USL Richmond Kickers

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Published on January 14, 2010 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Richmond Kickers News Release


RICHMOND, VA - (Thursday, January 14, 2009) - The Richmond Kickers are pleased to welcome back Matthew Delicâte, Luke Vercollone and Chris Carrieri for the 2010 season, and are excited to announce Edson Elcock is returning to play his first full season in Richmond.

Delicâte returns following a stellar 2009 performance, where he was the team's top scorer with 14 goals and two assists for 30 points overall. The 2009 Goal Scoring Champion, Delicâte earned All-League First Team honors upon his return to Richmond after spending three seasons with USL-1 side Rochester Rhinos. The 2009 Most Valuable Player Finalist led the team in scoring through the regular season with 13 goals and two assists for 28 points. He added his 14th goal of the season with a 120th minute game-winning goal over Harrisburg in the Semifinals to boost the Kickers to their third Championship appearance in four seasons. Delicâte will continue to make an impact off the field as well, as he is slated to coach the Kickers U-11 Boys Central team in the spring. This winter, he recently obtained his USSF "B" License at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles, CA.

Beginning his professional career in Richmond in 2004, Delicâte was a member of the 2005 USL First Division Finalist squad before being transferred to Rochester in 2006. After several seasons with the Rochester Rhinos and a brief tour at Ebbsfleet United of the English Blue Square Premier League, Delicâte returned to Richmond for the '09 season, and proved to be a valuable asset for the organization. During his original tenure in Richmond, Delicâte was a consistent goal-scorer, reaching seventh place on the Kickers all-time career goals list with 19 and ninth place on the all-time career points list with 46 in just two seasons.

A Virginia Commonwealth University graduate and former member of the Richmond Kickers Future (PDL), Delicâte joined the Kickers pro team after a remarkable college career. In 2003, he led the team in scoring with 39 (15 goals, 9 assists) points, the third-highest total in school history. The 2003 Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year, Delicâte led the league in scoring as well. He is VCU's career leader with 44 goals and 13 assists for 101 points. Delicâte had 16 game-winning goals in his career and was the first Ram to ever reach the century mark in career points. In 2009, the Colonial Athletic Association announced its men's soccer Silver Anniversary team, honoring Delicâte on the 25-member squad.

Vercollone is back to play his third season with the Kickers. A workhorse in the midfield, Vercollone notched two assists last season, and was named Man of the Match following the Kickers 1-0 dramatic overtime Semifinal win. The former New England Revolution midfielder was just one of two players to start all 23 games for 1,960 minutes. An active coach with the Richmond Kickers Youth Soccer Club, Vercollone will continue to coach his Kickers U-15 Boys South team and is the founder and director of the little Kicks program, the foundation of the Kickers nationally renowned club model, which brings a soccer enrichment program to preschools.

A native of Pembroke, Massachusetts, Vercollone spent two seasons with the Charleston Battery of the USL First Division, where he made 66 appearances, notching three goals and six assists for 12 points overall. Prior to his stint in the USL-1, the 5'10" midfielder was drafted by the Columbus Crew in the 2004 MLS Super Draft and made five appearances over two seasons with the New England Revolution after signing as a Developmental Player in 2004.

A four-year starter at Seton Hall University, Vercollone led the team in points (21) and assists (11), while tying for the lead in goals with five his senior year, earning All-Big East First Team honors. The freshman walk-on was instrumental in Seton Hall making three successive NCAA playoff appearances. Vercollone's experience extends to the PDL level as he won two PDL Championships with the Cape Cod Crusaders (2002, 2003), playing 23 games over two seasons and tallying nine goals and 10 assists. Vercollone's stellar record as midfielder continued in the 2009 season where he started 23 games.

Chris Carrieri returns for his first full season with the Kickers since 2006 when he signed with the Carolina RailHawks. Notching eight goals and 11 assists overall, he led the Kickers and the USL-2 in assists in 2006 and garnered USL-2 All-League Second Team honors that season. Retiring from professional soccer just prior to the 2008 season, Carrieri came out of retirement to conclude the USL-2 season with the Kickers, notching one goal during seven appearances in 2009.

The number one overall draft pick in the 2001 MLS Super Draft, Carrieri spent three seasons with the Colorado Rapids before signing with the Rochester Rhinos of the USL First Division prior to the 2004 season. With the Rhinos, he logged 2,249 minutes and totaled eight goals and eight assists for 24 points.

A University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill standout, Carrieri was named the 2000 ACC Player of the Year where he led the conference in nearly every offensive category and was a NSCAA/adidas Division 1 All-America First team selection. The 1998 ACC Rookie of the Year finished his third and final year at UNC with back-to-back All-ACC First Team honors, named ACC Player of the Week three times and Soccer America Team of the Week four times, more than any other player in the nation.

Newcomer Elcock joined the roster in late July 2009, making his Kickers debut in an exhibition, notching the lone goal to lift the Kickers to a 1-0 victory over Guatemalan Champions, C.S.D. Comunicaciones. Quickly making his way into the starting lineup, Elcock made an immediate impact with the team, scoring the equalizer in the USL Second Division Championship and leading the team to their second title in four seasons. Drafted by the Kansas City Wizards (MLS), Elcock joined the Kickers from the Puerto Rico Islanders.

Elcock boasted an impressive goal scoring record throughout his collegiate career, and became just the fourth player in Old Dominion University history to be selected first team All-American. After being named Freshman of the Year in the SAC with Wingate University, Elcock moved to ODU and helped the Monarchs reach the NCAA tournament in each of his three seasons with them. In 2006, the senior scored 11 goals and notched six assists, earning him numerous honors including first team NSCAA All-Region.

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