RICHMOND, Va. – The Richmond Kickers battled but fell 3-0 to Columbus Crew in U.S. Open Cup play Wednesday night at City Stadium.
Richmond came out aggressive, creating early chances and testing the defense with multiple efforts in the opening 10 minutes of play. Yann Fillion delivered a strong performance in goal, making several key saves to keep the Kickers within reach through the first half. Columbus capitalized on their opportunities, scoring just before halftime and adding two more in the second half to secure a 3-0 result in the Round of 32.
Columbus was led by Hugo Picard who assisted Andrés Herrera for the teams opening goal while recording one of his own.
From Head Coach Darren Sawatzky
“I’ve been on both sides of this and played and coached in MLS for 20 years.You know, I’ve been on this side. It’s hard to come in and play against a motivated young team. It’s a great thing for us, we have a great legacy. We win more than we lose in the Open Cup.”
Breaking Down The Action
- Mujeeb Murana won the ball and carried it forward before finding Nils Seufert, whose delivery into the box resulted in a corner in the 2nd minute.
- The Kickers created multiple chances, with Sam Layton sending a header into the box which was cleared just off the line by a Crew defender. Lucca Dourado and Ali Sasankhah followed with a pair of attempts off a rebound narrowly missing the net in the 7th minute.
- Columbus earned a free kick in the 10th minute, forcing Yann Fillion to tip it away.
- Fillion came up big in a one-on-one situation in the 25th minute, diving to stop a Columbus attempt in the box.
- A cross from the right side was redirected into the net by Andrés Herrera, assisted by Hugo Picard for the MLS side in the 41st minute..
- Columbus led 1-0 at halftime.
- Austin Amer, Josh Kirkland, and Landon Johnson came on for Seufert, Dourado, and Owen O’Malley in the 52nd minute.
- Beckett Howell entered the match for Sam Layton in the 53rd minute.
- Hugo Picard added a second goal for the visitors in the 64th minute.
- Murana tracked back and broke up a dangerous through ball near the box in the 67th minute.
- In the 72nd minute, Daniel Moore came on for Murana.
- Jamal Thiaré scored to extend the lead for the MLS side in the 74th minute.
- Yann made a diving save to deny another attempt in the 78th minute.
- The final whistle sounded in the 103 minute with the score 0-3 in favor of the MLS side.
Notable Numbers
- 3: Wednesday marked the Kickers third U.S. Open Cup match at City Stadium this season.
- 8: The Kickers tallied eight shots on the night.
- 10: Captain Dakota Barnathan is playing in his 10th professional season and fifth as a Richmond Kicker.
- 16: With the win, Richmond advances to the U.S. Open Cup Round of 16.
- 34: 2026 marks the Kickers 34th continuously operating season.
- 38: The Kickers have 38 wins all-time in the modern era of the U.S. Open Cup.
- 43: Wednesday’s match marked Richmond’s 43rd U.S. Open Cup match at City Stadium all-time.
- 5046: The Kickers battled the MLS side in front of 5,046 fans tonight.
U.S. Open Cup History
- The Kickers now hold a 31-10-2 record all-time at City Stadium in U.S. Open Cup competition.
- Richmond now holds a 5-17 record all-time vs. MLS teams in the Open Cup competition and a 3-9 mark when playing at City Stadium.
- The Kickers are the only active professional soccer club outside of the MLS to have won a U.S. Open Cup, claiming the 1995 title.
- This season marks the club’s 26th appearance in the U.S. Open Cup overall.
- Richmond Chairman and CEO Rob Ukrop starred for the victorious 1995 side, playing striker and winning matchup MVP in the final vs. the El Paso Patriots.
- Chief Sporting Officer and Head Coach Darren Sawatzky played in the 1999 Open Cup and was a member of the Seattle Sounders FC coaching staff that won four titles between 2009 and 2014
Series History
- With the result, Richmond now holds a 1-3-0 record all-time against Columbus Crew in U.S. Open Cup play.
- The two clubs last faced each other on June 17, 2015, with Columbus claiming a 3-1 win to advance to the Open Cup round of 16.
- The Kickers claimed a 2-1 road win over Columbus on June 28, 2011 to advance to the Open Cup Quarterfinals.
- Richmond would go on to defeat Sporting KC 2-0 on July 12, 2011 to advance to the Semifinals.
- The Kickers road victory over Sporting KC was it’s last win against an MLS side in Open Cup play.
Up Next
- The Kickers return to USL1 Regular Season play, welcoming Union Omaha to City Stadium on Saturday, April 18 at 6:00 p.m. EST. The game will be broadcast on CBS 6.3 and ESPN+ with live updates and links available at richmondkickers.com or @RichmondKickers on X (Twitter).
