RICHMOND, VA, (April 25, 2026) – The Charlotte Independence scored two first half goals to burst by Richmond Kickers 2-1 on Saturday night at City Stadium.
It was a lovely brace from Enzo Martinez to bring his all competitions total to three and give the Independence a big three points in their first match of the Prinx Tires USL Cup.
The Independence started on the front foot. Scoring his second goal in all competitions, Martinez took the lead in the 10th minute. Clay Dimick hit Martinez quickly on the counter and the veteran struck, scoring one-time on the pass from Dimick.
Somehow, the ball didn’t cross the backline for the Jacks in the 30th minute. A scramble in front and Souaibou Marou on the goal line was cleared by Richmond as Joey Skinner was battling away after an Independence corner kick.
Martinez wasn’t done. It was a fantastic counterattack from the Jacks after a Richmond set piece. Marou played a sensational cross-field ball to Martinez to send the Jacks one-on-one and the UNC product made zero mistake to double the advantage in the 39th minute.
Martinez’s double led to the Jacks’ having a first-half two goal lead.
Matt Levy made his first critical strop of the night right after halftime. Josh Kirkland gained possession in thr box and cut inside, but Levy denied him, making his first save of the night.
Charlotte nearly made it 3-0 in the 60th minute. Viggo Ortiz played it in to Jon Bakero, who chested it down beautifully and volleyed it just wide.
Richmond pulled one back in the 79th minute. After Charlotte gave up a set piece, Sam Layton powered the Kickers to within a goal with a little less than ten minutes to play in regulation.
Regardless, Charlotte captured their fifth consecutive victory over Richmond, starting their Prinx Tires USL Cup on the right foot.
POSTGAME SOUND
Head Coach Mike Jeffries on the performance:
“Obviously, a really good night. I thought we started the game really strongly. We did a good job managing them defensively, getting the first goal off of a ball we won at midfield and attacking quickly. I think that gave us a lot of confidence and then I managed the first half well. We bent a lot but didn’t break in the second half and then I’m proud of the way closed the game off when they pushed everything.”
Jeffries on starting the league cup strong:
“It’s nice in some ways to start a fresh tournament and a fresh competition, and I think guys were ready for it. and you know we wanted to win this and then at least kind of give ourselves the best chance of being in a spot that competes and clearly we’ve got a couple games in this USL Cup against championship clubs, so this was an important game to get our foot at the beginning of the tournament.”
Reudd Manin on the effort to being USL Cup:
“It’s always important to start a new competition with a win. It sends a strong message, builds confidence within the group, and sets the tone moving forward. But now, we have to re-focus. We’ve got an away trip to Fort Wayne, and the goal is to deliver a similar performance and come back with all three points.”
