USL League One – Game 7
Forward Madison FC vs Richmond Kickers
Saturday, June 12, 2021; 7:00 p.m. CT
Breese Stevens Field – Madison, WI
Where to Watch
ESPN+
Follow @ForwardMSNFC on Twitter and Instagram for live updates
Keep track of the official stats on the USL League One Match Center
Forward Madison will welcome back a nearly-full capacity stadium for it’s seventh USL League One match of the season when it hosts the Richmond Kickers on Saturday, June 12. Gates open at 6 p.m. and kickoff is at 7 p.m. CT.
Saturday’s game will be the first time Forward Madison has played in Breese Stevens Field without capacity restrictions since 2019, and anticipation for the game has conjured up fond memories from fans and players alike. Midfielder Carlos Gomez, who played at Breese while with the Greenville Triumph in 2019, said it was one of the reasons he joined the Flamingos this year.
“I’m as excited as the whole team is,” Gomez said. “As a visitor [with Greenville Triumph], I came here a couple of times in the past and the atmosphere was unbelievable. Now I’m really looking forward to feeling that same energy as a player for the home team.”
The Flamingos are determined to claim a crucial three points after dropping to fourth place in the USL League One standings following their 2-1 loss to Union Omaha on June 6. One of the silver linings involved Gomez, a key offseason signing, making his Forward debut as a late-game substitute.
Assistant coach Neil Hlavaty noted that the team took the loss as a reality check, and a reminder to return to their core principles to improve for Saturday’s game.
“We aren’t going to change a whole lot,” Hlavaty said. “I think we’re just going to cue in on our attacking principles and defending principles, but really just get back to the basics, reminding guys of what they are good at and what makes us good as a group.”
Going into Saturday, the Flamingos and the Kickers are fairly evenly matched both in current form and past results. Richmond maintained its 5th place standing after defeating New England Revolution II 3-2 last weekend. Forward Madison is tied in its all-time record with the Kickers, with each team having won two games since 2019.
Hlavaty, who played for the Richmond Kickers in 2018, has keen insights on how their current roster could pose a threat on game day.
“They have a lot of players that have stayed over from that last roster that know what [head coach] Darren Sawatzky wants and how he expects to play,” Hlavaty said. “One thing they always bring is that they are a hard working group, they’re very tough to break down and obviously they have some people that can score some goals. [Emiliano] Terzaghi up front was the Golden Boot winner last year so he is somebody we’re going to have to worry about constantly.”
As Hlavaty and the Flamingos look towards Saturday, they’ll be boosted by the presence of goalkeeper Chris Brady, who arrived this week on loan from the Chicago Fire. Brady, 17, was named the USL League One Young Player of the Year in 2020 after keeping three clean sheets in eight starts for Forward Madison.
Aside from simply competing for the three points, though, Forward Madison is also looking to regain the upper hand in the Henny Derby, one of American soccer’s most unique rivalries and possibly the only one that celebrates Black soccer culture in the United States. This year, the Featherstone Flamingos – an inclusive FMFC supporters’ group that celebrates Black culture – have teamed up with fans from Richmond to raise money for the YWCA Madison for each goal scored.
With Breese Stevens Field bouncing and the Hennessy flowing, Saturday’s match figures to be one of this year’s most memorable affairs.
“We have our fans, we have the Flock and we have our atmosphere that our players are now used to,” Hlavaty said. “We’ve set an expectation that we want to perform well and put on a show for our fans, because that’s what they deserve.”
Following Saturday’s game, Forward Madison will have a full week of rest before hosting New England Revolution II on June 19.
