Behind a Strong Defensive Performance, Kickers Leave Portland with a Point
USL1 Richmond Kickers

Behind a Strong Defensive Performance, Kickers Leave Portland with a Point

August 9, 2025 - United Soccer League One (USL1)
Richmond Kickers News Release


In the ninth minute, Pablo Jara sent a long ball up over the top, finding Darwin Espinal on the run. Making his first start in recent matches, Espinal turned the pressure on immediately. Pushing the back line, he received Jara's ball, got it briefly taken away but recovered it and played a touch-and-go ball back and forth to Josh Kirkland who fed him through just too long. Portland keeper Hunter Morse scooped it up.

Espinal remained a heavy presence in transition, making several successful tackles with fellow returner to the Starting XI, Nils Seufert.

In the 25th minute, Seufert won the ball in the midfield, sending it to Espinal who sent the ball with the outside of his foot to Hayden Anderson on the wing. Anderson drove into the box and looked to shoot but was taken down in the box and the referee awarded a corner kick.

Poon-Angeron and J.T. Kamara combined up the right side in the 29th minute but with a wall made from Klaidi Cela and Maxi Schenfeld behind him, Dakota Barnathan stepped up, won the ball and sent it the other way. The Kickers would make a free kick out of the possession but Simon Fitch's ball in falls just past the far post and out of bounds.

The Kickers pressured Portland consistently through the first five minutes of the second half. Portland looked to counter in the 51st but the Kickers shut it down forcing two corners. The first corner was cleared for a throw-in. Maxi Schenfeld shut down the attempted cross off the throw in and forced the second corner. The home team took it quickly but Klaidi Cela was ready and headed the ball clear out. Portland took a wild swing in response but it flew wide of the net.

Off a free kick he won in the 69th, Maxi Schenfeld sent the ball in. Marcelo Lage got a head to it but it went out of the box. Ryan Baer was there at the top of the 18 to scoop up the half volley and take a beautiful shot towards the upper 90. The strike perfectly on target forced Morse to get up and knock it over the top of the net. Off the corner, Lage would find an opportunity of his own as Simon Fitch send a corner in, Schenfeld got a head to it and sent it back to Lage who put his own crown on the ball but Morse showed up again to snag the ball out of the air.

Portland earned a free kick in the 79th from just outside the top of the box. Lage and Cela took on the the direct attack though and stomached a ball shot directly into the wall to send the Kickers the other way. Adrian Billhardt took off on the counter, found 18-year-old Landon Johnson on the wing who crossed it to Chandler O'Dwyer in front of goal. O'Dwyer got a shot off but was just barely offsides and the strike was scooped up by Morse.

As the match wound down, Portland looked to push a few more times on the counter. In the 87th, Billhardt came streaking down the sideline to shut it down. A minute later, the Billhardt helped the Kickers to build again, finding O'Dwyer who found Kirkland. No. 9 managed to get two shots off but Morse saved both.

Billhardt and Simon Fitch would combine up the right side to shut down the Portland attack. Up the left, Schenfeld and Johnson (before he subbed off for fellow Richmonder Beckett Howell), shutdown the attack as well with veterans Lage and Cela centering the line.

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United Soccer League One Stories from August 9, 2025


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