Spokane Velocity FC capped off their first year in the inaugural Jägermeister Cup with a loss to the Richmond Kickers in riveting 3-2 fashion.
The match witnessed Richmond jump out of the gate with a goal in the sixth minute, and adding another later in the first half to put Velocity in a multi-goal deficit. Velocity would climb back to equalize before a heartbreaking last-second goal gave Richmond its second win in Jägermeister Cup group play.
Velocity FC’s lineup offered Collin Fernandez’s first look with the captain armband, and his play in the midfield was crucial for Velocity’s pace, as they began to control the tempo as the game wore on.
The first half’s initial score came off a corner kick after a Carlos Merancio save. João Gomiero arced the ball into the domain of Chandler O’Dwyer, who sent the ball on a line for the goal, and even though Merancio got a hand on it, the score was inevitable.
As the first half continued, Velocity struggled to break through the four-man backline of the Kickers, registering their first shot in the 28th minute. The attempt came from Azriel Gonzalez, who launched a shot on target from the left side of the box.
Chandler O’Dwyer found himself scoring off another corner kick in the 34th minute. This time the score came through a sea of players after the kick went long, causing fellow Kicker Ryan Sierakowski to send a backpass header to the middle of the box, where O’Dwyer scored Richmond’s ninth goal of the cup.
The second half began with a first-minute score from Gonzalez, who sent the ball to Masango Akale on the right side of the pitch before streaking down the Kickers’ defensive third of the field. Akale placed the ball perfectly in front of Gonzalez, who dove headfirst to score his team’s first goal of the match and his first in Jägermeister play.
“Once I played ‘Sango,’ I saw the space and knew exactly where I wanted it,” Gonzalez said. “Sango played me a great ball and made it easy for me to put it away and get us back in the game.”
This score – along with head coach Leigh Veidman’s change in his squad’s second half tactical approach – allowed Velocity to apply defensive pressure higher up in the field and keep the ball out of their defensive third. This forced the Kickers out of the sets they worked through in the first half, and their offensive pace slowed to a crawl, failing to register a shot until the 72nd minute of the match.
In between that time, the equalizer was set up by a Derek Waldeck free kick, finding the head of Camron Miller, who put back his first goal of the season.
“Derek, Luis [Gil] and other servers of the ball always put great balls in the box and it’s our job as the big guys to get on the end of it,” Miller said.
This score marked Waldeck’s second game in a row with an assist off a free kick to a member of the backline, with last match’s score coming off the head of Ahmed Longmire.
After Velocity’s two second half unanswered goals without a Richmond shot registered, the Kickers finally answered with a score. In the 88th minute, Landon Johnson sent a ball from the right side of the field, just outside of the Velocity penalty box, meeting the foot of Justin Sukow. Sukow placed a shot right between the legs of a Velocity defender and outside the outstretched arm of Merancio to put the match back in favor of the home team.
After multiple shots on goal in added time were deflected by Kickers’ keeper James Sneddon, the match’s final whistle sounded, ending Spokane Velocity FC’s first season of play in USL League One’s Jägermeister Cup.
“Every match is a lesson and opportunity to grow,” Veidman said of the result. “We use this as fuel to improve.”
Even though Velocity’s time playing in the Jägermeister is finished for the year, they remain in League One’s regular season playoff picture. They’ll look to improve their point total against Union Omaha in ONE Spokane Stadium on Wednesday, Sept. 4 at 6 p.m. on Back to School Night. Fans are called to wear blue for a “Blue-Out” as the team will sport the new Impact Blue kit, and the game will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network.
