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After a win that left head coach Leigh Cowlishaw unsatisfied with the performance of his team, the Richmond Kickers are back in action tonight against the Los Angeles Blues, the first of three games in 8 days. The LA Blues are only one point behind the Kickers but have played three more games. For the first two years of its existence, the Blues have been the only USL Pro team west of Ohio, which has obviously put a lot of pressure on the team; this season marks the first season of the Phoenix FC Wolves and next season there will be a USL Pro team in Sacramento, which will allow the Blues a little more regional competition.
Immediately after this game, the Kickers have to play Icon FC on Tuesday in the second round of the U.S. Open Cup before they welcome the Harrisburg City Islanders next Friday. And should they beat Icon FC, they would host D.C. United on May 28 before playing the Phoenix FC Wolves on the 31st. All in all it is a busy end of the month for our favorite 3rd division team.
Time: 7:00 pm
Venue: City Stadium, Richmond, Va.
Streaming: As always, you can watch this game at uslnation.com.
Lineup: The lineup for this game will likely feature the Kickers' full strength team, except without 3 of their 5 D.C. United loanees: Taylor Kemp, Conor Shanosky, and Casey Townsend will remain in Washington this weekend. That means that Andrew Dykstra will be in goal, with Alex Lee, William Yomby, Henry Kalungi, and Sascha Goerres in front of him. Luke Vercollone and Mike Callahan will start in defensive midfield, with Nate Robinson, Joseph Ngwenya, and Brian Ownby in front of them. Michael Seaton will be the target striker in this game.
Prediction: The Kickers have been solid at home so far, only having tied twice, and so I think that tonight will be no different. 4-1 victories keep happening for them, but I will go with a 2-1 win to be more on the safe side.
What are you drinking? I will be drinking a Miller Lite, as I am participating in the "Miller Lite 5k Filthy Mud Run" tonight, and you get a free beer for participating.
This is your place for all your pre-game, in-game, and post-game talk!