RICHMOND, VA – (Wednesday, August 25 2010) – The Richmond Kickers are slated to face the Charleston Battery in the USL Second Division Championship match this Saturday, August 28 at Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston, S.C. Kickoff is set for 6:00 p.m. LIVE on Fox Soccer Channel.
Despite having met 40 times since the club’s inception in 1993, the Kickers and the Battery meet in Saturday’s high-stakes Championship match for the first time in history. Prior to the 2010 campaign, the Battery realigned with the USL Second Division after 13 seasons in the top flight. The heated rivalry between the two clubs has been renewed as the all-time series remains deadlocked at 18-18-4, including a 2-2 split this season.
The defending champions earned their eighth league Championship appearance with a decisive 2-0 win over the Pittsburgh Riverhounds in the USL Second Division Semifinals in Richmond last week. Forward Matthew Delicâte contributed a goal and an assist to boost the Kickers to the final round, while goalkeeper Ronnie Pascale preserved his ninth clean sheet of the season to stifle the Riverhounds’ potent offense. The Kickers concluded the regular season with a record of 9-5-6 and 33 points, five points behind Charleston who earned a bye and the right to host the title match, finishing as regular season champions with a record of 11-4-5.
Over the past 18 seasons, Richmond has qualified for postseason play 16 times, and reaches the title match in 2010 for the sixth time in the past nine seasons. The Kickers 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. The Kickers 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.
Saturday’s match-up marks the Battery’s first appearance in a USL Championship game since 2003 when they defeated the Minnesota Thunder 3-0 to claim the USL First Division title. Last season, the fourth-seeded Battery was ousted from postseason play by the Montreal Impact in the USL-1 Quarterfinals.
Game Watching Party at Gus’ Bar & Grill
Fans are encouraged to watch the Kickers biggest game of the season at the Gus’ Bar & Grill Official Game Watching Party this Saturday night. Located at 2701 West Broad Street, the family-owned environment with a family-friendly atmosphere will welcome Kickers staff, members and fans beginning at 5:00 p.m. Ample free parking is available across the street at the Children’s Museum.
USL-2 Awards Finalists
United Soccer Leagues recently announced the finalists for the 2010 USL Second Division Awards. The Kickers are in the running for three out of four categories with William Yomby and Matthew Delicâte up for Defender of the Year and Most Valuable Player, respectively, while Head Coach Leigh Cowlishaw is a Coach of the Year Finalist.
The 2009 Goal Scoring Champion, Delicâte is a league MVP Finalist for the second consecutive season. The All-League First Team honoree was just edged out of the 2010 Scoring Champion and Goal Scoring Champion titles by Battery forward Lamar Neagle. Despite posting 11 goals and 24 points and residing at the top of the league for the entire season, Neagle nudged Delicâte in both categories after registering in Charleston’s final regular season game. A pair of U.S. Open Cup tallies and the game-winning goal in the USL-2 Semifinals bumped the star striker’s total to 14 goals on the season, good for third place on the franchise’s all-time goals category with 47.
The 2009 Defender of the Year, Yomby is in the running for the award again in 2010. A two-time First Team selection, the former Kansas City Wizards (MLS) defender led one of the stingiest defensive units to a second place finish in the league standings, surrendering just 20 goals on the season. The only Kickers player to start and play every minute of the regular season, he led the team in minutes with 1,800, while leading the backline to a league-high seven shutouts. Chipping in offensively, he tallied one goal during U.S. Open Cup action.
A 2010 Coach of the Year Finalist, Leigh Cowlishaw is in his 11th year at the helm, leading the Kickers to six USL Finals in nine years, taking USL-2 titles in 2006 and 2009. A native of Burton-on-Trent, England, Cowlishaw has been an integral member of the Kickers’ organization since the club’s inception in 1993. As a player, he helped the Kickers win the “Double” with the U.S. Open Cup and Premier League Championships in 1995. Off the pitch, he acts as the Richmond Kickers Director of Soccer Programs, providing technical direction and guidance for all levels of the Kickers organization.
Most Valuable Player Finalists
Matthew Delicâte, Richmond Kickers
Shintaro Harada, Pittsburgh Riverhounds
Lamar Neagle, Charleston Battery
Rookie of the Year
Jeremy Deighton, Pittsburgh Riverhounds
Miguel Ferrer, Charlotte Eagles
Debola Ogunseye, Charlotte Eagles
Defender of the Year
Dustin Bixler, Harrisburg City Islanders
Gareth Evans, Real Maryland Monarchs
Shintaro Harada, Pittsburgh Riverhounds
William Yomby, Richmond Kickers
Coach of the Year
Michael Anhaeuser, Charleston Battery
Leigh Cowlishaw, Richmond Kickers
