Saturday night may have brought rain to Richmond, but nothing was going to sour the mood at City Stadium. Behind a 10th minute goal from Brian Ownby, the Kickers got back on the winning track with a comfortable 1-0 match against Toronto FC II.
While the team lost two starters to injury last week in Ryan Taylor and Yudai Imura, three other players did return to the starting lineup. Samuel Asante, Lucas Paulini, and Alex Lee all re-entered the team, and their impact was felt throughout the match. New England loanee Matt Turner took over in goal, and performed well given he met his teammates for the first time on Friday. The remainder of the team stayed as it has been all season, providing some continuity for the coaching staff and the team.
The goal was truly the primary highlight of the game. The run up to the goal began innocently enough with a Toronto defender knocking an Alex Lee cross out for a throw. Instead of a long throw from Jason Yeisley, Lee took the throw and eventually found Yeisley in the penalty area. He took a touch and turned, looking to cross into the center of the box. Fortunately, it turns out, the ball deflected off a defender and sat up neatly for an onrushing Ownby. He deftly volleyed the ball over the keeper and into the net for the lone goal of the game. These are the connections that give Kickers fans so much optimism when talking about the attack, and seeing the Yeisley/Ownby duo produce a goal again will hopefully lead to a hot streak for the both of them.
Yeisley did nearly add a second goal early in the second half. After a pass from Luiz Fernando, Yeisley found himself with space on the right side of the penalty area. His touch set him up well for a shot, and he beat Alex Bono, only to see the ball ricochet back off the left post. Fernando and Ownby then connected later in the half, but the local product pushed his shot wide.
The defense should be commended for their performance in the game. While Toronto might not be the strongest team in the league, they can still cause problems in the attack. The quartet of Troyer, Yomby, Roberts, and Lee held TFC in check throughout, and while Matt Turner had to make five saves on the night, they were all of fairly routine variety and certainly didn’t cause any troublesome moments for the fans in the crowd.
Luiz Fernando is also growing into his role in the team. The eighteen year old has either started or been a primary substitute in each game thus far, and his presence on the wing is becoming more pronounced. I’d be surprised if he doesn’t get on the scoresheet soon, as he clearly likes to cut in onto his favored left foot and fire away. He had a great opportunity at the tail end of the game, but unfortunately got under the ball and skied his shot. It’s coming though, and don’t be surprised if things take off for the young Brazilian at that point.
Next week the Kickers meet the Wilmington Hammerheads once again, this time at City Stadium. The teams played to a scoreless draw in their first meeting in April. Wilmington currently sits in eighth place in the Eastern Conference with a 2-2-2 record.
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