Club

Kickers Continue Road Trip Saturday at Greenville

RICHMOND, Va. – (Friday, April 19, 2019) – The Richmond Kickers (0-2-1) will take their first trip south to take on Greenville Triumph SC (2-1-0) this Saturday night at Legacy Early College for a 7:00 p.m. kickoff. This match will be available live on WTVR CBS 6.3 (Comcast 206, Verizon FiOS 466) and streaming online on ESPN+.

This match will mark the first of three meetings between Richmond and Greenville. Along with several members of USL League One, Greenville is in their first season.

Richmond will be looking to avenge a 1-3 road defeat at the hands of Lansing Ignite FC last Saturday night at Cooley Law School Stadium. The Kickers were reduced to ten men after 35 minutes when Maxi Rodriguez received his second yellow card in an eight minute span. Lansing jumped ahead two minutes into the second half when Nick Moon scored after a run across the top of the Richmond box. Eight minutes later, Alex Bruce would put LIFC ahead 2-0 when Rhys Williams whipped in the ball for Bruce to meet at the back post for a tap in. Dennis Chin came on as a second half substitute and scored 12 minutes into his debut, putting away a ball that deflected off the Lansing keeper after a brilliant run by Eli Lockaby. Grant Stoneman sealed the victory for Lansing in the 70th minute for a final score of 3-1.

Greenville is coming off their second straight victory at home, claiming a 1-0 win over Chattanooga Red Wolves SC last Saturday at Legacy Early College. Coming out of halftime scoreless, Jake Keegan was in the right place in the 74th minute to put away a cross from Carlos Gomez for his second goal 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.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Richmond: Forward Dennis Chin (#15) made his debut for the Kickers last Saturday night, scoring 12 minutes after coming onto the field. The Jamaican forward joined the Kickers during the off season after a season with USL Championship side Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC. Defender Eli Lockaby (#17) made the effort in the second half against Lansing that ended up setting up the goal for Chin. The rookie signed his first professional contract with the Kickers after a four-year career at Virginia Commonwealth University. Midfielder Alex Ainscough (#12) has made three appearances for the Kickers this season, including one start. Signed after a successful trial, Ainscough joins the Kickers after a stint in Germany with SpVgg Bayreuth II.

Greenville: Forward Jake Keegan (#9) leads the Greenville attack with two goals through three matches this seaosn. Keegan signed with Greenville after making 32 appearances at St. Patrick’s Athletic in Ireland, scoring nine goals. Midfielder Carlos Gomez (#10) controls the center of the field for Triumph SC, notching two assists in his rookie season. Gomez featured in three seasons at Young Harris College before signing professionally with Greenville this season. Goalkeeper Dallas Jaye (#22) has posted one clean sheet through three matches this season. The Guam international goalkeeper was previously with Head Coach John Harkes during his time with then USL Championship side FC Cincinnati.

Potential Second Round Pairings for the U.S. Open Cup Announced

RICHMOND, Va. – (Wednesday, April 17, 2019) – U.S. Soccer announced on Wednesday the potential pairings for the Second Round of the 2019 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. If the Kickers are victorious over Virginia United in the First Round, Richmond will travel south to take on North Carolina FC at Sahlen’s Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park either May 13 or 14.

The Kickers made history with their remarkable run to the semifinals in 2011. Becoming the first lower division team to defeat back-to-back MLS teams on the road, the Kickers ejected the Columbus Crew in the third round before handing Sporting Kansas City their first-ever loss at Children’s Mercy Park in the quarterfinals. Advancing to the semifinals for the second time in franchise history, the Kickers narrowly missed the Championship berth, conceding a 2-1 loss to the Chicago Fire last August.

The Kickers claimed the U.S. Open Cup title the first year of the Professional Era in 1995 and have since made it to the quarterfinal round five times (1995, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2011) and the semifinal round twice (1995, 2011), ousting five Major League Soccer teams along the way, including Colorado Rapids in 2000, D.C. United in 2004, LA Galaxy in 2007 and Columbus Crew and Sporting Kansas City in 2011.

On May 14 & 15, 25 professional teams from the USL Championship (Division II) will enter the tournament, with 19 of these clubs playing against winners from the First Round of games scheduled for May 7 & 8, while the remaining six pro clubs will face a fellow Division II squad. The exact dates and times for each Second Round matchup will be announced at a later date.

The Third Round, set for May 29, will pit the 22 Second Round winners against one another in regionally determined action, with the opportunity on the line to face a Division I club in the Fourth Round on June 12 when Major League Soccer teams enter the competition.

Home teams for each round are determined by a random selection process among those clubs that have applied to host and whose venues meet the minimum tournament requirements.

Every game of the 2019 U.S. Open Cup from the First Round through the Final will be available for fans to watch on ESPN+.

Kickers Falter on the Road Against Lansing

TEAM	SCORE	GOALSCORERS
LANSING IGNITE FC (2-1-0, 6 points, 2nd)	3	Moon (Silva) 47’, Bruce (Williams) 55’, Stoneman 70’
RICHMOND KICKERS (0-2-1, 1 point, 8th)	1	Chin 67’

TEAM

SCORE

GOALSCORERS

LANSING IGNITE FC

(2-1-0, 6 points, 2nd)

3

Moon (Silva) 47’, Bruce (Williams) 55’, Stoneman 70’

RICHMOND KICKERS

(0-2-1, 1 point, 8th)

1

Chin 67’

LANSING, Mi. — (Saturday, April 13, 2019) — The Richmond Kickers (0-2-1) fell on the road Saturday night against Lansing Ignite FC (2-1-0) at Cooley Law School Stadium. Going into halftime scoreless, Lansing scored two minutes into the second half through Nick Moon. Alex Bruce doubled the lead for Lansing in the 55th minute. Dennis Chin made his debut in the second half and pulled a goal back for Richmond in the 67th minute. LIFC responded three minutes later as Grant Stoneman scored the third and final goal of the night.

Three minutes into the match, Lansing had the first chance on goal. Xavier Gomez won the ball in the midfield, then fed the ball up for Alex Bruce. He turned and went for goal as Akira Fitzgerald made the easy stop.

Joe Gallardo won a free kick for the Kickers in the 10th minute. After making a run up the left side, Gallardo was tripped up on the edge of the Lansing box by Kyle Carr. He stood over the free kick and looked to sneak a shot in the near post as Michael Kirk was there to make the stop.

Lansing had a chance to go ahead in the 24th minute through Alex Bruce again. Rhys Williams found a way to get to the end line on the right side, getting enough space to whip in a cross. Bruce was there at the near post to get the shot off, putting it wide of the Richmond goal.

Richmond would be reduced to ten men in the 34th minute after Maxi Rodriguez picked up his second yellow of the match. The captain was issued his first yellow in the 27th minute after a hard challenge in the Lansing end of the pitch. The referee whistled him for his second yellow following a second hard challenge, instead showing Rodriguez his second yellow.

The home side took the lead two minutes into the second half through Nick Moon. Christian Silva controlled the ball for Lansing and pushed the ball out wide on the left for Moon. He quickly cut inside across the top of the Richmond box, finding the space to get a shot off and passed a leaping Akira Fitzgerald.

Lansing would go up 2-0 in the 55th minute through Alex Bruce. Rhys Williams received the ball on the right wing. He beat Scott Thomsen to whip in a cross for Bruce, who was making a far post run and just needed the tap in for the second goal of the match.

Richmond would get a goal back in the 70th minute from Dennis Chin, making his debut for the Kickers. Eli Lockaby flicked on a pass from Wahab Ackwei. Lockaby fought to get back the ball as Kirk knocked it away, right into the path of Chin to chip in for his first goal of the season.

Grant Stoneman responded three minutes later to restore the two goal lead for Lansing. Off an LIFC corner kick, Dennis Chin was able to get a header on the ball trying to clear it out. Instead the ball fell to the feet of Stoneman, who took a touch to his right to get enough space for putting his shot across the face of goal for the third of the night for Lansing.

The Kickers are back on the road next Saturday night as they make the trip south to take on Greenville Triumph FC at Legacy Early College. Kickoff for that match is set for 7:00 p.m. and will be shown live on WTVR CBS 6.3 and online through ESPN+. Stay up to date with the Kickers at www.richmondkickers.com.

BOX SCORE

TEAM	FIRST HALF	SECOND HALF	FINAL
*Lansing*	0	3	3
*Richmond*	0	1	1

LINEUPS

Lansing GK Mike Kirk, Grant Stoneman, Brandon Fricke, Nick Moon, Rhys Williams (61’ – Nathan Lewis), Kyle Carr, Ivo Cerda, Christian Silva, Xavier Gomez, Steeve Saint-Duc (77’ – Rafa Mentzingen), Alex Bruce (85’ – Pato Botello-Faz)

Unused Substitutes: Kyle Ihn, Marshall Hollingsworth, Lewis Jones, Elma N’For

Richmond GK Akira Fitzgerald, Eli Lockaby (84’ – Jannik Eckenrode), Wahab Ackwei, Ivan Magalhães, Scott Thomsen, Maxi Rodriguez, Greg Boehme, Matt Bolduc, Alex Ainscough (45’ – Braeden Troyer), Joe Gallardo, Daniel Jackson (54’ – Dennis Chin)

Unused Substitutes: Joe Rice, Conor Shanosky, Jannik Eckenrode, Justin Grove

STATISTICS

TEAM	SHOTS	SAVES	FOULS	CORNERS
*Lansing*	13	0	11	5
*Richmond*	5	3	15	3

SCORING SUMMARY

MIN	TEAM	PLAYER
47′	LAN	Nick Moon (Christian Silva)
55′	LAN	Alex Bruce (Rhys Williams)
67′	RIC	Dennis Chin (unassisted)
70′	LAN	Grant Stoneman (unassisted)

CAUTIONS SUMMARY

MIN	TEAM	PLAYER
27′	RIC	Maxi Rodriguez
34′	RIC	Maxi Rodriguez
82′	RIC	Matt Bolduc

EJECTIONS SUMMARY

MIN	TEAM	PLAYER
34′	RIC	Maxi Rodriguez

MATCH INFORMATION

Referee: Donovan Noocha

Assistant Referees: Nick Balcer, Jeffrey Swartzel

Fourth Official: Nicole Green

Attendance: 3,369

Weather: Clear, 53 ºF

Kickers Take First Road Trip of 2019, Travel to Lansing Saturday

RICHMOND, Va. – (Friday, April 12, 2019) – The Richmond Kickers (0-1-1) will take their first road trip of the season, heading to Cooley Law Stadium this Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. to face Lansing Ignite FC (1-1-0) for the second time this season. This match will be available live on WTVR CBS 6.3 (Comcast 206, Verizon FiOS 466) and streaming online on ESPN+.

This match will mark the second of three meetings between the two clubs. Lansing took a 3-2 victory at City Stadium just two weeks ago in the season opener for both teams. LIFC went into halftime holding a 2-0 lead behind goals from Tumi Moshobane and Xavier Gomez. The lead increased to three goals for LIFC after Kevin Coiffic notched a goal just after halftime. Maxi Rodriguez pulled a goal back in the 68th minute set up by Daniel Jackson. Joe Gallardo converted a penalty in the 76th minute to get the Kickers within one, but Lansing was able to hold off the effort by the Kickers.

Richmond comes into this match after battling South Georgia Tormenta FC to a 0-0 draw at City Stadium last Saturday night. The Kickers out shot their opponents 9-7, including three massive first half chances by Charles Boateng, who made his first appearance of the season. Akira Fitzgerald and the Kickers backline held strong to earn the club’s first clean sheet of the 2019 season, behind the Kickers keeper making three saves.

Lansing will be looking to avenge a 1-2 road defeat at the hands of Greenville Triumph FC. LIFC jumped ahead in the 27th minute with a goal from Ricky Lopez-Espin, taking the 1-0 lead into the break. Jake Keegan leveled the score for Greenville in the 53rd minute. Things became chippy in the match, with both Ricardo Perez and Tumi Moshobane seeing red cards, reducing Lansing to nine men. With five minutes to go, Greenville capitalized on their advantage as Kevin Politz headed away the game winner.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Richmond: Goalkeeper Akira Fitzgerald (#1) picked up his first clean sheet of the season behind three saves last Saturday in the 0-0 draw with Tormenta FC. The native of Chiba, Japan joined the Kickers after spending the last two seasons with the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the USL Championship. Forward Joe Gallardo (#10) has one goal in two starts this season, scoring in the season opener against Lansing. Gallardo signed with the Kickers after last joining Orlando City B in the USL Championship. Midfielder Matt Bolduc (#11) has played every minute for the first two matches for the Kickers this season. Bolduc is in his third season in Richmond, coming off 14 appearances for the Kickers in 2018.

Lansing: Defender Kevin Coiffic (#17) scored the game winner in the first meeting between the two clubs back on March 30 at City Stadium. The Lorient, France native is in his first professional season after playing at Young Harris College. Midfielder Xavier Gomez (#10) has a goal and an assist this season for LIFC, both of which coming against the Kickers. Gomez signed his first professional contract with Lansing after four years at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Goalkeeper Michael Kirk (#1) has manned the nets for Lansing’s first two matches of the season. Kirk brings two years of USL Championship experience to Lansing after stints with Rio Grande Valley FC and Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC.

Richmond Kickers Weekly: April 10 Episode

Daryl Grove and Taylor Rockwell are back to break down Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Tormenta FC

First Round Open Cup Pairings Announced

RICHMOND, Va. – (Wednesday, April 10, 2019) – U.S. Soccer announced on Tuesday the pairings for the First Round of the 2019 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The 1995 Champions Richmond Kickers will host Virginia United at City Stadium Tuesday, May 7 at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are available now starting at $9 at www.richmondkickers.com. 2019 Season Ticket holders will receive an email with a ticket for this match. Parking at City Stadium for this match will be free.

The First Round will commence May 7-8 and consist of six Division III (USL League One) pro clubs and 32 Open Division teams (USL League Two, National Premier Soccer League [NPSL], local qualifiers) in head-to-head, single-elimination competition. Two of the 19 matches are between teams from the same qualifying pool under a First Round provision that allows avoidance of extensive travel at this stage of the tournament.

The Second Round follows on May 14-15 and introduces 25 Division II (USL Championship) professional sides. Division I Major League Soccer teams enter in the Fourth Round on June 12.

Home teams for each round are determined by a random selection process among those clubs that have applied to host and whose venues meet the minimum tournament requirements.

Every game of the 2019 U.S. Open Cup, including those in the First and Second Rounds, will be available for fans to watch on ESPN+.

This year’s winning team will receive $300,000, a berth in the 2020 Concacaf Champions League and have its name engraved on the historic Dewar Challenge Trophy, one of the oldest nationally contested trophies in American team sports. The runner-up will earn $100,000, while the team that advances the furthest from each lower division will take home a $25,000 cash prize.

The Houston Dynamo is the defending U.S. Open Cup champion, having earned the club’s first tournament title with a 3-0 victory against the Philadelphia Union on Sept. 26, 2018 at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston.

The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, recognized as U.S. Soccer’s National Championship, is an annual competition open to all amateur and professional soccer teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer. The tournament has crowned a champion for 105 consecutive years dating from 1914. In 1999, the competition was renamed to honor American soccer pioneer Lamar Hunt.

2019 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Schedule

Second Round – May 14 & 15*
Third Round – May 29*
Fourth Round – June 12*
Round of 16 – June 19* (also June 18-23 if home team chooses and visiting team has at least three non-game days on each side of chosen date, with any overlap of U.S. MNT Gold Cup games on June 18 and June 22 disallowed)
Quarterfinals – July 10*
Semifinals – August 7*
Final – August 27 or 28

* Any game from the Fourth Round through to the Semifinal Round where one of the participants has a league game the following Friday will be moved up a day (exception to this occurs when the team’s opponent is scheduled for a league game the preceding Sunday; in this case, the provisions in the 2019 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Handbook to determine the match date will prevail). In addition, any game chosen by U.S. Soccer to be broadcast nationally in any round is subject to being moved up a day. The Commissioner has the authority to set outside of the confirmed schedule the date for any match if such a change is in the best interests of the tournament.

Wahab Ackwei Named to USL League One Team of the Week

RICHMOND, Va. – (Tuesday, April 9, 2019) – USL League One announced on Tuesday that Kickers defender Wahab Ackwei was named to the Team of the Week for Week 2 of the league’s inaugural 2019 season.

Ackwei recorded six clearances and recorded an 86.8 percent passing accuracy in Saturday’s 0-0 draw against South Georgia Tormenta FC. The 22 year-old Ghanian signed with the Kickers after spending the 2018 season with New York Red Bulls II in the USL Championship.

The Kickers return to action this Saturday night, as they make their first road trip of the season traveling to Lansing Ignite FC for a 7:00 p.m. kickoff. This match will be available on WTVR CBS 6.3 (Comcast 206, Verizon FiOS 466) and streaming online on ESPN+.

USL League One Team of the Week

GK – Alex Mangels, Chattanooga Red Wolves SC: Mangels posted a four-save shutout in the Red Wolves’ 1-0 victory against Forward Madison FC on Saturday night.

D – Conner Antley, South Georgia Tormenta FC: Antley recorded assists on all three goals in Tormenta FC’s midweek win against FC Tucson, and over a two-game week won 16 of 23 duels and made 12 recoveries and six interceptions.

D – Connor Tobin, Forward Madison FC: Tobin posted 11 clearances, went 3 of 3 in duels and completed 78 of 90 passes overall to anchor a solid backline display by the Flamingos.

D – Richard Dixon, Chattanooga Red Wolves SC: Dixon helped the Red Wolves record their first shutout as he made six clearances, won 8 of 13 duels and had two interceptions against Madison.

D – Wahab Ackwei, Richmond Kickers: Akwei led the Kickers defense with four interceptions and also notched six clearances and completed 66 of 76 passes in Richmond’s shutout against South Georgia.

M – Kevin Politz, Greenville Triumph SC: Politz scored the late game-winning goal to give Greenville its first victory in club history while also completing 38 of 47 passes and winning 6 of 9 duels.

M – Luca Petrasso, Toronto FC II: Petrasso notched the game-winning goal with a sharply-taken volley and completed 12 of 14 passes to help TFC II defeat Orlando in its season-opener.

M – Charlie Dennis, South Georgia Tormenta FC: Over two outings, Dennis recorded 20 possession recoveries, won 14 of 21 duels and almost provided the go-ahead goal with a free kick that was tipped onto the crossbar against Richmond on Saturday.

F – Jake Keegan, Greenville Triumph SC: Keegan scored the first goal in Triumph SC history and completed 21 of 22 passes in the club’s victory on Saturday night against Lansing.

F – Marco Micaletto, South Georgia Tormenta FC: Micaletto scored the insurance goal for Tormenta FC against FC Tucson on Wednesday, and for the week completed 35 of 41 passes and had 10 recoveries.

F – Devin Vega, FC Tucson: Vega scored the opening goal, notched three key passes and completed 22 of 29 passes overall in Tucson’s visit to South Georgia Tormenta FC last Wednesday night.

Kickers Earn Clean Sheet, Draw Tormenta

TEAM	SCORE	GOALSCORERS
RICHMOND KICKERS (0-1-1, 1 point, 8th)	0
SOUTH GEORGIA TORMENTA FC (2-0-1, 7 points, 1st)	0

TEAM

SCORE

GOALSCORERS

RICHMOND KICKERS

(0-1-1, 1 point, 8th)

0 SOUTH GEORGIA TORMENTA FC

(2-0-1, 7 points, 1st)

0

RICHMOND, Va. — (Saturday, April 6, 2019) — The Richmond Kickers (0-1-1) picked up their first clean sheet of the season, battling to a scoreless draw with South Georgia Tormenta FC (2-0-1) Saturday night at City Stadium.

The Kickers had a chance in the sixth minute to try and get on the scoresheet through the Captain, Maxi Rodriguez. Matt Bolduc was able to get into the Tormenta box on the left side. Unable to get a cross in, Bolduc played the ball to hist left for Rodriguez in space. With time, Rodriguez curled in a cross towards the back post, nearly connecting with Ivan Magalhães making a run.

Matt Bolduc had an opportunity in the 15th minute to go for the opener. Charles Boateng broke up an attempted clearance by Tormenta and quickly got the ball just behind him to Daniel Jackson. Jackson fed the ball through to Bolduc cutting inside, as he chipped his shot over the goal.

A pair of chances came for Charles Boateng in the 22nd minute. Wahab Ackwei from the Richmond end of the field found Boateng making a run up the right side and played the ball over the top. Boateng was able to get on the ball with pressure from both Ricardo Gomez and Lars Eckenrode, he launched a shot across the face of goal and just wide. After the ensuing goal kick, the Kickers quickly picked up possession and Rodriguez played the ball through for Boateng making a run up the left side. This time Boateng sent his shot high.

Wahab Ackwei had a sent his header wide at the back post in the 31st minute. The Kickers won a free kick on the right side, just inside the Tormenta end of the field. Scott Thomsen sent the ball over the top, connecting with Ackwei. He did not get the touch he wanted on his header and sent his shot just wide.

Akira Fitzgerald saw his first real action in the 50th minute. Marco Micaletto picked up possession in the center circle as Amass Amankona went down with an injury. He found some space up the left flank and went for a shot on target at the top of the Kickers box, forcing Fitzgerald to make the save to his left.

A run up the right side nearly ended with a goal from Eli Lockaby in the 56th minute. A quick give-and-go with Joe Gallardo helped Lockaby get in behind the Tormenta back line. Lockaby looked to sneak the ball in the near post, only getting denied from the Tormenta keeper Pablo Jara.

Akira Fitzgerald picked up his and the club’s first shutout of the season behind three saves for the veteran keeper.

Richmond will hit the road for the first time this season, making the trip to Cooley Law School Stadium to take on Lansing Ignite FC Saturday, April 13. Kickoff for that match is set for 7:00 p.m. and will be available live on WTVR CBS 6.3 (Comcast 206, Verizon FiOS 466) and can be streamed live on ESPN+. Stay up to date with the Kickers at www.richmondkickers.com.