USL Richmond Kickers

Cowlishaw Coach of the Year nominee

Published on August 22, 2006 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Richmond Kickers News Release


RICHMOND, VA - (Tuesday, August 22, 2006) - United Soccer Leagues announced Tuesday the Finalists for the Defender of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year and Most Valuable Player for the USL Second Division 2006 season as voted on by the league's coaches and general managers. The candidates include Richmond Kickers Head Coach Leigh Cowlishaw as a USL2 Coach of the Year nominee while Kickers players Robert Ssejjemba and Mike Burke are two of the three Most Valuable Player contenders. The winners for the honors will be announced at the Championship Teams Banquet Friday, August 25.

The USL Second Division Championship, featuring the defending champion Charlotte Eagles visiting the regular season champion and 2005 USL First Division finalist Richmond Kickers, is Saturday, August 26 at 7:00 pm ET. The game will be broadcast LIVE on Fox Soccer Channel.

Coach of the Year Finalists

Two of the finalists went head-to-head in the semifinals with Richmond's Leigh Cowlishaw coming away victorious against Cincinnati's Jon Pickup. New Hampshire's Sean Carey is the third finalist. Cowlishaw (13-3-4) is in his seventh year as head coach of the Kickers, previously leading the side to two USL First Division Finals. Pickup (9-8-3) is in his second season as head coach of the second-year Kings while Carey (9-10-1), in his first year, helped turn around a 6-11-3 side from last season. Like Cowlishaw, both Pickup and Carey boast USL playing backgrounds.

- Sean Carey (New Hampshire)

- Leigh Cowlishaw (Richmond)

- Jon Pickup (Cincinnati)

Most Valuable Player Finalists

As expected, the Scoring and Goal Scoring Champion Robert Ssejjemba of the Richmond Kickers is a finalist for the league's top honor. The second-year pro forward is joined by fellow Kicker Mike Burke, a midfielder who boasts a lengthy professional resume that includes time in Major League Soccer. Rounding out the list is Wilmington Hammerheads forward Chris Bagley, who is in his fifth year as a professional and is currently on loan and starting for the USL First Division Rochester Raging Rhinos.

- Chris Bagley (Wilmington)

- Mike Burke (Richmond)

- Robert Ssejjemba (Richmond)

Defender of the Year Finalists

Derek Smith of the USL Second Division semifinalist Cincinnati Kings is joined by veteran back Gary Sullivan of the Long Island Rough Riders and Marc Hubbard of the New Hampshire Phantoms. Smith and Sullivan were named All-League First Team the past two seasons.

- Marc Hubbard (New Hampshire)

- Derek Smith (Cincinnati)

- Gary Sullivan (Long Island)

Rookie of the Year Finalists

Adam Ruud of the championship match-bound Charlotte Eagles is joined by Nowaf Jaman of the semifinalist Cincinnati Kings and Kyle Teixeira of the Western Mass Pioneers. Jaman previously played in the USL Premier Development League, spending the last two seasons with the Chicago Fire Premier while attending Western Illinois. Ruud joined the Eagles from UNC-Charlotte and Teixeira came to the Pioneers from Rhode Island College.

- Nowaf Jaman (Cincinnati)

- Adam Ruud (Charlotte)

- Kyle Teixeira (Western Mass)

Check out the Richmond Kickers Statistics

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from August 22, 2006


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