USL Richmond Kickers

Kickers Head West

July 18, 2013 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Richmond Kickers News Release


RICHMOND, VA - The Richmond Kickers conclude their month-long road swing with a grueling three-games-in-six-days trip to the west coast, taking on the Phoenix FC Wolves on Friday, July 19 and the Los Angeles Blues on Sunday, July 21 before a return trip to the Vancouver Whitecaps FC Reserves on Tuesday, July 23. Kickoff is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. ET and 7:00 p.m. ET, live from Sun Devil Stadium and Cal State Fullerton Stadium, respectively, on USLNation.com.

The Kickers are coming off a back-to-back road trip to Rochester and Harrisburg where they gathered four points on the weekend, extending the club's unbeaten streak to 17 games and snapping the USL PRO record previously held by Orlando City. First, a 90th minute equalizer spoiled a late-game lead when the Kickers battled the Rhinos to a 1-1 draw. The Kickers gained the advantage when midfielder Luke Vercollone posted his third goal in two games before conceding a last-gasp tally. Twenty-four hours later, Michael Seaton's lone goal lifted the Kickers to a 1-0 win over the Harrisburg City Islanders to move within two points of the league lead with a 10-0-7 record and 37 points.

First stop on this week's west coast jaunt is Sun Devil Stadium where they Kickers take on the Phoenix FC Wolves (4-10-6, 18 points) for the second time in history. The two clubs last met in Richmond in May when the Kickers narrowly edged the USL PRO expansion franchise 1-0 at City Stadium. Midfielder Nate Robinson tallied the game-winning goal in the 30th minute while goalkeeper Ryan Jones posted a shutout in his home debut in the first leg of the two-game series. Meanwhile, the Wolves conclude a three-game home stand this week following a pair of 1-0 wins over Antigua Barracuda FC. Diego Faria and Thomas Ramos were the goal scoring heroes with goalkeepers Sheldon Parkinson and Eduardo Fernandez splitting time for consecutive shutouts.

After Friday's contest, the Kickers head west to Cal State Fullerton to close out the home and away series with the third-place LA Blues on Sunday. Trailing the Kickers by five points in the standings, the Blues are riding a four-game unbeaten streak into Sunday's match-up, most recently handing Antigua Barracuda FC a 4-0 loss. The Blues and the Kickers last met in May when the Kickers held a first half advantage on an early Joseph Ngwenya tally until Blues midfielder Juan Perez buried an 88th minute equalizer to steal a point from City Stadium.

The Kickers wrap up the trip when they travel north for a rematch against the Vancouver Whitecaps FC Reserves on Tuesday. Rivals when the two clubs played in the USL First Division, the Kickers and the Whitecaps met last month for the first time since 2005 when they battled to a 1-1 draw at City Stadium. Giving up an early goal by Kekuta Manneh, the Kickers rallied from the deficit when Ngwenya buried the equalizer in the second half. Outshooting the MLS Reserves team 10-3, the home side was denied twice by the woodwork after the 90th minute, settling for a point in their first-ever USL PRO/MLS interleague match-up.

Following the three-game gauntlet, the Kickers return to City Stadium for the first time since June 22 to host VSI Tampa Bay FC on Sunday, July 28. Kickoff is set for 5:00 p.m. and tickets are on sale now at RichmondKickers.com.

Kickers Add D.C. United Midfielder Collin Martin On Loan

The Kickers are pleased to announce the addition of midfielder Collin Martin on loan from the club's Major League Soccer affiliate, D.C. United. The 18-year old homegrown Academy product is the sixth United player to join the Kickers on loan this season as part of the MLS/USL PRO partnership agreement, alongside Andrew Dykstra, Taylor Kemp, Michael Seaton, Conor Shanosky and Casey Townsend, and will be available for selection during this week's three-game road trip.

Martin recently signed with the Black-and-Red's senior team after joining the club's U16 squad at 14 years old. He progressed through to the U18s before featuring for Wake Forest University at the collegiate level last year. The youngster logged 1,315 minutes for the Demon Deacons as a freshman, featuring in all 20 games (15 starts) of Wake Forest's 2012 NCAA season. The midfielder notched one goal and added a team-best six assists, en route to an All-ACC Freshman Team selection.

Martin has also been called up to represent the United States at the U14, U15, U17 and U20 levels. Most recently, the midfielder was selected for the U.S. U20 Men's National Team camp in Carson, CA, and traveled with the squad for the Toulon Tournament in France May 28 - June 8.

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