RICHMOND, VA – (Wednesday, August 18, 2010) – The Richmond Kickers concluded the 2010 campaign with a regular season record of 9-5-6 and 33 points, good for a second-place finish in the USL Second Division.  The #2 seed Kickers earned the right to host the #3 seed Pittsburgh Riverhounds in the lone Semifinal match this Saturday, August 21.  Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. at Richmond City Stadium and tickets are on sale now at RichmondKickers.com.  The winner of Saturday’s Semifinal will advance to the USL-2 Championship to face the Charleston Battery at Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston, SC on Saturday, August 28.

General admission tickets for this weekend’s Semifinal match are $12/adults and $7/youth, ages 3-17 and are available in advance, until noon on Saturday, at RichmondKickers.com.  Please note: Season Passes, Pro Passes, Sponsor Passes and Flexi-tickets are not valid for this match.  All-Access Passes will be accepted.

USL Second Division Playoffs
The top three teams in the standings qualified for postseason play.  Clinching the Regular Season Championship with a decisive 3-0 win over Charlotte, the Charleston Battery (11-4-5, 38 points) receive a bye to the Championship and the right to host the title match on August 28.  Third-place Pittsburgh made a dramatic run up the standings ladder, concluding the season with a 7-5-8 record and 29 points.  The second-place Kickers will play host to Pittsburgh this weekend, to determine Charleston’s opponent in the USL-2 Championship match the following weekend.

Over the past 18 seasons, Richmond has qualified for postseason play 16 times, and strive to reach the title match in 2010 for the sixth time in the past nine seasons.  The defending champions defeated the Charlotte Eagles in 2009 to claim the USL-2 title for the second time.  Previously, the Kickers hosted the Championship in 2007, narrowly missing their second consecutive league title after nine rounds of penalties.  Richmond have appeared in the USL League Championship on seven occasions (1995, 1996, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009) including 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 in 2006.

Last season, the Kickers finished in a first-place tie in the standings, alongside the now-defunct Wilmington Hammerheads, but narrowly missed claiming the Regular Season Champion title as the Hammerheads took the tiebreaker based on total wins in league games.  The Kickers faced off against the Harrisburg City Islanders in the 2009 Semifinal round, battling their familiar foe to a scoreless draw through regulation and nearly two full overtime periods.  Last year’s Goal Scoring Champion Matthew Delicâte was able to find the back of the net after a scramble in the box left him open inches from the target in the 119th minute to avoid a penalty kick shootout and to boost the club to their fourth Championship appearance in five seasons.

The Kickers went on to claim their second USL-2 Championship crown with a dramatic 3-1 win over the Charlotte Eagles.  Conceding an early goal, the Kickers were forced to play catch up through the first half.  Kickers forward Edson Elcock notched the equalizer in the second half before a pair of back-to-back tallies sealed the title win.

Meanwhile, Pittsburgh has found their way back to the USL-2 playoffs for the first time since 2006.  Seeded third in the standings, the Riverhounds were ousted from postseason play that year after dropping a 6-1 aggregate score to the second-place Charlotte Eagles, following a 4-0 first leg romp in Pittsburgh and a 2-1 second leg defeat in Charlotte.  Clinching the final playoff seed in 2010 out of a field of six teams, the Riverhounds posted a 5-2-3 record in the second half of the campaign, including a 2-0 win over Richmond in July and a 2-1 win over first-place Charleston in August.

Kickers versus Riverhounds
The Kickers and the Riverhounds meet for the fifth time during the 2010 campaign after battling home and away twice during the regular season.  Overall, Richmond holds an 11-7-3 record over Pittsburgh, with a rivalry dating back to 1999 when the two franchises competed in the USL First Division.  Pittsburgh edged Richmond 2-1-1 in 2010 with the Kickers most recently claiming their only victory against the Riverhounds at City Stadium on July 24.

Previously, Richmond dropped a 2-0 decision in Pittsburgh on July 15.  A Chad Severs double saw the Riverhounds pass the defending champions, who were unable to muster a tally.  In their earlier Pittsburgh expedition on May 2, the Kickers relied on a Matthew Delicâte goal at the death to even the contest at one apiece.  The Kickers suffered one of their worst losses of the season at the hands of the ‘Hounds on May 8 at City Stadium.  An early penalty put the Riverhounds out in front and the Kickers were unable to rally back from a 3-1 deficit.

Game-Worn Jersey Auction
The Richmond Kickers will be holding a silent auction for the 2010 white adidas game-worn jerseys on the main concourse during the USL-2 Semifinals on Saturday, August 21.  Fans are invited to bid on the jersey of their favorite Kickers player, starting at 5:30 pm.  The bidding will end during halftime and the winners will be announced prior to the end of the match.  Bidding starts at $60 and winners will be required to pay a $40 deposit.  Jerseys will be available for pick up after September 30, 2010.