USL Richmond Kickers

Code Red! USL-2 Semifinals Saturday

Published on August 19, 2009 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Richmond Kickers News Release


RICHMOND, VA - (Wednesday, August 19, 2009) - The Richmond Kickers concluded the 2009 campaign with a regular season record of 11-3-6 and 39 points, good for a first-place tie in the USL Second Division, alongside the Wilmington Hammerheads (12-5-3, 39 points). The Kickers narrowly missed claiming the Regular Season Champion title as the Hammerheads took the tiebreaker based on total wins in league games. Going into the playoffs with the #2 seed, the Kickers received a First Round bye and will enter postseason play in the Semifinal round this Saturday, August 22nd, hosting the #3 seed Harrisburg City Islanders at 7:00 pm at the University of Richmond Stadium. The first 100 fans through the gate will receive an exclusive full set of 2009 player cards.

Tickets

General admission tickets for this weekend's Semifinal match are $12/adults and $7/youth, ages 3-17. Look for the Red Hot Deal at RichmondKickers.com to purchase tickets for just $5.00 in advance. Please note: Season Passes, Pro Passes, Sponsor Passes and Flexi-tickets are not valid for this match. All-Access Passes will be accepted.

USL Second Division Playoffs

The top five teams in the standings enter postseason play this week. The #4 seed Charlotte Eagles play host to #5 seed Real Maryland Monarchs tonight, Wednesday, August 19th with the winner receiving a berth to the Semifinals on Saturday. Meanwhile, top seeds Wilmington (#1), Richmond (#2) and Harrisburg (#3) qualified for an automatic berth into the Semifinal round. The Kickers will host Harrisburg while Wilmington will take on the winner of the Charlotte/Maryland match this Saturday, August 22nd. The USL Second Division Championship will be played August 29th and will be broadcast on Fox Soccer Channel at a host site determined by a bid process.

Over the past 16 seasons, Richmond has qualified for postseason play 14 times, including six league (seven overall) Championship appearances. The Kickers last reached the league title match in 2007 for the fourth time in the past six seasons, narrowly missing their second consecutive league title after nine rounds of penalty kicks. Richmond's previous Championship appearances (1995, 1996, 2002, 2005, 2006) include winning the "Double" with the Premier League title and US Open Cup title in 1995, a shoot-out loss to Seattle in the USL First Division final in 2005 and taking the USL Second Division crown in 2006.

Last season, the Kickers finished in a first-place tie in the standings, alongside the Charlotte Eagles. Despite having the most wins in the league, the Kickers missed claiming the Regular Season title as the Eagles took the tiebreaker based on a head-to-head advantage. The Kickers received a bye to the Semifinals but fell short of another Championship berth after falling 1-0 in overtime to the eventual champions, Cleveland City Stars.

Appearing to be early favorites for the Regular Season title, the City Islanders posted a 7-2-1 record in the first half of the 2009 campaign. Dropping off in the second half, Harrisburg settled for third place in the standings and enter the postseason with a record of 9-7-4 and 31 points. Last year, Harrisburg battled Crystal Palace Baltimore to a 2-2 draw during regulation and overtime in the First Round of the playoffs before eight rounds of penalties eliminated the City Islanders from last year's run for the Championship.

Kickers versus City Islanders

The Kickers and the City Islanders meet Saturday for the fourth time this season. The two teams battled to a 2-2 tie to open the regular season on April 18th. The Kickers opened scoring early against the City Islanders when midfielder Mike Burke and forward Matthew Delicâte connected in the 16th minute. Harrisburg answered back with a pair of goals by Mo Oduor and Steve Fisher before the end of the first half, but an off-the-ball foul against the home side brought the teams even when Kickers forward David Bulow calmly converted the resulting penalty kick early in the second half.

Later in the season, the Kickers hosted the City Islanders on June 6th when the Kickers handed a 5-0 decision to the visitors. Midfielder Adrian Bumbut connected on a Burke chip to open scoring in the 16th minute. A Harrisburg own goal doubled the score before the end of the first half. Burke assisted again after the restart, this time on a David Bulow tally with Bulow adding his second goal of the night two minutes later, courtesy of a Sascha Görres cross. As regulation waned, second half substitutes David Rosenbaum and Ross MacKenzie teamed up to round out the scoreline.

The Kickers concluded the regular season series with a 1-0 win in Harrisburg on July 29th. Midfielder Ben Hunter notched the lone goal of the match while goalkeeper Ronnie Pascale held the opposition with four saves to post his sixth shutout of the season.

Over the past three seasons, the Kickers hold a narrow 5-2-3 record over the City Islanders. The heated rivalry continues as Richmond has not forgotten the 2007 USL-2 Championship match when Harrisburg stripped the defending champions of the title after nine-rounds of nail-biting penalty kicks.

Players to Watch

Kickers: Forward Matthew Delicâte (#7) leads the Kickers with 13 goals and two assists for 28 points during the regular season. Taking USL-2 Team of the Week honors this week, he added his final two goals of the season last weekend over the Wilmington Hammerheads to eclipse the league-leader Jamie Watson in the goals scored category. After beginning his professional career with the Kickers in 2004, Delicâte signed with the Rochester Rhinos for three seasons before returning to Richmond prior to 2009. Defender Yomby William (#2) led the Kickers defensive unit to the best goals against record in the league, allowing just 18 goals in 20 games played. The 6'4" Cameroonian joined the Kickers back line from the Puerto Rico Islanders this season and has earned USL-2 Team of the Week honors seven times during the 2009 campaign. Perennial fan favorite Mike Burke (#19) finished the 2009 regular season third on the team in scoring with 18 points. Adding seven assists this season, Burke leads the Kickers in the all-time assists category with 55 and is second on the all-time games played list with 247. Defender Sascha Görres (#23) is both an offensive threat and a defensive force, recently recording his fifth assist of the season in last week's 2-2 draw against Wilmington. In his fifth season with the Kickers, the native of Flensburg, Germany ranks fifth on the Kickers all-time career assists list with 25 overall. Veteran netminder Ronnie Pascale (#22) stifled the Wilmington attack last weekend, allowing them just two shots on the night. Having played every minute of every game this season, he ranks second in the league with a goals against average of .900 and finished in a first-place tie with eight shutouts.

City Islanders: Rookie midfielder Tiyi Shipalane (#12) concluded the 2009 campaign as the City Islanders' second leading scorer with six goals and six assists. The crafty midfielder joined the City Islanders from PDL side Michigan Bucks this season, making an immediate impact, recording 18 points in 18 games played. After three seasons with the Rochester Rhinos (USL-1), Harrisburg welcomed the return of forward Chad Severs (#20) who helped produce the best offensive season in team history. The 2005 USL-2 Rookie of the Year leads the team in points and goals, having notched nine goals and one assist for 19 points. The menacing Mo Oduor (#19) anchors the midfield for the City Islanders and was responsible for a goal against the Kickers in the 2-2 draw in April. The former U-20 Kenyan National Team player resides in fourth place on the team's all-time games played list. The City Islanders defense is led by veteran duo Dustin Bixler (#3) and Anthony Calvano (#23). Named MVP of the USL-2 Championship game in 2007, Bixler secures the defensive unit for his fifth season while Calvano is in his third season with Harrisburg.

Game-Worn Jersey Auction

The Richmond Kickers will be holding a silent auction for the 2009 white adidas game-worn jerseys on the main concourse during the USL-2 Semifinals on Saturday, August 22nd. Fans are invited to bid on the jersey of their favorite Kickers player, starting at 5:30 pm. The bidding will end during halftime and the winners will be announced prior to the end of the match. Bidding starts at $60 and winners will be required to pay a $40 deposit. Jerseys will be available for pick up after September 30, 2009.

The USL Second Division consists of nine (9) teams from mostly the East Coast and is the second highest level in the United Soccer Leagues (USL) system. For more information please visit www.RichmondKickers.com.

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from August 19, 2009


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