It’s been quite a month for Isaac Angking.
The soccer star and Providence native 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 Rico Football Federation men’s team for the upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifying matches.
Angking, graduated from Mount Pleasant High School, will compete in the second round of the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Football, or CONCACAF, for the Puerto Rico National Team. This team will face El Salvador, in San Salvador, on June 6, and will host Anguilla five days later.
The midfielder becomes the first active Rhode Island FC player to be called up to a FIFA member national team.
“Just being able to go back to 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, especially to the young people, I hope I can set a suitable example – and help them look forward to something beautiful and bright to come.”
Angking, who also played for Bayside FC, has never been on the field with the Kilties, but is a true Rhode Islander.
“Just coming home playing, playing for [family] and in front of them, it honestly feels like a full circle moment,” said Angking. “It’s just an honor to [RIFC] be willing to trust myself and enter into 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 roster for the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup. became the second youngest local player to sign with the New England Revolution on January 2, 2018.
Related: Angking, from RI, was lucky in his professional football career
RIFC coach Khano Smith was one of his mentors while playing for the Revolution Academy and now the pair reunite with the Ocean State club. Angking’s professional career also includes stints in MLS Next Pro and USL Championship. He made 19 appearances for Columbus Crew 2 in 2021 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 everyone’s, and he obviously had a bad year last year and didn’t find a team,” Smith said. “We talk about it being an opportunity for him, but obviously he has to prove that he has matured and, to be fair, he has grown a lot as a man, I think, in the last two years. His skills will always be there.”
Angking’s Puerto Rican roots stem 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 will take place later that year and their success in CONCACAF will decide their qualification for the World Cup Cup.
“The Puerto Rican national team and federation welcomed me warmly and I felt this was proof that I needed to change,” said Angking. “Since I signed, it’s only been going up from there.
“It’s great to be invited and play international football. Hopefully we can make something happen in the next few months.”
jrousseau@providencejournal.com
In X: @ByJacobRousseau
This article originally appeared in The Providence Journal: Angking, from RIFC, is called up to the Puerto Rican squad for the World Cup qualifiers
