Who: Toronto FC II (5-11-5, 20pts) vs. Richmond Kickers (7-6-5, 26pts)
When: Saturday July 23, 2016 7:00 PM ET.
Where: City Stadium, Richmond VA.
Livestream: tfc2.ca
Toronto FC II will visit City Stadium this Saturday to take on the Richmond Kickers at 7PM ET. The Young Reds come into the match unbeaten in their last three having drawn their last match against Rochester.
This will be the third and final meeting between the two clubs this season. The clubs have split the first two meetings. Richmond took the first match 1-0 at City Stadium on April 30. A week and a half later Toronto FC II would grab the three points after Sal Bernal scored late to send the fans at the Ontario Soccer Centre home happy.
“We are looking forward to the matchup,” said TFC II captain Chris Mannella, “I can’t see the game being much different [than the previous matches].”
The Kickers come into the match having won two games in a row. They defeated both Harrisburg and Pittsburg on the road. The team has not conceded a goal in 125 minutes of USL play recording back-to-back shutouts. The Kickers will be coming into the match with a lot confidence after recently defeating English Premier League side Swansea City AFC 2-0 in a friendly at City Stadium.
Sitting just four points out of a playoff spot, the Young Reds are entering a very important stretch of games. The upcoming road trip will see the team make stops in Richmond, Bethlehem, and Orlando. All three teams are currently ahead of Toronto FC II in the standings, increasing the importance of coming back home with points.
“We understand the importance of the next three matches, in order to try and pick up as many points as we can,” said TFC II coach Jason Bent, “as long as we can do our own job… we can put pressure on the teams above us.”
Players to Watch
Yudai Imura: The Kickers leading goal scorer has been in good form recently. The native of Tokyo Japan, has 1 goal and 2 assists in the last two games. The midfielder has 4 goals and 2 assists on the season. Imura made the Kickers 2016 roster after impressing at their pro combine. He started his USL career red hot, opening with 3 goals in his first 3 matches.
Travis Worra: The Kickers keeper was recently loaned down from affiliate MLS club D.C United. He posted back-to-back shutouts since his return for the Kickers against Pittsburgh and Swansea. Worra has made 11 starts in the MLS this season going 3-4-4 and posting four clean sheets. He has been pushed down the D.C depth charts after keepers Bill Hamid and Andrew Dykstra returned from injury.
Toronto FC II take on Richmond Kickers this Saturday, July 23 at 7:00 PM ET. Follow along on Twitter @TorontoFCII using the hashtag #RICvTOR and watch the action via livestream at tfc2.ca
