Preview: Kickers Face Greenville With Nothing But Pride on the Line

Opponent:  Central Valley Feugo FC (5-15-3)
Date/Time: Saturday, Sept. 23, 6:00 PM (an hour earlier than previous games) UPDATE: Game moved to Sunday, September 24th, KO at 4 PM
Last Result: Kickers 0 – Madison 2

Weather Forecast From WeatherBug.com

In a word miserable.

Three Things to Kick About

1. Landon – The Kickers signed Landon Johnson to a professional contract. If you haven’t been paying attention that news might get a subtle head nod but it’s actually pretty exciting because Landon is only 16. The 16-year-old becomes the first Kickers player on a USL Academy Contract to sign a professional contract with the club. He has had a decent amount of playing time lately and does seem to have a ton of potential.
2. Lucky 13 – Twelve games without a win is enough to make the most diehard fan question their loyalty. For those diehard fans of which I’m most certainly one, the lack of passion the last game was extremely frustrating. Forward Madison is considered our rival and the team was beyond lackluster. I’ll be in the stands on Saturday and hope to see a bit of fire in the team if not coming back for the remaining meaningless two home games will be a hard sell.
3. Lineup – Who will take the pitch on Saturday? During the mid-season most teams brought on proven talent, the Kickers chose a different path and signed 4 youth academy kids. The Kickers path did not work but it does mean we could see a pack of youngsters take the field. It could mean we see a bunch of the bench riders get a nod to fight for next year’s roster spot. We still have no idea about Terzaghi so we don’t even know if we’ll see him. One thing we do know is that whatever the lineup they’ll need to play a full 90 and cease the defensive mistakes to get the win.

Prediction

If you look on paper the odds are definitely stacked against the Kickers. Greenville is fighting for a playoff spot and the Kickers are playing for pride. Pride which they haven’t shown a lot of as of late. In the past 5 games Greenville has 2 wins, 1 draw, and 2 losses. The Kickers have 1 draw and 4 loses. On the semi-positive side the Kickers have scored 5 goals but 3 of those came in 1 game and in two games the Kickers managed 0 goals. Weather is going to play a factor in this game, the forecast if for heavy rain and gusty winds. This will of course kill attendance and the don’t expect pretty soccer. It does means that the most loyal fans will be there and perhaps the players will realize that there is a reason to give it their all and give the Red Army something to celebrate. The streak must break at some point and I think that point is now.

Kickers 1
Greenville 0