RICHMOND, VA – (Wednesday, July 7, 2010) – The Richmond Kickers head into on a tough back-to-back road trip this weekend stopping first in Charleston on Friday, July 9th before traveling to Charlotte on Saturday, July 10th.  A road trip to Pittsburgh next week follows before the Kickers return to Richmond City Stadium on Saturday, July 24th to host the Riverhounds at 7:00 p.m.  Watch Friday's match LIVE from Blackbaud Stadium on USLLive.com.

A battle in the standings, just six points separate the top three teams in the league with Charleston (7-3-3) leading the way with 24 points and the Kickers (6-3-4) trailing by two, while Charlotte (5-6-3) holds on to third place with 18 points.  With playoff contention and the regular season championship on the line, the weekend marks the final match-up in four game series between Richmond and their two Southern rivals.

The Kickers and the Battery met last weekend in Richmond where the defending Champions handed a 2-0 decision to the league leaders.  The victory put the Kickers within two points of the USL-2 powerhouse, courtesy of an early goal by Edson Elcock and an 90th minute tally by Gerson dos Santos.  Both teams have been successful on their home turf, with the Kickers defeating the Battery 3-1 at City Stadium on June 5th before suffering their worst loss of the season at Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston one week later.  Long-time rivals when the two clubs were both in USL’s top flight, the Kickers narrowly edge the Battery with an overall 18-17-4 record.

Meanwhile, Charlotte hosts the Kickers on Saturday for the second time in two weeks after battling to a 1-1 draw on June 26th.  USL-2 leading scorer Matthew Delicâte gave the Kickers the advantage early in the second half; however the lead was short-lived when Richmond conceded a Miguel Ferrer tally 10 minutes later.  Previously, the clubs split the series in Richmond when the Kickers endured their first home loss since 2006 at the hands of the Eagles before avenging the disappointing result with a 3-1 win one month later.

Team of the Week
Charleston, Richmond and Charlotte combined to place seven players on this week’s USL-2 Team of the Week.  The Kickers led the charge, with midfielder Luke Vercollone earning Player of the Week honors following his solid performance on both sides of the ball in last week’s 2-0 win against Charleston.  Notching his first assist of the season, he attempted four shots while contributing to the shutout.  Kickers goalkeeper Ronnie Pascale earned Goalkeeper of the Week honors after posting his clean sheet of the season to keep the Battery attack at bay, while forward Edson Elcock was recognized for his game winning goal on the other end of the pitch.    Despite the result in Richmond, Charleston placed midfielder Alioune Gueye on this week’s Team of the Week while Charlotte’s Brady Bryant, Ramy Safi and Jorge Herrera earned a nod following their 2-1 win over Pittsburgh.

Paws at the Pitch SPCA Night
The Richmond Kickers return home after a three-week road swing to host the Pittsburgh Riverhounds and SPCA’s Paws at the Pitch Night on Saturday, July 24th at 7:00 p.m.  Fans are encouraged to bring their dogs to City Stadium to show their support of the Richmond SPCA and enjoy a night of professional soccer with their four-legged companions.  The Richmond SPCA’s Tail Wag’n adoption vehicle will be in attendance with cute and cuddly pets on board, plus the first 1,000 fans through the gate will receive a reusable grocery bag, courtesy of the Richmond SPCA and Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods.  Order tickets in advance at RichmondKickers.com and save big on admission.