The Richmond Kickers return to City Stadium this Saturday, May 2 to host the Charleston Battery at 7:00 p.m.
The Richmond Kickers return to City Stadium this Saturday, May 2 to host the Charleston Battery at 7:00 p.m.
The pre-game party begins at 6:00 p.m. with live music, RVA food trucks and craft beer on tap and tickets are on sale now at RichmondKickers.com.
Rivals for over two decades, Saturday’s match marks the 53rd meeting between the Kickers and the Battery with the Kickers taking the slight advantage on the 24-22-6 all-time series record following a dramatic 2-1 overtime victory in the Quarterfinals of the 2014 USL Playoffs, when the two clubs last met. In that match, forward Matthew Delicâte’s first touch of the game proved to be decisive, as the Kickers’ leading scorer buried the game-winner in the 117th minute, moments after being brought on as a substitute.
Collin Martin gave Richmond the lead 11 minutes in, but Battery forward Dane Kelly responded in the second half as the game ended level after regulation, requiring late game heroics to avoid penalties.
Both teams enter this weekend’s match-up on the back of an undefeated start to the season.
Delicâte posted his 200th point in a Kickers uniform with the lone goal against FC Montreal last weekend. A staunch defense posted their fourth consecutive shutout as the Kickers moved into first place in the USL Eastern Conference standings.
Meanwhile, the Battery reside just one point behind league-leading Richmond and Rochester with a game in hand following a 2-1 win in Wilmington last week. After the Hammerheads goalkeeper denied a 5th minute penalty kick, the Battery notched a pair of goals within a four-minute span when Zach Prince and Maikel Chang capitalized in the first half.
The two teams meet twice more this season, first traveling to Charleston on June 10 before returning to City Stadium to close out the three-game series on August 29.
Fans are encouraged to join the players after Saturday’s match for the official post-game party at Fat Dragon, located at 1200 North Boulevard, Richmond.
Players to Watch
Kickers:
Forward Matthew Delicâte (#7) posted his 200th point in a Kickers uniform last week when his lone goal lifted the Kickers to a 1-0 win over FC Montreal. Notching 90 goals over nine seasons in Richmond, the club’s all-time leading scorer surpassed the century mark in career goals in June 2014.
Defender Braeden Troyer (#31) made his City Stadium debut on April 10 and has since contributed to four consecutive shutouts, including two starts against the New York Red Bulls II and FC Montreal last week. Signing with the Kickers days before the start of the 2015 season, he impressed at the Kickers 2015 Pro Combine, earning his first professional contract out of the University of South Carolina.
Midfielder Fred Owusu Sekyere (#4) is one of two players to start all six matches to open the 2015 campaign, anchoring the midfield for 518 minutes and adding one assist. A standout at Virginia Commonwealth University from 2006 to 2009, he made 28 appearances with the Charlotte Eagles last year before returning to Richmond.
Battery:
Cuban goalkeeper Odisnel Cooper (#0) returned for his third season with the Battery after defecting from the Cuban National Team before a World Cup Qualifier in 2012. Making over 40 appearances in Charleston over the past two seasons, he posted nine shutouts during 2014 campaign, and has since posted an undefeated goalkeeper record of 4-0-1 to start the 2015 season.
Forward Dane Kelly (#9) is in his fifth season with Charleston, on loan from Jamaican Premier League side Tivoli Gardens. A 2014 USL All-League First Team honoree, he has tallied 24 goals and 5 assists over the past four seasons, adding three goals and one assist to start the 2015 campaign. Returning to Charleston following an injury-blighted first year in 2013 that restricted him to just six games played,
Cuban midfielder Maikel Chang (#12) has started all five of the Battery’s first five matches this season. Leading the team with four assists, he recently earned USL Team of the Week honors for tallying the game-winning goal in Wilmington last week.
