RICHMOND, VA – (Friday, March 30, 2018) – The Richmond Kickers (0-2-0) will play their second of three-straight home matches at City Stadium this Saturday night at 5:00 p.m. as they host another new club to the USL, North Carolina FC (0-1-0). This game is also RVA Bike Fest, with the gates opening at 3:30 p.m. with live music, RVA food trucks and over a dozen craft beers on tap. Anyone that rides their bike to City Stadium can get tickets for just $8, plus a free Bike Valet courtesy of I Am RVA and the Giant pop-up shop for free tune-ups. Then, the Kickers take the field to take on North Carolina for a 5:00 p.m. kickoff. This match will be available live on the Kickers Official Television partners WTVR CBS 6 and streaming online through the USL Match Center. Tickets are on sale now at www.richmondkickers.com.
When the two clubs meet this Saturday, it will be the first time they have met in league play, but the fifth overall with honors even with a 2-2-0 record. The Kickers have hosted North Carolina on two occasions for exhibitions before the start of the 2007 and 2009 seasons, both of which were victories for Richmond. The other two contests have come in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, both on the road at North Carolina FC, with the home side getting the best of the Kickers each time in 2007 and 2009.
Richmond opened the home slate for the 2018 season last Saturday night, falling to Indy Eleven 0-1. The visitors broke the deadlock in the 41st minute with Soony Saad getting to the endline with enough space to send in a cross to the back post as Jack McInerney beat Raul Gonzalez to the ball and finding the back of the net.
North Carolina FC played their first USL match since joining the league, March 17 hosting the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Steven Miller tied the game up for the home team in the 38th minute from an assist by Marios Lomis. Two more goals from the Rowdies gave the visitors all three points as NCFC fell in their opening match of the season. North Carolina was slated to play on the road at Louisville City FC, as weather and field conditions forced the postponement of the match.
The Kickers will close out their three-match home stand next Saturday night as they host New York Red Bulls II and the I Heart Carytown Craft Beer Festival. The gates open at 3:00 p.m. with live music by Pretty Ugly, a mini-Carytown marketplace featuring locally-owned restaurants, food trucks and handcrafted items from Carytown boutiques, 20+ craft beers on tap and the Kickers pro game versus New York Red Bulls II at 5:00 p.m. to showcase why Carytown is the best place to Eat, Shop and Play. Tickets are available now at www.richmondkickers.com.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Richmond: Midfielder Neil Hlavaty (#7) made his Kickers debut last Saturday against Indy Eleven, wearing the captain’s armband. He signed with the Kickers before the start of the season following an extensive professional career, including recent stints with North Carolina FC and the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. Defender Conor Shanosky (#5) has played every minute for the Kickers in their first two matches this season. The Pittsburgh, PA native made 18 appearances for the Kickers last season, including 15 starts and scored one goal. Forward Giuseppe Gentile (#92) made his first start for the Kickers in last Saturday’s match against Indy Eleven, his second appearance of the season recording three shots in 90 minutes. Gentile joins the Kickers after one season with Puerto Rico FC, where he contributed four goals and five assists in 27 appearances.
North Carolina: Defender Steven Miller (#31) scored the first goal in the USL for North Carolina FC in their season opening match against the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Miller was loaned to NCFC for the final five matches of 2015 while with the Tulsa Roughnecks, before signing with North Carolina in 2016. Midfielder Kyle Bekker (#10) made his debut with NCFC March 17, where he recorded three shots in 90 minutes. Drafted third overall by Toronto FC in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft, Bekker went on to make stops at FC Dallas, Montreal Impact and the San Francisco Deltas before landing with North Carolina. Defender Peabo Doue (#3) is another new face on the NCFC roster, making his debut in the club’s season opener, playing 90 minutes and taking two shots. Doue most recently faced the Kickers in 2016 while with Wilmington Hammerheads FC.
