RICHMOND, VA – (Wednesday, April 6, 2016) – The Richmond Kickers return to City Stadium this Saturday, April 9 to host the defending USL Champions Rochester Rhinos and the I Heart Carytown Craft Beer Festival, presented by Bon Secours Sports Medicine. The party starts at 3:00 p.m. with live music by Hollywood Cemetery, 20+ craft beers on tap, food trucks and a free hop-on-hop-off trolley loop from Carytown to City Stadium before the Kickers pro game kicks off at 5:00 p.m. The first 200 fans through the gate will receive an exclusive sampling of small plates from legendary Carytown restaurants including Nacho Mama’s, Greek on Cary and Pink Belle Cupcakes and tickets are on sale now at www.richmondkickers.com.
This Saturday, the Kickers and the Rhinos meet for the 27th time since 1999 with Rochester holding the all-time series record advantage of 9-7-11.
Last season, the two clubs battled to a 1-1 draw in Rochester in August when the Kickers escaped the second leg of a grueling two-games-in-less-than-24-hours gauntlet with a point on the road. Forward Kenardo Forbes gave the Rhinos a second half lead that was quickly annulled by an own goal to salvage the point for Richmond. One month later, the Kickers shut out the eventual USL Champions in a scoreless draw at City Stadium. Kickers defender Braeden Troyer anchored the backline that allowed just five shots during the game, earning USL Team of the Week honors for the first time in his debut season.
The Kickers opened the 2016 campaign on March 26th with a win over the Harrisburg City Islanders at City Stadium with captain Michael Callahan, forward Jason Yeisley and midfielder Yudai Imura contributing to the 3-1 scoreline, before battling the Wilmington Hammerheads to a scoreless draw on the road one week later.
Meanwhile, the Rhinos began a three game road stand with a victory in Pittsburgh last week. A 7th minute tally by Christian Volesky and a staunch defense was enough to carry the USL powerhouse to a 1-0 win to start the 2016 season.
Saturday’s match kicks off a two-game home and away series between the clubs, swapping home field advantage in August. Following this weekend’s match, the Kickers embark on a two-game road stand before returning to City Stadium to host Toronto FC II on April 30.
Players to Watch
Kickers: Brian Ownby (#22) returned to the starting lineup for the Kickers home opener after being sidelined through injury for nine months and immediately made an impact, adding an assist in the 3-1 win. The homegrown midfielder out of Deep Run High School and University of Virginia tallied five goals and four assists in 14 appearances last season. Defender Hugh Roberts (#8) earned USL Team of the Week honors after anchoring the Kickers defense and shutting out Wilmington on the road last week. The native of Olney, MD amassed over 3,000 minutes in his first two professional seasons after being discovered at the Kickers 2014 pro tryouts. Last time at City Stadium, Yudai Imura (#14) led the Kickers offense with a goal and an assist in the 3-1 win against Harrisburg. The Japanese midfielder quickly earned his spot on the starting lineup in 2015, making 19 appearances in his debut season.
Rhinos: Jamaican midfielder Asani Samuels (#12) recorded a pair of goals in only 183 minutes last season before leading the Rhinos to the 2015 USL Championship title. Entering the match as a substitute in the 80th minute, he scored in second half stoppage to force overtime before tallying the game-winning goal in the 113th minute. Tony Walls (#20) anchored the Rhinos defensive unit that surrendered the fewest goals in the league last season, allowing just 15 goals in 28 matches. In his second season in Rochester in 2015, the former Chicago Fire defender played nearly every minute of every game, contributing to a league-best 17 shutouts. Goalkeeper Adam Grinwis (#1) backstopped the Rhinos to their first shutout of the season in a 1-0 win on the road in Pittsburgh to open the 2016 campaign. The sophomore goalkeeper out of University of Michigan posted a pair of shutouts in seven appearances during his debut season in 2015.
