RICHMOND, VA - (Monday, November 23, 2009) – The Richmond Kickers earned the USL Second Division Organization of the Year at the USL Hall of Fame and Awards dinner as USL recognized outstanding performances by its member teams and executives for the season. Richmond received the honor for the fifth time in franchise history, after taking the award consecutively in 2006 and 2007, in addition to claiming the USL Franchise of the Year award in 1995 and USL First Division Organization of the Year in 2000. The Kickers concluded the 2009 regular season with a record of 11-3-6 and 39 points, en route to their second USL-2 Championship in four seasons.
“It is an honor for our club to be recognized by USL and its member organizations for our accomplishments on and off the field, and it is a testament to the dedication of our front office staff, coaching staff, players and supporters,” comments Richmond Kickers General Manager, Shelley Sowers. “With our new organizational structure in place and a streamlined mission and vision, we look forward to building upon our past successes in 2010.”
In addition, Kickers Head Coach and Director of Soccer, Leigh Cowlishaw, was inducted into the USL Hall of Fame in the Coach category, alongside Paul Conway and Scott Schweitzer who were honored in the Player category. USL welcomed three franchises into the USL 10+ Club, Charlotte Lady Eagles (W-League), Ottawa Fury (W-League), and Thunder Bay Chill (PDL). The Richmond Kickers Super Y-League program was honored for ranking ninth in the Super Y-League “First 11.”
The Richmond Kickers boasted five players on the USL-2 All-League Teams. Goalkeeper of the Year Ronnie Pascale was named to the All-League First Team alongside Defender of the Year, Yomby William, MVP Finalist and Goal Scoring Champion, Matthew Delicâte and Kickers all-time career assists leader, Mike Burke. 2008 Defender of the Year Finalist Sascha Görres was honored with All-League Second Team honors.
Established in 1993, the Richmond Kickers pro team has consistently been one of the most successful professional soccer clubs in America. Over the past 17 seasons, Richmond has qualified for postseason play 15 times, and reached the title match in 2009 for the fifth time in the past eight seasons. Richmond’s six previous league Championship appearances (1995, 1996, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007) include winning the Premier League title in 1995, a shoot-out loss to Seattle in the USL First Division final in 2005 and taking the USL Second Division crown against Charlotte in 2006. In addition to on-field success, the Kickers have taken United Soccer Leagues Organization of the Year honors on five occasions (1995, 2000, 2006, 2007, 2009).
