RICHMOND, VA – (Wednesday, August 1, 2007) – The Richmond Kickers (11-3-4, 37 points) return home on Saturday, August 4th to host FREE YOUTH NIGHT with the Western Mass Pioneers (5-6-6, 21 points) 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 via RichmondKickers.com. Name, address and email address must be filled out to be valid and exchanged at the gate.
The Kickers last met the Western Mass Pioneers on June 2nd on the road, battling to a 2-2 stalemate. Midfielder Sascha Görres and defender Trevor McEachron each tallied a goal and an assist to take a 2-0 lead. The Pioneers battled back to draw even with the league leaders on goals by Easton Wilson and Jeff Deren.
Last time out, the Kickers dropped a 2-1 decision to the Harrisburg City Islanders to conclude a five-game road stand on Saturday, July 28th. After taking the lead on a 60th minute tally by Ricky Schramm, the Islanders equalized five minutes later and captured the win in the 88th minute. Meanwhile, the Pioneers were bumped from playoff contention with three regular season games remaining and 21 points after suffering a 2-0 shutout against Wilmington last Friday.
Despite a road record of 1-2-2 in the past five matches, the Kickers secured a place in the USL Second Division semi-finals to be held the weekend of August 18th. The current league leaders boast a record of 11-3-4 and 37 points, two points ahead of Harrisburg and Cleveland. The Cleveland City Stars, Charlotte Eagles and Harrisburg City Islanders are battling for playoff berths while Crystal Palace Baltimore attempts to steal one of the remaining three spots. The Kickers must finish first or second in the regular season standings to lock up a home semifinal match on Saturday, August 18th.
USL Second Division Playoff Format
The top four teams in the 10-team single table USL Second Division qualify for postseason play. The USL2 playoffs consist of single-elimination semifinals the weekend after the close of the regular season with the winners meeting in the USL2 Championship game to be held the following weekend. The top two seeds will host their semifinal match with the host of the Championship match to be determined by a bid basis the weekend of August 25th.
Players To Watch
Kickers: Midfielder Matt Watson (#8) garnered USL2 Player of the Week honors two weeks ago for his three goal and two assist contribution to a pair of wins over the Charlotte Eagles. Rising to points leader on the team with six goals and three assists, Watson currently resides in third place in the league with 15 points. Rookie forward Ricky Schramm (#9) notched the Kickers only goal last weekend in Harrisburg and registered the equalizer in Wilmington one week ago, tallying five goals and two assists for 12 points on the season. Defender Kelvin Jones (#5) registered his first goal in Kickers uniform in the 2-2 draw in Wilmington, while continuing to lead the Kickers defensive unit that has posted eight shutouts.
Pioneers: Forward Jeff Deren (#13) leads the Pioneers with five goals and one assist for 11 points. Currently in his fifth year with the Pioneers, he registered the equalizer in the 2-2 draw in Western Mass during their last meeting with the Kickers in early June. Jamaican Omar McFarlane (#9) ranks one point behind Deren on the squad with four goals and two assists and is on the USL2 Top-20 list with 10 points. Goalkeeper Kevin Trapp (#30) is tied for first in the league in goalkeeper minutes with 1,530 in 17 games played and has shutout the opposition on four occasions, good for sixth in the USL2. In his rookie season out of James Madison University, Trapp leads the league with 87 saves on the season.
US Open Cup Update
After hosting the first three rounds of tournament play, the Richmond Kickers travel to Cary, NC on Tuesday, August 7th to face the Carolina RailHawks (USL1) in the Quarterfinal Round of the 2007 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Kickoff is set for 7:30 pm 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 the MLS. 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.
For discounted group tickets to the Kickers/RailHawks game at SAS Soccer Park, contact the Kickers ticket office at (804) 644-5425 x 304 by Friday, August 3rd.
