This Maggie Walker grad went from being a Richmond Kickers fan to being a Richmond Kicker

RICHMOND, Va. --Like many soccer fans across the area, James Sneddon has been following the Richmond Kickers for well over a decade. That's more impressive because he's only 18 years old and already spending time in goal for his hometown team.

"He makes good saves. He keeps us in games," Kickers head coach Darren Sawatzky said. "We saw that early also. He still needs to refine micro pieces of his game but he's very cognitive."

"Playing for the Kickers youth teams, our coaches would always be players," Sneddon recalled. "It was really fun to go watch my coaches on the weekend. And seeing how the city unites over this team was really special."

Sneddon's fandom was cemented a decade ago by watching Matthew Delicate beat the Charleston Battery in overtime to advance the Kickers to the league semifinals.

But the self-described late-blooming keeper didn't really consider playing for his hometown team a real option until about two years ago when he started training with the pro team and drew the eye of head coach Darren Sawatzky.

"He's moody. I like moody players," Sawatzky admitted. "When people didn't do what he needed them to do in front of him, he let them know that. When you're 16, 17 years old barking orders at people even your own age, it's a difficult thing to do."

"I think to be an 18-year-old competing at this level you have to have character," Sneddon added. "You have to have some spine, some attitude, some moodiness."

But Sneddon wouldn't get away with half of his precociousness without knowing what he was doing.

The Maggie Walker grad brings a cerebral approach to his job that earned him some street cred on the grass.

"James doesn't have any issue," Sawatzky said. "He steps right up and says what needs to be said. Guys have respected it now because he's done the job."

"That's part of the job," Sneddon added. "It's something that if I can help the guys in front of me, then it makes everyone's job easier."

Sneddon is also making things easier for those who might come after him.

With teammates like Griffin Garnet and Landon Johnson, Sneddon is the embodiment of what Sawatzky has been preaching about the entire Kickers organization.

Training young local players to evolve through their system and eventually play for the pro team and hopefully onward and upward from there.

Sneddon had opportunities to play in college but none was more appealing to him than the chance to play for his hometown team.

"What we said we were going to do, we're doing," Sawatzky said. "James is just another one in the line. We love him. We think he's done great."

"People are going to look at him and say he looks like an accountant. He's not the tallest guy. But in the end, it's all about what you do on the field and right now, he's getting the job done."

"Any time you can make a connection with a young fan, that's really important," Sneddon said. "I remember all the times the guys would come over to the wall and embrace the young fans. I think that's really important.

Anytime I can make a moment special, I try to."

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