USL Richmond Kickers

Kickers, D.C. United Announce Joint Tryout

Published on January 6, 2014 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Richmond Kickers News Release


RICHMOND, VA - (Monday, January 6, 2014) - The Richmond Kickers have teamed up with D.C. United of Major League Soccer to jointly host open tryouts in Richmond, VA January 31-February 2. The event will be held at the home training ground of the Richmond Kickers, the state-of-the-art soccer complex, Ukrop Park. The two organizations, who entered an exclusive inter-league affiliation in January 2013, will look to start the player identification process early for the 2014 season.

Eligible college seniors, qualified free agents and talented amateur players that are seeking a professional contract are encouraged to register now at RichmondKickers.com. A select number of players will be invited to participate in three days of intense training and scrimmages in front of the Kickers and D.C. United technical staff.

Attendance at the joint player combine is one of the best ways to ensure that a player's complete soccer resume and professional evaluation is in front of key decision makers. Training sessions will take place in front of professional coaching staff, led by Kickers Director of Soccer, Leigh Cowlishaw, who will be joined by an array of experienced technical staff and former professional players.

Most recently, Kickers pro tryouts discovered the 2013 USL PRO Rookie of the Year, Nate Robinson, while past trials have produced such prominent players as Clyde Simms (New England Revolution, D.C. United and U.S. Men's National Team), Ronnie Pascale (Three-time USL-2 Goalkeeper of the Year), Tim Brown (New Zealand National Team) and Robert Ssejjemba (2006 USL-2 MVP and Ugandan National Team).

"Richmond was the first pro team that I played for, playing with the caliber guys that they had there at the time," commented Simms. "The team was great - the staff and players were very welcoming and professional. I was able to get a good amount of playing time there, which was huge for my development and being able to make it to the next level."

Discovered at the Kickers 2004 combine, Simms spent one season in Richmond before being recognized by D.C. United and the U.S. Men's National Team. Simms appeared in 31 games for 2,571 minutes with the Kickers and started more games than any other rookie that season (28). Since then, he made 182 appearances over seven seasons, posting over 13,000 minutes, in a D.C. United uniform before signing with the New England Revolution following the 2011 campaign.

Simms is one of 24 D.C. United players who played with the Kickers over the past two decades, with the roster of former Kickers players also including 2011 Major League Soccer MVP Dwayne De Rosario, Mike Burke, Jeff Causey, Ben Crawley, 2013 USL PRO Goalkeeper of the Year Andrew Dykstra, Brian Kamler, Taylor Kemp, Collin Martin, Mike McGinty, Michael Seaton, Conor Shanosky, Casey Townsend, Richie Williams, Mark Simpson and Robert Ssejjemba. Other players who have featured with the Kickers on loan include Brian Carroll, John DiRaimondo, Justin Mapp, Andy Metcalf, Bryan Namoff, Anthony Peters, Long Tan and Ethan White. In franchise history, 22 players have progressed from the Richmond Kickers into Major League Soccer.

Interested players should please submit an application and $150 registration fee by January 21. Space is limited and applications will be reviewed on a first come, first served basis. Registration fees are non-refundable. Application fees increase to $175 after the registration deadline. Attendance at all sessions is required.

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