USL Richmond Kickers

Join the Kickers For Free Youth Night

Published on July 30, 2009 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Richmond Kickers News Release


RICHMOND, VA - (Thursday, July 30, 2009) - The Richmond Kickers are pleased to host their annual Free Youth Night, courtesy of SCOR, Sports Center of Richmond, this Saturday, August 1st. The Kickers are slated to face the Real Maryland Monarchs at 7:00 p.m. at the University of Richmond Stadium. The first 1,000 fans through the gate will receive a new, 2009 Richmond Kickers team poster. Free youth tickets are available at the Kickers Front Office, SCOR (located at 1385 Overbrook Road, Richmond), or online via RichmondKickers.com.

The Kickers strive to avenge an earlier season loss to Real Maryland this weekend, having last faced the Monarchs in a controversial 1-0 road affair on June 13th. A Kickers own goal after the second-half restart gave the Monarchs the lead. Playing a man down for the majority of the game, the Kickers could not find the equalizer after midfielder Mike Burke was sent off for dissent early in the first half.

Since then, the Kickers have posted just one other loss, at the hands of the Wilmington Hammerheads on July 22nd, slipping to second place in the standings. However, the Kickers regained their first-place position in the league with a 1-0 win in Harrisburg last Wednesday and bring a 9-3-5 record and 32 points into this weekend's match-up.

Real Maryland currently clings to fifth place in the standings, on the cusp of playoff contention with a 7-8-1 record and 22 points. The Monarchs are winless in their last three outings and most recently dropped a 3-0 decision to the Charlotte Eagles last weekend.

Players to Watch

Kickers: The Kickers veteran netminder, Ronnie Pascale (#22) posted his sixth shutout of the season during this week's 1-0 win in Harrisburg. The two-time USL-2 Goalkeeper of the Year has led the team to the lowest goals against record in the league, holding the opposition to just 16 goals in 17 games played. In his 10th season with the Kickers, he ranks third in the league with a goals against average of 0.88. Forward Edson Elcock (#27) recently signed with the Kickers, just prior to the USL-2 roster freeze date. The Trinidadian-American made his Kickers debut in an exhibition last weekend, notching the lone goal to lift the Kickers to a 1-0 victory over Guatemalan Champions, C.S.D. Comunicaciones. Drafted by the Kansas City Wizards (MLS) in 2007, Elcock joins the Kickers from the Puerto Rico Islanders. Both an offensive threat and a defensive force, defender Sascha Görres (#23) recently recorded his fourth assist of the 2009 campaign on the lone goal in the Kickers 1-0 win in Harrisburg this week. A 2008 Defender of the Year Finalist, he ranks fifth on the Kickers all-time career assists list with 24 overall. Midfielder Ben Hunter (#11) notched his second goal of the season this week to lift the Kickers to a 1-0 victory over the City Islanders to reclaim a first-place tie in the USL-2 standings. A native of Doncaster, England, Hunter joined the Kickers last season after spending his rookie campaign with the Columbus Crew (MLS). David Bulow earned USL-2 Player of the Week honors for his offensive efforts in last weekend's 3-0 win over Charlotte. Bulow had a hand in all three of the Kickers tallies, notching two and setting up Gerson dos Santos for the third. Leading the Kickers in scoring overall, he has registered seven goals during the regular season and added an eighth during U.S. Open Cup play. Joining Bulow on the Team of the Week, Ronnie Pascale and Yomby William were honored following Saturday's win. Honored for the sixth time this season, William contributed assists on both of Bulow's goals while Pascale posted four saves on the night to preserve his fifth shutout this season. David Bulow earned USL-2 Player of the Week honors for his offensive efforts in last weekend's 3-0 win over Charlotte. Bulow had a hand in all three of the Kickers tallies, notching two and setting up Gerson dos Santos for the third. Leading the Kickers in scoring overall, he has registered seven goals during the regular season and added an eighth during U.S. Open Cup play. Joining Bulow on the Team of the Week, Ronnie Pascale and Yomby William were honored following Saturday's win. Honored for the sixth time this season, William contributed assists on both of Bulow's goals while Pascale posted four saves on the night to preserve his fifth shutout this season.

Monarchs: Forward Gary Brooks (#20) leads the Monarchs with six goals, three assists and 15 points, ranking him in the Top 10 in the league in all three categories. Brooks joined the Monarchs prior to the 2009 campaign after a two-year stint with local rivals Crystal Palace Baltimore. He led Palace in scoring and was a two-time USL-2 All-League Second Team honoree. Midfielder Cecil Lewis (#14) made eight appearances with the Kickers USL-2 Championship team in 2006. He joined Crystal Palace Baltimore in 2008 where he made 13 appearances, notching one goal and one assist. So far this season, he has made seven appearances with Maryland and earned USL-2 Team of the Week honors earlier this month after netting the game-winning goal over his former team. Drafted by D.C. United in the third round of the 2008 MLS SuperDraft, forward Ryan Cordeiro (#22) joined the Real Maryland lineup this season. Making eight appearances and tallying one assist for D.C. United's senior squad last season, Cordeiro was a vital member of United's reserve team. Making 12 appearances with the Monarchs this season, he most recently added his third assist of the season in a 1-1 comeback draw in Charlotte two weeks ago.

USL Second Division Playoffs

Following last week's matches, Richmond, Wilmington and Harrisburg each clinched a playoff berth. The playoffs will feature the top five teams in the regular season standings. The fourth and fifth seeds will square off in a midweek First Round encounter August 19 for a spot in the Semifinals. The winner of the match will face off against the regular season champion while the second and third seeds meet in the other semifinal the weekend of August 21-22. The USL Second Division Championship will be played August 29 and will be broadcast on Fox Soccer Channel. All matches will be hosted by the higher seed, excluding the final, which is determined via bid.

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from July 30, 2009


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