RICHMOND, Va. – (Friday, September 21, 2018) – The Richmond Kickers (6-19-4) return to action Saturday night as they travel down to Florida to take on the Tampa Bay Rowdies (10-12-7) at Al Lang Stadium for a 7:00 p.m. kickoff. The Kickers will host an official watch party at the Hof Garden, located at 2818 West Broad Street, Suite A, Richmond, Va. 23230. This match will be available live on WTVR CBS 6.3 (Comcast 206, Verizon FiOS 466) and streaming online through ESPN+.
Saturday’s match against Tampa Bay will be the fourth meeting between the two clubs, with a series that is all even at 1-1-1. Earlier this season, the Rowdies made the trek to City Stadium back on May 12, with the Kickers coming out on top with a 1-0 victory. Austin Yearwood connected with D.C. United loanee Dane Kelly to score the only goal of the match, giving Richmond the full three points and first victory over the Rowdies.
Richmond enters Saturday’s match coming off a 0-2 loss from Ottawa Fury FC at City Stadium last Saturday night. Ottawa jumped ahead in the 10th minute as Carl Haworth whipped in a cross. Mallan Roberts dove to head it away from danger, but instead directed into the Kickers net for an own goal. Haworth finally struck in the 38th minute, curling in a corner kick into the goal for the second of the night for Ottawa.
Tampa Bay made the midweek trip to face Nashville SC at First Tennessee Park Wednesday night, walking away with a 2-1 victory on the road. Georgi Hristov converted a penalty kick after just six minutes to put the Rowdies ahead early. Lebo Moloto finished off a cross from Kosuke Kimura in the 20th minute to level the score for Nashville. The Rowdies had a break in the 69th minute when a cross from Junior Flemmings was put in the Nashville goal by defender London Woodberry for the own goal.
The Kickers return to City Stadium to host the Eastern Conference leading FC Cincinnati and Cider Fest. The festivities start at 5:30 p.m. with live music, RVA food trucks, and Happy Hour specials on over 20 ciders and craft beers. Kickoff for the game is at 7:00 p.m. This match is the USL Game of the Week and will stream online on ESPN3 and will be available locally on WTVR CBS 6.3 (Comcast 206, Verizon FiOS 466). Tickets for the FC Cincinnati match are on sale now at www.richmondkickers.com.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Richmond: Midfielder Oscar Umar (#14) lead all players last Saturday night with 120 passes, and a pass accuracy percentage of 94.5%. The Right to Dream Academy and Villanova University product is in his second season in Richmond, making 30 appearances and scoring one goal. Defender Scott Thomsen (#10) made his return to the Kickers lineup against Ottawa, making five tackles and recording three clearances in the backline for the Kickers. Thomsen returned to the Kickers this season, after spending the 2017 season with Orlando City B, where he made 15 appearances. Goalkeeper Brandon Barnes (#33) made his first professional start having made three saves in his first outing. Barnes spent the 2018 season with Laredo Heat SC in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), helping the club to an undefeated season with 10 wins.
Tampa Bay: Forward Georgi Hristov (#10) leads the Rowdies in scoring with seven goals this season, scoring his latest in the club’s 2-1 road victory at Nashville. The Bulgarian native has been with the Rowdies since the 2013 season. Midfielder Junior Flemmings (#7) has recorded five assists this season to lead the club. In his first season with Tampa Bay, the Jamaican international joined the club after spending two seasons with New York Red Bulls II, where he scored 16 goals in 52 matches. Midfielder Joe Cole (#26) has four goals in 25 games this season. The England international brought Premier League experience to the Rowdies after spending time with Chelsea FC and West Ham United.
