RICHMOND, Va. – (Thursday, July 12, 2018) – The Richmond Kickers (5-9-2) will head to the Garden State to take on the New York Red Bulls II (6-5-7) from MSU Soccer Park in Montclair, New Jersey on Friday. Kickoff is set to take place at 7 p.m. and the game will be streamed on ESPN+.
The two squads squared off earlier this year on April 7 from City Stadium. Both sides walked away with a point, drawing 1-1 on the early season matchup. The Kickers lit up the scoreboard first when Brian Shriver curled a free kick into the top left corner of the net in the 17th minute. The Red Bulls equalized in the 69th minute when Cristian Cásseres picked out José Aguinaga who found the back of the net for his first professional goal. Friday night’s match will be the seventh meeting between the two clubs, with the Kickers trailing in the series 2-3-2.
Richmond will hit the road with a lot of confidence after picking up its first road win of the season on Monday, defeating Penn FC 2-1. The win also marked David Bulow’s first win as head coach for the Kickers. Scott Thomsen fired a missile off a free kick that tickled the twine from about 35 yards out for Richmond’s first goal in the 32nd minute. The Kickers capatilized off a costly Penn FC turnover when Brian Shriver picked up a mishandled pass and found Luiz Fernando streaking in front of the net to give RIchmond the 2-0 lead in the 74th minute. Penn FC would add a late goal from the penalty spot, but the Kickers held of for the 2-1 victory.
The New York Red Bulls II, currently sitting seventh in the Eastern Conference standings, are coming off a 6-1 rout of Atlanta United 2. It was the fifth time this year that the Red Bulls have won by four or more goals. Interesting enough, six different players scored for New York in the match beginning with Chris Lema in the 17th minute and concluding with Cristian Cásseres in the 90th minute. The Red Bulls lead the USL with 36 goals scored this season.
Following Friday’s match, the Kickers return home to City Stadium on July 21 to battle Atlanta United 2 during Carytown Block Party, presented by Bon Secours. Savor locally-owned restaurants and food trucks including legendary Carytown Burgers & Fries and Ginger Thai while browsing handcrafted and one-of-a-kind items on display in a mini-Carytown marketplace at City Stadium. The party starts at 5:30 p.m. with live music by Hazeltone, Carytown restaurants and food trucks, FREE bike valet, and over a dozen craft beers and ciders on tap, before the Richmond Kickers take on Atlanta United 2 at 7:00 p.m. Then, the Kickers will turn their attention towards RCD Espanyol of La Liga on July 25th. The friendly will be the first time that any team from Spain’s top soccer league makes a trip to the state of Virginia. Tickets are available for both games on www.richmondkickers.com.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Richmond: Defender Scott Thomsen (#10) has been a force in the past two games, garnering an assist against North Carolina FC and a stunning goal off of a free kick versus Penn FC. Thomsen’s goal earned a spot on as No. 5 on ESPN SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays. Forward Luiz Fernando (#71) tallied his third goal of USL play on Monday. The Brazilian has now started five matches, including both games with David Bulow at the helm. Defender Braeden Troyer (#31) once again showed his versatility, started at center back for the Kickers last match. Troyer led Richmond with 12 clearances in that match against Penn FC.
New York: Midfielder Amando Moreno (#20) is the Red Bulls lead goal scorer with seven goals to his name. The homegrown player has made 17 appearances this season. Forward Brian White (#42) has tallied six goals and three assists, both second best on the team. White has made an appearance in all 18 games this season. Goalkeeper Evan Louro (#24) has collected two clean sheets and 33 saves in 12 games. Louro is on loan from the New York Red Bulls of MLS.
