2023 Richmond Kickers season
| 2023 season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owner | 22 Holdings, LLC | |||
| Head coach | Darren Sawatzky | |||
| Stadium | City Stadium | |||
| USL League One | 11th | |||
| U.S. Open Cup | Third round | |||
| Top goalscorer | League: Emiliano Terzaghi (10 goals) All: Emiliano Terzaghi (12) | |||
| Highest home attendance | 6,000 (vs. Charlotte Independence – April 1) 6,000 (vs. Tormenta FC – September 30) | |||
| Lowest home attendance | 3,143 (vs. North Carolina FC – August 9) | |||
| Average home league attendance | 4,786 | |||
|
| ||||
The 2023 Richmond Kickers season was the club's 31st season in existence, their fifth season in USL League One, and their 19th season in the third tier of American soccer. The Kickers will be led by fourth-year head coach, Darren Sawatzky. The USL League One season started on March 18, 2023.
Background
The 2022 season was the club's 30th season of existence, their fourth season in USL League One, and third year under head coach Darren Sawatzky. The Kickers had their strongest regular season showing since 2013 and won the USL League One regular season title with 51 points; they amassed a record of 14 wins, seven losses, and nine draws. Striker Emiliano Terzaghi led the Kickers and USL League One in scoring with 18 goals.
Outside of USL League One, the Kickers participated in the U.S. Open Cup, and the league playoffs, which they qualified for with their first-place finish during the regular season. The Kickers reached the fourth round of the Open Cup, before losing to Major League Soccer expansion side Charlotte FC. The Kickers began the Playoffs in the semifinal round on October 29, where they were eliminated.
Transfers
Transfers in
| Date | Position | No. | Name | From | Fee/notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 13, 2022 | FW | 8 | João Gomiero | North Carolina Fusion | Free | [1] |
| December 15, 2022 | DF | 25 | Michael Hornsby | Central Valley Fuego | Free | [2] |
| January 31, 2023 | FW | 19 | Justin Sukow | Forward Madison | Free | [3] |
| February 2, 2023 | DF | 34 | Beckett Howell | Richmond Kickers Academy | Free | [4] |
| MF | 33 | Gabe Cox | Richmond Kickers Academy | Free | [4] | |
| February 7, 2023 | DF | 16 | Jake Mecham | Denver Pioneers | Free | [5] |
| February 9, 2023 | FW | 99 | Kharlton Belmar | Colorado Springs Switchbacks | Free | [6] |
| June 12, 2023 | FW | 17 | Ryan Sierakowski | Tormenta | Free | [7] |
Transfers out
| Date | Position | No. | Name | To | Fee/notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 7, 2021 | MF | 7 | Matt Bolduc | Option declined | [8] | |
| MF | 11 | Leonardo Baima | Option declined | [8] | ||
| GK | 13 | Austin Causey | Lexington SC | Option declined | [8] | |
| MF | 20 | Christian Molina | Option declined | [8] | ||
| December 13, 2022 | MF | 8 | Ethan Bryant | Sporting Kansas City | Undisclosed | [9] |
| January 4, 2023 | DF | 5 | Stuart Ritchie | Columbus Crew | Free | [10] |
| February 6, 2023 | MF | 17 | Jonathan Bolanos | Huntsville City | Free | [11] |
Non-competitive
Preseason exhibitions
| February 11, 2023 1 | Richmond Kickers | 1–1 | Loudoun United FC | Midlothian, Virginia |
| 1:00 p.m. EDT | Gomiero 62' | Report | Williamson 54' | Stadium: River City Sportsplex Attendance: 100 |
| February 15, 2023 2 | Richmond Kickers | 3–3 | VCU Rams | Glen Allen, Virginia |
| 1:00 p.m. EDT | Terzaghi Pavone Gomiero |
Report | White Gallegos Toure |
Stadium: Strikers Soccer Complex Attendance: 50 |
| February 18, 2023 3 | VCU Rams | 2–3 | Richmond Kickers | Richmond, Virginia |
| 1:00 p.m. EDT | Stadium: Sports Backers Stadium |
| February 25, 2023 4 | Richmond Kickers | 3–1 | Old Dominion Monarchs | Richmond, Virginia |
| 11:00 a.m. EDT | Stadium: City Stadium |
| February 25, 2023 5 | Richmond Kickers | 4–2 | VCU Rams | Richmond, Virginia |
| 2:00 p.m. EDT | Report | Stadium: City Stadium |
| March 1, 2023 6 | Richmond Kickers | 2–0 | James Madison Dukes | Richmond, Virginia |
| 11:00 a.m. EDT | Sukow 21' Gomiero 41' |
Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 350 |
| March 1, 2023 7 | Richmond Kickers | 2–2 | Old Dominion Monarchs | Richmond, Virginia |
| 2:00 p.m. EDT | Belmar 32', 54' | Jenkins 45' Gallaway 68' |
Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 350 |
| March 11, 2023 8 | Crown Legacy FC | 1–1 | Richmond Kickers | Matthews, North Carolina |
| Stadium: Mecklenburg County Sportsplex |
Midseason friendly
| July 18, 2023 | Richmond Kickers | 2–4 | Comunicaciones | Richmond, Virginia |
| 7:30 p.m. EDT |
|
Stadium: City Stadium |
Competitions
USL League One
Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | One Knoxville SC | 32 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 36 | 39 | −3 | 38 |
| 9 | Lexington SC | 32 | 7 | 14 | 11 | 46 | 57 | −11 | 32 |
| 10 | Chattanooga Red Wolves SC | 32 | 8 | 17 | 7 | 46 | 65 | −19 | 31 |
| 11 | Richmond Kickers | 32 | 6 | 15 | 11 | 42 | 55 | −13 | 29 |
| 12 | Central Valley Fuego FC | 32 | 6 | 21 | 5 | 36 | 61 | −25 | 23 |
Source: USL League One
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) total goal differential; 4) total goals scored; 5) points earned against top four Conference finishers; 6) disciplinary points; 7) drawing of lots.
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) total goal differential; 4) total goals scored; 5) points earned against top four Conference finishers; 6) disciplinary points; 7) drawing of lots.
Regular season
All times in Eastern Time Zone.
| March 18, 2023 1 | Charlotte Independence | 0–0 | Richmond Kickers | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| 5:00 p.m. | Dutey 43' | Report | Morán 7' Hornsby 31' Sukow 75' Terzaghi 90+5' |
Stadium: American Legion Memorial Stadium Attendance: 3,947 Referee: Danielle Chesky |
| March 25, 2023 2 | Greenville Triumph SC | 0–1 | Richmond Kickers | Greenville, South Carolina |
| 7:00 p.m. | Labovitz 90+5' | Report | Belmar 12' Fitch 46' Vinyals 82' Pavone 90+4' |
Stadium: Paladin Stadium Attendance: 2,879 Referee: Abdou Ndiaye |
| April 1, 2023 3 | Richmond Kickers | 1–2 | Charlotte Independence | Richmond, Virginia |
| 6:00 p.m. | Gordon 25' 90+7' Belmar 58' Vinyals 75' |
Report | Dimick 13' Ciss 51' Hornsby 62' (o.g.) Spielman 77' Johnson 79' Bennett 88' Pack 90+2' |
Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 6,000 Referee: John Matto |
| April 15, 2023 4 | Richmond Kickers | 0–0 | Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC | Richmond, Virginia |
| 6:00 p.m. | Aune 81' | Report | Lukić 18' Rendón 65' |
Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 5,024 Referee: Gary Gutierrez |
| April 29, 2023 5 | Tormenta FC | 1–3 | Richmond Kickers | Statesboro, Georgia |
| 7:30 p.m. |
|
Report | Stadium: Tormenta Stadium Attendance: 1,263 Referee: Luis Arroyo |
| May 5, 2023 6 | Richmond Kickers | 0–0 | Union Omaha | Richmond, Virginia |
| 7:00 p.m. | Report | Dos Santos 67' | Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 5,418 Referee: John Matto |
| May 13, 2023 7 | Greenville Triumph SC | 2–2 | Richmond Kickers | Greenville, South Carolina |
| 7:00 p.m. |
|
Report | Stadium: Paladin Stadium Attendance: 2,023 Referee: Olvin Oliva |
| May 17, 2023 8 | North Carolina FC | 3–2 | Richmond Kickers | Cary, North Carolina |
| 7:00 p.m. |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 1,377 Referee: José Carlos Rivero |
| May 20, 2023 9 | Richmond Kickers | 2–1 | Lexington SC | Richmond, Virginia |
| 7:00 p.m. |
|
Report | Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 5,252 Referee: Adam Brzozowiec |
| May 27, 2023 10 | Tormenta FC | 1–1 | Richmond Kickers | Statesboro, Georgia |
| 7:30 p.m. | Report | Stadium: Optim Sports Medicine Field Attendance: 1,104 Referee: Aleksandar Zhelyazkov |
| June 3, 2023 11 | Richmond Kickers | 1–0 | Chattanooga Red Wolves SC | Richmond, Virginia |
| 7:00 p.m. |
|
Report | Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 5,276 Referee: Gabriele Ciampi |
| June 7, 2023 12 | Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC | 2–0 | Richmond Kickers | Windsor, Colorado |
| 9:00 p.m. | Report |
|
Stadium: Future Legends Complex Referee: Velimir Stefanovic |
| June 10, 2023 13 | Central Valley Fuego FC | 1–2 | Richmond Kickers | Fresno, California |
| 10:00 p.m. |
|
Report | Stadium: Fresno State Soccer Stadium Attendance: 810 Referee: Turan Ozdemir |
| June 17, 2023 14 | Richmond Kickers | 0–1 | Forward Madison FC | Richmond, Virginia |
| 7:00 p.m. |
|
Report | Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 4,902 Referee: Donovan Eubank |
| June 24, 2023 15 | Richmond Kickers | 2–2 | One Knoxville SC | Richmond, Virginia |
| 7:00 p.m. | Report | Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 3,863 Referee: Madzid Coric |
| July 1, 2023 16 | Richmond Kickers | 2–0 | Chattanooga Red Wolves SC | Richmond, Virginia |
| 7:00 p.m. | Report | Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 5,858 Referee: Edgar Garcia |
| July 8, 2023 17 | Union Omaha | 4–1 | Richmond Kickers | Papillion, Nebraska |
| 8:00 p.m. |
|
Report | Stadium: Werner Park Attendance: 3,524 Referee: Kevin Fikar |
| July 15, 2023 18 | Richmond Kickers | 2–2 | Charlotte Independence | Richmond, Virginia |
| 7:00 p.m. |
|
Report | Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 4,951 Referee: Olvin Oliva |
| July 22, 2023 19 | Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC | 3–1 | Richmond Kickers | Windsor, Colorado |
| 9:00 p.m. | Report | Stadium: Future Legends Complex Attendance: 1,511 Referee: Turan Ozdemir |
| July 29, 2023 20 | Lexington SC | 2–2 | Richmond Kickers | Georgetown, Kentucky |
| 7:00 p.m. | Report |
|
Stadium: Toyota Stadium Attendance: 2,105 Referee: Drew Klemp |
| August 5, 2023 21 | Richmond Kickers | 1–2 | Forward Madison FC | Richmond, Virginia |
| 7:00 p.m. | Barnathan 87' (pen.) | Report | Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 4,336 Referee: Cristian Campo |
| August 9, 2023 22 | Richmond Kickers | 2–2 | North Carolina FC | Richmond, Virginia |
| 7:00 p.m. | Report | Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 3,143 Referee: Gary Gutierrez |
| August 12, 2023 23 | Chattanooga Red Wolves SC | 3–2 | Richmond Kickers | East Ridge, Tennessee |
| 7:30 p.m. | Report |
|
Stadium: CHI Memorial Stadium Attendance: 2,433 Referee: Alejo Calume |
| August 19, 2023 24 | Richmond Kickers | 1–3 | North Carolina FC | Richmond, Virginia |
| 7:00 p.m. |
|
Report | Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 5,570 Referee: Gabriele Ciampi |
| August 26, 2023 25 | Lexington SC | 1–0 | Richmond Kickers | Georgetown, Kentucky |
| 7:00 p.m. |
|
Report | Stadium: Toyota Stadium Attendance: 2,145 Referee: Richonne Clark |
| August 30, 2023 26 | Richmond Kickers | 3–3 | Central Valley Fuego FC | Richmond, Virginia |
| 7:00 p.m. |
|
Report | Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 3,479 Referee: Gabriele Giusti |
| September 9, 2023 27 | Union Omaha | 2–1 | Richmond Kickers | Papillion, Nebraska |
| 8:00 p.m. |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Werner Park Attendance: 4,046 Referee: Velimir Stefanovic |
| September 14, 2023 28 | Forward Madison FC | 2–0 | Richmond Kickers | Madison, Wisconsin |
| 8:00 p.m. | Report | Stadium: Breese Stevens Field Attendance: 3,878 Referee: Olvin Oliva |
| September 24, 2023 29 | Richmond Kickers | 1–2 | Greenville Triumph SC | Richmond, Virginia |
| 6:00 p.m. |
|
Report | Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 3,470 Referee: Gary Gutierrez |
| September 30, 2023 30 | Richmond Kickers | 0–1 | Tormenta FC | Richmond, Virginia |
| 6:00 p.m. |
|
Report | Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 6,000 Referee: Richonne Clark |
| October 6, 2023 31 | One Knoxville SC | 2–2 | Richmond Kickers | Knoxville, Tennessee |
| 7:30 p.m. | Report | Stadium: Regal Stadium Attendance: 1,925 Referee: Cristian Campo |
| October 14, 2023 32 | Richmond Kickers | 4–5 | Central Valley Fuego FC | Richmond, Virginia |
| 6:00 p.m. | Report | Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 4,035 Referee: Amin Hadzic |
U.S. Open Cup
| April 6, 2023 Second round | Richmond Kickers | 3–2 | Cleveland SC | Richmond, Virginia |
| 7:00 p.m. | Barnathan 11' 79' Terzaghi 31', 59' Gomiero 34' Fitch 55' |
Report | Beck 80' Harter 86' |
Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 1,013 Referee: Christian Centeno |
| April 26, 2023 Third round | D.C. United | 1–0 | Richmond Kickers | Washington, D.C. |
| 7:30 p.m. | Report | Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 8,686 Referee: John Griggs |
Statistics
Appearances and goals
- As of October 14, 2023. Numbers after plus–sign (+) denote appearances as a substitute.[12]
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | USL1 | USL1 Playoffs | U.S. Open Cup | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
| 1 | GK | JPN | Akira Fitzgerald | 22 | 0 | 22+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 2 | DF | USA | Dakota Barnathan | 23 | 2 | 21+1 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 1 |
| 3 | DF | USA | Chris Cole | 15 | 0 | 8+7 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | USA | Simon Fitch | 32 | 2 | 32+0 | 2 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 6 | MF | ARG | Zacarías Morán | 31 | 0 | 30+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 |
| 7 | FW | USA | Ethan Vanacore-Decker | 3 | 0 | 0+3 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 8 | FW | BRA | João Gomiero | 28 | 4 | 21+6 | 4 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | ENG | Matt Bentley | 30 | 1 | 17+12 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 |
| 10 | MF | ESP | Nil Vinyals | 28 | 6 | 26+1 | 6 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 |
| 11 | FW | USA | David Olsen | 5 | 0 | 0+5 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 14 | DF | USA | Luke Pavone | 13 | 1 | 2+10 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 |
| 16 | DF | USA | Jake Mecham | 22 | 0 | 4+17 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 |
| 17 | FW | USA | Ryan Sierakowski | 21 | 4 | 16+5 | 4 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 19 | FW | USA | Justin Sukow | 31 | 2 | 26+4 | 2 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 24 | DF | USA | Nathan Aune | 32 | 2 | 31+0 | 2 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 |
| 25 | DF | GER | Michael Hornsby | 28 | 1 | 28+0 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 27 | MF | ENG | Chandler O'Dwyer | 24 | 2 | 10+14 | 2 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 29 | GK | USA | Will Palmquist | 12 | 0 | 10+1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 |
| 30 | GK | USA | Eli Mumford | 0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 31 | DF | USA | Otavio Zerbini | 0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 32 | FW | ARG | Emiliano Terzaghi | 24 | 12 | 23+0 | 10 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 2 |
| 33 | MF | USA | Gabe Cox | 6 | 0 | 0+6 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 34 | DF | USA | Beckett Howell | 13 | 0 | 4+8 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 36 | MF | USA | Landon Johnson | 11 | 0 | 3+8 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 37 | MF | JAM | Nicholas Simmonds | 7 | 1 | 0+7 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 91 | FW | JAM | Owayne Gordon | 19 | 1 | 4+15 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 99 | FW | GRN | Kharlton Belmar | 21 | 2 | 17+4 | 2 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
References
- ^ Heintschel, Nathan (December 13, 2022). "Kickers Sign Standout USL League Two Midfielder João Gomiero". Richmond Kickers. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
- ^ "Kickers Sign Versatile German Defender Michael Hornsby". richmondkickers.com. December 15, 2022.
- ^ Heintschel, Nathan (January 31, 2023). "Creative Forward Justin Sukow Joins the Kickers". richmondkickers.com. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
- ^ a b Heintschel, Nathan (February 2, 2023). "Kickers Announce 4 Academy Signings for the 2023 Season". richmondkickers.com. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
- ^ "Dynamic Fullback Jake Mecham Begins His Professional Career On The Richmond Backline". richmondkickers.com. February 7, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
- ^ "Former VCU Standout and Virginia Beach Native Kharlton Belmar Joins the Kickers".
- ^ Heintschel, Nathan (June 12, 2023). "Veteran Forward Ryan Sierakowski Joins The Kickers". Richmond Kickers.
- ^ a b c d "Kickers Announce Initial Contract Decisions for 2023". Richmond Kickers. December 7, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
- ^ Heintschel, Nathan (December 13, 2022). "Kickers transfer USL League One Young Player of the Year Ethan Bryant to Sporting Kansas City". Richmond Kickers. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
- ^ "Columbus Crew signs defender Stuart Ritchie". columbuscrew.com. January 24, 2023. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
- ^ Turner, Scott (February 6, 2023). "Huntsville City Football Club a mixture of pro league, college players". The Huntsville Times. al.com. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
- ^ "Richmond Kickers Player Stats". USL League One. October 18, 2023. Archived from the original on October 18, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2023.