It’s always fun to report on a game the good guys won. It’s even more fun to report on a game the good guys won against a team they had never previously beaten. Such was the case on Saturday up in Rhode Island. This was the Three Sparks’ best attacking output since August 30th last year in a wild 4-4 draw with Orange County. Possibly not the best defensive performance this year, but close. All round, a nearly complete game other than one unfortunate mistake. With that in mind, here are the player grades:
GK: JASSEM KOLEILAT – A+
At this rate, Jassem should be permanently preset for a Save of the Week nomination. He was credited with 6 this time out, including 5 in the first half; the only one in the second half was from long distance and entirely routine. Of the 5 in the first half, a couple were arguably double saves. Huge performance. Passing was oddly mediocre: 55.6% accurate on 27 attempts.
LB: DAWSON MCCARTNEY – B+
Dawson got the assist on the opening goal but effectively focused on defense the rest of the night. He provided just one other cross, unsuccessfully, at the other end, but in the back he had 1 tackle, 3 clearances and 1 interception, and winning 2 of 5 duels. Passing was pretty decent: he connected on 26 of 32 passes.
LB: RAMIZ HAMOUDA- A
The bad news: we are now 22 days away from Raz’s 18th birthday. The good news: the Bundesliga summer transfer window does not open until July 1st. That’s 3 games versus 8 games away. If he keeps playing like he is, the longer he’s around, the better. 2 tackles and a massive 13 clearances. An incredible 15 duels, of which he won 8 (nd 6 of 8 in the air). Passing was also really strong: 90.7% on 43 tries.
CB: PHANUEL KAVITA – A
Now in his 12th pro season, Phanny has scored a total of 8 goals, but one each of the last 3 seasons. His last was just shy of a year ago in a 1-1 draw with Detroit City. Before that in 2024 was just short of a year again, the game-winner against…Detroit. This wasn’t Detroit, obviously, but it was the game-winner. As usual, the opposing attack stayed mostly clear of him: 4 clearances and 1 winning duel. And he missed on only 2 of 30 passes.
RB: AMIR DALEY – B+
Amir was one of the bright spots last year, joining the team in August and having a positive impact. This year he is coming into his own. He had 1 shot blocked from just outside the box and sent in 3 crosses, albeit without connecting. He blocked a shot himself, and also made 3 tackles, a clearance and 3 interceptions. He matched Raz for duels (8 of 15) and had a solid 84% accuracy rate on 25 passes.
LDM: SAM MCILLHATTON – B
No one will be harder on Sam than he will for the error that led to the Rhody goal. Fortunately, it was not decisive (other than losing the clean sheet). He made up for it with 1 chance creation and otherwise impressive defense. 6 tackles, 2 clearances and 2 blocks. He also won 10 of 13 duels. Passing was good at 86% on 57 attempts.
RDM: SETH ANTWI – A-
I have absolutely no idea why Seth was shown the yellow card; the commentators didn’t seem too clear on it either. He was the only Legion card of the night and we will ignore it. He is the 3rd key member of the 2026 Legion freshman class. In this one he generated 2 scoring chances and sent in 1 unsuccessful cross. 3 tackles, 5 clearances and 1 interception. Another great dueling performance, going 9 for 11. Passing was so-so at 82.6% on 46 deliveries.
LAM: GEVORK DIARBIAN – B+
Gevork must have thought he was playing a home game…the crowd likely disagreed. He put in 74 minutes; given the speed he played at he had to be totally gassed. In that time he had 2 shots on target (both inside the 18) and another blocked. All 3 crossing attempts failed. At the back he provided a tackle, a block and an interception. He lost 5 of 9 duels. Surprisingly, he attempted only 14 passes, connecting on 11. That, however, reflects how much he carried the ball upfield.
CAM: PETER-LEE VASSELL – B
Peter-Lee played a minute into stoppage time. He managed 3 shots, 2 on target, but all were from well outside the box. 1 cross went wanting. In defense, 2 tackles, 1 clearance and 2 interceptions. He split his 6 duels and found a man on 19 of 26 passes. Not a huge game from a personal standpoint but just as key as anyone else on the team.
RAM: SEBASTIAN TREGARTHEN – A+
Do I care what part of Seba’s leg the ball hit? Of course not. The important part is that he put himself in a position to connect with it. On top of that, he provided the assist for the goal that put the game more or less out of reach. The rest of his stats were, frankly, mediocre. Again, I don’t care. Man of the Match.
FWD: RONALDO DAMUS – A+
Ronaldo got his first goal of 2026 and the 50th of his USL Championship career; he has never scored fewer than 14 in this league. He now looks fully fit and was up to his usual trick of getting in the face of every defender he could get close to. His one other shot was from nearly the same spot, and frustratingly hit the post. He also contributed a tackle and a clearance and won 7 of 12 duels. He’s definitely back.
SUB: SERGE NGOMA – B-
Serge replaced Gevork and basically filled a hole. He lost both of his duels and was good on just 4 of 5 passes. Statsitically, that’s it.
SUB: ROMARIO WILLIAMS – B
Similarly filling a hole (and overflowing it) in Ronaldo’s spot, Romario didn’t do anything much statistically, but certainly made his very physical presence felt almost instantly. With Ronaldo now back, he is pretty much a bit player.
SUB: KADEEM COLE – B+
In just 4 minutes Kadeem made 1 tackle, won 2 duels and was good on 1 pass. Can’t ask for much more from a late sub.
HC: JAY HEAPS – A
Another well-executed game plan. Apparently, defensive adjustments were made at half-time. In the first half Rhody had 11 shots with 6 on target and 9 inside the Legion box (6 being on target). That was completely stamped out in the second: 8 shots, 3 in the box and only 1 on target from way outside. And let’s not forget the incredible transitional play he has the team doing.
