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#GameDayEve Richmond Kickers Edition

by Marissa Blackman

The Hammerheads and the Kickers meet again. Just two weeks after the Hammerhead’s home opener against Richmond, the Wilmington club will travel up to City Stadium for the second match in the three game series between the two clubs.

Since the two clubs last played each other, both teams had one match. Wilmington drew 1-1 against Charlotte Independence while Richmond drew 1-1 against Louisville City FC.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I must note that this occurrence only solidifies my theory that Richmond is the most evenly matched competitor for Wilmington. The two teams are so similar! Neither of these clubs are horrible or significantly better than the other. For the second time this season, spectators have the treat of watching two worthy opponents battle for ninety minutes. The last time these two teams played, there were only twenty two minutes between the second Hammerheads goal and the first Kickers goal when it was easy to predict a clear winner. After that, one play could’ve changed everything.

Friday’s game will be the third of the season for both clubs, and neither team has won a game yet. They’ve both drawn twice. Although it seems premature to say a pattern is developing, in both of their respective matches, the Hammerheads captured the lead early on only to lose it later and the Kickers trailed behind in the beginning yet equalized before the final whistle. Will either club break the cycle and take home the first 2015 regular season victory?

A victory this week would be a golden opportunity for either club to advance significantly in the eastern conference standings. All clubs in the conference have played between one and three games so far. Charleston Battery has yet to lose and sits atop the table with nine points. Louisville, New York, and Rochester are all tied for second with four points each. Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and Toronto are all third with three points. Richmond and Wilmington are both fourth with two points. Fifth place Charlotte has only one point, and Harrisburg and Montreal both sit in sixth with no points. Since the Richmond Wilmington game is the only one in the league happening on Friday, the winning team, assuming there will be a winner, would be in second place with five points for at least a day.


Author’s note: Due to the fact that I will most likely be travelling during the game, it’s very unlikely that I’ll be posting a post-game analysis this week,

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