Before Extra Time – Page 3 – Soccer ramblings from RVA

Before Extra Time: soccer ramblings from RVA

Ethan White loaned to the Richmond Kickers for the weekend

As I briefly mentioned on Black and Red United, central defender Ethan White has been loaned to the Richmond Kickers for this weekend’s two games against Wilmington and Charlotte. White has been recovering from knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus and has not featured for United in league play so far this season. Kickers fans may recognize him as he started for D.C. United in this year’s US Open Cup match in City Stadium. White is both fast and physical as a center back and he 21 matches in MLS last season due to injuries. He decided to have surgery in March rather than putting off to the end of the season, and is now ready to feature again; however, with three healthy center backs in front of him, he needs playing time elsewhere.

He should start both games this weekend and give the Kickers’ central defenders some much needed rest while give White some much needed playing time. Henry Kalungi has been gone with the Ugandan National Team, which tied both of their World Cup qualifiers to sit in second place in their group; he may be back with the team this weekend, but likely will not start. Yomby William is working back into fitness after being injured for the past month or so, entering the last game in the 71st minute. Shane Johnson and Jason Yeisley have filled in admirably, but getting Yeisley back up to the front line will allow Leigh Cowlishaw more options in the attack.

If I had to predict right now, I would say that it would be Johnson and White starting in central defense, with Kalungi coming back for next weekend’s game in City Stadium. It is a good move for the Kickers, allowing them to plug a hole in the back line and rest some players who have played basically every minute the past month.

June 14, 2012
Richmond Kickers 1:0 Charlotte Eagles: Kickers leave it late

Over the weekend (in a match that I was sadly unable to attend), the Richmond Kickers were able to beat the Charlotte Eagles 1-0 on a late goal by David Bulow. The goal came from a turnover off a goal kick by Charlotte, which allowed the Kickers to regain possession. Ross MacKenzie chested down a ball out of the back and played it through to to Christopher Agorsor on the left wing. Agorsor is able to beat the Eagles defense and the keeper and cross over to Bulow, who easily slots it home. You can watch the goal as well:

After a slow start to the season, in which they won one game out of their first seven, the Kickers have started to grind out results, winning three of their last four. They are up to 17 points and are currently sitting in 4th place, in line to make the playoffs. The Kickers have not missed the playoffs since 2003, when they were still a member of the A-League, so anything less would be a clear failure. They are back in action this weekend, playing back to back games: Friday they are at the Wilmington Hammerheads and Saturday they play the Charlotte Eagles. Check back tomorrow for more coverage on those games.

June 14, 2012
Richmond Kickers 1:0 Rochester Rhinos: 4 points is a good trip

As I said in my preview, 4 points out of this road trip would have been good for back to back games. However, I expected it to be backwards to what actually happened. These results put the Kickers on 14 points out of ten game, and in 4th place so far in USL Pro. While there are still issues with this team, the corner seems to be turning. If they can stay between third and fourth place the rest of the season, I think they can make some noise in the playoffs.

The key to this team, as it has been for the past 12 years, is Ronnie Pascale. While I heard some rumors about how he had been declining last season, and how some commentators wanted him to retire, he has been nothing but stellar the past few game. Maybe Leigh Cowlishaw will be able to convince him to stay on another year.

The other key player from last night’s game was Gerson Dos Santos. The past few matches, I haven’t really seen the best of him; that was changed on Saturday night. He is able to get up and down the field, linking one touch passes together and starting a counter faster than most. A central midfield of Dos Santos and Stanley Nyazamba combines well; if Mike Callahan or Luke Vercollone can fit in as the defensive midfielder and keep some pressure off of the back four, this team can build good attacks out of the back and not just have to rely on the counter.

The goal in this game came off of a Nyazamba free kick in the fifth minute. Luke Vercollone, playing primarily on the wing for this game, was able to get on the end of his free kick. After that goal, the Richmond Kickers did get forward, but were defending for a large portion of the game. But against the second place team in the league, and at their home, that is an acceptable tactic. But that defensive midfield position is one that needs to be settled. Vercollone did it well against D.C. United, and Callahan performed less well in this match. When all of the injuries and absences are finished, I would really like the see what Cowlishaw could put out there.

The Kickers are back in action next weekend, at home on Saturday against the Charlotte Eagles. I won’t be able to make it in person (unfortunately), but there will be places here for you to discuss the game.

June 3, 2012
Richmond Kickers at Rochester Rhinos Game Thread

Hello again, boys and girls. The Richmond Kickers are back in action tonight, facing the Rochester Rhinos the day after facing the Harrisburg City Islanders. The Rhinos are an even tougher challenge, sitting in second place behind Orlando City. Playing the second best team in the league a day after playing the 4th place team is a tough call, and so Cowlishaw’s roster management will be key. How much of an impact will speedsters like Edson Elcock and Christopher Agorsor be able to make tonight? I predict that they will both be subs, perhaps able to change the game in the 65th minute. 3 points would be more than just a single win, it would be a win for this road trip; a draw would be disappointing but expected.
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Game Time: 7:05pm

Video: This game can be found streaming online at uslnation.com.

Lineup: Playing the second game in two days makes predicting the lineup a fool’s errand. This is the first time this year that Leigh Cowlishaw has had games in back to back days (but not the last). However, I do expect the defense to be the same, as there are few other options. Here is what one version of the lineup could look like, but I’m not very confident in its accuracy.

Pascale
Goerres Johnson Yeisley Foglesong
Bulow Dos Santos Vercollone Callahan
Delicate Nyazamba

Prediction: I’ve been saying in my head that 4 points would be a win on this road trip, but I thought it would be the other way around. However, I’m still going to predict a 2-1 victory, as I did for last night, in the hopes that it may come true this time.

What are you drinking: For me, its another one of my bourbon-y favorites: Evan Williams Single Barrel, 2002 vintage neat. What are you drinking tonight?

As in last nights game, I’ll try to get a live blog going after the jump. Feel free to join in!

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June 2, 2012
Richmond Kickers 1:1 Harrisburg City Islanders: Lightning ends the game

This match started with the threat of rain hanging over, and ended in the 84th minute due to an extended thunder and lightning storm. In between, however, there was a back and forth match which included alternating 15 minute stretches in which each side had the upper hand. A 1-1 tie is a fair result for this game, and without some stellar saves from Ronnie Pascale, it could have been even worse.

Jason Yeisley has been a revelation at center back, able to play it in a physical manner that makes it seems like he has always played there. Combined with the rookie Shane Johnson, they played well and were able to keep pressure off of Pascale for most of the game. However, Johnson and Yeisley were not give much help by their central midfielders, Gerson Dos Santos and Luke Vercollone. Both were anonymous during the game, forcing Johnson and Yeisley to be under more pressure.

They also weren’t able to get into the attack, forcing the attack to go through the fullbacks and wingers. Sascha Goerres and Bobby Foglesong were up to the challenge, but their crossing was somewhat lacking (a wet, heavy ball will do that). Edson Elcock and forward Christopher Agorsor were also active, but caught offside on a number of occasions. The pieces are there for this team, which is mostly unchanged from the team that made the semi-finals last year, but they seem like they need more time to gel. A third of the way through the season, time has run out for gelling.

Player of the Match: Stanley Nyazamba. He was active up and down the field, and he put in the free kick that Shane Johnson headed home. When Gerson Dos Santos and Luke Vercollone weren’t able to get things going through the middle, Nyazamba dropped into the midfield and picked up the ball to start attacks. A good performance all around. Honorable mention to Ronnie Pascale, who had another great game, and to Shane Johnson, who scored his first professional goal.

I’ll be back later tonight with a game thread for the second game in two days, against the Rochester Rhinos.

June 2, 2012
Richmond Kickers vs. Harrisburg City Islanders Game Thread

A mere three days after losing in the US Open Cup, the Richmond Kickers are right back in the saddle, playing the Harrisburg City Islanders in Harrisburg, Pa. There are all sorts of storms moving throughout the Northeast, bringing tornado watches and warnings. Weather Underground says that there is an 80% chance of thunderstorms tonight, so lets hope that we can just get this game in.

Although, missing the game would make it easier for the Kickers. The worst that could happen is that it is rescheduled as another back to back.

Game time: 7:00

Video: This game can be found streaming online at uslnation.com.

Projected starting lineup: Even though I just gave you my projected starting lineup a mere few hours ago, I’m already going to change it (and still be wrong). After further consideration, I think it will look more like this:

Pascale
Goerres Johnson Yeisley Foglesong
Heins Bulow Vercollone Callahan
Delicate Agorsor

This lineup slide David Bulow back into the midfield and puts Christopher Agorsor back up top. Regardless, it will be a tough task for Leigh Cowlishaw to manage back to back matches, so I am interested to see who he throws out there.

Prediction: I think that the City Islanders will be a little giddy after their win over New England, and so I predict a 2-1 Kickers victory.

What are you drinking? This is something I have to bring over from Black and Red United’s game threads. I’ll likely be drinking what I always do something bourbon based. I’ll let you know for sure when it is closer to game time.

Feel free to leave any and all comments below about this match. If I am able to do some live blogging, it will be in the old school style where you have to refresh the blog to get new content. That’s about the only way to do it on a hosted WordPress blog, without paying for something like Cover It Live. If anyone knows of a better way, please let me know. However, I’ll put it under the jump so it doesn’t flood the homepage. Hope you enjoy!

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June 1, 2012
Two games in two days: Richmond Kickers vs. Harrisburg City Islanders

When most people think of a back to back road trip in soccer, they think of going to play a weekend away game and then maybe playing a midweek game before heading home. This weekend, however, the Richmond Kickers play the Harrisburg City Islanders tonight in Harrisburg, Pa., before going to Rochester to play the Rochester Rhinos on Saturday. Hans Backe, I don’t want to hear you complaining about US Open Cup scheduling until you have to play two games in two days.

But we will deal with these two games in separate posts. Like I said, the first is against the Harrisburg City Islanders; you can watch it online (for free!) at USL Nation at 7:00pm. The City Islanders are riding a five game winning streak in all competitions, including a victory over the New England Revolution in penalty kicks in the US Open Cup this past Tuesday. Hopefully, the buzz hasn’t worn off and so the Kickers can catch them napping.

As they were in the US Open Cup match against DC United, the Kickers are missing players due to injury and national team duty. Defender Yomby William has been out injured and defender Henry Kalungi is away with the Ugandan national team, forcing Jason Yeisley, normally a striker, to step in at central defense. However, the pairing of Yeisley and Shane Johnson were able to go toe to toe with the physical and experienced front line of DC United, and so a repeat of that pairing would be fine with me.

Picking a team that may start in the middle of three games in five days is silly, but I will try it anyways. Here is one team that I could see trotting out there tonight:

Pascale
Goerres Johnson Yeisley Foglesong
Heins Dos Santos Vercollone Callahan
Bulow Delicate

After running ragged on Tuesday, Christopher Agorsor and Edson Elcock deserve a break, even it if is only for a half. I’m hopefully going to watch the game tonight, and provide commentary is some form. It may be an old school live blog, where you have to refresh your browser to see new content, but we will make something work. Hope to see you tonight!

June 1, 2012
This old blog creaks back into life

After a four month hiatus, Before Extra Time is creaking back to life! I am going to use this space to start writing about the Richmond Kickers, my local team. The lower divisions of professional soccer in the United States, NASL and USL-Pro, are important for the development of players who get missed by MLS teams and their academies. They are important because they give a wider audience of soccer fans the ability to see professional soccer. And their games are just fun. You can see my liveblog of the DC United-Richmond Kickers US Open Cup game as well as my match review on Black and Red United.

So now you will have two outlets to read my ramblings on soccer (aren’t you lucky!). I’ll see you soon, as the Kickers play two games this weekend: one on Friday at Harrisburg, and one on Saturday against Rochester. And you thought MLS scheduling was rough.

May 30, 2012
Moving to Black and Red United

Howdy all! Over the last few days I was offered, and accepted, a position as a contributor to Black and Red United, the D.C. United blog on SB Nation. So, going forward, you can find all of my rumor mongering (and more!) over there. I’m excited by the opportunity to write there and keep providing you all with interesting news.

However, what does that mean for this blog? The short answer is: I don’t know. Perhaps this season I will finally make it to some USL games; if I do, I’ll write about them here. Regardless, this site won’t be going away anytime soon (I just renewed it for the year a few weeks ago), and maybe something will come of it soon. Again, thanks for following me here, and I can’t wait to see you at Black and Red United!

January 23, 2012
Andy Najar and Olympic qualifying

In news that is no surprise to anyone, there are reports out of Honduras that their national team coach wants to call Andy Najar in for Olympic qualifying. However, Luis Fernado Suarez notes that if the club will not let Najar come, then there is nothing he can do. Olympic qualifying is March 22 through April 2 and Honduras is in the same group as Mexico, Panama, and Trinidad & Tobago. If United were to let Najar go, he would miss two games: at Vancouver and versus FC Dallas.

However, I feel like there are reasons that United should let Andy Najar go for Olympic qualifying, even though they don’t have to. First, they are likely to let Bill Hamid and Perry Kitchen go and play for the United States; to not let the player of another country go doesn’t sit right. Also, this is a real international tournament, not just some friendlies. If Andy wants to go, he should be allowed to go. Besides, United wants to keep a good relationship with one of its best young players. My gut feeling is that, in the end, United will let all the players called by their U-23 teams to go and participate, and I think that that is the right thing to do. What do you all think?

January 18, 2012