Club

Kickers Take on Lansing Saturday at City Stadium

RICHMOND, Va. – (Friday, May 3, 2019) – The Richmond Kickers (2-2-1) continue their home stand Saturday night against Lansing Ignite FC at 7:00 p.m. The party gets started at 5:30 p.m. for Star Wars Night, with happy hour drink specials for the first 30 minutes after the gates open with craft beer on tap and selections of wine, live music. The players will come out for warm ups in limited edition Star Wars pregame jerseys, which will be auctioned off to benefit Sportable. This match will be available to stream live on ESPN+. Tickets are available now at www.richmondkickers.com.

This match will mark the third and final meeting between the two clubs for the 2019 USL League One regular season. Lansing has had the better of the Kickers, taking two wins in the first two meetings of the season.

LIFC claimed a 3-2 win over the Kickers to open up the 2019 season at City Stadium March 30. Maxi Rodriguez and Joe Gallardo scored for Richmond in the second half trying to make the comeback after first half goals from Tumi Moshobane and Xavier Gomez, followed by a goal right out of halftime by Kevin Coiffic.

An early red card doomed the Kickers on the road in Lansing April 14. Rodriguez was shown the red card after two yellows in 27th and 34th minute, reducing the Kickers to 10 men for the remainder of the match. LIFC capitalized on the advantage in the second half with goals from Nick Moon, Alex Bruce and Grant Stoneman. Dennis Chin made his debut in this match, coming on in the 54th minute and netting his first goal in a Richmond shirt just 12 minutes later.

Richmond comes into this match riding a two-match win streak following a 1-0 victory over Chattanooga Red Wolves SC last Saturday night at City Stadium. Joe Gallardo put Richmond on the board in the 52nd minute following a brilliant run up the right wing by Mutaya Mwape to get to the endline and serve up a perfectly placed pass for Gallardo to put away. The Kickers backline lead by Wahab Ackwei and Akira Fitzgerald worked towards their second straight shutout and third of the season. Ackwei and Mwape were named to the USL Team of the Week for their performances.

A midweek match up for Lansing has them riding a two-match losing streak, falling to FC Tucson on the road Tuesday night, 0-2. Devyn Jambga and Devin Vega gave the home side the win with goals in the each half respectively. Nick Moon stood out for LIFC, completing 81.6 percent of his passes.

The Kickers are back at City Stadium this Tuesday, May 7 to open up the 2019 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup against amateur side Virginia United. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. for Food Truck Night, featuring a variety of RVA food trucks. It is also Two for Tuesday, where you can get two tickets and two beers for just $22. This match and the entire Open Cup will be available to stream live on ESPN+. Get tickets now at www.richmondkickers.com.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Richmond: Midfielder Mutaya Mwape (#80) was named to the USL League One Team of the Week for Week 5 following his performance in the Kickers 1-0 win over Chattanooga. The Zambian midfielder won nine of 15 duels and made 38 passes which included the assist to Joe Gallardo for the game winner. Midfielder and Captain Maxi Rodriguez (#21) scored in the opening match of the season against Lansing. The San Antonio native has made four appearances for Richmond this season, recording ten interceptions and three clearances. Defender Braeden Troyer (#31) has made two appearances for the Kickers this season coming off knee surgery that kept him out of action since last season. A product of the University of South Carolina, Troyer has made two clearances and had one interception in 59 minutes of play this season.

Lansing: Midfielder Xavier Gomez (#10) had a goal and an assist in the first meeting between the two clubs back on March 30. Gomez made 13 appearances for Chicago FC United before joining LIFC in the off season. Midfielder Kyle Carr (#8) has made five appearances, all starts for Lansing this season. Carr has recorded eight interceptions and five clearances. Defender Nick Moon (#14) was the stand out player in the team’s last match on the road in Tucson. He completed 81.6 percent of his passes in that outing.

Ackwei, Mwape Named to Team of the Week

RICHMOND, Va. – (Tuesday, April 30, 2019) – USL League One announced on Tuesday that Wahab Ackwei and Mutaya Mwape have been named to the USL League One Team of the Week for Week 5.

Ackwei is making his third appearance in the USL League One Team of the Week after the Kickers recorded their second straight shutout, and third for the season. The Ghanian defender completed 95.6% of his passes, and also made eight clearances and made one block.

Mwape earned his first appearance in the Team of the Week after picking up his first assist of the season. The Zambian midfielder won nine of 15 duels and made 38 passes.

The Kickers are back at City Stadium next Saturday night for the third and final meeting with Lansing Ignite FC at 7:00 p.m. The party gets started at 5:30 p.m. for Star Wars Night, with happy hour drink specials for the first 30 minutes after the gates open with craft beer on tap and selections of wine, live music. The players will come out for warm ups in limited edition Star Wars pregame jerseys, which will be auctioned off to benefit Sportable. This match will be available to stream live on ESPN+. Tickets are available now at www.richmondkickers.com.

USL LEAGUE ONE TEAM OF THE WEEK: WEEK 5

GK – Juliano Chade, Orlando City B: Chade kept OCB in the game against North Texas with six saves, with his only goal against coming off an unfortunate deflection for an own goal.

D – Conner Antley, South Georgia Tormenta FC: Antley’s late insurance goal against Tucson capped a display that saw him win 8 of 10 duels, make five recoveries and record two key passes for Tormenta FC.

D – Cole Seiler, Greenville Triumph SC: Seiler was solid in the middle of Triumph SC’s defense, winning 15 of 22 duels and making five recoveries as Greenville earned a point with a shutout in Madison.

D – Shaun Russell, Forward Madison FC: Russell recorded three interceptions, four recoveries and eight clearances while completing 23 of 29 passes as the Flamingos posted a shutout against Greenville.

D – Wahab Ackwei, Richmond Kickers: Ackwei completed 66 of 69 passes, won 7 of 9 duels and made five recoveries and eight clearances in the Kickers’ 1-0 win against Chattanooga.

M – Fito Ovalle, Toronto FC II: Ovalle put in a solid two-way display as he won 3 of 4 tackles and made five recoveries and two interceptions before scoring a late penalty kick to ice TFC II’s road victory in Lansing.

M – Lucas Coutinho, South Georgia Tormenta FC: Coutinho scored the game-winning goal and completed 25 of 31 passes overall to help South Georgia to victory in Tucson.

M – Mutaya Mwape, Richmond Kickers: Mwape produced a sterling display, setting up the lone goal in the Kickers’ victory against Chattanooga while also completing 31 of 38 passes and winning 9 of 15 duels.

M – Luca Petrasso, Toronto FC II: Petrasso scored a remarkable opening goal off a free kick from the right side, and also recorded two interceptions while completing 12 of 17 passes overall.

F – Arturo Rodriguez, North Texas SC: Rodriguez put in a strong shift leading the NTSC line, winning three tackles and completing 28 of 31 passes while recording two chances created in his side’s victory.

F – Alex Morrell, South Georgia Tormenta FC: Morrell was the creative hub for Tormenta FC in Tucson and logged one assist and four key passes in addition to completing 21 of 27 passes overall.

Kickers Down Chattanooga for Second Straight Win

TEAM	SCORE	GOALSCORERS
RICHMOND KICKERS (2-2-1, 7 points, 5th)	1	Gallardo (Mwape) 52′
CHATTANOOGA RED WOLVES SC (2-3-0, 6 point, 7th)	0

TEAM

SCORE

GOALSCORERS

RICHMOND KICKERS

(2-2-1, 7 points, 5th)

1

Gallardo (Mwape) 52′

CHATTANOOGA RED WOLVES SC

(2-3-0, 6 point, 7th)

0

RICHMOND, Va. — (Saturday, April 27, 2019) — The Richmond Kickers (2-2-1) picked up their second straight victory Saturday night at City Stadium over Chattanooga Red Wolves SC (2-3-0). Joe Gallardo netted his second goal in as many matches in the 52nd minute after a set up from Mutaya Mwape.

Chattanooga had a chance to go up in the 17th minute. Mutaya Mwape was called for a foul on Ualefi to set up a free kick for the Red Wolves on the left side of the field just outside the Richmond box. With Ualefi and Vangjel Zguro standing over the ball, Zguro went for the quick kick low towards the far post, nearly connecting with Tony Walls diving in, as the ball skidded under him and out for a goal kick.

Five minutes later, the Kickers would have a free kick from about 40 yards out from the Chattanooga goal. Conor Doyle picked up a yellow card after grabbing Joe Gallardo from behind as he tried to make a run towards goal. Maxi Rodriguez played the ball ahead as Wahab Ackwei made a run towards goal. Alex Mangels came off his line to grab the ball before Ackwei could get to it.

Joe Gallardo was denied a goal in the 30th minute by the Chattanooga keeper. Mutaya Mwape made a run across the field as Andrew Kendell-Moullin fouled him, picking up a yellow card in the process to set up the free kick from 30 yards out. Rodriguez put his shot on frame, which forced a massive save out of Alex Mangels to prevent the Kickers midfielder.

Joe Gallardo scored in his second straight match to put Richmond up in the 52nd minute. Matt Bolduc picked up control of the ball in space, just outside of the Red Wolves box. He slotted the ball up the right wing for Mutaya Mwape. The Zambian whipped in a cross in front of goal for Gallardo to redirect into the back of the net for his third goal of the season.

Richmond came close to a second goal in the 67th minute from Josh Hughes. The Kickers midfielder picked up control on the right flank. With no one pressuring him, Hughes cut inside finding enough space to get a shot off towards the near post. Mangels stretched to make the stop and prevent the goal.

Despite Chattanooga getting five shots, the Kickers backline and Akira Fitzgerald held on to keep the visitors off the scoresheet for their second straight shutout and third of the season.

BOX SCORE

TEAM	FIRST HALF	SECOND HALF	FINAL
*Richmond*	0	1	1
*Chattanooga*	0	0	0

LINEUPS

Richmond GK Akira Fitzgerald, Matt Bolduc, Wahab Ackwei, Conor Shanosky, Scott Thomsen (77’ – Aboubacar Keita), Josh Hughes, Maxi Rodriguez, Daniel Jackson (76’ – Braeden Troyer), Mutaya Mwape, Joe Gallardo (79’ – Ivan Magalhães), Dennis Chin

Unused Substitutes: Matt Broomall, Greg Boehme, Charles Boateng, Nick Retzlaff

Chattanooga GK Alex Mangels, Vangjel Zguro, Leo Folla, Tony Walls, Josue Soto (74’ – Amirgy Pineda), Ualefi, Conor Doyle, Jonathan Caparelli (59’ – Juan Mare), Steven Beattie, Éamon Zayed (87’ – Sito Seoane)

Unused Substitutes: Will Dieterich, Colin Falvey, Jamie Dell, Nicholas Amponsah

STATISTICS

TEAM	SHOTS	SAVES	FOULS	CORNERS
*Richmond*	9	1	12	2
*Chattnooga*	5	2	18	1

SCORING SUMMARY

MIN	TEAM	PLAYER
52′	RIC	Joe Gallardo (Mutaya Mwape)

CAUTIONS SUMMARY

MIN	TEAM	PLAYER
20′	CHT	Conor Doyle
28′	CHT	Andrew Kendall-Moullin
32′	RIC	Joe Gallardo
37′	CHT	Éamon Zayed

EJECTIONS SUMMARY

MIN	TEAM	PLAYER
None.

MATCH INFORMATION

Referee: Ekaterina Koroleva

Assistant Referees: Will Aten, Ben Pilgrim

Fourth Official: Izzy Campos

Attendance: 2,743

Weather: Clear, 73 ºF

Kickers Return to City Stadium Saturday Against Chattanooga

RICHMOND, Va. – (Friday, April 26, 2019) – The Richmond Kickers (1-2-1) return home to City Stadium for the start of a four match homestand in all competitions, starting this Saturday night as Chattanooga Red Wolves SC (2-2-0) comes to town for a 7:00 p.m. kickoff. It is Kickers K-9 Night presented by Impawsible Pups at City Stadium, with the first 150 dogs that come through the gates starting at 5:30 p.m. receiving a free dog bowl. Plus, Happy Hour drink specials from 5:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. with craft beers on tap and a selection of wines from New Kent Winery, live music from the Dirty Runaways and then the Kickers take the field to take on Chattanooga at 7:00 p.m. This match will be available live on ESPN+. Get tickets now at www.richmondkickers.com.

Saturday’s match against Chattanooga will be the first-ever meeting between the two clubs, and the first of four matches this season.

Richmond come into this match on the heels of a 1-0 road victory at Greenville Triumph SC last Saturday night. Coming out of halftime scoreless, the Kickers took the lead just four minutes into the second half. Conor Shanosky played a long ball forward to Matt Bolduc inside the Greenville end of the pitch. He turned and quickly found Joe Gallardo just ahead of him in space. In a brilliant run, Gallardo was able to get around four Triumph SC defenders and slotted the ball in the near post for the only goal of the match and his second of the season to lift Richmond to their first win. Gallardo, Wahab Ackwei and Josh Hughes were recognized for their efforts in the match, being named to the USL League One Team of the Week for Week 4.

Chattanooga held on to take a 3-2 home win against South Georgia Tormenta FC last Saturday night at David Stanton Field. Steven Beattie put up a USL League One Player of the Week performance scoring two first half goals, with Éamon Zayed adding a goal in between. Red Wolves SC took a commanding 3-0 lead into halftime. Tormenta FC fought back in the second half with two goals from Conner Antley and Christopher Hellman. The Chattanooga defense was able to hold stout to keep Tormenta from getting a third goal and claimed the victory.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Richmond: Forward Joe Gallardo (#10) scored his second goal of the season and the game winner Saturday night at Greenville. The San Diego native has made four appearances, all of which were starts for Richmond this season. Midfielder Josh Hughes (#7) returned to the Kickers starting lineup in Greenville after dealing with a slight injury. Hughes played an integral part of Richmond’s first three points of the season, winning 10 of 14 duels and completing 26 of 33 passes. Making his second appearance in the USL League One Team of the Week, defender Wahab Ackwei (#18) held strong with the Kickers backline to preserve the second clean sheet of the season. The Ghanian recorded a passing percentage of 80% and 8 clearances as the Kickers picked up their second clean sheet of the season.

Chattanooga: Named the USL League One Player of the Week, midfielder Steven Beattie (#10) leads Red Wolves SC in scoring this season with three goals. Beattie netted two goals in their last outing, a 3-2 win against Tormenta FC. Defender Vangjel Zguro (#6) has two assists this season for Chattanooga, including setting up the first goal for Beattie in their last match. The Albanian has played in four matches this season, starting in three of those matches. Defender Richard Dixon (#2) has one goal in four matches for Red Wolves SC. Dixon is a familiar foe for the Kickers after spending 2015-16 with Saint Louis FC before spending time at Oklahoma City Energy FC for the last two seasons.

Red Army Expands to Include Red Army Cadets

RICHMOND, Va. – (Thursday, April 25, 2019) – A new addition for 2019, the River City Red Army have added a kid-friendly group in Section F of City Stadium known as the River City Red Army Cadets.

“The Red Army Cadets were born out of fond experiences. Our family has been long time members of the Richmond soccer community”, says Kylie Drauker, organizer of the River City Red Army Cadets. “Both my husband and I grew up playing for local clubs and schools, and we have fond memories supporting the Richmond Kickers pro team. We’ve been bringing our own boys to games since they were little. We love the family friendly outdoor atmosphere. Over the years, we have enjoyed spending time with friends and teammates cheering on the Kickers.”

The Cadets bring all youth and families together for one cause – supporting soccer and our home town pro team in Richmond. The Cadets offer the opportunity for more kids to be exposed to the exciting sport of soccer and the festival experience at City Stadium. Families from all youth clubs and all levels such as recreational to competitive to travel can bond as a community to support and further spark Richmond’s awesome soccer culture.

“In the 2019 season, the Red Army has pushed for more inclusion of all types of Richmond Kickers fans. We welcome everyone to join us,” says Gordon Glover of the River City Red Army. “This has led us to team up with Kylie Draucker and together, we created the Red Army Cadets. The Red Army Cadets are the younger version of the Red Army, but do not let the age fool you. The Red Army Cadets have just as much, if not more, passion than some of our members! The goal of an energetic and passionate fan base for Richmond can be in full effect as the Red Army Stands in Section O and the Cadets are in Section F. This partnership is a tidal wave of energy that will make any fan Stand up for Richmond!”

Follow the River City Red Army Cadets on Facebook at Facebook.com/RedArmyCadets/. If you have any questions or want to get your child involved with the Cadets, you can contact the group at redarmycadets@gmail.com.

Richmond Kickers Weekly: April 24 Episode

Taylor Rockwell is joined by the Kickers Head Coach David Bulow as they look back at last Saturday’s road win at Greenville Triumph SC.

Three Named to USL League One Team of the Week

RICHMOND, Va. – (Tuesday, April 23, 2019) – USL League One announced on Tuesday that three Kickers players were named to the Team of the Week for Week 4: Wahab Ackwei, Joe Gallardo, and Josh Hughes.

Ackwei is making his second appearance this season for the USL League One Team of the Week. The Ghanian defender recorded a passing percentage of 80% and 8 clearances as the Kickers picked up their second clean sheet of the season.

Gallardo walked through the Greenville backline in solo effort to score his second goal of the season, tying for third in USL League One scoring this season. He also made six recoveries and won seven of 11 duels.

Hughes commanded the midfield for the Kickers, winning a team high six tackles. The midfielder won 10 of 14 duels and completed 26 of 33 passes en route to the Kickers first victory of the season.

The Kickers will return home to City Stadium next Saturday night, April 27 at 7:00 p.m. as they play host to Chattanooga Red Wolves SC and Kickers K-9 Night, presented by Impawsible Pups. The party starts when the gates open at 5:30 p.m. with drink specials for the first 30 minutes, live music from the Dirty Runaways, $2 hot dogs from Papa John’s and the first 150 dogs through the gates will receive a free dog bowl. This match will be available to stream online on ESPN+. Tickets are on sale now at www.richmondkickers.com.

USL LEAGUE ONE TEAM OF THE WEEK: WEEK 4

GK – Ryan Coulter, Forward Madison FC: Coulter recorded six saves to help Madison claim its first victory in club history on the road against Orlando City B.

D – Connor Antley, South Georgia Tormenta FC: Antley’s goal helped spark Tormenta FC’s comeback bid against Chattanooga, and he also completed 77 of 82 passes, recorded two key passes and made three interceptions.

D – Wahab Ackwei, Richmond Kickers: Ackwei was at the center of the Kickers’ shutout in Greenville as he recorded five interceptions, made 10 recoveries and won 5 of 6 duels.

D – Matheus Silva, Orlando City B: Silva won 10 of 14 duels, completed 49 of 62 passes and made seven recoveries in a solid individual display against Forward Madison FC.

D – Shaun Russell, Forward Madison FC: Russell scored what proved to be the winning goal for the Flamingos, and also won 6 of 7 duels and recorded three interceptions defensively in Orlando.

M – Tyler Polak, Greenville Triumph SC: Polak put in a strong two-way performance as he recorded three key passes, completed 29 of 33 passes overall, recorded 10 recoveries and won 6 of 9 duels.

M – Josh Hughes, Richmond Kickers: Hughes tied for the team high with five interceptions, won 10 of 14 duels and completed 26 of 33 passes as the Kickers won their first game of the 2019 season.

M – Jonathan Caparelli, Chattanooga Red Wolves SC: Caparelli had one assist and two key passes while completing 17 of 21 passes overall and recording three recoveries in the Red Wolves’ victory against Tormenta FC.

M – Josiel Núñez, Forward Madison FC: Núñez played a key role in both of Madison’s goals, including scoring the first tally in the club’s history, as the Flamingos won on the road against Orlando.

F – Steven Beattie, Chattanooga Red Wolves SC: Beattie scored twice to lead the Red Wolves past Tormenta FC, and also completed 13 of 17 passes overall.

F – Joe Gallardo, Richmond Kickers: Gallardo produced a fine individual goal to earn the Kickers their first win of the regular season while also winning 7 of 11 duels and recording six recoveries.

Kickers Triumph over Greenville

TEAM	SCORE	GOALSCORERS
GREENVILLE TRIUMPH SC (2-2-0, 6 points, 5th)	0
RICHMOND KICKERS (1-2-1, 4 point, 8th)	1	Gallardo (Bolduc) 49′

TEAM

SCORE

GOALSCORERS

GREENVILLE TRIUMPH SC

(2-2-0, 6 points, 5th)

0 RICHMOND KICKERS

(1-2-1, 4 point, 8th)

1

Gallardo (Bolduc) 49′

GREENVILLE, S.C. — (Saturday, April 20, 2019) — The Richmond Kickers (1-2-1) picked up their first victory of the season Saturday night on the road at Greenville Triumph SC (2-2-0). Joe Gallardo his second goal of the season in the 49th minute, set up by Matt Bolduc. Akira Fitzgerald posted his second shutout of 2019 behind a three save performance.

Greenville looked for a chance to get on the scoreboard six minutes into the match. Paul Clowes was able to win the ball at the top of the Richmond box. He went right for a shot, forcing a diving save from Akira Fitzgerald.

Another chance for Triumph SC came in the 19th minute. Christopher Bermudez was able to slip into space on the left side of the Richmond box. He looked to sneak a shot in towards the near post as Akira Fitzgerald is there again to make the stop.

Eli Lockaby put the pressure on in the 23rd minute and came close to setting up a chance for Richmond. Mutaya Mwape chipped the ball over the top up the right flank for Lockaby making a run in space. Fighting off three defenders, Lockaby made it to the end line and quickly tried to square a pass across the front of the goal. Cole Seiler was there to clear the ball out for a corner kick for Richmond.

The Kickers had a scare in the 34th minute after a shot from Jake Keegan. Cole Seiler played a long ball over the top from the right side, to the left side for Keegan. Before Conor Shanosky could step up, Keegan went for the shot that went just wide of the Kickers net.

Richmond would go ahead in the 49th minute from a great run by Joe Gallardo. Conor Shanosky got the play going, sending the ball ahead for Matt Bolduc in the center circle. The midfielder turned and played the ball quickly ahead to Gallardo.

A nervy sequence in the 66th minute gave two chances for Greenville as the Kickers defense held strong. Paul Clowes won the ball in the midfield and wanted to move the ball forward quickly to Carlos Gomez. He took a touch to put it into the path of Jake Keegan making a run towards goal. Keegan tried a quick shot that was saved by Akira Fitzgerald. Clowes followed up the loose ball as his shot was blocked off the line by Ivan Magalhães.

Two minutes later, Matt Bolduc and Joe Gallardo nearly put the Kickers ahead two goals. Josh Hughes poked the ball away from Clowes and right to the feet of Bolduc. He made a turn and got the ball to Joe Gallardo in the center of the field. Gallardo set his sights on his second goal of the night, only to be denied by the Triumph keeper, Dallas Jaye.