RICHMOND, Va. – (Friday, July 20, 2018) – The Richmond Kickers (5-10-2) welcome Atlanta United 2 (3-9-5) to City Stadium on Saturday night. It’s the Carytown Block Party, presented by Bon Secours. 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. Tickets are still available on www.richmondkickers.com.
Atlanta United 2 is in its first season in the USL. Saturday will mark the first all-time meeting between the two squads. Atlanta currently sits in 15th in the USL Eastern Conference standings with Richmond just ahead in 14th place.
Richmond returns home in front of the Red Army following two games on the road. The Kickers did pick up their first road win during that time, defeating Penn FC 2-1. Scott Thomsen notched a goal from a curling free kick, which landed him on the ESPN SportsCenter Top 10 plays. Later in the match, Brian Shriver found Luiz Fernando in front of the net for Fernando’s third goal in league play. David Bulow picked up his first career win with the Kickers at FNB Field. Last Friday, the New York Red Bulls II picked up three points against the Kickers, winning 5-1. Brian Shriver added a tap-in goal for Richmond’s lone goal in the match.
Atlanta is coming off a 2-1 victory over Bethlehem Steel FC at home from Coolray Field. Brandon Vazquez started the scoring when he chipped it over Bethlehem’s goalkeeper Jake McGuire in the 25th minute. Atlanta doubled its lead in the 50th minute when Oliver Shannon blasted a shot from outside the box that found the bottom-right corner of the net. Bethlehem scored a late goal, but Atlanta held on in the closing minutes to pick up its third home win of the year.
After Saturday’s game, the Kickers will play host to RCD Espanyol from City Stadium on Wednesday, July 25, presented by Big Apple Neighborhood Market. Before the match, fans will have the opportunity to see the La Liga opponent at an open training session, presented by Lalo’s Cocina, on July 23 at 7 p.m. The open training session is free with the purchase of a ticket to the match against Espanyol. Tickets are available on www.richmondkickers.com.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Richmond: Forward Brian Shriver (#21) continues to be the Kickers main offensive weapon. In the past two games, Shriver has collected two goals and an assist. Shriver leads Richmond with five goals on the season. Goalkeeper Travis Worra (#48) was named to the USL Team of the Week for Week 18. The Lancaster, PA native recorded 17 saves during both matches, including a season-high 12 saves last Friday night. Defender Mekeil Williams (#55) has appeared in 14 games and tallied 1,130 minutes for Richmond. Williams made six clearances in last Friday’s lost which led Richmond.
Atlanta: Forward Jon Gallagher (#26) is Atlanta’s go-to guy on offense. Gallagher, who finished his college career with Notre Dame in 2017, leads Atlanta with five goals. Midfielder Oliver Shannon (#29) has been a consistent fixture in Atlanta’s lineup, starting 16 of the team’s 17 games. Shannon scored his first goal of the season last game against Bethlehem. Defender AJ Cochran (#3) is integral in Atlanta’s backline as a center back. Cochran is Atlanta’s leader this season with 72 clearances and 27 interceptions.
