Providence and RIFC's Angking called up to Puerto Rican team for World Cup qualifiers
It’s been quite the month for Isaac Angking.
The Providence native and soccer star signed with Rhode Island FC in late April and will now represent Rhode Island on the world stage. The 24-year-old has been called up to the Puerto Rican Football Federation Men’s National Team roster for its upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifying matches.
Angking, a Mount Pleasant High School graduate, will compete in the second round of the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football, or CONCACAF, for Team Puerto Rico. That team will face El Salvador in San Salvador on June 6 and will then host Anguilla five days later.
The midfielder becomes the first active Rhode Island FC player to be summoned to a FIFA member national team.
“Just to be able to be back in my hometown and have a professional environment in my backyard means a lot to me and my family,” Angking said. “Especially for the beautiful state of Rhode Island, to give back to the city, most importantly the youth, hopefully I can set a proper example — and help them look forward to something beautiful and bright coming up.”
Angking, who also played for Bayside FC, never saw the pitch with the Kilties but he is a Rhode Islander true to heart.
“Just being back home playing, playing for [family] and in front of them, honestly does feel like a full-circle moment,” Angking said. “It's just an honor for [RIFC] to be willing to trust me and enter this new project that we have ahead of us.”
Angking’s sophomore and junior years of high school were spent in Florida playing for a spot on the United States’ 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup roster. He didn’t make the team but became the second-youngest homegrown player to sign with the New England Revolution on Jan. 2, 2018.
Related: R.I.'s Angking made his own luck in pro soccer career
RIFC’s coach, Khano Smith, was one of his mentors while he was playing in the Revolution Academy and now the pair reunite with the Ocean State club. Angking’s professional career also includes stops in the MLS Next Pro and USL Championship. He made 19 appearances for Columbus Crew 2 in 2022 and won the inaugural MLS Next Pro Cup Championship.
Angking spent the 2023 season dealing with a quadriceps injury.
“His career has had some ups and downs, like everybody's, and he obviously had a down year last year and didn't really find a team,” Smith said. “We spoke about it being an opportunity for him, but obviously he’s got to prove that he had matured, and to be fair, he's grown a lot as a man, I think, in the past couple of years. His abilities are always going to be there.”
Angking's Puerto Rican roots are derived from his father’s side of the family, and Puerto Rico will have two more second-round matches in June 2025. The third and final round follow later that year and their success in CONCACAF with decide their standing for the World Cup.
“The Puerto Rican team and federation welcomed me with warmth and I felt like that was proof that I needed to switch on over,” Angking said. “Ever since I've signed, it's only been going up from there.
“It’s great to be invited and playing international football. Hopefully, we can make something happen within the next couple of months.”
jrousseau@providencejournal.com
On X: @ByJacobRousseau
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RIFC's Angking called up to Puerto Rican team for World Cup qualifiers
