Islanders Open 2016 Season on Road in Richmond
March 24, 2016 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Penn FC News Release
Harrisburg, PA - The City Islanders will kick-off their 2016 USL season at City Stadium Saturday, March 25 when they take on longtime Eastern conference rivals, the Richmond Kickers at 5 p.m.
Last year Richmond and City met three times at the tail end of the season. Each team was able to record a win at home plus a 1-1 draw on City Island. A total of 13 goals were scored in the three games.
The 2015 season series ultimately decided which team would advance into the postseason. Richmond got the final spot in the 2016 USL Playoffs, while City was kept out of the playoffs for the first time in three years.
In the off-season the Islanders lost key players in Yann Ekra, Jason Plumhoff and Ken Tribbett, who all had an impact in the games against Richmond last year. This season the club will have veteran leadership to lean on, but will also have to rely on some newcomers to push the team to a fast start.
Dante Leverock, who will be returning for his second season as an Islander, gathered two of his three goals against the Kickers in 2015. Brett Jankouskas is the only other current player who has scored against Richmond.
Veterans like Danny DiPrima, Shane Johnson, Jose Barril and Nick Noble will all be returning on this year. Another crucial addition for the Islanders in the off-season was the signing of former FC Dallas first-round pick Bobby Warshaw, who has just spent the last three years playing internationally in Sweden and Norway.
In 2015, The Islanders could not stop Richmond's Jason Yeisley during the home-and-home series. In just two games he had four goals on five shots. Yeisley will be returning again for the Kickers and it will be on City's defense to keep him from putting up numbers once again. Matthew Delicate, the USL's second all-time scorer, will join Yeisley up front with newcomer Lucas Paulini in the midfield.
Richmond will also return many starters from a defense that was tied for fifth in the league in goals allowed. Ryan Taylor will return for the Kickers after being in net for seven out of the team's 10 total wins last season.
City and Richmond will only play each other twice this year. After Saturday's match in Richmond, the two teams will not meet again until July 8 at Clipper Magazine Stadium in Lancaster.
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