Red-hot Charlotte visits Richmond for a rematch of the 0-0 draw at Charlotte in week 1.
Richmond Kickers: What to Know
Last Result: The Kickers visited Greenville and defeated Triumph SC 1-0
What Richmond Brings from the Last Result: the Kickers gained three more points on the road, again using a fairly predictable starting 11. Richmond frustrated Greenville in the box and escaped with a win on a Nil Vinyals corner to Kharlton Belmar from about 18 yards out. However, 2022 golden boot winner Emilano Terzaghi has yet to find the back of the net and has seen his normal avenues largely shut down over the last two matches. This was especially true against Charlotte in week one.
Richmond’s X-Factor: defense and goalkeeping. Regular starter and perennial league goalkeeper of the year nominee Akira Fitzgerald is out on personal leave. Will Palmquist filled in against Greenville and got the clean sheet, but was not particularly tested, only having to save two shots. The defense stepped up, blocking a lot more of the shots that they’d normally let Fitzgerald handle. Against a much stronger Charlotte Independence attack, this will need to happen again.
Available on the bench squad:
- Midfielder João Gomiero, forward Owayne Gordon, and defender Chris Cole did not appear in week 2 against Greenville.
- Defender Jake Mecham and midfielder Chandler O’Dwyer made their season debuts off the bench in the second half for a defensive boost, while forward Luke Pavone made his season debut replacing Emiliano Terzaghi in the 80th minute.
- Eli Mumford, an academy goalkeeper, backs up Will Palmquist.
Not Available or Questionable for Week 3: forward Ethan Vanacore-Decker (ACL); forward David Olsen; goalkeeper Akira Fitzgerald (paternity leave)
More: Richmond Kickers pregame Media Day (Rivercity93)
Richmond Kickers Previous Week Setup
Opponent: Greenville Triumph
Result: WIN 1-0
Charlotte Independence: What to Know
Last Result: The Jacks visited Tormenta FC for a 3-1 win.
What Charlotte Brings from the Last Result: deep offensive firepower. After being held scoreless by Richmond despite quality shots, the Independence found the back of the net three times against Tormenta FC. Two of the goals came from the defensive midfield (Brad Dunwell) and the back line (Shalom Dutey), while the third came from forward Khori Bennett who came on for Dane Kelly in the second half.
Charlotte’s X-Factor: Richmond’s defense. We know Charlotte can attack from a lot of different positions. But Richmond’s defense has proven itself to be able to adjust. The week one matchup saw Richmond keeper Akira Fitzgerald handle things with support from his defense. Week two saw the defense step up to provide better support for keeper Will Palmquist, with Fitzgerald out. This week should also see Palmquist in the net, so Charlotte should be facing a slightly different, tighter defensive structure than in week one.
Available on the bench squad:
- Khori Bennett and Dane Kelly have been interchangeable in the first two weeks, with one starting and another coming late. Bennett off the bench in week two resulted in a goal.
- Midfielders Avionne Flanagan, Luis Álvarez, Bachir Nidaye, and center-back Nick Spielman all appeared off the bench in week two.
- Noah Abrams backs up Austin Pack.
Not Available or Questionable for Week 3: Carlson Talboys (injury)
Charlotte Independence Previous Week Setup
Opponent: Tormenta FC
Result: WIN 3-1
2023 Head to Head
Series drawn
March 18: Charlotte 0-0 Richmond