Eagles finally get the better of us
The Kickers went to Charlotte on Friday night in what was always going to be a difficult tie. The Eagles have always been a tough proposition, particularly in USL2 as they are consistently loaded with attacking talent and have a strong team ethic. Richmond have probably been fortunate to keep the upper hand in the rivalry over the past two seasons, but on Friday the tables turned - and how.
After a disappointing 2007 season scraping into the play-offs only to lose in overtime at Richmond, Charlotte made their intentions known in the off-season when the acquired Robert Ssejjemba. And just to make sure the league was paying attention, they soundly thrashed the Bermuda Hogges 6-0 on opening day.
Richmond on the other hand have lost a number of key players in the off-season and replaced them with mostly rookies. It was always going to take some time to let the team settle in, but a 3-0 victory over the Pioneers last week gave us a sense of security. However a loss by the same scoreline to Charlotte appears to signify that the Kickers have finally assimilated to USL-2 standards.
It was always going to happen, good players eventually rise to the league that matches their ability - or they end up quitting because they know they can do better than their paltry USL-2 paycheck. The Kickers seem to be better than most at creating loyalty within the squad as is proven by our ability to retain the likes of Mike Burke, Ronnie Pascale and Matt Watson. But it becomes a lot more difficult to attract the best new talent when you are playing on the third rung of the US soccer ladder.
I’m not saying that the Kickers are going to suck now, Charlotte are easily one of the best franchises in the league and while a loss on the road this early into the season is disappointing, it’s not the end of the world. However, I believe it’s a sign that we are going to struggle against the better sides this season, and considering we were unable to beat Harrisburg and Cleveland in the league last year, come August we could see a much lower finish than we are used to.
Hopefuly the Kickers will improve as the season goes on and we will get the results against Charlotte that we have come to expect, particularly at home. But I think the honeymoon is over and we are in for a rocky season. On the plus side, it could also make for a more exciting, nail-biting affair and finally shake off that sense of entitlement that we Kickers fans seem to have had the last two years.
2 months ago