2024 Richmond Kickers season

Richmond Kickers
2024 season
	Kickers vs Fuego in April 2024
Owner	22 Holdings, LLC
Head coach	Darren Sawatzky
Stadium	City Stadium
USL League One	8th
USL1 Playoffs	Quarterfinals
U.S. Open Cup	Third round
Jägermeister Cup	Group stage
Top goalscorer	League: Chandler O'Dwyer (6); All: Chandler O'Dwyer (9)
	← 2023 2025 →

The 2024 Richmond Kickers season was the club's 32nd season in existence, their sixth season in USL League One, and their 20th season in the third tier of American soccer. The Kickers are led by fifth-year head coach, Darren Sawatzky.

The Kickers improved on their regular season fortunes, finishing 8th in League One, qualifying for the playoffs for the first time since 2022.

Transfers

Transfers in

Date	Position	No.	Name	From	Fee/notes	Ref.
December 13, 2023	GK	1	Pablo Jara	Tormenta	Free	^[1]
January 4, 2024	DF	14	Guilherme França	Dalton State Roadrunners	Free	^[2]
January 9, 2024	MF	17	James Vaughan	Welling United	Free	^[3]
January 16, 2024	FW	9	Arthur Bosua	Tormenta	Free	^[4]
January 18, 2024	DF	5	Maxi Schenfeld	Harrisburg Heat	Free	^[5]
January 23, 2024	DF	15	Toni Pineda	High Point Panthers	Free	^[6]
February 1, 2024	GK	13	Ryan Shellow	Detroit City	Free	^[7]
February 20, 2024	MF	20	Adrian Billhardt	Detroit City	Free	^[8]
March 13, 2024	MF	38	Griffin Garnett	Richmond Strikers	Academy contract	^[9]
March 13, 2024	DF	39	Noah Hiort-Wright	Richmond Strikers	Academy contract	^[9]
August 13, 2024	DF	16	Klaidi Cela	Liria Prizren	Free	^[10]
September 12, 2024	FW	45	Josh Kirkland	Free Agent	Free	^[11]

Transfers out

Date	Position	No.	Name	To	Fee/notes	Ref.
December 4, 2023	FW	7	Ethan Vanacore-Decker	Jackson Lions	Free	^[12]
December 4, 2023	FW	9	Matt Bentley	Maidstone United	Free	^[12]
December 4, 2023	FW	11	David Olsen	None	Free	^[12]
December 4, 2023	DF	14	Luke Pavone	Phuket Andaman	Free	^[12]
December 4, 2023	DF	16	Jake Mecham	None	Free	^[12]
December 20, 2023	GK	1	Akira Fitzgerald	North Carolina FC	Free	^[13]
January 16, 2024	FW	91	Owayne Gordon	Montego Bay United	Free	^[12]
March 4, 2024	DF	25	Michael Hornsby	Christchurch United	Free	^[14]
March 13, 2024	FW	99	Kharlton Belmar	Charlotte Independence	Free	^[15]
March 15, 2024	DF	31	Otavio Zerbini	Charlotte Independence

Non-competitive

Preseason exhibitions

February 10	Richmond Kickers	1–0	VCU Rams	Glen Allen, Virginia
11:00 EST	Sierakowski 37'	Report		Stadium: VACU Field Attendance: 0

February 14	Richmond Kickers	5–1	Alexandria Reds	Bensley, Virginia
20:00 EST	Bosua 14' Billhardt 28', 51' Vaughan 34' Sukow 84'	Report	Hayes III 64'	Stadium: Ukrop Park Attendance: 0

February 17	Loudoun United	2–2	Richmond Kickers	Leesburg, Virginia
12:00 EST	Valot 56' Erlandson 72'	Report	Gomiero 61' Cox 68'	Stadium: Segra Field Attendance: 100

February 21	Richmond Kickers	4–1	Chowan Hawks	Glen Allen, Virginia
19:00 EST	Vinyals 23', 64' Sierakowski 36', 75'	Report	Binns 14'	Stadium: VACU Field Attendance: 140

February 24	Richmond Kickers	1–1	James Madison Dukes	Glen Allen, Virginia
14:00 EST	O'Dwyer 37'		Krakowiak 56'	Stadium: VACU Field Attendance: 0

February 28	Richmond Kickers	2–3	Loudoun United	Glen Allen, Virginia
12:00 EST				Stadium: VACU Field Attendance: 200

March 2	Richmond Kickers	2–0	George Mason Patriots	Richmond, Virginia
14:00 EST				Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 1,133

March 9	Crown Legacy	1–1	Richmond Kickers	Matthews, North Carolina
14:00 EST				Stadium: Mecklenburg County Sportsplex Attendance: 452

Midseason exhibitions

June 26	Richmond Kickers	1–1	Lionsbridge	Richmond, Virginia
14:00 EST	Kirkland 53'	Report	Hall 31' (pen.)	Stadium: City Stadium

Competitions

USL League One

Table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
6	Charlotte Independence	22	9	6	7	37	31	+6	34	Playoffs
7	Spokane Velocity FC	22	7	9	6	26	35	−9	27
8	Richmond Kickers	22	6	10	6	25	34	−9	24
9	Lexington SC	22	5	11	6	33	42	−9	21
10	South Georgia Tormenta FC	22	4	10	8	33	42	−9	20

Source: USL League One
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) total goal differential; 4) total goals scored; 5) points earned against top four Conference finishers; 6) disciplinary points; 7) drawing of lots.

Results summary


Overall								Home						Away
Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
5	1	1	3	7	11	−4	4	1	0	2	4	7	−3	0	1	1	3	4	−1

Last updated: April 28, 2024.
Source: USL League One

Match results

March 16 1	Spokane Velocity	2–1	Richmond Kickers	Spokane, WA
5:00 p.m. EDT	Métanire 4' Longmire 15'	Report	Billhardt 20'	Stadium: One Spokane Stadium Attendance: 5,086 Referee: Yannick Rothfuss

March 23 2	Richmond Kickers	1–3	Tormenta	Richmond, VA
5:00 p.m. EDT		Report		Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 4,523 Referee: Luis Arroyo

April 6 3	Richmond Kickers	3–2	Central Valley Fuego	Richmond, VA
6:00 p.m. EDT		Report		Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 3,551 Referee: Izlen Peksenar

April 13 4	Forward Madison	2–2	Richmond Kickers	Madison, WI
7:00 p.m. EDT		Report		Stadium: Breese Stevens Field Attendance: 3,821 Referee: Alex Beehler

April 20 5	Richmond Kickers	0–2	Spokane Velocity	Richmond, VA
6:00 p.m. EDT		Report		Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 5,368 Referee: Stearne Briem

May 3 6	Richmond Kickers	1–1	One Knoxville	Richmond, VA
7:00 p.m. EDT		Report		Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 4,730 Referee: Wesley Costa

May 18 7	Richmond Kickers	0–1	Greenville Triumph	Richmond, VA
7:00 p.m. EDT		Report		Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 3,790 Referee: Rafael Santos

June 1 8	One Knoxville	1–2	Richmond Kickers	Knoxville, TN
7:00 p.m. EDT		Report		Stadium: Regal Stadium Attendance: 1,788 Referee: Stearne Briem

June 15 9	Central Valley Fuego	1–1	Richmond Kickers	Fresno, CA
10:30 p.m. EDT		Report		Stadium: Fresno State Soccer Stadium Attendance: 643 Referee: Rafael Bonilla

June 22 10	Richmond Kickers	0–2	Northern Colorado Hailstorm	Richmond, VA
7:00 p.m. EDT		Report		Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 3,647 Referee: DeShun Beard

July 3 11	Richmond Kickers	2–1	Forward Madison	Richmond, VA
8:00 p.m. EDT		Report		Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 5,574 Referee: Rafael Santos

July 13 12	Chattanooga Red Wolves	3–1	Richmond Kickers	Chattanooga, TN
7:30 p.m. EDT		Report		Stadium: CHI Memorial Stadium Attendance: 2,107 Referee: Joe Surgan

July 27 13	Lexington SC	2–1	Richmond Kickers	Georgetown, KY
7:00 p.m. EDT		Report		Stadium: Toyota Stadium Attendance: 1,143 Referee: Edson Carvajal

August 3 14	Northern Colorado Hailstorm	3–1	Richmond Kickers	Windsor, CO
9:00 p.m. EDT		Report		Stadium: 4Rivers Equipment Stadium Attendance: 1,123 Referee: Michael Zapata

August 16 15	Greenville Triumph	1–1	Richmond Kickers	Greenville, SC
7:00 p.m. EDT		Report		Stadium: Paladin Stadium Attendance: 1,251 Referee: Stearne Briem

August 24 16	Union Omaha	3–0	Richmond Kickers	Papillion, NE
7:00 p.m. EDT		Report		Stadium: Werner Park Attendance: 3,752 Referee: Wesley Costa

September 14 17	Charlotte Independence	0–1	Richmond Kickers	Charlotte, NC
7:00 p.m. EDT		Report		Stadium: American Legion Memorial Stadium Attendance: 1,404 Referee: Stearne Briem

September 21 18	Richmond Kickers	3–0	Lexington SC	Richmond, VA
6:00 p.m. EDT		Report		Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 5,067 Referee: Luis Arroyo

October 5 19	Richmond Kickers	0–0	Union Omaha	Richmond, VA
6:00 p.m. EDT		Report		Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 5,448 Referee: Atahan Yaya

October 11 20	Tormenta	2–2	Richmond Kickers	Statesboro, GA
7:30 p.m. EDT		Report		Stadium: Tormenta Stadium Attendance: 944 Referee: Wesley Costa

October 19 21	Richmond Kickers	2–1	Chattanooga Red Wolves	Richmond, VA
6:00 p.m. EDT		Report		Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 4,303 Referee: Nickrod Fateh

October 26 22	Richmond Kickers	0–1	Charlotte Independence	Richmond, VA
6:00 p.m. EDT		Report		Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 5,386 Referee: John Matto

USL-1 Playoffs

November 3 Quarterfinals	Union Omaha	1–0	Richmond Kickers	Papillion, Nebraska
15:30 EDT	Mastrantonio 24' Kunga 51' Gómez 60' Schneider 69'	Report	Cela 26' O'Dwyer 67'	Stadium: Werner Park Attendance: 2,245 Referee: Jeremy Scheer

U.S. Open Cup

March 20 First round	Richmond Kickers (USL1)	1–0	Christos (MSSL)	Richmond, VA
6:30 p.m. EDT	Billhardt 45+1'	Report	St. Martin 90'	Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 1,876 Referee: Brendan O'Neill

April 2 Second round	Richmond Kickers (USL1)	5–2	Maryland Bobcats (NISA)	Richmond, VA
6:30 p.m. EDT	Vinyals 6' (pen.) 14' O'Dwyer 20' Barnathan 45+3', 88' Sierakowski 83'	Report	Possain 12' 61' Kooistra 24' Gabarra 53' Espinal 71' Kao 77'	Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 2,219 Referee: David Elliott

April 17 Third round	Richmond Kickers (USL1)	0–0 (4–5 p)	Loudoun United (USLC)	Richmond, VA
EDT				Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 1,439
	Penalties
	Vinyals Billhardt Barnathan Vaughan Bosua		Ryan Tingey Leerman Aboukoura Skundrich

Jägermeister Cup

Group stage

Table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	PKW	PKL	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Charlotte Independence	8	3	1	3	1	11	9	+2	14	Advanced to knockout stage
2	Greenville Triumph SC	8	3	1	1	3	10	8	+2	12
3	Richmond Kickers	8	2	3	0	3	9	11	−2	12
4	South Georgia Tormenta FC	8	0	2	2	4	8	13	−5	6

Source: USL League One
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goals for in cup match play (only for determining wild card); 3) head-to-head points earned in small group play; 4) total wins in small group play; 5) total wins in all cup matches; 6) goals for in small group play; 7) goals for in cup match play; 8) goals assisted in cup match play; 9) goal differential in cup match play; 10) disciplinary points; 11) coin toss.

Results

April 27 1	Greenville Triumph	1–1 (a.e.t.) (3–5 p)	Richmond Kickers	Greenville, SC
7:00 p.m. EDT	Polak 24' Herrera 32' Lee (89)	Report	Vinyals 20', 55' Schenfeld 32' Sierakowski (70) França 77' Vaughan 78' O'Dwyer 90+3'	Stadium: Paladin Stadium Attendance: 4,041 Referee: Jonathan Bilinski
	Penalties
	Smith MacKinnon Zakowski Polak		Vinyals Fitch Gomiero Morán O'Dwyer

May 11 2	Chattanooga Red Wolves	1–0	Richmond Kickers	East Ridge, TN
7:00 p.m. EDT		Report		Stadium: CHI Memorial Stadium Attendance: 2,467 Referee: Aleksandar Zhelyazkov

May 25 3	Tormenta	1–2	Richmond Kickers	Statesboro, GA
7:30 p.m. EDT		Report		Stadium: Tormenta Stadium Attendance: 1,721 Referee: Mario Maric

June 8 4	Richmond Kickers	0–1	Charlotte Independence	Richmond, VA
4:00 p.m. EDT		Report		Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 4,156 Referee: Amin Hadzic

June 29 5	Charlotte Independence	2–2 (a.e.t.) (4–5 p)	Richmond Kickers	Charlotte, NC
7:30 p.m. EDT		Report		Stadium: American Legion Memorial Stadium Attendance: 821 Referee: Olvin Oliva

July 20 6	Richmond Kickers	0–2	Greenville Triumph	Richmond, VA
7:00 p.m. EDT		Report		Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 4,384 Referee: Josiah Parke

August 10 7	Richmond Kickers	1–1 (6–5 p)	Tormenta	Richmond, VA
7:00 p.m. EDT		Report		Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 4,221 Referee: Erick Lezama

August 29 8	Richmond Kickers	3–2	Spokane Velocity	Richmond, VA
7:00 p.m. EDT		Report		Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 3,579 Referee: Rafael Santos

Statistics

Appearances and goals

As of October 20, 2024. Numbers after plus–sign (+) denote appearances as a substitute.^[16]

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		USL1		USL1 Playoffs		U.S. Open Cup		Jägermeister Cup
No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK	CHI	Pablo Jara	16	0	11+0	0	0+0	0	2+0	0	3+0	0
2	DF	USA	Dakota Barnathan	30	2	19+2	0	0+0	0	3+0	2	6+0	0
3	DF	USA	Chris Cole	11	0	1+3	0	0+0	0	2+1	0	3+1	0
4	DF	USA	Simon Fitch	32	1	22+0	1	0+0	0	3+0	0	7+0	0
5	MF	CHI	Maxi Schenfeld	31	1	19+2	1	0+0	0	2+0	0	6+2	0
6	MF	ARG	Zacarías Morán	29	0	17+4	0	0+0	0	1+1	0	6+0	0
7	FW	USA	Landon Johnson	2	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+2	0
8	FW	BRA	João Gomiero	19	2	4+10	2	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+5	0
9	FW	RSA	Arthur Bosua	18	0	5+7	0	0+0	0	2+1	0	1+2	0
10	MF	ESP	Nil Vinyals	31	5	16+6	2	0+0	0	2+1	1	6+0	2
11	FW	USA	Ryan Sierakowski	29	3	14+5	1	0+0	0	1+2	1	4+3	1
13	GK	USA	Ryan Shellow	9	0	5+0	0	0+0	0	1+0	0	3+0	0
14	DF	BRA	Guilherme França	19	1	7+5	1	0+0	0	0+0	0	4+3	0
15	DF	USA	Toni Pineda	18	0	3+9	0	0+0	0	0+1	0	1+4	0
16	DF	CAN	Klaidi Cela	6	1	5+1	1	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
17	MF	ENG	James Vaughan	29	0	13+6	0	0+0	0	0+3	0	7+0	0
19	FW	USA	Justin Sukow	17	1	6+3	0	0+0	0	3+0	0	3+2	1
20	MF	GER	Adrian Billhardt	27	8	15+2	5	0+0	0	2+1	1	6+1	2
24	DF	USA	Nathan Aune	14	0	5+4	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	1+4	0
27	MF	ENG	Chandler O'Dwyer	32	9	17+5	6	0+0	0	3+0	1	6+1	2
29	GK	USA	Will Palmquist	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
30	GK	USA	Eli Mumford	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
32	FW	ARG	Emiliano Terzaghi	17	3	8+5	3	0+0	0	0+0	0	2+2	0
33	MF	USA	Gabe Cox	4	0	0+2	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+2	0
34	DF	USA	Beckett Howell	3	0	0+1	0	0+0	0	0+2	0	0+0	0
35	GK	USA	James Sneddon	7	0	6+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	1+0	0
36	MF	USA	Landon Johnson	3	0	0+1	0	0+0	0	0+2	0	0+0	0
37	MF	JAM	Nicholas Simmonds	8	0	3+2	0	0+0	0	1+1	0	0+1	0
38	MF	USA	Griffin Garnett	31	0	19+1	0	0+0	0	3+0	0	7+1	0
39	DF	USA	Noah Hiort-Wright	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
45	FW	USA	Joshua Kirkland	5	0	2+3	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0

References

↑ Heintschel, Nathan (December 13, 2023). "Veteran Goalkeeper and 2022 USL League One Champion Pablo Jara Joins the Kickers". Richmond Kickers. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
↑ Heintschel, Nathan (January 4, 2024). "Defender Guilherme Franca Signs First Pro Contract With The Kickers". Richmond Kickers. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
↑ "English Midfielder James Vaughan Signs With The Kickers". Richmond Kickers. January 9, 2024. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
↑ Heintschel, Nathan. "USL Veteran Striker Arthur Bosua Signs With The Kickers". RichmondKickers.com. Richmond Kickers. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
↑ Heintschel, Nathan. "USL Veteran Maxi Schenfeld Signs With The Kickers". RichmondKickers.com. Richmond Kickers. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
↑ Heintschel, Nathan (January 23, 2024). "High Point Standout Forward Toni Pineda Signs First Professional Contract With The Kickers". Richmond Kickers. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
↑ "Former Detroit City FC Goalkeeper Ryan Shellow Signs With The Kickers".
↑ "2022 USL League One Champion and Comeback Player of the Year Adrian Billhardt Joins the Kickers". Richmond Kickers. February 20, 2024. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
1 2 "Richmond Kickers Announce 2024 Academy Class". Richmond Kickers. March 13, 2024. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
↑ Heintschel, Nathan (August 12, 2024). "Gritty Veteran Defender Klaidi Cela Joins Kickers". Richmond Kickers.
↑ Heintschel, Nathan (September 12, 2024). "Deep Run High School Standout and Mary Washington All-American Josh Kirkland Signs Pro Contract". Richmond Kickers.
1 2 3 4 5 6 Heintschel, Nathan (December 4, 2023). "Kickers Announce Initial Outfield Roster Decisions for 2024". richmondkickers.com. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
↑ "Akira Fitzgerald Makes the Move Up to USL Championship Club North Carolina FC". Richmond Kickers. December 20, 2023. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
↑ "2024 First Team Squad Announced". cufc.co.nz. March 4, 2024. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
↑ Cover, Amanda (March 13, 2024). "Veteran Forward Kharlton Belmar Signs with Independence". charlotteindependence.com. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
↑ "Richmond Kickers Player Stats". USL League One. December 16, 2023. Retrieved December 16, 2023.

External links

Richmond Kickers

[1] Heintschel, Nathan (December 13, 2023). "Veteran Goalkeeper and 2022 USL League One Champion Pablo Jara Joins the Kickers". Richmond Kickers. Retrieved December 16, 2023.

[2] Heintschel, Nathan (January 4, 2024). "Defender Guilherme Franca Signs First Pro Contract With The Kickers". Richmond Kickers. Retrieved April 27, 2024.

[3] "English Midfielder James Vaughan Signs With The Kickers". Richmond Kickers. January 9, 2024. Retrieved April 28, 2024.

[4] Heintschel, Nathan. "USL Veteran Striker Arthur Bosua Signs With The Kickers". RichmondKickers.com. Richmond Kickers. Retrieved January 16, 2024.

[5] Heintschel, Nathan. "USL Veteran Maxi Schenfeld Signs With The Kickers". RichmondKickers.com. Richmond Kickers. Retrieved January 18, 2024.

[6] Heintschel, Nathan (January 23, 2024). "High Point Standout Forward Toni Pineda Signs First Professional Contract With The Kickers". Richmond Kickers. Retrieved April 27, 2024.

[7] "Former Detroit City FC Goalkeeper Ryan Shellow Signs With The Kickers".

[8] "2022 USL League One Champion and Comeback Player of the Year Adrian Billhardt Joins the Kickers". Richmond Kickers. February 20, 2024. Retrieved April 28, 2024.

[kickers_usl_academy_2024-9] 1 2 "Richmond Kickers Announce 2024 Academy Class". Richmond Kickers. March 13, 2024. Retrieved April 27, 2024.

[10] Heintschel, Nathan (August 12, 2024). "Gritty Veteran Defender Klaidi Cela Joins Kickers". Richmond Kickers.

[11] Heintschel, Nathan (September 12, 2024). "Deep Run High School Standout and Mary Washington All-American Josh Kirkland Signs Pro Contract". Richmond Kickers.

[Kickers_contract_options_2023-12] 1 2 3 4 5 6 Heintschel, Nathan (December 4, 2023). "Kickers Announce Initial Outfield Roster Decisions for 2024". richmondkickers.com. Retrieved April 27, 2024.

[13] "Akira Fitzgerald Makes the Move Up to USL Championship Club North Carolina FC". Richmond Kickers. December 20, 2023. Retrieved April 27, 2024.

[14] "2024 First Team Squad Announced". cufc.co.nz. March 4, 2024. Retrieved April 27, 2024.

[15] Cover, Amanda (March 13, 2024). "Veteran Forward Kharlton Belmar Signs with Independence". charlotteindependence.com. Retrieved April 27, 2024.

[16] "Richmond Kickers Player Stats". USL League One. December 16, 2023. Retrieved December 16, 2023.

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