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Expansion Spokane meets established club Richmond in USL home opener

Spokane Velocity midfielder Luis Gil controls the ball during practice. The Velocity host the Richmond Kickers at ONE Spokane Stadium for their home opener on Saturday. (Courtesy of Campea Photography )
By Ethan Myers The Spokesman-Review

It will be old meets new come Saturday for the Spokane Velocity.

The Velocity (0-1), a USL League One expansion team, will host the Richmond Kickers, one of the USL’s first established teams, in the first match at ONE Spokane Stadium next to Riverfront Park.

“The boys, myself and the staff are fired up for the first-ever home game in Spokane Velocity history,” Velocity defender Ahmed Longmire said. “We understand a lot of hard work and things behind the scenes have gone into making this great club what it is.

“So we look forward (to) honoring that hard work and making the city just as proud as we are at Saturday afternoon’s game.”

The Velocity dropped their season opener and inaugural match to the Greenville Triumph 3-1 in South Carolina.

Spokane jumped out to a 1-0 lead on a penalty kick by forward Josh Dolling. Greenville struck back with a goal before adding two more unanswered scores in the second half.

The Velocity showed moments of brilliance and disorganization in the loss as the team continues to work through finding its identity. Spokane outshot Greenville 19-10, but was unable to capitalize on strong opportunities.

“(The) performance was really good and didn’t necessarily reflect the result, but we know that will correct itself if we are consistent with our performance over the season,” Velocity head coach Leigh Veidman said.

Saturday will be Kickers’ first game of the season.

Richmond, entering its 32nd season, is led by veteran forward Emiliano Terzaghi, who has netted double-digit goals in four consecutive seasons in League One play.

After a strong 2022, the Kickers struggled last season, winning only six of 32 matches and finishing 11th out of 12 teams.

The Velocity will play every USL League One team at least twice. Six of the 12 clubs will make the playoffs.

Several matches throughout the season will be a part of the USL League One’s new in-season cup competition. The format is set up like the World Cup, with a group stage and a knockout round that puts an emphasis on goals scored.

The Velocity are expecting a sellout crowd at Saturday’s home opener. Veidman credited the club’s front office for preparing the team for this weekend’s home opener.

“We are extremely excited to be playing in our amazing new stadium and even more excited to see it packed and loud,” he said.

The match, kicking off at 2 p.m., will be televised on SWX and can be streamed on ESPN+.