Preview: Kickers vs Penn FC in Round 3 of U.S. Lamar Hunt Open Cup

MATCH DETAILS

Opponent: Penn FC 
Date/Time: Wednesday, May 23th – 7 PM
Weather Forecast:  Hight of 86°, Cloudy with a chance of rain and/or thunderstorms
Tailgate & Red Army Forecast: Despite being one of the best things in soccer attendance will be light on both counts. Having the game on Wednesday night doesn’t help this under-marketed game. (2 Grills out of 5). The Red Army that does show up loves the Open Cup. With less regular folks in attendance, they’ll seem even louder than normal.  (4 Smoke Bombs out of 5)

THREE THINGS TO KICK ABOUT

1. Who is playing? – The Open Cup happens during a busy part of the season. The coaches of both teams have to balance the playing time of all their players. As a result, I have no real idea who will be starting. Throw darts at the roster and you’ll probably have a pretty close prediction.
2. History – Read what this Open Cup is all about here. It’s awesome and old, really old, we’re talking 1914 old.
3. Win or go home. – There are no draws in the Open Cup so that means this game will have a winner and a loser. As a result, there could be an extra 30 minutes of playing time in the end and when it comes down to it every single kick matters.

PREDICTION

Both the Kickers and Penn FC struggled against amateur opponents. Without knowing how serious either team is taking this game my prediction is a roll of the dice. The dice, however, are home dice and might be balanced a little in one direction. Home field advantage will make the difference.

Kickers 2 – Rowdies 1

My Home Games W/L prediction record to date: 80% correct

KICKERS OFFICIAL PREVIEW

The Richmond Kickers are putting preparations together for the third round match of the U.S. Open Cup against Penn FC. Kickoff is set to take place at 7:00 p.m. from City Stadium. Tickets are now available online at at RichmondKickers.com. The match will be streamed live on RichmondKickers.com/Matchday as well as Facebook.com/RichmondKickers and YouTube.com/RichmondKickers.

The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is now in its 105th edition. Richmond’s best finish came back in 1995 when the Kickers won the entire tournament as an amateur team. Penn FC, formerly the Harrisburg City Islanders, has made a run to the quarterfinals four times (2007, 2009, 2010, 2012) for its best finish in U.S. Open Cup history.

This is the first meeting between the Richmond Kickers and Penn FC under its new name. However, history between the Kickers and the City Islanders goes back to 2006. Richmond holds the all-time lead in the series with a record of 19-6-9. In the 2017 season, each team picked up a win, draw, and loss in the three meetings. In the Kickers win, Conor Shanosky scored the lone goal on a 51st minute header. Richmond and Penn FC are slated to face each other three more times later in the 2018 season during USL play.

The Kickers advanced to the third round of the Open Cup after surviving the second round match against the PDL’s Reading United AC. Koby Osei-Wusu opened the scoring in the 8th minute with his first professional goal. Heviel Cordovés fired a shot that the Reading goalkeeper deflected away for the save. Fortunately for Richmond, the ball fell right at Osei-Wusu’s feet and he found the back of the net. Reading scored an equalizer on Khori Bennett’s 70th minute goal and threatened the rest of the half and into extra-time. Reading outshot Richmond 22-9. At the end of extra-time, the scored remained 1-1 and penalties loomed. Goalkeeper Trevor Spangenberg played the role of hero when his diving save on Bennett’s penalty shot secured the 4-3 win in penalties for the Kickers.

Penn FC had a scare of their own against an amateur team in the second round of the Open Cup when they were trailing FC Motown 1-0 late in the second half. Motown’s Dilly Duka opened the scoring in the 53rd minute. FC Motown held the lead all the way until the 79th minute. Penn FC’s Miguel Jaime notched the equalizer on a one-time shot from outside the box. A few minutes later, Prince Daffoe put Penn FC in front for good when he blasted a goal past Motown’s goalkeeper Ryan Baird. Pedro Galvao put the finishing touches on the 3-1 win with a goal in stoppage time.

Following the match, the Kickers will return to USL action on Saturday, May 26 against the Charlotte Independence for Red, White and Brews presented by Impawsible Pups at City Stadium. The dog-friendly wine and beer fest starts at 5:30 p.m. with live music by The Hit List, pet-centric vendors, over a dozen craft beers on tap, a selection of wines, and legendary hot dogs fresh off the grill from Joey’s Hot Dogs. Then, the two teams will take the field at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are on sale now at RichmondKickers.com.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Richmond: Midfielder Koby Osei-Wusu (#24) made a mark with his first professional goal against Reading. Osei-Wusu is currently in his first professional soccer season after finishing his collegiate career at George Washington University in 2017. He is second on the Kickers with seven shots this year. Midfielder Braeden Troyer (#31) has made an immediate impact in his transition from the back line into the midfield. Troyer led the Kickers with seven clearances and six interceptions in the win over Reading. Goalkeeper Trevor Spangenberg (#1) made the most of his opportunity in front of the net last Wednesday. Spangenberg made five saves and had the decisive stop in penalties to clinch the win for the Kickers. This is Spangenberg’s second run with the Kickers after he appeared with them on loan from New England in 2015.

Penn FC: Forward Tommy Heinemann (#29) leads Penn FC with 17 shots, 10 shots on goal and three goals. The 6-4, 190 pounder has tallied 43 caps in the MLS with the Columbus Crew and Vancouver Whitecaps. Midfielder Miguel Jaime’s (#15) goal in the second round of the U.S. Open Cup bolstered Penn FC to the win. This is Jaime’s first year in the USL after he joined the PDL’s Ocean City Nor’easters in 2017. Defender Kenneth Tribbett (#4) has started seven games and logged 623 minutes, the most on Penn FC. Tribbett returned to Harrisburg after starting his professional career with the Harrisburg Islanders in 2015 and spending the last two years with the Philadelphia Union.