RICHMOND, VA - (Wednesday, April 30, 2008) – The Richmond Kickers are slated to face Crystal Palace Baltimore on Sunday, May 4th at 4:00 pm at UMBC Stadium. Sunday’s match marks the second of three road games for Richmond who do not return home until Saturday, May 24th to host the Charlotte Eagles.
The Kickers face the second-year franchise in Baltimore for the third time in history and hold a 1-0-1 record after last season’s contests. The teams met almost a year ago in Richmond when the Kickers and Palace battled to a 1-1 stalemate. Last season, Crystal Palace Baltimore narrowly missed postseason play, finishing their inaugural campaign with a record of 9-6-5 and 32 points, just three points away from fourth-place Charlotte. The two teams are scheduled to meet again in Richmond to conclude the 2008 regular season on Saturday, August 9th at the University of Richmond Stadium.
Crystal Palace Baltimore opened the 2008 season last Friday, April 25th with a 3-0 win over the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. Forward Gary Brooks and midfielder Pat Healy tallied Palace’s first and third goals, respectively, while former Richmond Kickers Future (PDL) defender Alex Ughiovhe added one of his own, on an assist by former Kickers midfielder Cecil Lewis. Defender Andrew Marshall added two assists and earned USL-2 Player of the Week honors for his efforts. The Kickers have two regular season matches under their belts, and are coming off a biting loss by the same scoreline to the league-leading Charlotte Eagles last Friday. Richmond was on the other end of a 3-0 score to open the season, defeating the Western Mass Pioneers on April 19th. Defender Anthony Catalano, midfielder Mike Burke and forward David Bulow each registered a goal apiece.
The Kickers’ road stretch continues on Saturday, May 17th as they head to Western Mass for a rematch against the Pioneers before resuming play at UR Stadium on May 24th.
Richmond Kickers: Celebrating 15 Years of Soccer Excellence
The 2008 season marks the 15th anniversary for the Richmond Kickers who have been a member of the United Soccer Leagues family since 1993. Over the past 15 seasons, Richmond has qualified for post-season play 12 times, including six league (seven overall) Championship appearances. The Kickers reached the league title match in 2007 for the fourth time in the past six seasons, narrowly missing their second consecutive league title after nine rounds of penalty kicks. Richmond’s previous Championship appearances (1995, 1996, 2002, 2005, 2006) include winning the “Double” with the Premier League title and US Open Cup 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.
