Sporting Richmond FC

SPORTING RICHMOND SUMMER

2009-06-15T07:20:00.000-07:00

ROSTER:

returners from last years championship side:

CASEY SMITH

CHRISTOPHER GREEN

CHRIS THOMPSON

BRAD KNISLEY

BRIAN ROBERTSON

DAVE KNAUSE

NATE HANGER

new additions:

SCOTT ROBERTSON - NAVAL ACADEMY

JORGE - BRAZILLIAN FLAVA

HUNTER CHEATHAM - VIRGINIA TECH

JORDAN CLARK - LYNCHBURG COLLEGE

CECIL LEWIS - REAL MARYLAND, CRYSTAL PALACE BALTIMORE

JAKE HARMATZ - GODWIN

MATT GOLOB - JMU

BOB GOLDNUTZ - RANDOLPH COLLEGE

Sporting is looking to take the trophy home for a 3rd consecutive time this summer.

2007 Summer Champs

2008 Summer Champs

2009 TBD

Not such a Happy Mothers Day + transfer rumors

2009-05-13T07:31:00.001-07:00

A 10-man Sporting lose to Lions FC 5-1. Cecil Lewis was the only one who could find the back of the net for SRFC.

Transfer Rumors:

Gago Nunez's agent has fuelled rumours that Sporting have been in touch with Gago about his future with the club after the Metro Sting star confirmed that a number of clubs had made enquiries. We were able to get a statement from Gago outside a Richmond nightclub where he was seen smoking and drinking with a number of girls. "ai boceta yeah i wanna play with you guys"

A special thanks to the UK supporters.

With the return of Stu Bertsch comes a victory!

2009-05-04T07:42:00.000-07:00

Word got out to the XRams that Stu Bertsch was returning from a two week loan with a Mexican club, they decided his return was just too much for them and did not even show up . XRams coming off a victory on Saturday vs Lions 80, you would think they would be hungry as they started to move up the standings. Sporting earns the 3 points and is currently sitting in 3rd place.

Up next SRFC will face Lions FC Sunday 5/10/09. 9am kick-off at Bryan Park.

Six pts dropped

2009-04-28T09:02:00.001-07:00

With 2 games in 16 hrs and 90 degree heat, it was not a good weekend for Sporting. Saturday Sporting played Metro Sting for the second time this season, the first meeting ended 1-1. With only one sub and some key players missing, Metro Sting DID show up to play and took care of business defeating Sporting 3-1.

Kick-off to Sunday's match vs Partizan Richmond was set for 9am. Sporting had the numbers but did not have the finishers. It was 1-0 Partizan at the half but with Sporting having more of the chances, they could not find the back of the net. Second half Partizan put a few more in and before we knew it, the scoreline was 3-0. Chris Green finally stepped up and tucked away a great through ball to the far post to make it 3-1. Sporting with a glimpse of hope but strikers Casey Smith and Cecil could not find the back of the net to save their lives. The final whistle came and it was 5-1 Partizan. Sporting suffering the worst loss of the season.

Next week Sporting will take on XRams for the first time. Rams are 1-3-1 on the season, Sporting 2-4-1.

Drawn

2009-04-20T08:04:00.000-07:00

Sporting Richmond came from behind on Sunday to draw 1-1 with Metro Sting. In the end the result was a good one for Sporting due to the circumstances. With only 11 players, many of which were injured, Sporting was able grab a point, and at times looked like it would maybe nip all the points in the end. The first half was a midfield battle and ended 0-0 after both teams had a few half chances. Metro Sting's keeper kept out a Green effort after Casey Smith had slotted him in at the near post. At the other end Tommy did well all half to keep the score knotted at 0.

After the break, Sporting came out flat. Metro sensed that lag in tempo and pushed for the opening goal. The breakthrough came in the 55th minute when a cross field ball found a questionably onside Metro attacker at the back post to make it 1-0.

As the second half wore on, Sporting started to increase the pressure on Sting and it would pay dividends in the 78th minute. A back pass to the Metro Sting keeper was pressured by Green, his pass was picked off my Cecil Lewis who then found Casey Smith wide open at the back post to slot in from 6 yards.

1-1 was the final and with the points shared was a good result giving the circumstances. Sporting will now look to Saturday when they take on Metro Sting again, this time hopefully with a full squad.

Kittens...

2009-04-14T06:37:00.000-07:00

Sporting Richmond dispatched Lions FC 6-2 this past Thursday. It was a game where Sporting never looked to be in any sort of trouble. Man of the Match Chris Kull opened his account in the 15th minute with low right footed arrow to the far post after he shrugged off his defender. From that point on it was all Sporting. There were some missed opportunities to stretch the lead in the first half. Both Stu and Cecil failed to find the back of the net when played through on goal.

It looked like the half was going to end at 1-0, but Casey Smith was first to pounce on a deflected Justin Williams shot. The Lions keeper got down well to save the slow shot but Smith was first to react and tucked the ball away neatly.

2-0 at the break, Sporting cruising towards 3 points with Lions only seeing half chances.

The second half started with more of the same. Lewis came flying down the right flank on a counter attack. With options wide open for the easy finish, Lewis showed his class and finished the ball in the far post side netting. 3-0 and Lions were dead and buried. With Sporting now controlling the game, the passing and movement started to flow. The ball went from right to left out of the back and found its way back to Lewis wide left. Making space for himself, he sent in a low telling ball across the face of goal. Kull had made the perfect run into space and with the finish of the night, placed the ball with the outside of the right foot in the upper far corner, 4-0 and no looking back for Sporting. 5-0 came off of another rebound finish for Smith while the 6th came from some scrappy play from Williams.

Green and Smith could have extended the score even more but failed to find the back of the net when played clear through. All in all Sporting looked at ease. The 2 late consolation goals for Lions where a bit of a blemish but the game had long been decided by that point.

Up next for Sporting is Metro Sting FC...

1-0

2009-04-08T10:48:00.001-07:00

The first meeting of Sporting Richmond and Partizan Richmond was a real chess match. Both teams looked up for it from the beginning. Dorey Park was in shambles which caused the game to start off at a wild pace. There might have been 5 square feet of even ground on the entire pitch and neither team was able to find it to settle the ball.

Partizan started off strong carving out a few chances and Tommy did well to save from a point blank Andy Macintosh shot in the 5th minute. Sporting started to gain a bit more possession as the half wore on from great midfield play of Stu B, Casey Smith, and Jonny Rios. In the 35th minute, Cecil Lewis broke free of the Partizan defense but could not find the finishing touch to put the ball past the keeper. The score stayed knotted at 0's until the half.

The second half started with more of the same. Each team with spells of possession but Sporting looking the more likely to score. It wasn't until the 67th minute that the ball ended up in the back of the net. Against the run of play Partizan won a corner, with the ensuing dead ball situation, Macca placed a ball into the box. Some how the ball slipped through to the 6 yard box, rebounded off of Vaughns shin and landed in the back of the net. Disaster had struck, an undeserved own goal to put Partizan up 1-0.

Sporting continued to pour the pressure on by switching up the 4-5-1 to a 3-4-3 formation seeking the equalizer. Lewis did well to make some space for himself but before he could get a proper shot off or pass the ball the door was closed by two Partizan defenders. Sporting had corner after corner, but none could find the back of the net.

With nearly the last kick of the game Sporting was awarded a free kick from 20 yards out. Up stepped Lewis again testing the keeper with a well placed shot but it did not have the power to cross the line. The whistle blew and it was defeat again for SRFC. A tough result for a match that had draw written all over it.

Sporting with try and buck the trend of the last two defeats this Thursday versus Lions.

2009-04-07T06:33:00.000-07:00

This might be the reason why we lost 3-2

Sporting slips up...

2009-04-07T05:57:00.000-07:00

Points were dropped this weekend as Sporting fell to Lions 80 3-2. It was really a game of two halves and Sporting only showed up for one of them. The game kicked off and from the start 80 had the upper hand. Sporting came out flat and within the first 10 minutes of the game they found themselves down 1-0 when 80's man of the match, Matt Cooper, put in a rebound from a poor Sporting clearance. Sporting started to regain some possession and off of a corner Chris Thompson had a chance to knot the score at 1 but shot well wide with the keeper stranded.

Sporting would be punished for not finishing its chances in the 1st half as 80 would put two more past Tommy. In the 23rd minute 80 worked the ball down the left hand side of the field and produced a fine save from Tommy but the rebound was slotted home to make it 2-0. Cooper once again pinned Sporting back with a deft chip over Sporting's keeper in the 35th and it seemed as if the rout was on at 3-0 at the interval.

During the break changes were made to Sporting's formation and it began to pay immediate dividends. Opting for 5 in the midfield, Sporting slowly started to gain momentum and boss the game. Chris Green opting for playing wide right in the second half collected the ball outside the box and sent an arrow towards the top corner but 80's keeper was up to the task and somehow got a fingertip to the ball to push it past the post. With a little more pressure on 80's back line Sporting finally got the break through.

Green won a penalty in the 55th when he was brought down from a clumsy knee high challenge. Jonny Rios stepped up and slotted the ball in the bottom right hand corner to make it 3-1. This goal breathed new life into SRFC. In the 75th it was 3-2 when Rios was clean through on goal and was brought down from behind right outside the box. Kyle Lessig using his experience on the field stepped up and took a quick free kick while the keeper was still trying to set up his wall. It was a great heads up play to get Sporting back into the game. Sporting kept pressing for the equalizer but it was not just not going to be found, Green had a point blank header that was tipped over the bar and with the ensuing corner kick Casey Smith rose highest to meet the ball and smashed his header agonizingly just over the crossbar.

As the final whistle blew, Sporting knew it had missed its chance to grab at least a point from this game. They will look forward to tonight's encounter with Partizan Richmond, which sits atop the CVSA with a 2-0 record.

3...5...9...

2009-04-02T11:32:00.000-07:00

3 games...

5 days...

9 points...

The season gets into full swing this weekend.

Sunday 9am Bryan Park "B" SRFC v Lions 80

Tuesday 830pm Dorey Park "3" SRFC v Partizan Richmond

Thursday 830pm Dorey Park "5" SRFC v Lions FC

2009-03-31T19:23:00.000-07:00

Where it all started

It worked for now...

2009-03-30T11:56:00.000-07:00

Metro Sting's gatherings over the past week had the desired effect... The game versus Sporting Richmond was postponed due to unplayable fields at Bryan Park. Sporting Richmond will look to this coming up Sunday, where they will take on Lions 80 for the second time in three weeks. As the world knows, the first fixture ended with a SRFC 3-1 comprehensive victory over Lions 80. This Sunday should follow suit and be another 3 points for Sporting. Pre-match analysis is forthcoming so watch this space!

Sunday is coming

2009-03-24T08:20:00.000-07:00

The forecast is looking pretty bleak, not only for Metro Sting's title defense as they prep to face Sporting Richmond, but for the Richmond metro area's weather as well.

After this weekends past result, the talk around Richmond is Sporting's performance. Premier league champs Metro Sting have been organizing meetings to try and rain dance as hard as they can. Unfortunately for the SRFC faithful it looks like it might be working.

Jim Duncan has stated that we are looking at up to five days of rain which would only postpone Metro Sting's defeat at the hands of the mighty Sporting Richmond. Updates are forthcoming.

Friends, family, fanatics... watch this space

3 Goals... 3 Points...

2009-03-22T20:27:00.000-07:00

The season was kicked off in style this past Sunday. Sporting Richmond hosted Lions 80 on a crisp and clear Sunday morning at a spotty and poor Bryan Park field C. Roberto whistled for the game to start and Sporting immediately took control. The ball flowed with Ballard and Rios locking down the center of the pitch.

Possession and passing kept Lions 80 on their heels but chances on goal were few and far between for the dominate home team. It was not until the 15th minute that Casey Smith tested the Lions keeper for the first shot on goal.

In the 25th minute Stu Bertsch came to life. SRFC won a corner off of a Smith fast break. Chris Kull stepped up to take the corner and lasered in the prefect ball for Bertsch to nod down to Scott Loesser who flicked in past the stranded keeper. Loesser making his first appearance for SRFC at left back was influential not only with his goal but with his quality on the ball and passing.

Half time came and went with Sporting leading 1-0 and looking to kill the game off. That opportunity came in the 55th minute when Dominic Boadu laid the ball back on the edge of the 18 for Bertsch to coolly slot the ball in the corner. At that point the result was never in doubt. There were a few more exchanges and it looked as if 80, might make a minor come back, but Justin Williams made some space for himself on the left hand side and placed a perfect ball for Boadu to nod home. At 3-0 in the 78th minute the 3 points where in the bag. Lions did happen to pull a goal back through a moment of madness in the back. It would prove only to be a consolation, and only the one true error in a day of a great defensive display by Sporting's back line.

Man of the Match Stu Bertsch had this to say about the game.

"This win gets us off to a great start for the year. Its always an added bonus when you can score 3 goals on a strong team. Now we just need to keep the momentum up."

Sporting will look to build off this result when they travel to play last year's champions Metro Sting.

On the Horizon...

2009-03-18T12:10:00.000-07:00

Over the past few weeks the weather has dampened not only the fields in the Richmond area but all the hearts of SRFC. There have been a string of cancellations by the CVSA which has kept Sporting caged up and frustrated. After speaking with Jim Duncan of the NBC 12 News Team, it looks like the clouds are gone and Sunday will be clear. With this amazing turn of events it seems like Sporting Richmond with finally kick off the '09 season this weekend.

Bryan Park Field C... 11:00 am Sporting Richmond FC vs. Lions 80

In last years reverse fixture SRFC with depleted numbers, lost 3-0 on the day. Do not expect the same result this season. Sporting, although newly reshuffled with retirements and new signings looks ready to gain maximum points in their home opener.

"On paper they are full of talent, there are a lot of new faces but you can be sure they will gel quickly. It is a young team but they are full of experience. I have a feeling that they will start a bit cautious and try and work the ball. Look for Bertsch and Lessig to spray the ball around the pitch to try and unlock 80's defense. The key will be the movement and transition of the ball from defense to the attacking 3rd. Lewis and Rios will have an immediate impact on the game and threaten the goal all day long. If you are looking for numbers I am seeing Sporting running out winners with three goals and 80 nicking one at the end." MARK LAWRENSON BBC Pundit

Prediction SRFC-3 Lions 80-1

Out of the Ashes...

2009-03-16T12:28:00.000-07:00

Sporting Richmond Football Club is a current member in the Premier Division of The Central Virginia Soccer Association. The “CVSA” is a non-profit, adult soccer league headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. The league is currently in its34th year of operation, having started play in the Fall of 1975. It is the oldest and most competitive adult soccer league in the Richmond Metropolitan Area.
The CVSA is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) and the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) through its membership in the Metro D. C. - Virginia Soccer Association (MDCVSA), with whom it participates in U. S. Open Cup, USASA National Cup and MDCVSA State & Challenge Cup tournaments. The CVSA has hosted the MDCVSA State Championships for the last four years at the Bryan Park Soccer Complex.
Currently for the Spring '09 season the league has 102 teams and over 8,600 registered players, approximately 1,900 of whom are currently active. "Eleven-a-side" competition runs during two seasons: the Spring season typically runs from February to May; the Fall season typically runs from September to December. The current Spring season offers eight open divisions totaling 69 teams, as well as a Veterans (40+) Division, a Women's Division and 2 Coed Divisions.
SRFC has evolved over the years from its’ original parent club Big Nasty FC. In 2005 Big Nasty joined forces with Southside FC to create Southside Nasty FC. This merger paid immediate dividends as they were crowned Champions of the Second Division in the Fall of 2005. Southside Nasty subsequently moved to the first division and changed their name to The Blues FC. The Blues FC toiled in the 1st Division for three seasons capturing a runner’s up spot as well as two 3rd place finishes. During this time The Blues merged once again but this time with an ailing club Los Iluminados of the Premier Division. Out of the merger Sporting Richmond Football Club was born. Since their inception SRFC has been named Summer ’07 & ’08 1st Division Champions along with capturing 2nd and 3rd place finishes in the Premier Division of the CVSA.

Welcome!

2009-03-16T12:24:00.000-07:00

This is the new home for Sporting Richmond FC. We will be adding photos, a brief history of the club, a roster, bios for the players and a weekly re-cap of each game. Watch this space!