RICHMOND, VA – (Friday, June 15, 2018) – The Richmond Kickers (4-7-1) continue their run of three games in eight days by traveling to face FC Cincinnati (8-3-3) from Nippert Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m on Saturday night. The match is available on the Kickers Official Television Partners, WTVR CBS 6 on their 6.3 sub channel (Comcast 206, Verizon FiOS 466) and can be streamed live on ESPN+.
“It’s a pretty big challenge for us,” said Kickers Defender Austin Yearwood. “They’re one of the more dominant forces at home, but we’ve been building ourselves too each week. We see some promising things and hopefully we can carry that into the weekend.”
Richmond and Cincinnati began meeting in 2016 when FC Cincinnati joined the USL. This will be the last year of USL play between the two sides as Cincinnati will be promoted to the MLS in 2019. The Kickers have an opportunity to beat Cincinnati for the first time, trailing 0-1-3 in the all-time series. The series began with three straight 1-1 draws before Cincinnati beat Richmond 2-0 in the most recent meeting.
The Kickers are coming off a 2-1 defeat on the road at Penn FC on Tuesday. Richmond had plenty of chances early, but couldn’t convert. In fact, the woodwork prevented a potential Brian Shriver goal in the 51st minute. Penn FC scored the opening goal in the 56th minute when Isaac Osae pounced on an open ball in the box. Dan Metzger extended Penn FC’s lead in the 86th minute on a header off a corner kick. Heviel Cordovés responded late with a header of his own in extra time to avoid the shutout. Richmond dropped back to 14th in the Eastern Conference standings following the loss.
“We’ve actually played our best soccer over the last two games,” said Kickers Head Coach Leigh Cowlishaw. “We certainly should have won the game on Tuesday night. Really frustrated that we were on the wrong end of that. We’ll go in [Saturday] with a lot of confidence and try to continue that type of performance.”
On Wednesday night, FC Cincinnati and Bethlehem Steel FC played to a 2-2 draw from Nippert Stadium. Bethlehem got on the board first when Derrick Jones scored off a rebound in the 29th minute. The Orange and Blue found a rhythm in the second half when Nazmi Albadawi and Russell Cicerone scored goals two minutes apart in the 66th and 68th minute for Cincinnati. The Steel leveled the match just a minute later on a Fabian Herbers header and held on for the point down a man. FC Cincinnati has been on a tear all year long, currently sitting atop the Eastern Conference standings with 27 points.
Following Saturday’s match, the Kickers return home on Saturday, June 23 to host the Charlotte Independence for Summer Fest from City Stadium presented by Sticks Kebob Shop, Crossridge Family & Cosmetic Dentistry and Bounce 2 The Moon. The party starts at 5:30 pm with live music by Hazeltone, a one-of-a-kind splash zone featuring a 40-foot slip ‘n slide and a 20-foot water slide, human foosball, soccer darts, inflatable games, RVA food trucks and over a dozen craft beers on tap! Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and tickets are available now on www.richmondkickers.com.
Players to Watch
Richmond: Forward Heviel Cordovés (#16) continued his scoring run with his third goal of the year against Penn FC. Cordovés is now tied for the Kickers’ lead in goals, tallying a goal in two straight USL matches. Defender Braeden Troyer (#31) has done it all for the Kickers this year from the center of the pitch. Troyer leads the Kickers with 30 tackles and is tied for the lead with 24 interceptions. Defender Austin Yearwood (#3) continues to shine on the back line from the left back position. He is also a threat when he pushes up on attacks, as Yearwood is second on the Kickers with two assists.
Cincinnati: Forward Danni König (#11) leads Cincinnati with six goals which is tied for fifth most in the USL. König. Midfielder Emmanuel Ledesma (#45) is Cincinnati’s biggest playmaker and will return to Saturday’s match after having to sit out Wednesday with five yellow cards.. Ledesma has collected five goals and added seven assists which tops the USL. Goalkeeper Evan Newton (#1) has racked up three clean sheets on the year and saves shots at a 71.4 percent clip. Newton is in his first year with Cincinnati, making 10 starts so far this season.
