With the signing of eight-year veteran striker Joseph Ngwenya, the Richmond Kickers continued to add Major League Soccer experience for the 2003 season.
The striker from Zimbabwe, has 131 combined appearances for the Los Angeles Galaxy, Houston Dynamo, Columbus Crew and D.C. United. He scored 24 goals in MLS, including one in the Dynamo’s 2-1 championship win over the New England Revolution.
[show_disconnected][show_to accesslevel=’Subscriber’] Richmond has taken advantage of its new affiliation with D.C. United, which has provided the Kickers with five players on loan for the 2013 season.
That includes a pair of University of Maryland teammates, forward Casey Townsend and defender/midfielder Taylor Kemp, forward Michael Seaton, and midfielder Conor Shanosky.
The most recent is goalkeeper Andrew Dykstra, no stranger to Richmond after his collegiate career at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Dykstra replaces veteran Ronnie Pascale in goal. The former Furman Paladin retired after the 2012 season with 273 appearances over 13 seasons in Richmond.
Last season Dykstra joined the Charleston Battery late in the season on loan from D.C. United, and played a key role in the Battery’s run to the USL PRO championship.
The Kickers also received Virginia native Brian Ownby on loan from Houston. Ownby played his collegiate career down the road in Charlottesville at the University of Virginia.
“We are excited to bring Joe to Richmond,” offered Kickers Director of Soccer Leigh Cowlishaw in announcing the signing of Ngwenya. “He’s a proven goalscorer with a wealth of MLS and international experience. He has all the qualities to be a very dangerous forward for us this season.”
The Kickers defeated Charleston 4-1 in the second game of the 2013 season, and the MLS connection paid dividends with Ngwenya and Townsend scoring goals.
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