Forward Madison FC couldn’t conjure up a goal at Breese Stevens Field on Saturday, drawing 1-1 with the Richmond Kickers in front of a raucous Madison crowd. Goalkeeper Chris Brady, newly on loan from the Chicago Fire, earned his first clean sheet of the year, but the Flamingos’ attack never found the winning goal.
For head coach Carl Craig, whose team has not won in its past three games, the point was good but not good enough.
“We pushed and pushed, we knocked on the door, but there weren’t a lot of shots on target,” Craig said. “You push your opponent from the first to the last minute. A little bit of an adjustment in the second half and we pushed even harder, but (there) just wasn’t quite enough in the attacking third.”
The first half offered just as much stylish play as sloppy decisions, with two yellow cards going to the visitors and two strong saves from Brady, who arrived in Madison earlier this week. An impressive scissor kick attempt from Christian Diaz in the fifth minute was the counterplay to an early goal line clearance he made in the second minute.
Brady, who was named USL League One’s Young Player of the Year in 2020, made a particularly fine kick-save in the 8th minute.
“The thing that excites me the most is coming back to an atmosphere like this,” Brady said. “Obviously I’ve been keeping up on the games, watching on TV, and the first thought is, ‘Damn, I want to play there.’ It’s one of the coolest things to have a community like this support you in this fashion.”
In the second half, the two teams bared their teeth, with a scuffle ensuing in the 55th minute that resulted in yellow cards for both former Flamingo Jalen Crisler, now of Richmond, and Forward co-captain Connor Tobin.
Late-game substitutes Carlos Gomez and Michael Vang ensured Forward Madison a majority of the attacking play as the game wound to a finish, though Brady and the defense still kept their composure while defending against Richmond’s counter-attacking threat.
As the game wore on, the crowd at Breese Stevens Field grew louder, building to a pure roar by the final whistle.
“The Flock was bouncing along the side, the volume was rising, and the players respond as well,” Craid said. “I spoke to the players yesterday saying this is what it’s all about. It’s about filling the stadium, it’s about entertaining these people. And then we can get them excited and they’ll reciprocate and this will be a hell of a place to play, more than it already is.”
With the draw, Forward Madison slips in fifth place in USL League One on 12 points. The Flamingos are back at home next Saturday, facing off with New England Revolution II at Breese Stevens Field.
Forward Madison FC
Goalkeeper: Chris Brady #34
Defender: Christian Diaz #27
Defender: Connor Tobin #13 (C)
Defender: Gustavo Fernandes #4
Defender: Jiro Barriga Toyama #77
Midfielder: Aaron Molloy #6
Midfielder: Audi Jepson #20 (72’ Michael Vang)
Midfielder: Justin Sukow #19 (90+3’ Noah Fuson)
Forward: Tyler Allen #23 (63’ Carlos Gomez)
Forward: Jake Keegan #7
Forward: Derek Gebhard #17
Unused Substitutes: Phil Breno #1; Ronaldo Lomeli #2, Heath Martin #11; Eric Leonard #3; Noah Fuson #31
Head Coach: Carl Craig
Richmond Kickers
Goalkeeper: Akira Fitzgerald #1
Defender: Juan Pablo Monticelli #2 (90’ Chris Cole)
Defender: Ivan Megalhaes #4
Defender: Jalen Crisler #15
Defender: Esteban Calvo #20
Midfielder: Zaca Moran #6
Midfielder: Nil Vinyals #10
Midfielder: Victor Falek #23
Forward: Matt Bolduc #7 (68’ Luke Pavone)
Forward: Emiliano Terzaghi #32
Forward: Jonathan Bolanos #17 (68’ Oalex Anderson)
Substitutes: Austin Casey #13; Nathan Aune #24, Chris Cole #3; Cam Vickers #88, Luke Pavone #14, Oalex Anderson #11, Herman Gonzalez #19
Head Coach: Darren Sawatzky
Discipline
Forward Madison
53’- Jiro Barriga Toyama (yellow)
55’- Connor Tobin (yellow)
58’- Christian DIaz (yellow)
71’ -Derek Gebhard (yellow)
Richmond Kickers
16’- Zaca Moran (yellow)
31’- Emiliano Terzaghi (yellow)
55’- Jalen Crisler (yellow)
Referees
Laura Rodriguez
Ethan Buege
Maggie Short
Alex Hofstetter
Venue
Breese Stevens Field – Madison, Wisconsin
Attendance
2,929
