The pair each scored during the Kickers 3-2 win on Saturday
TAMPA, Fla. – USL League One announced on Monday that Richmond Kickers’ forward Jonathan Bolanos and midfielder Nil Vinyals were named to the league’s team of the week for week 12 following their performances in the Kickers’ 3-2 win over Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC. The duo’s team of the week-worthy performances are presented by Legends Soccer Co.
Bolanos earns his second weekly honor in as many weeks after earning player of the week honors in week 11. It marks the third time the third-year pro has earned a weekly honor from USL League One. Vinyals earns his third placement in the league’s weekly honors after earning team of the week in week 6 and player of the week in week 1. The Spaniard has earned five cumulative weekly honors since joining the Kickers in 2021.
A week after assisting three of the Kickers’ goals in their 4-0 win over Charlotte Independence, Bolanos found his first goal of the season which proved to be the game winner against Hailstorm as he converted Owayne Gordon’s looping cross that froze the defense. The Miramar, Fla. native also influenced the Kickers’ second goal of the night, shooting from inside the box on target which forced a deflecting save from the keeper that Emiliano Terzaghi quickly shot into the net.
“It is a great feeling to be named to the team of the week,” Bolanos said. “More importantly, I am happy for the win on Saturday night in front of our great fans at home.
“Leading up to my goal, the game was tight and we were under a little bit of pressure once [Hailstorm] scored their first goal. Scoring our third one to close out the game was huge for me personally and to also secure the win.”
Bolanos finished taking four of his five shots inside of the box as well as creating two chances including one big chance.
“Overall, I am very happy to get the win and stay at the top of the table, but now we look ahead to two road games that should be a good test,” Bolanos added.
Vinyals found the back of the net for the first time since scoring a brace in the team’s season opener in April. The string puller for the Kickers’ attack scored the first goal of the match after converting Matthew Bentley’s assist with a pure volley on the run that was hit with so much pace the keeper was still turning to make the save as it hit the back of the net.
“I’m glad to be able to contribute with my performance to the team’s good results,” Vinyals said. “Happy with the result but we still have a long way to go in terms of the process.
“We cannot be deceived by results as we are far away from our best performances. However, we need to keep using the ball as a means to dominate games in a more consistent way and, ultimately, achieve our goals.”
A menace in the Hailstorm penalty area, Vinyals took three of his four shots from inside of the box while his fourth shot was a free kick taken from the edge of the box that beat the defensive wall and keeper. The attempt was centimeters away from banking off the post and into the net but, instead, unluckily deflected back into play.
He finished the match with an 86 percent overall passing accuracy and a 75 percent passing accuracy in the final third – finishing first amongst non-defenders with at least 10 or more passes.
The Kickers are on the road for their next match as they travel to Forward Madison FC on Thursday, June 23 for an 8 p.m. kickoff. The official watch party for the match will be at The Playbook Sportsbar and Grill.
Stay up to date with the latest news from the Kickers at RichmondKickers.com and on the official team app.