RICHMOND, VA – (Friday, September 30, 2016) – The Richmond Kickers 2016 USL Playoffs run begins this Sunday, October 2 when the No. 7 seed Kickers travel to No. 2 seed Louisville City FC in an Eastern Conference Quarterfinals match-up. Kickoff is slated for 7:00 p.m. and the match will be broadcast live from Louisville Slugger Field through the league’s official Match Center, uslsoccer.com/match-center. An Official Viewing Party will be held at Fat Dragon, located at 1202 N. Boulevard and fans wearing red will receive 15% off.
The Kickers concluded the 2016 regular season with a 12-9-9 record and 45 points after falling 2-0 on the road to the Wilmington Hammerheads last week at Legion Stadium. With their offense stifled by a staunch Hammerheads backline, the Kickers conceded goals on either side of the half to drop points in their regular season finale.
Meanwhile, Louisville finished second in the Eastern Conference for the second consecutive season, carrying a 17-4-9 record and 60 points into the postseason. Unbeaten in their last five games, they posted three shutouts and scored five goals in a decisive win against Saint Louis FC before concluding the regular season with a 1-1 draw against No. 5 seed Charlotte Independence with both teams seeing late goals disallowed.
Sunday’s match marks the third meeting between the two clubs this season, fifth in history, having last battled at Louisville Slugger Field on September 10 when the Kickers suffered a 2-0 loss. Unanswered goals by Cameron Lancaster and Magnus Rasmussen snapped the Kickers’ impressive 10-game unbeaten streak. Previously, the Kickers hosted Louisville on May 21 when a defensive battle allowed just four shots each, resulting in a scoreless draw at City Stadium.
The top eight teams in each conference kick off the single elimination tournament this weekend with the winner of the Richmond/Louisville match advancing to the Eastern Conference Semifinals against either Charleston or Cincinnati on October 8. The Conference Finals will be held the weekend of October 14-16 with two conference champions advancing to the 2016 USL Cup on Sunday, October 23.
