USL Richmond Kickers

Kickers Host Tampa Saturday

Published on July 26, 2013 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Richmond Kickers News Release


RICHMOND, VA - The Richmond Kickers return to City Stadium after a month on the road to host VSI Tampa Bay FC on Sunday, July 28. The match presented by HCA Virginia, kicks off at 5:00 p.m. and the gates open at 4:00 p.m. with live music from The Centipedes, outdoor bar, food trucks and games for kids. Tickets are on sale now at RichmondKickers.com.

Entering Sunday's match on the back of an eight-game road stand, the Kickers posted a 5-0-3 road series en route to a record-breaking 20 game unbeaten streak. Currently topping the USL PRO standings, the Kickers (12-0-8, 44 points) concluded the month-long gauntlet with a three game west coast swing where they twice rallied from first half deficits in Phoenix and Los Angeles before handing the Vancouver Whitecaps FC Reserves a 2-1 scoreline. Franchise all-time leading scorer Matthew Delicâte and defender Conor Shanosky scored on either side of the half to give the road weary Kickers the lead for the majority of the match before the Whitecaps pulled a goal back in stoppage time.

The Kickers started the road trip with a grueling back-to-back Florida trip that ended with a scoreless draw in their first-ever match up against the USL PRO expansion VSI Tamp Bay FC. Kickers goalkeeper Andrew Dykstra posted six saves to preserve his second shutout in as many matches, and his league-best seventh overall.

As the postseason race heats up, Tampa (8-7-3, 27 points) currently holds the eighth and final playoff spot, with just six points separating them from the third-place Charlotte Eagles. Most recently, the USL newcomers dropped a 2-0 loss to the Harrisburg City Islanders last week and a two-games-in-three-days schedule will see them take on the Wilmington Hammerheads Friday before venturing to Richmond Sunday.

Players to Watch:

Kickers: Midfielder Brian Ownby (#12) earned USL PRO Player of the Week honors this week as the catalyst in the Kickers four-point road trip to Phoenix and Los Angeles. Second on the team in scoring with five goals and five assists, the former Richmond Strikers midfielder is splitting time between the Richmond Kickers and Major League Soccer's Houston Dynamo, having most recently played 45 minutes in Houston's exhibition against English Premier League side, Stoke City, earlier this week. The Kickers all-time leading scorer, Matthew Delicâte (#7) notched his first goal of the 2013 campaign with a tally against the Vancouver Whitecaps FC Reserves on Tuesday. Now in his seventh season with the Kickers, Delicâte eclipsed the franchise's all-time scoring record in 2012, notching 66 goals and 19 assists since 2004. The only player to appear in all 22 matches this season, William Yomby (#2) anchors the stingiest defensive unit in USL PRO, conceding just 17 goals through all competitions. Doubling as an offensive threat, adding a goal and an assist on the season, the Cameroonian defender has contributed to eight shutouts during the 2013 campaign.

Tampa: Veteran forward Mauricio Salles (#23) leads VSI with 18 points on the season, amassing five of his eight goals in Tampa's 8-0 win over Antigua in June to break the league record for most goals in a single game. The Brazilian brings 16 years of professional experience to Tampa, most recently making 22 appearances with the Charlotte Eagles in 2012. Fresh off a USL PRO Championship with the Charleston Battery, forward Sallieu Bundu (#22) signed with VSI Tampa Bay prior to the 2013 season. The native of Sierra Leone notched a goal and an assist in Tampa's 4-2 win over his former side, Charleston, earlier this month. Defender Josh Rife (#24) leads Tampa with 1,568 minutes on the season, shoring up the defense while contributing to six shutouts. Signing with VSI after spending a decade with the Charlotte Eagles, the multi-time All-League honoree was named USL-2 Defender of the Year in 2005.

USL PRO Playoff Structure

The 2013 USL PRO Playoffs will include the top eight finishers in the table, with the quarterfinals (No. 1 vs. No. 8, No. 2 vs. No. 7, etc.) set for the weekend of August 23-25. The semifinals featuring the four remaining teams will be played the following weekend, with the 2013 USL PRO Championship set for the weekend of September 6-8. All playoff rounds feature a single-game knockout format and teams will not be re-seeded following each round.

Check out the Richmond Kickers Statistics

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from July 26, 2013


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