RICHMOND, VA – (Tuesday, August 14, 2007) – The Richmond Kickers (12-3-5, 41 points) clinched the USL2 Regular Season Champion honors for the second consecutive season and top seed in the league going into this weekend’s semifinal round of postseason play. The #1 seed Kickers will host the #4 seed Charlotte Eagles (11-7-2, 35 points) on Saturday, August 18th at 7:00 pm at the University of Richmond Stadium. The first 500 fans through the gate will receive a pen courtesy of First Market Bank and bidding for the Kickers white game-worn jerseys will begin at 5:30 pm on the main concourse during the silent jersey auction. Click HERE to download a $5.00 ticket coupon to present at the gate.
Expansion franchise and #2 seed Cleveland City Stars (10-1-9, 39 points) will host the #3 seed Harrisburg City Islanders (11-4-5, 38 points) in the second semifinal to be held in Cleveland on Saturday. Should the Kickers advance, they will defend their title at the Championship to be held the following weekend. The two semifinal winners will be showcased on Saturday, August 25th at a host site to be determined by a bid process.
The Rivalry Continues
This weekend’s semifinal match-up between the Kickers and the Eagles marks the second playoff pairing between these teams, as the two met in last year’s title match in Richmond. The 2-1 scoreline fell to the home side, granting the Kickers their third Championship in franchise history.
The Kickers met the Eagles three times this season, as Richmond swept the series 3-0-0 with a pair of home wins and one victory on the road. The Kickers narrowly escaped with a 1-0 decision on May 19th before a back-to-back home and away sequence with results of 4-1 and 3-1 respectively. Kickers midfielder Matt Watson was an integral component on all four of the Kickers’ goals during the 4-1 win over the Eagles, notching two goals and two assists. The following evening in Charlotte, Watson subbed into the match at halftime and added a third goal on the weekend to seal the Kickers 3-1 victory.
Playoff positioning was still up for grabs until the final weekend of regular season games as just two points separated the top three seeds. The Kickers took the lead with a 1-1 draw against the Cleveland City Stars to conclude the 2007 regular season while the Eagles wrapped up with a 4-1 win over basement dwellers Bermuda Hogges.
Players To Watch
Kickers: Captain Mike Burke (#19) was named USL2 Assist Leader this week, upon the conclusion of the regular season. Burke assumed the role of captain upon the mid-season retirement of veteran defender Kevin Knight, finishing the regular season tied for scoring on the team with three goals and nine assists for 15 points. Midfielder Sascha Görres (#23) netted the Kickers only goal during last week’s 1-1 draw against Cleveland, handing Richmond the regular season title. Midfielder Matt Watson (#8) garnered USL2 Player of the Week honors for his offensive efforts over Charlotte in July, registering three goals and two assists in a pair of wins against the Eagles. Watson finished the season with six goals and three assists to tie Burke for leading scorer and added two goals during Open Cup play. Defender Kelvin Jones (#5) and goalkeeper Ronnie Pascale (#22) solidify the Kickers defensive unit that has accounted for nine shutouts during the regular season, good for second in the league.
Eagles: After leading the league in points and goals in 2004 and 2005, forward Jacob Coggins (#20) made an impressive return in 2007 to earn the Scoring and Goal Scoring Championship honors for the third time in four years, finishing the season with 12 goals and 31 points. Coggins became the first player in the 14-year history of the league to earn the scoring honors three times. Dustin Swinehart (#18) made eight appearances on loan with the Kickers First Division Finalist squad during the 2005 season and tallied one assist for Richmond that year. He concluded the 2007 season second on the team in scoring, notching six goals and three assists for 15 points for the Eagles. A stalwart in the backfield, former MLS defender Nelson Akwari (#4) has accumulated more minutes than any other Eagles player with 1,800 leading to six shutouts with goalkeeper Dan Benton (#1) between the posts. Benton finished fifth in the league with a goals against average of 1.235.
Richmond has qualified for post-season play for the 12th time in the 15-year franchise history, having made five league Championship appearances (1995, 1996, 2002, 2005, 2006) including winning the Premier League in 1995 and claiming the USL Second Division title last season.
