RICHMOND, Va. – The Richmond Kickers are pleased to announce the signing of forward Sam Solomon following a successful trial period, pending league and federation approval. Solomon will be available for selection Saturday when the Kickers host Fort Lauderdale CF at City Stadium.
“Sam came into camp this year with the goal of making our roster,” Chief Sporting Officer and Head Coach Darren Sawatzky said. “He has stayed true to his commitment and he has worked incredibly hard for the chance to play for the Kickers. Sam comes every day ready to work hard and through the friendly games and daily training — he has worked himself into this opportunity. Sam was already part of us, today just solidifies his name on the Kickers roster.”
Solomon (21) signs his first professional contract with the Kickers after training successfully as a trialist over the last five months. He began training with fellow trialists turned Kickers’ pros, Austin Causey and Chris Cole.
“I want to thank Coach Darren and Coach Mika [Elovaara] for believing in me and bringing me on originally as a trialist,” Solomon said. “I also want to thank the guys in the dressing room for welcoming me as a member of the team since the beginning. It’s very fulfilling to achieve this first professional goal of signing a contract with the club.”
Solomon came to Richmond via the DMV area after playing three years of college soccer at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) as well as the National Premier Soccer League’s Northern Virginia United.
He prides himself on being a jack of all trades who brings intelligence and pace to the various areas of the pitch, and he specialized in college as a player to come in as a sub and change up the makeup of the match. During his final season at UMBC, Solomon, despite not starting the match, contributed two goals on two shots including the gamewinner when the Retrievers defeated Liberty University 4-1. While a forward at UMBC, Solomon also brings defensive experience as a former centerback in high school.
“We are consistently looking for the best ways to trial players and have them in our environment,” Sawatzky said. “With the issues all the teams face in the current landscape, having guys with us in full-time training is the best way to see them. We are building in Richmond for the long term and the training trialist initiative has already paid dividends for us in 2021. Sam wants to compete and take his game as far as he can, so the work starts now for him in regards to game days.”
The Kickers return to action Saturday night at City Stadium when they host Fort Lauderdale CF — the MLS affiliate to David Beckham’s Inter Miami. Kickoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. Tickets are still available for the match at https://www.richmondkickers.com/tickets. The match will also air live on WTVR CBS 6.3 (Comcast 206, Verizon FiOS 466) and will be streamed on ESPN+.
TRANSACTION: Richmond Kickers have signed forward Sam Solomon to a contract for the 2021 USL League One season on July 16, 2021.
