Rifle is good as a snowball effect commander that has something to rely on the late game.
You play aggresively early on with 3/4 Rifles, you follow it up with light vehicle play (M20/Stuart) > nades.
At this point you kick vet2 buff earlier due to vet1 Rifles AND you get a freebie upgrade with the flamethrower. The fact that you don't need research nor you have to go back to base is a huge plus.
