Richmond Kickers (2-1-1, tied for 5th) vs Union Omaha (1-2-2, tied for 8th)
All competitions: RIC (4-1-2) vs OMA (4-2-2)
City Stadium – Richmond, Virginia
5:30 PM (CST) ESPN+
Happy matchday, Búhos Nation! Today, the Owls travel east to take on the Richmond Kickers, visiting City Stadium for the second time since joining USL League One. The Kickers look to reclaim the top seat in the league, or at least a share of it, while the Owls seek re-entry to the top half of the league stadings.
The 2021 Richmond Kickers may have fallen flat, losing each of their last three matches by a combined score of 7-2, but this year’s edition of the Kickers have started the season very strongly. So much so, that of the six weeks of completed matches in league play, Richmond has found themselves sharing first place on three occasions. The club entered Week 7 tied for 5th place, after losing at home to Forward Madison last week 0-1. Their most recent match was against MLS-side Charlotte FC in the 4th Round of the US Open Cup, who completely dismantled the Kickers in Richmond by a score of 1-5.
In all competitions, the Kickers have scored 11 goals, with 4 of those being scored by Emiliano Terzaghi, the 2020 & 2021 Golden Boot AND MVP Winner. Of the seven matches that the Kickers have played so far this season, Terzaghi has scored a goal in four separate matches. Minding the net will likely be Akira Fitzgerald, recipient of the 2021 Goalkeeper of the Year award. Other notable players for the Kickers are midfielder Nil Vinyals, forward Jonathan Bolanos, defender Nathan Aune, and midfielder Leonardo Baima. This is a team that is capable of scoring a lot of goals.
Though Union Omaha did give up two late goals in their loss to Charlotte Independence, they followed it up with a refreshing 2-0 win against Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC in the 4th Round of the US Open Cup. The Owls seemed to have shrugged off the loss to Charlotte by putting to together a rather complete performance against Northern Colorado on Wednesday evening. In a post-match video posted by the club, Union Omaha head coach Jay Mims said that he’d allow the team to celebrate, knowing that focus would have to be adjusted quickly toward the Richmond Kickers.
Surprisingly enough, since joining USL League One, Union Omaha and Richmond Kickers have only faced each other on three occasions and have split the results evenly: 1 win, 1 draw, and 1 loss to both sides. The Owls visited City Stadium for the first time last season, a 1-1 draw. While Richmond forward Emiliano Terzaghi has scored plenty of goals on other clubs in the league, he has yet to score on Union Omaha. In fact, Richmond Kickers have just as many goals against Union Omaha as the Owls have scored against themselves in the series. The only goal a Richmond player has scored against Union Omaha came back in September of 2020. The only goal scored against Union Omaha last season was an own-goal by Toby Otieno. No Richmond player has scored on Union Omaha since that initial clash in 2020.
As often as Union Omaha likes to line up in a 4-4-2, Richmond likes to line up in a 4-2-3-1. They like to leave Terzaghi up high to pressure high and like to build attacks quickly. As stated earlier in this preview, the Kickers have the capability to score a lot of goals, but are just as susceptible to being scored on. The team often over commits themselves on the attack and open themselves up to counterattacks. For as good of a goalie as Akira Fitzgerald is, he can only do so much with the defense that lines up in front of him. Today, fans should expect to see a very fast-moving game with plenty of attacking opportunities. Both teams are capable of scoring goals, so it’s going to come down to the defensive efforts on both ends.
Since the Owls are out of town, make your way to one of the many watch parties happening in the Omaha area. There are plenty of bars and restaurants that are playing host to fans, so check your social media for the location nearest to you. Keep an eye on Who Gives a Hoot for further analysis, data breakdown, and banter following the match. Wear the volt, raise the scarf, and make some noise for the Owls. As always…¡Viva Búhos!
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