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It’s still a few days away, but when Rhode Island FC hosts New Mexico United on March 16th, soccer will be back in one of its original American homes, and along with it, a supporters group working hard to build and celebrate something that is uniquely and solely Rhode Island’s.
“It was so many years in the making,” said Joe Samayoa, co-founder of Rhode Island FC supporter group Defiance 1636. “I remember back when it was still a rumor that they would be bringing a team here, and I thought to myself, ‘That would be amazing, and that would be something that would blow up here.”
Having a local team, and the opportunity to build support around it, can sometimes feel like a pipe dream, if you’re not located in a major American city with a robust sports landscape.
That’s especially true for Rhode Island, a state whose sports fandom revolves around its two major colleges, Providence and the University of Rhode Island, and the minor league teams that feed up to Boston’s pro teams, like the Providence Bruins, the Boston Bruins’ AHL team, and the relocated Pawtucket Red Sox (now the Worcester Red Sox).
So, there was no reason to believe that Rhode Island would land a soccer club any time soon. However, soccer in Rhode Island has some of the deepest roots in the nation, going back to the first ever U.S. Open Cup. In 1914 Pawtucket was the site of the first ever U.S. Open Cup final, between Brooklyn Field Club and Brooklyn Celtic, where more than 10,000 people piled in for the game.
When it was announced at the end of 2019 that a USL Championship club would be launched in Rhode Island, and represent not just one city in Rhode Island but the whole state, Samayoa and his co-founder Ervin Vargas jumped at the chance to build a supporters group that would do the same.
“We’re a small state, there aren’t that many people to unify, so you might as well be inclusive,” said Samayoa. “It’s just really great to see something that we can truly call ours after a long, long while.”
Named after the Rhode Island’s history of defiance dating back to the Revolutionary War, and the year the state was founded, Defiance 1636’s mission is to grow local soccer in the stands and on the pitch. In the run up to the 2024 season, they’ve been active at WPSL and local college games, organized a Christmas toy drive, and held watch parties for big matches.
“I think supporters group culture is something that’s new for people here, it’s very new for the large majority of people here in Rhode Island,” said Samayoa. “A lot of people have come up to us, asking, ‘What’s a supporters group, what are you guys all about?”
With an energetic band, and plans for smoke bombs, streamers and flares (in the parking lot only), Defiance plans to catch everyone’s eye.
“It’s a lot more show don’t tell,” said Samayoa. “We’re making sure that when we show up, we come out in numbers, and we’re really going to be loud.”
In an effort to be as inclusive as possible, Defiance plans to use a mix of English and Spanish songs and chants, but hope that the band and the sound will be what brings people in, a nod to the group’s Latin American influence.
The club had one last friendly last night, a chance for both the team, and Defiance, to work out the kinks ahead of next Saturday’s home opener.
“There’s always going to be something we’re missing, and there’s no way of knowing what it is until you can go do it,” said Samayoa. “There’s always that one thing that slips under the cracks that you don’t realize until game time. So at least we get another game to be able to see if we’ve covered all the bases before the big day.”
When that ball is kicked next weekend, it’ll be a special moment for Samayoa and all of Defiance.
“Finally, to see a ball getting kicked, it’s surreal in a very good way,” said Samayoa. “We’ve been preparing for a while, we’ve known exactly what we want to do and to have that moment finally arrive, it’s here, it’s happening, I still don’t think I’ll be able to believe it.”