys contributing for you
this year. To see that kind of it's not necessarily balanced because Albert had double digits and you had a bunch of different guys score, but just finding production from a bunch of different places obviously a point, a really good point that you can reference going forward, that I got a lot of guys that can contribute when I need to have them contribute.
Yeah, I think it's for me. It's just a test of what we've been preaching all year, like they're a team, they do it together. It's not every moment it's going to be somebody's moment. Not every moment is going to be Albert's moment to score. Not every moment it's going to be JJ's. Not every moment it's going to be a Alberts. Sometimes it's going to be Frank. Sometimes it's going to be Zach Grants chipped him at goals as
a center back. Yeah, so I think that's just a real sign of a really good balanced team and that's what we want to Yeah, we would love to have somebody score twenty goals and have Albert scored twenty goals like he did last year. But last year he scored twenty goals. This year he scored ten, but last year I had no assists. This year has four. So yeah, still has fourteen goal involvements, which is you would take
that from your number nine. Fourteen goal involvements no matter how they come, Like, I still feel that's pretty impressive. It was going to be really hard for him to replicate last year's goal tally as it was for everybody, Like it's only one guy. I think it's only Marcalis that has twenty plus goals, So yeah, I think it's it shows that we're a real team and that we have threats from everywhere. We have guys scoring for midfield.
Clayholes status full goals, Zach Harrivell has four, Marky Barrow number six has has won so our wing Maax have some. So yeah, however they contribute goals. I really I'm really not bothered. As long as its goals or assists and we're scoring goals, I'm not really bothered where it comes from.
Right now, it's the four to five in the Eastern Conference and it's a catching up with Indy eleven. Getting ready for that matchup on the weekend. What has Study Hall been like for you getting ready for this one.
Yeah, it's a team that we know well. Obviously we played them twice. We played them here really entertaining game three to three at our place and then lost one zero at their place. Their place. Was our second game of a three game stretch, three games in a week, and it was probably the toughest stretch of the season. We were away to Detroit. We didn't even come home.
We went straight to Indy. We rotated the team because ultimately we wanted guys fresh for the weekend, but also some guys deserve to get minutes and they deserve the shots, so we gave those guys a shot. Unfortunately, we didn't win the game, but it was still a competitive match and we had chances to certainly win it, but unfortunately we lost. But they've they've improved obviously since then, added
some key players. They've added my league foster. But yeah, they have really good veteran experience, quality players all over the pitch, veteran defenders, good quality USL Championship defenders, good center midfielders, creative players, Aid and Quinn Jack Blake. Again, like I mentioned, Malik Foster, Augi Williams, one of the most dangerous attackers in the league, Aid and Stanley terrific
left back. So yeah, they have a really good team and it's yeah, it should be a really really competitive.
Match when it comes to USL Championship. I know a lot of folks may gravitate toward other leagues, foreign and domestic. What would you say is the greatest calling card for someone who might be just drifting into the playoffs and sampling the USL Championship for the first time they drift into your match and they see you in Indye eleven
trading haymakers for a full ninety minutes. What what would you say is the greatest calling card that USL Championship has Where folks, once they come in under the tent, they should stay under the tent. Why USL Championship. I guess it's the question here.
Yeah, I think you know, as the game continues to grow in this country, right, Like it's some exciting things that happen in World Cup, World Club Cup, you name it, all, the Gold Cup, everything that's going to happen. MLS is getting better. So as MLS gets better, they spend twenty to thirty million dollars on attackers. Somebody has to come and play in the USL Championship, right, So maybe when I was playing those those attackers are now playing in
the USL Championship. So it's definitely definitely some high quality players and talent and skill level and ability in the USL Championship. I think, for me, what makes the USL unique and different from MLS. I think with these mid major market cities, however you want to call them, I
think there's really passionate fan bases. I think it's it's really diversity's diversity of stadiums, diversity of cultures, the tough to get to like for us to get to Indy, like it's too small, airports, like it's really.
You don't have the charters squared away from from Providence to Indy.
There's exactly we are we actually are, which is nice. So yeah, well yeah, so the diversity of the league, for me, I think it's what's what's really what's really exciting about the league. No, no disrespect at all to MLS. I love the league. I watch it, I played in it, but I think it's very cookie cutter. I think it's a lot of teams that have the same architecture, stadiums, training grounds, playing styles, coaching styles, you name it, formations
like I think it's very similar where USL. I think it's very very diverse. I think every team is completely different. Harford's ninety minutes up the road from US, and we're completely different than they are.
Donald Smith, the head coach of Rhode Island FC, getting ready for the first round of the playoffs and USL Championship taking on Indy eleven this weekend. Coach, I know that your schedules super busy. I can't thank you enough for dropping by for a quick one v one. We'll be watching, we'll be looking, and thanks for everything that you have done this season up there at Rhode Island. And can you keep that guy Parkhurston line for us next time you see him?
Heah, it's tough, you know, Park East Park, He's a tough one to keep in lining. You know, he talks a lot and he wants control of everything. But no, he's he's been amazing. He's been an amazing help to me. So yeah, I'm I'm, I'm really happy to have him and he just helps me out and gives me advice and lets me do my things. So but I'll try my best.