Kickers
Preview: Kickers Face Rival Forward Madison
This is the first leg of the Henny Derby. The Henny Trophy currently lives here in Richmond.
Opponent: Forward Madison (0 – 1 – 3)
Date/Time: Saturday, May 7th, 6 PM NOTE: This is a half-hour earlier than normal
Last Result: Kickers 2 – Charlotte Independence 1
Weather Forecast From WeatherBug.com
It’s not looking good folks but that is why you have raincoats and the hourly forecast doesn’t look nearly as bleak as this graphic.
Three Things to Kick About
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- Henny Cup – The winner of the series between Madison and Richmond win the Henny Cup. Created by Black-led, Black-created supporters’ groups, Featherstone Flamingos and River City 93 a local Kickers-focused podcast, the unique rivalry is now in its third season with a trophy on the line.“The Henny Derby represents everything I love about local soccer,” said Jason Weintraub of the Beautiful Game Network and League One Fun Podcast. “A supporter-started derby that fans, players and media have all gotten behind. From the trophy, the supporters who started it and the community built around it, Black culture has influenced American soccer for years. This derby shows the creativity, outlet and inclusiveness that Black supporters bring.”
- Open Cup – The Kickers face MLS side Charlotte FC on Wednesday the 11th. So once again Coach Sawatsky has to balance winning this game and having players fit and able for the game on Wednesday. I’m sure every one in the Kickers organization is hoping for an early commanding lead so subs can be made and key players, I’m looking at you Terzaghi, don’t have to play a full 90.
- Reggae Boy – Kickers Jonathan Bolanos has been out since the second game of the season (an Open Cup match). To fill the gap and add some depth the Kickers have brought on Jamaican international and USL Championship forward Owayne Gordon. He has made 18 appearances for the Jamaican National team. Everything I’ve read mentions his speed which fits in nicely with this team. It will be interesting to see if he takes the field on Saturday having only joined the team this week.
Prediction
On paper, this is an easy win for the Kickers. Forward Madison (0 – 1- 3) is at the bottom of the table and Richmond (2 – 1 -1) sits at the top. The caveat is that Richmon shares that top spot with four other teams so nearly half the league is tied for first. I’ll still argue that this should be an easy win. The Kickers have the best goal differential with +4 and Madison with -1. The Kickers have notched 7 goals from several different players so the attacking options should overwhelm Forward Madison. The wild card in the mix is the weather. It has a chance of being rainy and windy. City Stadium has a top-notch pitch, shout to Drew and his crew, so standing water will not be an issue but there will be some sliding about and strong winds can make the ball take unexpected moves.
One interesting tidbit to keep an eye on is that the Kickers lead the league in yellow cards with Terzaghi and Aune already at 3 apiece. As a biased reporter, I’ll say that a large chunk of those yellows came from a game where the center referee was hopped up on the card-giving juice.
Kickers will win decisively.
Kickers 3 – Madison 0
