USL Richmond Kickers

Richmond To Host Men's National Team Game

Published on May 1, 2003 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Richmond Kickers News Release


RICHMOND, VA - (Thursday, May 1, 2003) - The Richmond Kickers are proud to announce a doubleheader on Sunday, June 8th at the University of Richmond Stadium in Richmond, VA that will feature the United States Men's National Team versus 2002 Oceania Football Confederation champion New Zealand. Kickoff for that match is set for 1 p.m. ET, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN 2 and the Radio Unica network. Fans can follow the match live online via ussoccer.com's MatchTracker, presented by Philips Electronics. Immediately following the U.S. match the A-League Richmond Kickers will face the Atlanta Silverbacks. The Richmond/Atlanta game was originally scheduled for 7pm.

The match against New Zealand will serve as the U.S. team's final tune-up prior to their participation in the FIFA Confederations Cup, and comes just 11 days prior to the USA's opening match against Turkey on June 19 in St. Etienne, France. As OFC Champions, New Zealand will face France, Colombia and Japan in the prestigious eight-team international competition.

"The New Zealand match will present an important opportunity to help finalize our team as we head to the Confederations Cup," said U.S. Manager Bruce Arena. "New Zealand are a rugged, physical team and will provide a great challenge to our group. We're looking forward to playing our send off match in a great soccer area like Richmond."

The U.S. and New Zealand have met only once before in their history. In their opening match of group play in the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup, goals by Brian McBride and Jovan Kirovski led the USA to a 2-1 victory in Guadalajara, Mexico. The U.S. went on to capture third place in the tournament, their best-ever finish.

After the most successful year in U.S. Soccer history, the U.S. has amassed a 3-1-0 record in 2003, collecting shutout victories against Canada and Venezuela. The U.S. Men's National Team is making its second appearance in the state of Virginia and at the University of Richmond Stadium, where the U.S. collected a 2-0 victory against Trinidad and Tobago in a World Cup semifinal round qualifier on Nov. 10, 1996. The nearly 23,000 seat stadium played host to the NCAA Men's Soccer Championships from 1995 to 1998, and is the home field for the Richmond Kickers.

The Kickers will be taking on the Southeast Division rival-Silverbacks in the second of four regular season meetings. Richmond and Atlanta met in the first round of the 2002 A-League playoffs, with the Kickers advancing on a 3-2 aggregate score. The Silverbacks are sure to be looking for revenge, after going 0-3-1 against the Kickers in the 2002 regular season.

"It is a great honor that U.S. Soccer has chosen Richmond to host this important match," comments Kickers Vice President and General Manager Billy Hallock. "We look forward to a great crowd for two critical games as the U.S. team will be preparing for the Confederations Cup while we will be playing a crucial league match."

Tickets for the doubleheader range in price from $18 to $40 and can be purchased starting Friday, May 2, at 10 a.m. ET through all Richmond area Ticketmaster outlets (including Ukrop's Supermarket, Farm Fresh and Hecht's), by phone at 804-262-8100 (Richmond), 757-671-8100 (Virginia Beach), or 800-527-6384 (Northern Virginia), and on-line at ussoccer.com. Information on group discounts can be obtained by calling 312-528-1290. Tickets for the USMNT game will also be good for the Kickers/Silverbacks match-up.

The A-League boasts 19 teams from coast-to-coast in the US and Canada, and is the highest level in the United Soccer Leagues (USL) system. For more information please check out our web site at www.RichmondKickers.com.

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