The Richmond Kickers tied the Rochester Rhinos 1-1 over this past weekend, with George Davis IV scoring in stoppage time to give the Kickers a point. Davis has been great in the Kickers season in the early going this year, playing much better than I expected after the Kickers signed him from the LA Blues. There were a slew of D.C. United loanees in town, with Joe Willis, Taylor Kemp, Conor Shanosky, Collin Martin, Jared Jeffrey, and Kyle Porter all starting.
Jeffrey and Martin both starting pushed Samuel Asante, typically a central midfielder himself, to the wing and really forced Taylor Kemp to provide all of the width on the left side. The fact that Kemp has been getting consistent playing time so far this season has reflected in his play: his attacking play has been good, and his defensive work has been much improved over what we have seen in his limited time in DC thus far. Collin Martin was another standout among the loanees, with his skill on the ball obviously above that of a typical USL PRO player.
Much like Michael Seaton was at the beginning of last season, Joe Willis currently looks out of sorts as the Richmond goalkeeper. He allowed an easy header to hit off of the post because he misjudged where it was going, and his play on the Rochester goal could have been better. Throughout the season thus far, however, he has looked like a player who does not have much confidence.
The Kickers are next in action this Friday, playing the newly formed Arizona United SC at 7 PM at City Stadium.