FC Rodina began its journey in the Russian Second League in 2019. Seven years later, the club earned the right to compete in the Russian Premier League!
Football
First League 2025/2026
Matchday 33, May 8, 2026, 20:30
Rodina 2
Chelyabinsk 0
The Moscow side could have reached the top flight even earlier. In 2023, under then-coach Dmitry Parfenov, they lost promotion playoffs against Sergey Yuran’s Pari NN (0:3, 2:0).
Ahead of those matches, *Sport Express* interviewed Rodina’s chief operating and sporting director, Alexey Zinin. Here’s a key excerpt:
— “We don’t pay bonuses for draws at Rodina. Football is about winning. When the club was founded four years ago, we discussed with owner Sergey Lomakin what style the team should play. We immediately settled on a philosophy.”
— “And what is that philosophy?”
— “Rodina should aim to play as the first number, create plenty of chances, show elements of intelligent football, and always think about victory. The club’s internal system, including bonuses, must push players to win—not encourage them to settle for a draw.”
This season, Rodina drew 11 matches. However, they lost fewer games than anyone else in the league—just four times. They also led the division in goals scored, with 54.
Rodina had a rocky start to the championship: just one point from three matches, with losses to Kostroma and Ural. The club decided to part ways with Slovenian coach Zoran Zeljković. For five rounds, Barseg Kirakosyan served as interim head coach, and results were decent: two big wins—over Torpedo and Neftekhimik—and three draws.
From matchday nine, Spanish coach Juan Díaz took over, having previously worked in Sevilla’s system. Under him, Rodina secured eight wins, one loss, and five draws before the winter break, finishing in third place. In December, they were five points behind Ural and 12 behind Fakel.
During the winter transfer window, Rodina made targeted additions, all free agents: 26-year-old center-forward Kerfala Cissoko (previously with Finnish club Jaro), 26-year-old left winger Teodoro Arce (from Paraguay), and 26-year-old right winger Soltmurad Bakaev (last at Akron).
Rodina also had a good working relationship with Akron. Back in August, they loaned 30-year-old goalkeeper Sergey Volkov, who became a rock at the back—15 clean sheets in 28 appearances! Rodina has an option to buy him.
To date, none of the winter signings have become automatic starters, though each has contributed in his own way.
**Wins Over Ural and Fakel**
In the spring, Díaz stuck with a 4-3-3 formation. The usual back four (left to right) were Dyatlov, Meshchaninov, Krizhan, and Sokol. Fishchenko anchored the midfield. Above him, two playmakers—Reina and Egorychev—operated. Timoshenko led the attack, with Maksimenko on the left. On the right, Abdusalamov and Bakaev competed for the spot, with the former looking stronger.
Rodina stormed through March: 13 points from five matches! Their attacking unit swept aside all opposition. Reina notched 2 goals and 3 assists, Timoshenko had 3+1, and Maksimenko scored 4 goals.
The highlight was a home win over Ural—3:1. The “Bumblebees” looked sharper in attack for the first half-hour, but Rodina’s current trademark is punishing opponents for mistakes in an instant.
In the 35th minute, Vasily Berezutsky’s team launched another promising attack. Kharin crossed from the left to Zheleznov, but Yuri failed to connect. Rodina immediately countered: Reina carried the ball 40 meters, slid it left, and Timoshenko finished with a single touch…