Preview: Kickers Search for a Win in Final Three Games

Opponent:  Tormenta FC (11-13-5)
Date/Time: Saturday, Sept. 30, 6:00 PM
Last Result: Kickers 1 – Greenville 2

Weather Forecast From WeatherBug.com

The clouds should start to break, thank goodness.

Three Things to Kick About

1. 13 – The Kickers have gone thirteen straight games without a win. So far this season the Kickers only have 6 wins and 23 draws and ties. Of the last 5 games 4 have been losses and only 1 draw. After such a great season last year finishing at the top of the league, this seems to hurt twice as much. Such is the life of a sports fan.
2. 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. Yes, this is a repeat from last week, still have no idea who will be taking the field.
3. Attendance – One of the few highlights of the season so far. The last game was by far the lowest attending match (no numbers given out) but that was to be expected with a switch to Sunday and the weather while not raining still wasn’t great. It will be interesting to see what attendance is for this game. Some of the Red Army have thrown in the towel but for the most part they should be there in close to the usual numbers. What remains in question is if the regular fans will show up to see a team that hasn’t won since early July and is out of the playoffs. It is RVA Craft Beer Night so there will be free samples of beers so that should at least bring in a few.

Prediction

Tormenta needs a win and some help to make the playoffs so I’d expect them to come strong. The Kickers, well you know. On the attacking front even though Tormenta sits just below the playoff bubble in 7th place they are second in the league with goals scored at 53 only one behind NCFC. Kickers have netted 36 goals to place them in 9th out of 12 teams. Goalkeeping the Kickers have more clean sheets 6 compared to 5 and have let in 4 less goals so not a giant difference there. Surprisingly both teams are top of the league in # of passes and tied in passing accuracy at 81%. If you combine all that you get a Tormenta win. I am however holding out hope that the Kickers can pull it together and play up to the potential I know they have. It’s time to spoil someone else’s playoff dreams.

Kickers 2
Tormanta 1