In the midst of their third home game in a stretch of four straight, the Richmond Kickers (3-5-1) will face off against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (4-1-6) at 7 p.m. on Saturday at City Stadium. This will be the first meeting between the clubs this season.
Throughout the campaign to date, Richmond has seen the bulk of its action at home, playing six of its nine matches at City Stadium. To open the season, the Kickers had three home tilts in their first four games. Over this stretch, the club went 1-2-1 with the lone win coming in a 2-1 victory over North Carolina FC.
Over its last five matches, Richmond has performed similarly to the start of its campaign, as it holds a 2-3-0 record during this stint. Most recently, the Kickers dropped a home game, 3-1, to the Charlotte Independence on May 26.
Brian Shriver heads the Richmond attack, as he leads the club in goals (three), points (eight) and chances created (nine) this season. Of the squad’s 10 goals this year, the striker has notched at least a point on five of them. He will be coming off a match in which he scored Richmond’s lone goal – the aforementioned 3-1 loss against Charlotte.
Strengths:
Fouls: Richmond has recorded the least fouls in the Eastern Conference, logging 99 this season.
Conversion rate: Despite low shot totals this year, the Kickers have done well converting those it does take. The team ranks fifth in the Eastern Conference with a 17.2 conversion rate.
Weaknesses:
Clean Sheets: Richmond has only one shutout this season – coming against the Tampa Bay Rowdies – and has allowed 16 goals (tied for third most in the Eastern Conference).
Shots: The club ranks dead last in the Eastern Conference with 72 total shots, an average of eight shots per game.
