GREENVILLE – The long awaited return to Legacy Early College is one day away, and although the match is closed to fans, there is plenty of motivation heading into Saturday night’s match against the Richmond Kickers.
Saturday renews the battle for the Bon Secours Cup, a regional rivalry between the two clubs who share Bon Secours as a sponsor. The Cup trophy currents resides in City Stadium with Richmond, as the Kickers beat Greenville twice last season despite finishing near the bottom of the League One standings. Despite the somewhat silent stadium, GTSC will return to Legacy Early College stadium on Saturday eager to remind Richmond who the trophy will belong to this year.
How To Follow
Kick off: 7:00 PM EST
Digital Stream: ESPN+
International Stream: YouTube
Social Media: Greenville Triumph SC on Twitter
Scouting Richmond Kickers
Saturday night marks a a new era for Richmond, as Head Coach & Sporting Director Darren Sawatzky makes his first appearance as the lead man for the Kickers. Fans and owners alike have been waiting for this moment far longer than any of us wanted to, but the pressure will be on for Sawatzky as he looks to bring his new club up from their 14-loss 2019 campagin.
On the topic of Sawatzky: his sides tend to gravitate towards the counter with a heavy amount of pressure on his midfielders to pick the most opportune times to dump and run. The Richmond backline won’t hold much playmaking responsibility, but should the Greenville midfield get pulled out of position often, a talented Richmond midfield could easily expose GTSC with dangerous balls over the top and down the flanks.
What To Watch For
The Hot Start Continued: With a sound performance in Fort Lauderdale last weekend, GTSC holds the top spot after earning its first road win of 2020. Greenville’s offensive front, including Carlos Gomez, Alex Morrell, Omar Mohamed and Jake Keegan, was extremely dynamic both on and off the ball, interchanging positions often and finding gaps between the backline consistently (ex: Jake Keegan’s run to score the diving header). Greenville, a group that struggled last season with offensive efficiency, has already found a groove that should only get better as the season moves forward.
Transition Is Key: The offensive four we just mentioned are backed by strong midfielders and defenders who force an uncanny amount of turnovers which is, more times than not, how the Greenville attack finds its way (ex part two: Aaron Walker’s unbelievable assist to Alex Morrell). For this reason, you’ll see less of the Richmond defenders playing out of the back. However, Sawatzky is known to have sides that excel in quick paced transition and counter attacks. Keep your eyes glued to the television, this game could change quick, fast and in a hurry.
Bragging Rights: This is the first match of the Bon Secours Cup, in which Richmond currently holds the trophy and bragging rights. The two clubs won’t meet again until the end of August, meaning players, coaches, fans and owners will have to live with the result of tomorrow night’s match for over a month before attempting redemption.
MATCH WEEKEND DEALS:
Together We Tailgate Package: When you download the Chick-fil-A app and order food from the Pelham Road location, put “Together We Triumph” in the special instructions box, you will earn special rewards the Monday after each match!
For the first four matches of our season, the person who purchases the most food from the app (using the instructions above) will be named a High Scorer and will win a FREE Chick-fil-A Tailgate for 8 meal!
This deal is only available at the Pelham Road location on the Chick-fil-A app.
About Bon Secours: Bon Secours St. Francis Health System is part of Bon Secours Mercy Health, one of the 20 largest health systems in the United States and the fifth-largest Catholic health system in the country. Bon Secours – Greenville provides compassionate medical care to thousands of area residents through Bon Secours St. Francis Downtown and Bon Secours St. Francis Eastside, as well as a network of primary and specialty care practices, and ambulatory care sites across the Greenville region. The mission of Bon Secours St. Francis Health System is to extend the compassionate ministry of Jesus by improving the health and well-being of our communities and bring good help to those in need, especially people who are poor, dying and underserved.
