Coming on the heels of an unexpected weekend off, FC Tucson looks to kick start its run to the USL League One playoffs against a familiar foe – and one of the league leaders.
FC Tucson will match up with the Richmond Kickers for the third time this season as the Virginia club hosts Saturday’s game at 3:30 p.m. MST at City Staduym. FC Tucson’s official Watch Party will be at Home Plate Marana, beginning at 3 p.m.
The first two meetings this season did not go as planned.
FC Tucson stumbled in the season opener, losing 4-0 at Richmond. A chance to even the score in Tucson went by the wayside as Richmond’s Jonathan Bolanos scored in the 60th minute for the Kickers, who prevailed despite getting outshot 14-8. That tally included Tarn Weir’s potential game-tying goal in the final minutes hitting the crossbar.
OH. MY. 😫 pic.twitter.com/aF58iiyN7k
— FC Tucson (@FCTucson) June 30, 2022
That match was a rescheduled mid-week affair after COVID protocols within the Richmond camp caused the original May 20 game to be postponed.
Now FC Tucson has (at least) one more shot.
The club (3-9-4, 13 points) hasn’t played since July 23, and will look to pick up a valuable three points on the road. Donny Toia has goals in three of his four appearances for his hometown team, while Louis Perez has been a key to the offense with his team-high five assists.
Richmond, coached by former Tucson head man Darren Sawatzky, are coming off back-to-back wins. The Kickers (9-6-4, 31 points) beat the North Colorado Hailstorm, 1-0, on Tuesday behind Emiliano Terzaghi’s ninth goal of the season. Bolanos leads the team with seven assist.
Richmond’s defense includes Dakota Barnathan, who has started 14 matches this year for his new club after playing with Tucson last season.
