January 31, 2023 – United Soccer League One (USL1) – Richmond Kickers News Release
RICHMOND, Va. – The Richmond Kickers are pleased to announce the signing of forward Justin Sukow for the 2023 season, pending league and federation approval.
“Justin is a competitor that has time in the USL Championship and in USL League One,” Kickers’ Chief Sporting Officer and Head Coach, Darren Sawatzky said. “He scored a good goal against us last year and he is looking to put his mark on USL League One in 2023. He can play different positions in the attack with a quality end product.”
Sukow joins the Kickers after playing with Henny Derby rivals, Forward Madison FC. The 24-year-old winger flashed his creative talent with the Mingos, making 46 appearances including 18 starts while amassing 1,971 minutes played. He scored two goals during the 2022 season and made 26 total key passes.
After witnessing the atmosphere generated at City Stadium as a member of the opposition, Sukow is looking forward to being on the receiving end of the praise led by the Red Army.
“The Kickers were always a really tough team to play against, especially at City Stadium,” Sukow said. “The fans brought a lot of energy, and I am definitely looking forward to playing for a very passionate fan base that cares a lot about the team.”
The San Antonio, Texas native was the catalyst for Madison in the first iteration of the 2022 Henny Derby as they snapped the Kickers’ 16-match home unbeaten streak on May 7th. Roughly a minute after subbing into the match, Sukow drifted wide on the right wing, making a trailing run and finding open space to receive a cross-field pass. He quickly cut the ball inside towards the top of the box before ripping a curling shot with his left foot that ricocheted off a Kickers’ defender and deflected into the goal.
Sukow’s eye for finding the open pockets of space to generate change creation is a quality Sawatzky expects will impress the City Stadium faithful as the club looks to match its record-setting goal-scoring proficiency during the 2022 season.
“We see Justin playing in attacking positions for us,” Sawatzky said. “His ability to adapt to different roles is appealing, but he also has the ability to make a singular position his own. We are counting on his competitive approach as we look to push each player in our group to potential this year. Justin is a great addition to our locker room, but I think the fans are going to like his on-field presence more in the season to…