The Richmond Kickers entered their May 27th game against the MLS P-40 squad as one of the hottest teams in the A-League. Not only had they won three games in a row after a 1-3 start to the season, but also hadn't allowed a goal in any of those victories. However, a couple of scenarios looked to present possible problems for the team. First, the heavy rain that pounded University of Richmond Stadium right before kickoff ensured a slick field and a slippery ball, not a defense or a goalkeeper's ideal playing conditions. Second, the Kickers were without leading goal-scorer Dwayne DeRosario, who was serving a one game suspension as the result of a red card in Richmond's previous game against the Hershey Wildcats.
Stepping into DeRosario's place was the speedy forward Kwaku, and he immediately made his mark on the game. The young P-40 defenders had problems containing the Richmond attack, particularly any type of through balls designed to allow Kwaku to run onto them. Kickers midfielders Kevin Knight, Keith Donohue, and Marco Feruzzi dominated the middle third of the field, working the ball around on offense and spreading out the opposition. Defensively, they rarely allowed the P-40's to string any more than two or three passes together before breaking up the play or forcing a turnover.
Richmond's domination of the run of play paid off in the 29th minute. Kevin Alvero slotted a great ball to Kwaku, who fought through two P-40 defenders and knocked a cannon of a shot into the back of the net, giving Richmond a 1-0 lead. The Kickers nearly doubled their lead three minutes later, as Kwaku had a breakaway opportunity, but P-40's keeper Matt Nyman came up big with a huge save and thus keeping his team in the game. Alvero also found himself one on one with Nyman right before halftime, but his shot went fractionally wide of the post
P-40's coach Alfonso Mondelo regrouped his team at halftime, and their efforts nearly paid off at the beginning of the 2nd half. Mario Longo launched a cross inside the Kickers penalty area, and Richmond goalkeeper Mike McGinty made a rare mistake as he misjudged the ball. The ball landed inside the six yard box and rolled across Richmond's open net, but there was no opposing player to put the ball away.
Richmond weathered the early storm and regrouped, as substitutes Peter Luzak and Derrick Etienne came on for Kwaku and Donohue. After several close calls, the pressure paid off, as Kevin Knight won a ball deep in the P-40's territory and sent and high cross across the penalty area. Luzak was able to outjump the defenders and head home his team-leading 4th goal of the season, with all four goals coming after he had been brought on as a substitute.
The goal seemed to knock the wind out of the sails of the P-40's, as they didn't mount much of an offensive threat for the remainder of the match. The 2-0 win extended McGinty's personal streak to 382 minutes without allowing a goal, and Richmond's ability to establish a potent attack even without their leading offensive playmaker makes the team a legitimate threat to win the A-League title.
