RICHMOND, VA – (Thursday, July 19, 2007) – The Richmond Kickers’ opponent in the US Open Cup Quarterfinal round was determined last weekend when the USL First Division expansion franchise Carolina RailHawks ousted the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer on Sunday.  After hosting the first three rounds of tournament play, the Kickers will travel to Cary, NC to take on the RailHawks on Tuesday, August 7th at 7:30pm at SAS Soccer Park.  The Kickers are one of five USL teams remaining in this year’s tournament, alongside the Harrisburg City Islanders (USL2), Carolina RailHawks (USL1), Charleston Battery (USL1) and Seattle Sounders (USL1) while the New England Revolution, FC Dallas and Colorado Rapids represent for the top flight.  To join fellow Kickers fans on a chartered bus trip to Cary, NC on Tuesday, August 7th, call (804) 644-5425 x 304.   
 
The Richmond Kickers shocked the world-renowned LA Galaxy (MLS) in the Third Round of Cup play last week by a score of 1-0.  The lone goal of the night was tallied by Kickers forward David Bulow.  Kelvin Jones was dangerous on both sides of the ball, assisting on Bulow’s goal while anchoring a defensive unit that shutout the Galaxy.  The Kickers edged USL2 rival Cleveland City Stars in a hard-fought Second Round battle that ended with a 2-1 scoreline in favor of the home side on June 26th.  Receiving an automatic berth as the defending league champion, the Kickers joined nine USL1 teams, seven USL2 teams, 8 PDL teams and 8 USASA teams in the First Round on June 12th with the Kickers ejecting the Michigan Bucks (PDL) 4-2, despite a three-hour lightning delay.

The Carolina RailHawks bumped the defending US Open Cup Champions Chicago Fire from this year’s tournament in Sunday night’s Third Round with a 1-0 decision.  Former Kicker and VCU standout McColm Cephas notched the game-winning goal, sending the RailHawks to the Quarterfinals in their first season.  Carolina previously met USASA teams, ending the Open Cup run of RWB Adria and Bavarian SC, 4-1 and 4-0 in the First and Second Rounds respectively.  The RailHawks’ roster boasts five other past Kickers players flanking Cephas, including Joey Worthen Chris Carrieri, Kevin Jeffrey, Caleb Norkus and John O’Hara (Kickers Future).  The Kickers hosted the RailHawks in a pre-season exhibition match on April 7th where they handed a 3-1 result to the USL1 side. 

The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, which is recognized as U.S. Soccer’s National Championship, is a single-elimination, annual competition open to all amateur and professional soccer teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer. The tournament has crowned a champion for 93 consecutive years dating back to 1914.  The team that advances the furthest from each level except Division I earns a $10,000 cash prize. The Open Cup runner-up takes home $50,000, while the champion collects $100,000. The winner will have their team’s name engraved on the historic Dewar Challenge Trophy, the oldest trophy in American team sports that is housed in the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, N.Y.

Back-To-Back Road Trip In Cincinnati, Cleveland This Weekend
The Kickers continue their road stand, traveling to Ohio this weekend to face the Cincinnati Kings on Friday, July 20th and the Cleveland City Stars on Saturday, July 21st.  Richmond hosted the Kings during the regular season home opener on April 21st, registering a 2-0 win.  Meanwhile, the Kickers meet Cleveland for the first time during regular season play, battling the City Stars for top seed in the USL2 standings.  The Kickers ousted the City Stars from US Open Cup action in June and currently lead the second-place team by four points with two games in hand.         

Matt Watson Named USL2 Player of the Week
Kickers midfielder Matt Watson earned USL2 Player of the Week honors this week for his offensive efforts in a pair of home and away wins versus Charlotte over the weekend.  Watson was an integral component on all four of the Kickers’ goals during the 4-1 win over the Eagles at home on Friday night, notching two goals and two assists.  The following evening in Charlotte ended with a 3-1 scoreline in favor of the visiting team.  Watson subbed into the match at halftime and sealed the victory with a late goal.  The native of Redditch, England is currently tied with midfielder Mike Burke as points leader with five goals and three assists.  He leads the team overall with seven goals and four assists for 18 points, adding two goals and an assist during Open Cup play.  A second-year pro, Watson is on loan from the Baltimore Blast of the Major Indoor Soccer League.

Richmond Kickers Destiny Attempt to Clinch Playoff Berth Sunday
The Richmond Kickers Destiny was able to maintain the top position in the Atlantic Division of the W-League’s Central Conference standings after a pair of tough road matches in Charlotte.  Playing back-to-back, the Destiny battled the Lady Eagles to a 0-0 stalemate on Tuesday, July 17th before suffering their second loss of the season to the Atlanta Silverbacks with a 4-1 decision on Wednesday, July 18th.  Wednesday’s match was a make-up date for an earlier season game terminated due to lightning in Richmond and resumed in the 37th minute with a 1-1 scoreline that carried over.

The Destiny will conclude the 2007 regular season at home on Sunday, July 22nd at 6:00 pm, hosting the Hampton Roads Piranhas at Sports Backers Stadium.  The Destiny opened the season with a 2-0 shutout at Hampton Roads and the Piranhas have been eliminated from postseason contention.  Tickets are just $5.00, general admission

Despite this week’s upset, the Destiny split the top seed in the division with the Silverbacks.  With the final regular season match scheduled for Sunday, July 22nd, the Destiny need a tie or a victory over the Hampton Roads Piranhas to clinch a playoff berth.  The top two teams from each of the two divisions in the Central Conference will compete in postseason play with a semifinal round to be held on Friday, July 27th and a final round scheduled for Saturday, July 28th at Macalester College in St. Paul, MN.  The winners of the Central, Eastern and Western Conference playoffs will travel to Rochester, NY for the W-League Championship tournament the following weekend with the W-League Championship to be televised LIVE on Fox Soccer Channel on August 5th.  

Free Youth Night
The Richmond Kickers return home on Saturday, August 4th to host FREE YOUTH NIGHT with the Western Mass Pioneers at 7:00 pm at the University of Richmond Stadium.  Courtesy of the Richmond Kickers Youth Soccer Club, free youth tickets for children ages 3-17 are available at the Kickers front office (2001 Maywill Street, Suite 203) or CLICK HERE to download ticket via RichmondKickers.com.  Name, address and email address must be filled out to be valid and exchanged at the gate.