Match Information:
Broadcast Information:
RICHMOND, Va. – The Richmond Kickers (6-7-7) travel to Foxborough, Mass. to face New England Revolution II for the fourth and final time this season. Kickoff for the match is set for September 17th at 7:00 p.m
The Kickers’ previous matchup was the second matchup between their Henny Derby rivals, Forward Madison FC. The teams previously met in Wisconsin in June, resulting in a scoreless draw, with neither side finding that wedge to separate themselves.
This time around, the match began with high-intensity pressure from Richmond and quick closing-down from the defensive backline. Richmond led the match in shots (13) and possession (50.6%) as the team enjoyed a balance of playing on the counter-attack and building up from the back. Matt Bolduc, Emiliano Terzaghi, Ethan Bryant, and Oalex Anderson each tested Forward Madison’s Phil Breno but the keeper made five saves to hold off the Richmond attack.
Nathan Aune, Ivan Magalhães, Zaca Moran, Nil Vinyals and Matt Bolduc all had passing accuracies of 80% or higher, but, despite the team firing on all cylinders in terms of distribution, shots and defense, Madison ended up scoring the go-ahead goal in the 50th minute. Following the tie-breaking goal, Madison was content to soak up the pressure of Richmond’s attack and rely on Breno’s performance to keep them a clean sheet.
With the matchup against Revs II, the Kickers have a chance to earn critical points against a side they have previously beaten twice and tied once — scoring two or more goals in each match. This time around, New England sits just above Richmond in the league table, but, with the table so compressed, both sides will be fighting to earn three points to move closer to a playoff spot.
Revs II’s last match was against North Carolina FC. Revs II lost the match to NCFC 4-1 despite opening the scoring with an Esmir Bajraktarevic goal in the 12th minute. NCFC went on to score four unanswered goals beginning just four minutes after the initial goal.
Following the match in Foxborough, Richmond will enjoy a return to City Stadium on September 25th to face midtable rivals Toronto FC II with a more complete squad than their last matchup. Kickoff for this match is set for 6:30 p.m.
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Richmond Kickers
Esteban Calvo (#20) has become a more regular starter in the right-back position for Richmond. An addition in May, Calvo has slotted into the team well and consistently puts in a good shift. Calvo has 32 clearances, 20 interceptions, and six blocks. Calvo will play a big part in neutralizing the wing play on New England’s left wing.
Akira Fitzgerald (#1) has the most saves in the league (65) and is tied for most clean sheets (7). Fitzgerald’s save percentage is 74.7% and has been the deciding factor in some games when Richmond needs that last little bit of edge to gain points.
Emiliano Terzaghi (#32) sits at the top of the goalscorers table with Greenville Triumph SC’s Mario Lomis at 12 goals. Terzaghi has scored in each of the last three matchups against New England, twice on their last matchup.
New England Revolution II
Noel Buck (#61) plays as a central midfielder and previously scored against Richmond last time out. Buck has a passing accuracy of 83.8%, four goals and an assist to his name this season.
Ryan Spaulding (#34) is the man with the most minutes logged for Revs II with 1,637 minutes, over 100 minutes more than the next player in the squad. Spaulding is a key component to New England’s defense and transitioning in the attack as well with an 82.2% passing accuracy.
Damian Rivera (#12) is New England’s leading goalscorer (5). Rivera leads the squad in shots (38) and shots on target (16) despite typically playing as a wide midfielder. Look out for Rivera to add some pace on the wing along with Ryan Spaulding.
