USL Action on UNATION: Kickers draw Orlando City

Official Kickers Game Recap from http://richmondkickers.com/

This past weekends Kickers match was shown live on UNATION at: http://uslnation.com/. Fans that tuned in saw the Kickers secure one point in a draw against Orlando City. Below is the game recap from the Richmond Kickers.

ORLANDO, FL – The Richmond Kickers snapped Orlando City’s win streak Saturday night, stealing a point off the defending USL PRO Champions at the Florida Citrus Bowl with a scoreless draw.  The Kickers led the attack with 11 shots to seven and veteran goalkeeper Ronnie Pascale posted a pair of point blank saves to record his first shutout of the season.

Dominating the first half with eight shots to three, the Kickers tested Orlando goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo early, forcing four saves before the break.

First, with just five minutes expired, midfielder Ryan Heins intercepted the ball 30 yards out.  Heavily marked, he eluded four defenders en route to the box where he took a point blank shot; however, Gallardo was ready and waiting to block his attempt.

Twenty minutes later, defender Henry Kalungi gathered the ball at midfield and carried it down the right wing.  He delivered a cross to a wide open Christopher Agorsor who faced Gallardo 1v1 before firing a low driven ball from the top of the box, but was denied by a diving Gallardo.  The Kickers newcomer danced around him to collect the rebound and forced a double save as his second attempt was snuffed out by the Orlando ‘keeper.

Orlando answered back in the 27^th minute when a deflected cross found Kevin Molino in the air at the top of the box.  He played the ball on to forward Matt Luzunaris who turned and struck from 12 yards but Pascale, scooped up the ball, leaving the home side powerless.

Luzunaris made his presence known once more before the break when he received the ball at the six-yard box.  With one touch, he turned quickly and released the ball only to see it glance inches from the near post.

Hoping to break the ice before the halftime whistle, midfielder Edson Elcock pulled a quick switch across the field to defender Sascha Görres near the far touchline.  He took two steps and played a perfectly placed cross to an onrushing Heins but his flick on header was blocked by a Gallardo reaction save to curl the ball around the near post.

Orlando opened the second half with a new formation and four substitutes, shifting momentum in their favor; however, it was not until the 63^rd minute that the Lions pressured the Kickers defense with a series of short passes just outside the box that left John Rooney open within striking distance.  The midfielder one-timed a determined shot from the top of the 18 but Pascale leapt to his right to keep the Lions at bay.

Later, Kickers midfielder Stanley Nyazamba blasted a 40-yard rocket from distance that soared skyward before David Bulow set off on a foot race against Orlando’s last defender, chasing down a long-ball from deep in Kickers territory.  Settling the ball with one touch, he attempted to chip second half substitute Sean Kelley but the Orlando goalkeeper was in the right place at the right time and stopped Bulow’s attempt short.

As the final minutes of regulation waned closer, the Kickers defensive unit weathered a late Orlando attack as the home side increased the pressure and congestion in the visitor’s box to preserve their first clean sheet of the season.

The Kickers continue their two-game road stand when they travel to Dayton to take on the Dutch Lions on Saturday, May 5 before returning to Richmond City Stadium on Saturday, May 12 to host the Harrisburg City Islanders.

  

Box Score             First Half         Second Half             Final

Orlando                        0                      0                        0

Richmond                     0                      0                        0

Scoring Summary

None.

Lineups

            Lions: GK Miguel Gallardo (Sean Kelley – 45’), Jerome Mechack (Erik Ustruck – 45’), Luke Boden, Kyle Davies, Rob Valentino, Anthony Pulis, James O’Connor, Kevin Molino, Jamie Watson (Max Griffith – 45’), John Rooney (Ian Fuller – 84’), Matt Luzunaris (Dennis Chin – 45’)

Kickers: GK Ronnie Pascale, Sascha Görres, Shane Johnson, William Yomby, Henry Kalungi, Ryan Heins, Mike Callahan (Gerson Dos Santos – 86’), Stanley Nyazamba (David Bulow – 67’ (Bobby Foglesong – 86’)), Luke Vercollone, Christopher Agorsor (Matthew Delicate – 32’), Edson Elcock

Shots                           Saves                           Fouls                           Corners

Kickers:          11         Kickers:            2          Kickers:             7          Kickers:           6           

Lions:               8          Lions:               5          Lions:               11         Lions:               3

Cautions:

49^th minute: Henry Kalungi (Richmond)

75^th minute: Erik Ustruck (Orlando)

83^rd minute: David Bulow (Richmond)

Kickers vs. Orlando City Live on UNATION

The Richmond Kickers upcoming weekend match on the road against Orlando City will be broadcast live on UNATION. Tune in Apr 28 at 7:30 p.m to catch the Kickers in action.

Episode 9 - Fans of United Podcast

Pontius and United take the Red Bulls by the horns

Fans of United hosts Devon McTavish, Eric Hunsaker, and Chris Wimmer discuss Montreal Impact and New York Red Bulls results, current state of the D.C. lineup, upcoming schedule on the road an of course this weekends match at RFK against visiting Houston.

Stay connected with Fans of United:

D.C. United Academy U-18s & U-16s Stay Perfect

official D.C. United press release:

D.C. United Academy Update

U-18’s and U-16’s compile perfect record for second consecutive weekend

Washington, D.C. (April 23, 2012) – D.C. United’s Academy teams compiled a perfect record this past weekend, as the U-18’s and U-16’s defeated FC Westchester and Albertson SC in USSDA matches.

United’s U-18 team kicked off the weekend with a 2-1 victory over FC Westchester on Saturday, April 21. Patrick Foss was United’s most influential player, converting two penalty kicks to help the Black-and-Red recover from a 0-1 deficit.

The U-18’s delivered a solid defensive performance in the following match, defeating Albertson SC by 1-0 on Sunday. Once again, it was defender Patrick Foss who guided United to victory, tallying the game’s lone goal with a direct free kick.

“We were very pleased with Sunday’s match and the defensive discipline of every player,” said United U-18 Head Coach Nolan Sheldon. “The team showed great commitment to both tactical plans on Saturday and Sunday and are deserving of back to back six-point weekends.”

United’s U-16 team followed the U-18’s example and defeated FC Westchester by 2-1 as well. Nigel Robinson scored United’s first goal, dribbling from the sideline and striking a low-shot finish. The winning goal was tallied by Michael Seaton, who beat a defender and struck the ball to the back post after being assisted by Lars Eckenrode.

The U-16’s wrapped up the weekend with a 2-1 victory over Albertson SC. Nigel Robinson opened the scoring with an assist from Michael Seaton, and Michael Monahan sealed the victory after being assisted by Abdi Yusuf. 

“We were a little disappointed that the group conceded goals late in games this weekend, so we will need to sort that out in training,” said United U-16 Head Coach Tom Torres. “However, they should be proud that they answered every other challenged thrown at them with quality soccer.”

Broadcasting and P.A. Request:  When speaking of the organization, please refer to the team as either “D.C. United” or “United,” but not “the D.C. United” or “the United.”  We appreciate your cooperation.

Led by Pontius Hat Trick, United make statement in 4-1 win over Red Bulls

Chris Pontius has made it crystal clear - he is completely 100% recovered from his season ending leg injury that cut short his 2011 MLS season.

Pontius lead United to a huge win over Eastern Conference rivals, New York, Sunday evening at RFK Stadium. With the hat trick Pontius showed that he was the most dangerous forward on the field, despite Thierry Henry and Kenny Cooper both coming into the match with seven goals a piece. Henry did pick up another goal (MLS leading 8th goal) late in the game but by then Pontius and the Black-and-Red had already put the game away for good.

“We talked about what they did to us last year here,” Chris Pontius told the media after the match. “We didn’t forget about losing 4-0. [This year] we are a more mature team. We close games out better, and we see plays out better. We make a lot less stupid mistakes.”

Since coming on as a substitute against New England in the second half for the struggling Hamdi Salihi, D.C. United's major off season Designated Player signing, Pontius scored the game winner against the Revolution and had the hat trick in a dominating victory over the Henry led Red Bulls. Meanwhile Salihi has seen only 15 minutes of playing time over the past two games.

The four goals in a three game stretch now see Pontius tied with Maicon Santos (4 goals) as United's leading scorers.

Up next for D.C. is a home game against the Houston Dynamo who feature two players with Virginia soccer backgrounds. Brad Ownby played college soccer at the University of Virginia and club soccer for the Richmond Strikers. Corey Ashe played for the then Virginia Beach Submariners (now Piranhas) of the USL.

United is now enjoying a six game undefeated streak and find themselves in second place in the Eastern Conference with 12 points.