Spokane, WA — Spokane Velocity FC downed Richmond Kickers 3-1 on Saturday, scoring three goals for its third straight home match and winning its second straight League One match.
Velocity FC head coach Leigh Veidman spoke on the importance of his team’s winning streak early in the season.
“It’s huge after the challenging period we’ve had with the travel and a couple of challenging results on the road, so super happy for the guys,” said Veidman. “They’ve worked incredibly hard these past couple of weeks, and to be at home and have a six-point week is huge.”
Spokane blitzed Richmond early, with forward Medgy Alexandre knocking in a one-legged goal in the seventh minute to give Velocity FC a 1-0 lead. Defender Lucky Opara set up the score with a perfect pass across the penalty area to Alexandre, who scored his first goal of the season.
Alexandre, who joined Spokane around the start of the season, spoke on his first goal and the warm welcome he has received since joining the club.
“I mean, it was an amazing cross and an amazing finish,” said Alexandre. “I’m really grateful for the support of my coaching staff, the team, and the fans. From my first day, I was welcomed here. So it helps to be able to perform and just give everything for the team and the fans.”
Opara reflected on his cross that set up Medgy for his first half score.
“I was happy to cross that to Medgy and have him get to the end of it, that was huge,” said Opara.
Velocity FC stayed hot, with midfielder Jack Denton scoring a point-blank goal inside the box to raise his side’s lead to 2-0. An initial shot towards goal by Alexandre was deflected by Richmond goalkeeper Yann Fillion, with the deflection bouncing right to Denton who scored his first goal of the campaign.
The Kickers’ first shot attempt came in the 27th minute when forward Darwin Espinal intercepted a pass and whipped a shot outside the box which Spokane goalkeeper Carlos Merancio saved easily.
Richmond got on the board off a goal in the penalty area by forward Tarik Pannholzer, who was found open by Espinal inside the box to pull the Kickers to 2-1. The goal was Pannholzer’s first of the season and Richmond’s second as a team in 2026.
Spokane kept its momentum going to start the second half, with Shavon John-Brown getting open in transition and beating Fillion on a 1v1 at the top of the box to bring Velocity FC’s lead to 3-1. John-Brown’s goal was his second of the season, which leads all Spokane players.
Forward Andre Lewis nearly gave Velocity FC its fourth goal of the match, finding himself open inside the penalty area but sending a shot attempt wide over the goalpost. Spokane ended the match with a 57% possession lead over Richmond.
Coach Veidman spoke on his team’s offensive success at home to start the season, with Velocity FC having scored three goals in its last three matches at ONE Spokane Stadium.
“It’s kind of ironic because we’ve not really trained a lot as a team with the players we’ve got right now. We’ve had one team training session that was tactical based in 2+ weeks,” said Veidman. “So it’s really just on the guys showing up when they need to in the right spaces and executing when they get there, so it’s full credit to them.”
Spokane is now tied in points with top-of-the-table FC Naples at 13 and is second in League One standings with a 4-1-1 record.
Following Velocity FC’s win over Richmond, the team will travel to California to take on USL Championship club Sacramento Republic FC in a Prinx Tires USL Cup match on April 25 at Heart Health Park. The match is set to kickoff at 7:00 PM PT and can be streamed on ESPN+. For tickets to Velocity FC’s next home match on May 10 against FC Naples, visit Velocity FC Tickets – USL Spokane.
