Five Kickers take All-League honors
August 24, 2009 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Richmond Kickers News Release
TAMPA, FL - (Monday, August 24, 2009) - United Soccer Leagues announced the 2009 USL Second Division All-League teams today, honoring Ronnie Pascale as Goalkeeper of the Year. Pascale was named to the All-League First Team for the third time, alongside defender Yomby William, midfielder Mike Burke and forward Matthew Delicâte. Defender Sascha Görres was honored with All-League Second Team honors. The Kickers are also in the running for the three remaining categories, with William and Delicâte up for Defender of the Year and Most Valuable Player, respectively, while Head Coach Leigh Cowlishaw is a Coach of the Year Finalist.
Three-time Goalkeeper of the Year, Pascale backstopped the Kickers to a second place regular season finish and ended the campaign atop two of the three key goalkeeping categories. With a 0.900 goals against average, Pascale was just edged out of the GAA Championship by Harrisburg's Chase Harrison (0.812), but led the league in wins (11) and tied with Harrison for most shutouts with eight. The longtime Kickers veteran collects the award for the third time, honored in 2006 and 2007 while leading the team to consecutive Championship appearances.
A 2009 Defender of the Year Finalist, William joined the Kickers from the Puerto Rico Islanders this season, making 18 appearances with Richmond. The Cameroon native led the Kickers backline in surrendering only 18 goals over the course of the season. William also chipped in offensively, providing two assists and earned USL-2 Team of the Week honors seven times, more than any other Kickers player.
Burke, the perennial fan favorite, 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. He garners All-League First Team honors for the third straight year, leading the Kickers to a first place tie in the USL-2 standings.
The 2009 Goal Scoring Champion, Delicâte earned All-League First Team honors upon his return to Richmond after spending three seasons with USL-1 side Rochester Rhinos. Trailing Wilmington's Jamie Watson by one goal entering the last match of the season, Delicâte registered two tallies in the 2-2 draw against Wilmington. With the goals, the 2009 Most Valuable Player Finalist eclipsed Watson's total, bumping the Kickers star striker's total to 13 on the season, awarding him the Goal Scoring crown.
An offensive threat and a defensive force, Görres recorded five assists on the season while leading the team to eight shutouts. An All-League First Team honoree in 2006 and 2008, Gorres was a 2008 Defender of the Year Finalist. 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.
A 2009 Coach of the Year Finalist, Leigh Cowlishaw is in his 10th year at the helm, leading the Kickers to five USL Finals in eight years, taking the USL-2 title in 2006. A native of Burton-on-Trent, England, Cowlishaw has been an integral member of the Kickers' organization since the club's inception in 1993. As a player, he helped the Kickers win the "Double" with the US Open Cup and Premier League Championships in 1995. Off the pitch, he acts as the Richmond Kickers Vice President, Soccer Programs, providing technical direction and guidance for all levels of the Kickers organization and serving on the board of the Richmond Kickers Youth Soccer Club.
USL Second Division All-League First Team
G - Ronnie Pascale (Richmond Kickers)
D - Dustin Bixler (Harrisburg City Islanders)
D - John Borrajo (Real Maryland Monarchs)
D - Shintaro Harada (Crystal Palace Baltimore)
D - Yomby William (Richmond Kickers)
M - Tiyi Shipalane (Harrisburg City Islanders)
M - Kenny Bundy (Wilmington Hammerheads)
M - Mike Burke (Richmond Kickers)
M - Jorge Herrera (Charlotte Eagles)
F - Matthew Delicâte (Richmond Kickers)
F - Jamie Watson (Wilmington Hammerheads)
USL Second Division All-League Second Team
G - Chase Harrison (Harrisburg City Islanders)
D - Colin Falvey (Wilmington Hammerheads)
D - Sascha Görres (Richmond Kickers)
D - Andrew Marshall (Crystal Palace Baltimore)
M - Justin Evans (Pittsburgh Riverhounds)
M - Jamie Franks (Wilmington Hammerheads)
M - Amaury Nunes (Charlotte Eagles)
M - Val Teixeira (Crystal Palace Baltimore)
F - Almir Barbosa (Western Mass Pioneers)
F - Damico Coddington (Bermuda Hogges)
F - Chad Severs (Harrisburg City Islanders)
The finalists for the Defender of the Year, Coach of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards were unveiled as the following:
Defender of the Year: Dustin Bixler (Harrisburg), John Borrajo (Real Maryland), Shintaro Harada (Baltimore) and Yomby William (Richmond)
Coach of the Year: David Irving (Wilmington), Leigh Cowlishaw (Richmond), Anthony Hudson (Real Maryland) and Bill Becher (Harrisburg)
Most Valuable Player: Jamie Watson (Wilmington) and Matthew Delicâte (Richmond)
Award winners will be announced during the Championship Banquet in Richmond on Friday, August 28th. The USL Second Division Championship match featuring the Richmond Kickers and Charlotte Eagles will take place on Saturday, August 29th at 8:00 p.m. at the University of Richmond Stadium. The match will be broadcast at 11:00 p.m. on Fox Soccer Channel.
United Soccer League Championship Stories from August 24, 2009
- Five Kickers take All-League honors - Richmond Kickers
- Islanders USL-2 division honors announced - Penn FC
- USL-2 All-League honors announced - USL
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