USL Richmond Kickers

Kickers Open 2009 Season Saturday

Published on March 31, 2009 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Richmond Kickers News Release


Richmond, VA - (Tuesday, March 31, 2009) - The Richmond Kickers open the 2009 season this Saturday, April 4th when they host the Carolina RailHawks of the USL First Division at 7:00 pm at Sports Backers Stadium. Past Kickers Caleb Norkus and John Gilkerson return to face off against their former team. Kickers former fan favorite Matt Watson is due to join the RailHawks following the Baltimore Blast's indoor season. Regularly priced admission will apply, offering $12/adults and $7/youth ages 3-17. Avoid lines at the gate and order tickets in advance via RichmondKickers.com.

"The RailHawks exhibition is an important early test for the squad," comments Leigh Cowlishaw, Richmond Kickers Head Coach. "The RailHawks have signed several high profile players and will clearly be a USL Championship contender this season. We anticipate an entertaining but extremely competitive match that will prepare us well for our upcoming season."

The Kickers and the RailHawks have met twice before, splitting the series 1-1. A pre-season exhibition featuring the RailHawks opened the Kickers 2007 season with the home team handing a 3-1 result to the USL-1 expansion franchise. Later that season, the two clubs met for a rematch in Cary during the 2007 US Open Cup Quarterfinals with the RailHawks edging the Kickers from cup competition by a narrow 1-0 margin.

In 2008, Carolina narrowly missed playoff contention during their sophomore campaign, finishing in eighth place in the USL-1 standings for the second consecutive season. Despite a 5-2-1 comeback, the RailHawks concluded the season with a 9-11-10 record and 37 points. Meanwhile, US Open Cup play saw the RailHawks ousted in the Third Round to Major League Soccer side Kansas City Wizards. One year prior, the US Open Cup saw the rookie franchise make a historic run to the Semifinals where they just missed a Championship berth during a closely contested 2-1 affair against the eventual winners New England Revolution.

The RailHawks enter into their third season with new head coach, Martin Rennie, at the helm. A two-year coach of the Cleveland City Stars, Rennie claimed the USL-2 Coach of the Year award in 2007 and was honored again in 2008 as the USL-2 FieldTurf Tarkett Coach of the Year before making the move to the USL-1 team during the offseason. With just two seasons under his belt, Rennie and the City Stars ousted the Kickers from postseason play en route to taking the Championship crown in 2008.

*Please note: Adult Pro Passes, Youth Pro Passes, Family Passes, Coach Passes, Sponsor Passes and Flexi-Pack Tickets will not be valid for this match.

Players to Watch

Kickers: Returning to the Kickers squad in 2009 is forward Matthew "Deli" Delicâte (#7) who proved to be a consistent goal-scorer in 2004 and 2005, reaching seventh place on the Kickers all-time career goals list (19) and ninth place on the all-time career points list (46) in just two seasons. Following the 2005 season, the Kickers transferred Delicâte's playing rights to the Rochester Rhinos (USL-1) where he quickly made his way onto the team's all-time scoring list with 19 regular season goals over three seasons. Also returning to Richmond from the Kickers 2005 USL-1 Finalists squad is midfielder Joey Worthen (#8), after stints with Real Salt Lake (MLS) and Carolina RailHawks (USL-1). Over two seasons with the Kickers (2004-05), Worthen made 46 appearances, accumulating 3,342 minutes. Richmond welcomes back local talent Kenny Cutler (#17) who has spent the last four seasons with Real Salt Lake. A native of Richmond and graduate of Freeman High School, Cutler amassed over 3,000 minutes in MLS. The Kickers also welcome the return of veteran fan favorites Mike Burke (#19), Ronnie Pascale (#22) and Sascha Görres (#23). Rookies Gerson dos Santos (#18) and Henry Kalungi (#25), out of Virginia Commonwealth University and Winthrop University respectively, will solidify the defensive unit.

RailHawks: Joining the RailHawks following the Baltimore Blast's indoor season in April, Matt Watson (#8) spent two seasons with the Kickers before signing with the RailHawks in 2008. Named Player's Choice MVP in 2007, Watson led the team with six goals and three assists. One year prior, he led the Kickers to the USL-2 Championship, tying for leading scorer with 15 points. Last season, Watson tallied one goal and four assists with the RailHawks. Uruguayan National Team midfielder Marcelo Romero (#14) signed with Carolina during the offseason after seven successful seasons with Malaga of Spain's La Liga Primera División (Spanish First Division). Representing Uruguay at two Copa America's and the 2002 World Cup, Romero most recently played with the Andalusian club Lucena CF before coming to the US. Former Cleveland City Stars defender Mark Schulte (#13) made history in 2008, becoming the first player since the award was established in 1998 to repeat as USL-2 Defender of the Year. Guiding Cleveland to back-to-back seasons of less than one goal allowed per game, Schulte also contributed offensively with two goals and three assists last season. USL-1 veteran Caleb Norkus (#12) made four appearances with the Kickers in 2004 while former New York Red Bulls defender John Gilkerson (#15) joined the Kickers on loan last season for seven games.

Viewing Party at Home Team Grill Wednesday

Join the Richmond Kickers pro players at Home Team Grill on Wednesday, April 1st at 7:00 pm to watch the USA versus Trinidad & Tobago World Cup Qualifier LIVE! Get a chance to meet Kickers players, while catching the USA game on 42" & 50" HDTVs. Take advantage of extended Happy Hour specials, which include drinks and appetizers. Plus, register to win great prizes, including tickets to the Kickers Home Opener on April 4th, get autographs from your favorite players and more!

Richmond Kickers 17th Season

The Richmond Kickers enter into their 17th season as a member of the United Soccer Leagues family since 1993. Over the past 16 seasons, Richmond has qualified for post-season play 13 times, including six Championship appearances. The Kickers reached the title match in 2007 for the fourth time in the past six seasons, narrowly missing their second consecutive league title after nine rounds of penalties. Richmond's five previous league Championship appearances (1995, 1996, 2002, 2005, 2006) include winning the Premier League title in 1995, a shoot-out loss to Seattle in the USL First Division final in 2005 and taking the USL Second Division crown in 2006. In 2008, the Kickers fell short of another Championship berth after falling 1-0 in overtime to the eventual champions, Cleveland City Stars.

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from March 31, 2009


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