Kickers
Preview: Kickers Hope to Stop Two Game Losing Streak at Home
The Kickers hope to get back on track at home against South Georgia Tormenta FC.
Opponent: South Georgia Tormenta FC (1-0-2)
Date/Time: Saturday, May 8th, 6:30 PM
Last Result: Fort Lauderdale CF 2, Richmond Kickers 1
Weather Forecast From WeatherBug.com
Three Things to Kick About
- Defensive Errors – The Kickers have lost the last two both games marred by defensive errors. An own goal and just plain poor marking have lead to the defeats. The injury to Ian Antley has hurt the defense more than it should.
- Mental Health – CBS6 sat down with Richmond Kickers defender Devante Dubose to discuss his battle with mental health. Well worth a watch here. “I gained myself back,” said Dubose. ” And the next thing you know 2018, I was signed to Phoenix Rising. That was one of the best years of my life.”
- Goals – The kickers have scored 4 goals in three games from four different players. Noticeably absent from that list of goal scorers is last years Golden Boot winner Emiliano Terzahi. What’s it all mean? Too early to tell but the diversity of goal scorers is a good sign.
Coach Bulow
This past weekend former Kicker player and most recently coach Dave Bulow suffered a stroke and serious damage from a fall. He is currently in the ICU and intubated. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family. The soccer community across the country has come together to help with medical costs through this GoFundMe. While he was the coach I talked with Dave often and found him to be an amazingly genuine, caring, passionate man and I’m hoping for a quick recovery.
Update: This afternoon we learned that Coach Bulow passed away Thursday morning. Devasting news for the soccer community and all those ever came into contact with him.
Prediction
The visitors have the same record as the Kickers. If the Kickers don’t make another error in the back I think this is an easy win.
Kickers 2 – Tormenta 0
Official Kickers Preview
The Richmond Kickers (1-2-0) return to City Stadium to take on South Georgia Tormenta FC (1-2-0), Saturday night, May 8 at City Stadium. Kickoff for this match is set for 6:30 p.m. ET. This match will be presented by Puritan Cleaners and supported by Newport Academy.The tie between Richmond and Tormenta is a relatively newer matchup. Having only played Tormenta five times between the 2019 and 2020 season, Richmond look forward to getting back into a winning form against a Tormenta side with the same record. Tormenta trails just behind in the league standings on goaldifferential, having four goals scored against them.Richmond hope to bounce back from the previous match against Fort Lauderdale. The Kickers took 16 shots and had five on target and saw a lineup change with Oalex Anderson on the wing and Nil Vinyals for a change from the two previous weeks. The additional time for Nil Vinyals saw him open up his scoring account with Richmond and gave fans another attacking presence to watch for. Oalex Anderson took four shots, one of them was blocked and another went just wide of the post nearly adding to the Kickers scoreline.Tormenta’s previous matchup was against Tucson where they scored their only goals for the season thus far after two scoreless losses. Their first two losses were against Fort Lauderdale and Union Omaha where they kept the majority of the possession for each match with 63% and 42% respectively. Coincidentally, the match they won against Tucson saw them hold less possession with 40%.After the Tormenta matchup, Richmond will have a full two-week break until their return to City Stadium against North Carolina FC. North Carolina will play their first match of the 2021 season against Greenville this Saturday, and will be playing a Richmond team that is four games in and catching their stride.Don’t miss a moment of the 2021 season at City Stadium with your Kickers+ subscription. Kickers+ is a brand new subscription service for the 2021 season that provides fans tons of value, flexibility, and sweet perks! Sign up today for only $59.99 – Kickers+ benefits include 50% off tickets to any regular season home match, 15% off merchandise at shop.richmondkickers.com, exclusive digital content, member events, and more! Click here for more info and to join today!Stay up to date with all of the Kickers news at RichmondKickers.com and on social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Download the Richmond Kickers mobile app for news, contests, and more!Match Information
Richmond Kickers vs South Georgia Tormenta FCCity Stadium, Richmond, Va.Saturday, May 8 at 6:30 p.m.
Broadcast Information
Internet: ESPN+TV (Local): WTVR CBS 6CBS6 Players to Watch
Richmond Kickers
Nil Vinyals (#10) made his starting debut against Fort Lauderdale, and also his scoring debut. Vinyals made two key passes, led the team with 21 passes into the opposition’s half and had a passing accuracy of 81% in the opposition’s half.
Ivan Magalhães (#4) has held down the center back spot for the first three games this season, starting with a clean sheet against New England. Magalhães made an incredibly acrobating defensive header against Greenville and had the most successful passes on the team against Fort Lauderdale with 35. Despite being a defensive player Magalhães still managed 17 passes into the opposition’s half.
Victor Falck (#23) had a 74.3% passing accuracy in the match against Greenville, and 75% against New England. His partnership with Zaca Moran provides a sturdy defensive presence in the middle of the pitch. Falck won 100% of his aerial duels against Greenville. Look for him to provide a solid backbone against a physical Tormenta team.
Tormenta FC
Sergi Nus (#5) is an excellent ball playing center back, and his 90.5% passing accuracy against New England shows that. He also made 27 passes into the opposition’s half that game with 74.1%. That same match he made 82 good passes or crosses. Nus managed 30 good passes or crosses against Union Omaha, made two clearances and one interception.
Curtis Thorn (#23) is a defensive outside back who scored against Tucson and had a passing accuracy of 89.3% and a passing accuracy in the opposition’s half with 85%. Paired with his impressive defensive capabilities, he is a player to keep an eye out for. He made three clearances, one interception and one block against Tucson.
Joshua Phelps (#77) is the central attacker in a Tormenta three-man front line and scored against Tucson in the 10th minute. His passing accuracy for the match was at 76.9% and his passing accuracy in the opposition’s half was 70%. Scoring the first goal for this Tormenta side of the 2021 season should give him some incentive.
