Richmond, VA – The Greenville Triumph begin their title defense this weekend at City Stadium, opening their 2021 campaign against the Richmond Kickers. The Kickers followed closely behind Greenville at second throughout a heavy portion of the 2020 season, and lead the all-time series 2-3-0.
Throughout the offseason, Richmond has built out their depth, with a total of 10 new faces made up of notable League One players and a handful of young internationals. The Kickers are one match into the League One season that began last Saturday, as they scored three goals and earned a shutout on the road against NE Revolution II.
The two sides last met on August 29, 2020 at City Stadium, with Richmond winning 2-1. Greenville is entering Saturday’s match on the heels of a 2-1 preseason victory against USL Championship side, Charlotte Independence.
How To Follow
Kick off: 6:30 PM EST
Local TV: WYCW-62
Digital Stream: ESPN+
International Stream: YouTube
Social Media: Greenville Triumph SC on Twitter
App: Download for free on Apple or Android
SCOUTING THE KICKERS
Richmond was one of only three teams to hand Greenville a loss last season. Until the last day of regular season action and a series of unfortunate events, it was predicted to be Greenville vs. Richmond for the 2020 League One title-match. The Kickers, a talented side that played Greenville, arguably, the best of anyone last season, have only added to their toolbox with 10 new roster additions that include several notable players from across League One. Among those is League One Player of the Week Juan Pablo Monticelli, Nil Vinyals, Esteban Calvo and Jalen Crisler as well as former Argentina Youth National Zach Moran. The Kickers also return 2020’s Golden Boot Winner and MVP, Emiliano Terzaghi, who scored a league-high 10 goals.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
Transition: Not on-field transition (although that’s always a key factor to success), but more so the transition from preseason into season. With a long month of preparation in hand, the energy to get into a regular season match is high. The key will be turning that energy into a high quality performance. Coach John Harkes said, “The key to managing that level of energy is putting in the daily work and keeping our attention to detail.” Greenville has prepped extensively on multiple facets of the game and has utilized their tough preseason slate to understand their blind spots and build a tough mentality to adversity. If the Triumph can trust the hard work that’s accumulated throughout the preseason, and not get caught in the panic of the first match, it will be Greenville’s match to lose.
Chemistry: Perhaps the biggest offseason change for Greenville the departure of forward Jake Keegan, who led the team in goals during 2019 and netted five for the Triumph in 2020 before suffering a foot injury. Signing Don Smart and Marios Lomis was the on-paper answer to Keegan’s absence, and now the question becomes how the two new players fit into the Harkes equation. If Lomis and Lachlan McLean can find a genuine chemistry, and if Smart can begin to understand the run patterns of his forwards, the Triumph attack could be the most dangerous it’s been yet. Chemistry takes time, and it may not be feasible to have it stamped down at the start. But this game will hopefully show the potential of what Greenville’s attack can look like once that chemistry forms.
The Counter: Richmond is a team that likes to drop and look for moments to counter. The backline can absorb quite a bit of pressure, and they’re very good. But they weren’t truly tested during the NEII match. Greenville will test them in more creative and more strategic ways. An ability to keep the ball paired with an awareness for quick transitional moments will be key for the Triumph, and Dallas Jaye will need to be decisive about coming off his line or staying home.
News and notes
Triumph on TV: Greenville has renewed and expanded its local broadcast partnership with WYCW/WSPA. The partnership will see 15 of the club’s first 19 matches aired locally on The CW-62 with more games to be determined at a later date. For the full schedule, click here.
Meet the Triumph: Don’t forget to tune into WSPA Ch. 7 at 11:00pm on Friday April 23 for an in-depth look at the National Soccer Hall of Famer, John Harkes and his journey to victory with the Triumph.
Home Opener: Greenville Triumph returns to Triumph Stadium at Legacy Early College on Saturday May 1 to host North Texas SC, the 2019 League One Title-Winners. Gates open at 6:00pm with a championship celebration and team introduction ahead of the 7:00pm kickoff. Fans can purchase the Dave and Busters Family Four Pack for $80 that includes tickets, pizza, soft drinks and D&B power play cards. Get your tickets and view our 2021 promotional schedule here.
Triumph on ESPN: Greenville has been chosen as the host of the first USL League One National Telecast as part of the expanded USL linear television schedule. The May 16 match against Union Omaha will be aired on ESPN2. Read all the details here.
All You Need to Know: Media Relations Manager Marion Cole sat down with Owner and Chairman, Joe Erwin, to talk off-season updates including what it means to be an owner of a championship club. Check out the full interview here.
UPCOMING
The Greenville Triumph return to Triumph Stadium at Legacy Early College on May 1 for the club’s 2021 home opener and welcome fellow title-winning side North Texas. There will be a trophy and banner presentation to the Triumph fans ahead of the 7:00pm kickoff. Gates open at 6:30.
