Kickers vs. Riverhounds and Round Five of the Kickers Prediction Game of Awesome

Prior to every home game a panel of so-called experts will predict the outcome of the Richmond Kickers game. Each expert receives one point for each correct prediction. At the end of the season the winner gets a trophy and pack of gum.

May 22, 2015; 12:00 PM • by Richard Hayes

The Pittsburgh Riverhounds (2–3–3) roll into town on Saturday to face the Richmond Kickers (4–1–4). This is a rematch of this past Saturday in Pittsburgh that ended in a 1–1 draw. Both teams had an Open Cup game on Wednesday and both won and will move onto the next round. Neither game went into extra time as Pittsburgh downed the West Virginia Chaos (PDL) 3–0 and Kickers handled Virginia Beach FC (NPSL) 2–0.

Kickers played a mainly first string team and Yudai Imura was able to play 63 minutes. This was his first playing time since an early season injury. Imura continues to be a player to watch as he impressed with his pressure and willingness to serve the ball into the box. That being said, his service was a little rusty but hopefully he’ll be back into the regular rotation. Ownby, Davis IV, and Delicâte will have been the Kickers primary offensive weapons and I’m not expecting that to change. What will be interesting to watch is if they’ll start and if not when they’ll come into the game.

The Riverhounds have a two man threat with Rob Vincent (six goals) and Kevin Kerr (four goals). No other Riverhound has more than one goal. Assists are much more spread out with four players having eight including Vincent and Kerr, and Matshidiso Moloto with seven.

The game kicks off on Saturday, May 23th at 7:00 PM. The official game preview is here and you can get your tickets here,

	Prediction	Reasoning	Score
RVANews Soccer Guru		I’m having a crisis of faith. I want to believe in the Holy RVA Soccer Trinity of Ownby, Yomby, Delicâte and the patron of all marsupial soccer animals, St. Kickeroo, but I’m filled with doubt. Technically I’m half-filled with doubt since I’m predicting a draw.	2
Red Army		Is there anything redeeming to come out of Pittsburgh since, well, ever? It’s a rematch from last weekend, and one would naturally expect a better showing at home than on the road. That’s exactly what all Red Army members should expect as well. It’ll be a party in the stands, on the field, and wherever post-game may take you. Kickers win 2–0	3
Richmond Kickers		Brian Ownby seems to know how to tame some dogs that live by a river. Maybe after they lose I can take them down to the James to drown their sorrows.	3
Total Soccer Show		Turns out there’s no such thing as a “riverhound.” I Googled it. The Richmond Kickers, on the other hand, are not only real, they’re unbeaten at home so far this season. So I’m predicting a 2–0 win for the Kickers with Samuel Asante scoring one of the goals.	4

Last week’s predictions.

RVANews Soccer Guru (Richard Hayes): All of Richard’s soccer knowledge comes from playing FIFA on the original Playstation and standing in bars, drinking, and yelling at the television. He also helps run RVA DCU and is a member of American Outlaws Richmond Chapter, which mainly involves drinking and yelling at televisions.

Red Army (Matt Myers) — Reigning Champion: Matt was sent off by Leigh Cowlishaw in a summer camp scrimmage as a pre-teen but has not held that against the team. He’s coming to grips with being a relatively old man now after seeing the youngsters in the Red Army and on the Kickers roster. He’s also attended way more matches than he should admit to, especially for having lived in Richmond a total of one out of the last 13 years.

Richmond Kickers (Kickeroo): The Kicker from down under. He doesn’t really like anyone who isn’t a fan of the Kickers. A daredevil who will pretty much try anything and everything but would rather not talk (on advice from the lawyers) about the incident with the scooter and the Flaming Hoop of Death, he’s also a sensitive marsupial who enjoys long walks on a dew-covered soccer field and watching the sun set behind the goal post. He also shares something with the new Kickers beer, Kick It Hunny hops.

Total Soccer Show (Daryl Grove): Daryl is English, so everything he says about footsoccerball naturally carries more weight because he says it in a British accent. He is also part of the excellent local radio show and podcast Total Soccer Show that keeps track of all soccer related things in an intelligent and fun way. If you’re not listening to the Total Soccer Show, you need to change that posthaste.

May 22, 2015 12:00 PM · in Fan of the Fan, Hills and Heights, and more 1