2025 Richmond Kickers season
Richmond Kickers 2025 football season
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The 2025 Richmond Kickers season was the club's 33rd season in existence, their seventh season in USL League One, and their 21st season in the third tier of American soccer. The Kickers were led by sixth-year head coach, Darren Sawatzky. Their USL League One season started on March 7, 2025. This is the first season since 2020 without Zacarías Morán, Nathan Aune, Chris Cole, and Nil Vinyals.
| 2025 season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman | 22 Holdings, LLC | |||
| Manager | Darren Sawatzky | |||
| Stadium | City Stadium | |||
| USL League One | 13th | |||
| Jägermeister Cup | Group stage | |||
| U.S. Open Cup | First round | |||
| Top goalscorer | League: Darwin Espinal (9 goals) All: Darwin Espinal (9 goals) | |||
| Highest home attendance | 5,542 (v. AV Alta, 22 March 2025) | |||
| Lowest home attendance | 2,827 (v. Union Omaha, 9 April 2025) | |||
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The Kickers worsened in their regular season, finishing 13th in League One, and failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2023. They also finished 13th their worst position in their USL League One era since their move to the league in its inaugural season, it also their worst since 2023, which in that season they finished 11th.
Background
The 2024 season was the club's 32nd season of existence, their fifth season in USL League One, and fourth year under head coach Darren Sawatzky. The Kickers improved from the previous season getting of 6 wins, fifth-teen losses, and eleven draws. With Chandler O'Dwyer leading the club with only eight goals.
Outside of USL League One, the Kickers participated in the U.S. Open Cup, and the league playoffs, which they qualified with an 8th place finish during the regular season. The Kickers reached the third round in the U.S. Open Cup losing to Loudoun United on penalties. The Kickers began the Playoffs on November 3, but would get eliminated in the Quarterfinals.
Players and staff
As of 10 July 2025[update] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Technical staff
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head Coach & Technical Director | Darren Sawatzky |
| Head Assistant Coach | Mika Elovaara |
| Assistant Coach | Conner Cappelletti |
| Goalkeeping Coach | Evan Munn |
Transfers
Transfers in
| Date | Position | No. | Name | From | Fee | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 18, 2024 | MF | 11 |  Rivendi Pierre-Lewis |
 FC Motown |
Free | [1] |
| January 22, 2025 | FW | 19 |  Darwin Espinal |
Maryland Bobcats |
[2] | |
| January 23, 2025 | MF | 3 | Hayden Anderson |
Greenville Triumph |
[3] | |
| January 24, 2025 | MF | 10 |  Nils Seufert |
 Jerv |
[4] | |
| January 27, 2025 | GK | 35 | James Sneddon |
Richmond Strikers |
[5] | |
| January 31, 2025 | FW | 40 | Nick Sarrantos |
Richmond Strikers |
Academy contract | [6] |
| MF | 42 | Grafton Kahl |
Richmond Strikers |
Academy contract | [6] | |
| DF | 39 | Brendan Dobzyniak |
Richmond Strikers |
Academy contract | [6] | |
| DF | 41 | Andrew Richman |
Richmond Strikers |
Academy contract | [6] | |
| February 6, 2025 | DF | 15 |  Jonathan Kanagwa |
VCU Rams |
Free | [7] |
| February 18, 2025 | FW | 33 | Matt Bolduc |
Free Agent | [8] | |
| May 6, 2025 | MF | 43 | Jonathan Gomez |
Richmond Strikers |
Academy contract | [9] |
| July 9, 2025 | MF | 6 | Ryan Baer |
Tacoma Defiance |
Loan deal | [10] |
| July 10, 2025 | DF | 25 | Marcelo Lage |
Spokane Velocity |
$170k | [11] |
Transfers out
| Date | Position | No. | Name | From | Fee | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 1, 2024 | MF | 33 | Gabe Cox |
Furman Paladins |
Free | |
| DF | 39 | Noah Hiort-Wright |
College of William & Mary |
|||
| MF | 37 |  Nicholas Simmonds |
Richmond Strikers | Academy Contract expired | ||
| December 1, 2024 | MF | 6 |  Zacarías Morán |
 CA Pulpileño |
Free | |
| MF | 8 |  João Silva |
Northern Virginia FC |
|||
| FW | 15 | Tony Pineda |
Carolina Core |
|||
| MF | 19 | Justin Sukow |
Retired | |||
| FW | 9 | Arthur Bosua |
||||
| DF | 24 | Nathan Aune |
Unattached | Free | ||
| DF | 3 | Chris Cole |
||||
| FW | 15 | Tony Pineda |
Carolina Core |
|||
| January 5, 2025 | GK | 13 | Ryan Shellow |
Retired | ||
| January 6, 2025 | FW | 11 | Ryan Sierakowski |
|||
| February 21, 2025 | MF | 10 | Nil Vinyals |
Spokane Velocity |
Free | [12] |
Non-competitive
Preseason
Friendlies
| July 16 Friendly | Richmond Kickers | 1–1 | Leganés | Richmond, VA |
| 7:30 PM EDT | O'Dwyer  27' |
García 34' |
Stadium: City Stadium |
Competitions
USL League One
Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Forward Madison FC | 30 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 31 | 43 | −12 | 35 |
| 11 | Greenville Triumph SC | 30 | 8 | 14 | 8 | 38 | 43 | −5 | 32 |
| 12 | Texoma FC | 30 | 7 | 14 | 9 | 35 | 55 | −20 | 30 |
| 13 | Richmond Kickers | 30 | 8 | 17 | 5 | 43 | 53 | −10 | 29 |
| 14 | Westchester SC | 30 | 5 | 16 | 9 | 43 | 59 | −16 | 24 |
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 finishers; 6) disciplinary points; 7) drawing of lots.
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) total goal differential; 4) total goals scored; 5) points earned against top four finishers; 6) disciplinary points; 7) drawing of lots.
Matches
| March 7 1 | South Georgia Tormenta | 2–4 | Richmond Kickers | Statesboro, GA |
| 7:00 p.m. EDT | Tunbridge 24', 45+1' |
Report | Anderson 19' Cela  23'O'Dwyer 34'Barnathan 41', 45+3'Seufert 74' |
Stadium: Optim Sports Medicine Field Attendance: 911 Referee: John Motto Assistant referees: Hillis Waddell Patrick Slane Fourth official: Amin Hadzic |
| March 15 2 | Charlotte Independence | 1–0 | Richmond Kickers | Charlotte, NC |
| 7:00 p.m. EDT | Sorenson 50' |
Report | Stadium: American Legion Memorial Stadium Attendance: 956 Referee: Joe Surgan Assistant referees: Max Smith Audra Fullen Fourth official: Lauren Aldrich |
| March 22 3 | Richmond Kickers | 3–1 | AV Alta | Richmond, VA |
| 6:00 p.m. EDT | O'Dwyer 45+1' Terzaghi 51', 73' |
Report | Cerritos 8' Alassane  74' |
Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 5,542 Referee: Deshun Beard Assistant referees: Chris Schurfranz Adam Cook Fourth official: Amelia Graytock |
| March 29 4 | Richmond Kickers | 1–2 | Forward Madison | Richmond, VA |
| 6:00 p.m. EDT | Espinal 50' |
Report | Gebhard 40', 48' |
Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 4,576 Referee: Deny Kulasinac Assistant referees: Sarah Gaddes Fourth official: Nicholas Karnovsky |
| April 9 5 | Richmond Kickers | 1–0 | Union Omaha | Richmond, VA |
| 7:00 p.m. EDT | Espinal 82' |
Report | Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 2,827 Referee: Ryan Homik Assistant referees: Patrick Slane Fourth official: Arman Becan |
| April 12 6 | FC Naples | 2–1 | Richmond Kickers | Collier County, FL |
| 7:00 p.m. EDT | Ferrín 8' Henderlong 22' |
Report | Espinal 35' |
Stadium: Paradise Coast Sports Complex Attendance: 4,005 Referee: Amin Hadzic Assistant referees: Alexandru Focea Fourth official: Kyle Cividanes |
| April 19 7 | Richmond Kickers | 4–4 | Westchester | Richmond, VA |
| 6:00 p.m. EDT | Espinal 2', 32' Kirkland 63', 90+9' |
Report | Powder 8' Powder 53'McGlynn 83'Obregón 90+7' (pen.) |
Stadium: City Stadium Referee: Marie Durr Assistant referees: Robert Cordley Fourth official: Chuck Roberts |
| May 2 8 | Richmond Kickers | 3−3 | Greenville Triumph | Richmond, VA |
| 7:00 p.m. EDT | Kirkland 3', 39' O'Dwyer 80' |
Report | Evans 31' Zakowski 33' Agyaakwah 84' |
Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 5,023 Referee: Edson Carvajal Assistant referees: Andrew Charron Fourth official: Nickrod Fateh |
| May 10 9 | Chattanooga Red Wolves | 0–0 | Richmond Kickers | East Ridge, TN |
| 7:00 p.m. EDT | Report | Stadium: CHI Memorial Stadium Referee: Muhammad Kaleida Assistant referees: Brian Marshall Fourth official: Amin Hadzic |
| May 18 10 | Spokane Velocity | 1–0 | Richmond Kickers | Spokane, WA |
| 7:00 p.m. EDT | Miller Peláez 44' |
Report | Stadium: One Spokane Stadium Attendance: 2,644 Referee: Calin Radosav Assistant referees: Ryan Jung Fourth official: Serghei Celan |
| May 25 11 | Westchester | 2–2 | Richmond Kickers | Mt Vernon, NY |
| 2:00 p.m. EDT | Saydee 9' Obregón 29' |
Report | Espinal 32' Bolduc 47' |
Stadium: The Stadium at Memorial Field Referee: Muhammad Hassan |
| June 7 12 | Richmond Kickers | 1–2 | Texoma | Richmond, VA |
| 7:00 p.m. EDT | Kirkland 7' |
Baker 19' Asanté 73' |
Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 3,908 Referee: Servando Berna Rico |
| June 21 13 | Richmond Kickers | 0–1 | Spokane Velocity | Richmond, VA |
| 7:00 p.m. EDT | Report | Brett 7' |
Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 3,879 Referee: Atahan Yaya |
| June 25 14 | Union Omaha | 3–4 | Richmond Kickers | Papillion, NE |
| 8:00 p.m. EDT | Faz 21' Gallardo 58' (pen.)Bronnik 84' |
Billhardt 12' Knapp  14' (o.g.)Kirkland 44', 50' |
Stadium: Werner Park Attendance: 2,388 |
| July 12 15 | Richmond Kickers | 0–2 | Chattanooga Red Wolves | Richmond, VA |
| 7:00 p.m. EDT | Report | Bentley 68' (pen.) Lombardi 73' |
Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 4,661 |
| July 20 16 | Greenville Triumph | 2–0 | Richmond Kickers | Greenville, SC |
| 7:00 p.m. EDT | Herrera 20' (pen.) Sims 72' |
Stadium: Paladin Stadium Attendance: 1,643 |
| August 2 17 | Richmond Kickers | 1–2 | Naples | Richmond, VA |
| 7:00 p.m. EDT | Johnson 12' |
Purpa 59' Henderlong 63' |
Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 4,393 |
| August 9 18 | Hearts of Pine | 0–0 | Richmond Kickers | Portland, MN |
| 5:00 p.m. EDT | Stadium: Fitzpatrick Stadium Attendance: 5,796 Referee: Atayan Yaya |
| August 16 19 | Richmond Kickers | 2–3 | South Georgia Tormenta | Richmond, VA |
| 7:00 p.m. EDT | Cela 40' Espinal 70' |
Tunbridge 19' (pen.) Cabral 31'Reid-Stephen 73' |
Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 4,094 Referee: Atayan Yaya |
| August 21 20 | One Knoxville | 2–0 | Richmond Kickers | Knoxville, TN |
| 7:00 p.m. EDT | Gøling 15' Diene 53' |
Stadium: Covenant Health Park Attendance: 4,126 Referee: Trevor Wiseman | ||
| Note: The match was supposed to take place on June 13 | ||||
| August 23 21 | Richmond Kickers | 1–0 | One Knoxville | Richmond, VA |
| 7:00 p.m. EDT | Lage 33' |
Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 4,126 Referee: Atayan Yaya |
| September 3 22 | Westchester | 0–2 | Richmond Kickers | Mount Vernon, NY |
| 7:00 p.m. EDT | Terzaghi 8' Johnson 45+1' |
Stadium: The Stadium at Memorial Field Attendance: 1,209 Referee: Izlen Peksenar |
| September 13 23 | Forward Madison | 1–0 | Richmond Kickers | Madison, WI |
| 7:00 p.m. EDT | Sousa 90+3' |
Stadium: Breese Stevens Field Attendance: 5,010 Referee: Drew Klemp |
| September 17 24 | Richmond Kickers | 2–5 | Portland Hearts of Pine | Richmond, VA |
| 6:30 p.m. EDT | Espinal 21' Anderson 76' |
Varela 12' Wright 27' (pen.)Wada 52', 69', 84' |
Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 3,242 Referee: Katja Koroleva |
| September 20 25 | Richmond Kickers | 2–3 | Charlotte Independence | Richmond, VA |
| 6:00 p.m. EDT | Espinal 38' O'Dwyer 90' (pen.) |
Chaney 34', 53' Ndiaye 45' |
Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 4,285 |
| September 27 26 | South Georgia Tormenta | 4–2 | Richmond Kickers | Statesboro, GA |
| 7:00 p.m. EDT | Bazini 17' Reid-Stephen 20', 76'Gray 69' |
Seufert 53' Kirkland 72' |
Stadium: Tormenta Stadium Referee: Drew Klemp |
| October 4 27 | Richmond Kickers | 2–1 | One Knoxville | Richmond, VA |
| 6:00 p.m. EDT | Billhardt 23' Schenfeld 40' |
Brown 34' |
Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 5,509 Referee: Carlos Rodriguez |
| October 11 28 | Texoma | 1–0 | Richmond Kickers | Sherman, TX |
| 8:00 p.m. EDT | McManus 59' |
Stadium: Historic Bearcat Stadium Attendance: 1,576 Referee: Muhammad Hassan |
| October 17 29 | AV Alta | 2–0 | Richmond Kickers | Lancaster, CA |
| 10:30 p.m. EDT | Cerritos 40' Villalobos 61' |
Stadium: Lancaster Municipal Stadium Attendance: 5,251 Referee: Matthew Thompson |
| October 25 30 | Richmond Kickers | 5–1 | Forward Madison | Richmond, VA |
| 6:00 p.m. EDT | Seufert 36', 71' Terzaghi 38'Lage 45+3'Billhardt 63' |
Dourado 23' |
Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 5,509 Referee: Carlos Rodriguez |
U.S. Open Cup
| March 19 First round | Richmond Kickers (USL1)  | 1–3 | Virginia Dream FC (VSSL) | Richmond, VA |
| 7:30 p.m. EDT | Vaughan 45+1' |
|
Stadium: City Stadium Referee: John Griggs |
Jägermeister Cup
Group stage
| Pos | Lg | Team | Pld | W | PKW | PKL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | USLC | Loudoun United FC | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | USL1 | Charlotte Independence | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 9 | |
| 3 | USLC | Louisville City FC | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 9 | |
| 4 | USLC | Lexington SC | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 4 | |
| 5 | USLC | North Carolina FC | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 5 | |
| 6 | USL1 | Richmond Kickers | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 11 | −10 | 0 |
Updated to match(es) played on July 26, 2025. Source: USL
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points earned in group play; 3) total wins in group play; 4) goals for in group play; 5) goals against in group play; 6) disciplinary points; 7) coin toss.
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points earned in group play; 3) total wins in group play; 4) goals for in group play; 5) goals against in group play; 6) disciplinary points; 7) coin toss.
Matches
| April 26 1 | Louisville City | 4–1 | Richmond Kickers | Louisville, KY |
| 7:30 p.m. EDT | Perez 45+3' Serrano 55'Gleadle 62'Perez 87' |
Report | Seufert 58' |
Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium Referee: Drew Klempt Assistant referees: Christian Little Fourth official: Donald Williams |
| May 31 2 | Richmond Kickers | 0–1 | North Carolina | Richmond, VA |
| 7:00 p.m. EDT | Luckhurst 81' |
Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 4,753 Referee: Alex Beehler |
| June 28 3 | Richmond Kickers | 0–3 | Lexington SC | Richmond, VA |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Ajago 10' Epps 31'Burke 90' |
Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 3,290 |
| July 26 4 | Charlotte Independence | 3–0 | Richmond Kickers | Charlotte, NC |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Jauregui 11' Moshobane 51'Ousmanou 90+5' |
Stadium: American Legion Memorial Stadium Attendance: 628 Referee: Luis Arroyo |
Statistics
Appearances and goals
- As of November 24, 2025. Numbers after plus–sign (+) denote appearances as a substitute.
No. Pos Nat Player Total USL1 USL.1 Playoffs U.S. Open Cup Jägermeister Cup Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals 1 GK 
CHIPablo Jara 9 0 3+1 0 0+0 0 1+0 0 4+0 0 2 MF 
USADakota Barnathan 29 1 25+0 1 0+0 0 1+0 0 3+0 0 3 MF USAHayden Anderson 30 2 7+19 2 0+0 0 0+0 0 3+1 0 4 DF USASimon Fitch 35 0 30+0 0 0+0 0 1+0 0 4+0 0 5 DF CHIMaxi Schenfeld 27 1 19+5 1 0+0 0 1+0 0 0+2 0 6 MF USARyan Baer 10 0 4+6 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 7 FW USALandon Johnson 18 2 4+11 2 0+0 0 0+0 0 2+1 0 9 FW USAJosh Kirkland 33 8 22+7 8 0+0 0 1+0 0 3+0 0 10 MF 
GERNils Seufert 32 5 26+2 4 0+0 0 1+0 0 3+0 1 11 MF 
HAIRivendi Pierre-Lewis 5 0 0+3 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 0+2 0 14 DF 
BRAGuilherme França 21 0 10+6 0 0+0 0 1+0 0 3+1 0 16 DF 
CANKlaidi Cela 21 1 16+2 1 0+0 0 0+1 0 1+1 0 17 MF 
ENGJames Vaughan 20 1 7+10 0 0+0 0 1+0 1 1+1 0 18 MF 
UGAJonathan Kanagwa 11 0 1+8 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 1+1 0 19 FW 
HONDarwin Espinal 29 9 25+1 9 0+0 0 1+0 0 2+0 0 20 MF GERAdrian Billhardt 24 3 7+15 3 0+0 0 0+1 0 0+1 0 25 DF USAMarcelo Lage 7 2 6+0 2 0+0 0 0+0 0 1+0 0 27 FW ENGChandler O'Dwyer 31 4 23+5 4 0+0 0 0+1 0 1+1 0 32 FW 
ARGEmiliano Terzaghi 26 4 19+5 4 0+0 0 0+1 0 0+1 0 33 MF USAMatt Bolduc 17 1 7+7 1 0+0 0+0 1+0 0 1+1 0 34 DF USABeckett Howell 25 0 15+6 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 4+0 0 35 GK USAJames Sneddon 27 0 27+0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 38 DF USAGriffin Garnett 25 0 17+4 0 0+0 0 1+0 0 3+0 0 39 DF USABrendan Dobzyniak 1 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 0+1 0 40 FW USANick Sarantakos 1 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 0+1 0 41 MF USAAndrew Richman 1 0 0+1 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 42 DF USAGrafton Kahl 3 0 0+2 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 0+1 0 43 MF USAJonathan Gomez 1 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 0+1 0