USL Richmond Kickers

USOC: Fire Or Red Bulls Next

Published on July 7, 2011 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Richmond Kickers News Release


Richmond, VA - (Thursday, July 7, 2011) - The Richmond Kickers face Sporting Kansas City of Major League Soccer on Tuesday, July 12 in the Quarterfinals of the 2011 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park. The winner will advance to the Semifinals to take on the winner of the Chicago Fire/New York Red Bulls match-up on Tuesday, August 30.

In the lone upset of the Third Round, the Kickers ejected Major League Soccer's Columbus Crew, 2-1, from Open Cup action at Columbus Crew Stadium on June 28. Midfielder Nozomi Hiroyama gave the visitors an early lead when he connected on a Stanley Nyazamba pass in the 20th minute. Crew midfielder Cole Grossman brought the score level in the 37th minute before the Kickers prolific goal scorer Matthew Delicâte nodded home the game-winning goal five minutes from regulation.

The Kickers advanced to the Third Round after a pair of convincing 4-1 victories at Richmond City Stadium over USL PRO rivals Dayton Dutch Lions and Pittsburgh Riverhounds in the first two rounds. Kickers midfielder David Bulow notched five of the Kickers eight goals, bringing his scoring tally in U.S. Open Cup play to 13 overall, tying him with Jaime Moreno and Johnny Menyongar for first place all-time in the scoring chart for the modern era.

Meanwhile, a crowd of 4,487 witnessed Sporting Kansas City's first-ever U.S. Open Cup victory at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park as the MLS side blanked Chicago Fire PDL 3-0. Goals by Teal Bunbury, Milos Stojcev and Kei Kamara boosted Sporting Kansas City to the Quarterfinal match-up where they will host Richmond for the first time in history at the new, state-of-the-art LIVESTRONG Sporting Park, the first philanthropic stadium in the world.

The 2011 season marks the 13th time the Richmond Kickers have qualified for the U.S. Open Cup over the past 19 seasons and hold an overall record of 22-11 during tournament play. The Kickers claimed the U.S. Open Cup title the first year of the "Professional Era" in 1995 and have since made it to the quarterfinal round five times (1995, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2011), ousting four Major League Soccer teams along the way including Colorado Rapids in 2000, DC United in 2004, LA Galaxy in 2007 and Columbus Crew in 2011. With 74 total goals scored during the Open Cup, the Kickers set several franchise records, as well as a Professional Era U.S. Open Cup record, for most goals (12) during the 8-4 rout over the Ocean City Barons in 2005.

The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup has crowned a champion for 97 consecutive years beginning in 1914. Like recent editions, the U.S. Open Cup is a single-elimination tournament, with games tied after regulation extended by two 15-minute overtime halves. If a winner is not determined in overtime, advancement will be determined by kicks from the penalty spot. The 2011 champion will earn a $100,000 cash prize, while the runner-up will collect $50,000. The top Division III and Amateur Division clubs will each receive a $10,000 prize.

Check out the Richmond Kickers Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



United Soccer League Championship Stories from July 7, 2011


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central