Toronto FC II battles the Richmond Kickers in an afternoon affair on Wednesday. To get you set here is everything you need to know about the Richmond Kickers:
2017 Season:
The Kickers have not had a great start to their 2017 campaign. Richmond currently sits in 13th place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 2-3-4. A lack of goal scoring has plagued the Kickers so far. The team has scored just five goals this season, which is tied for the second least in the league.
Current Form:
DDDLW
Draw at Rochester Rhinos (1-1)
Draw vs. Harrisburg City Islanders (0-0)
Draw vs. FC Cincinnati (1-1)
Loss at Tampa Bay Rowdies (1-0)
Win vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds (2-1)
Last time we met:
The Kickers were victorious (4-0) in the latest meeting between the two clubs in July of 2016. All-time the Reds are 2-3-0 against the Kickers. Both victories for the Reds came at the OSC.
Key Player: Fred Owusu Sekyere
The Ghanaian midfielder is in his third season with the Kickers. The former VCU Ram has made nine appearances for the Kickers and has created a team-leading eleven chances, recording one assist. Sekyere has made 281 passes at a 64.1% completion rate.
Unsung Hero: Matt Turner
The native of Park Ridge, New Jersey is in his second season with Richmond on loan from the New England Revolution. Turner signed with the Revolution after a successful pre-season trial in 2016. The keeper made seven appearances for Richmond last season. This year, Turner has made seven starts and recorded one clean sheet. Turner has made 20 saves in those seven starts.
Canadian Content:
The Richmond roster features two Canucks: Keeper Marcel DeBellis and defender Mallan Roberts.
DeBellis has yet to make an appearance for the Kickers. The Oakville, native is in his first season with Richmond after spending the last three seasons with the Ottawa Fury in the NASL.
On the other hand, Roberts has played every minute of the Kickers season so far. The native of Edmonton is in his first season with the Kickers following four years with FC Edmonton. Roberts made his Canadian National Team debut in 2015 in a World Cup qualifying match against Dominica.
Projected Lineup:
Richmond has played in a 4-4-1-1 formation this season. With the team playing a match in Rochester on Sunday, expect some level of squad rotation on Wednesday.
Tickets for Wednesday's game are still available. You can them here.
