Richmond Kickers

Richmond Kickers

Full name	Richmond Kickers Soccer Club
Nickname(s)	Kickers
Founded	1993 (1993)
Stadium	City Stadium Richmond, Virginia
Ground Capacity	22,611 (can be limited to 9,000)[1][2]
Owner	Richmond Kickers Youth Soccer Club[3]
Head Coach	Leigh Cowlishaw
League	USL
2016	7th, Eastern Conference Playoffs: Conference Quarterfinals
Website	Club website
Home colors Away colors

The Richmond Kickers Soccer Club is an American professional soccer club based in Richmond, Virginia. Founded in 1993, the team plays in the United Soccer League, part of the second tier of the American soccer league system. The team is one of the oldest continuously run soccer clubs in the United States.

The team's home field is the 22,000-seat City Stadium, where the club has played since 1995. The team's president is Richmond native, and former Kickers player, Rob Ukrop, who is also an heir to the area's Ukrop's Food Group chain. The team is coached by Englishman Leigh Cowlishaw, who has been the team's head coach since 2000.

The Kickers had two developmental teams: Richmond Kickers Future and Richmond Kickers Destiny. Future played in the men's USL Premier Development League until 2008, while the Destiny left the women's USL W-League after the 2009 season.

History

The Richmond Kickers were founded in 1993 and played their inaugural season in the United States Interregional Soccer League (USISL), which, at the time, represented the third division of the American soccer pyramid. The team originally played their home matches on the campus of the University of Richmond and targeted players specifically from Virginia.^[4] After a poor season in 1994, the club self-relegated to the newly formed fourth-tier USISL Premier League, now known as the Premier Development League. During the 1995 season, the Kickers battled to a 15–3 winning season and went on to win the first ever USISL Premier League championship, defeating the now-defunct Cocoa Expos in the championship. That same season, Richmond won their first, and to date only, Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup championship. The following year, Richmond chose to rejoin the third division, where they reached the USISL Select League championship, only to lose to the California Jaguars in the finals.

For the next nine seasons, Richmond played in the second tier of the American soccer pyramid, earning the Commissioner's Cup twice, in 1998 and 2001, as well as earning two conference championships. However, the club was never able to secure a division two league championship, their closest coming in 2005, when the Kickers fell to the Seattle Sounders in the 2005 USL First Division Championship. After the 2005 season, the Kickers ownership self-relegated the team back into the third division, citing possible financial problems for the club if they remained in the second tier.^[5] Since joining the third division, the Kickers have had tremendous success, making it to at least the playoff semifinals each season they have played in the third division. Additionally, the Kickers have won two third division premierships and two third division championships during their spell.

Richmond Kickers have not only experienced league success, but have been perennial contenders in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup tournament. In the 2007 U.S. Open Cup, the Kickers defeated the Los Angeles Galaxy of the first division, Major League Soccer, 1–0 in the third round of competition.^[6] The Kickers won their First Round match of the 2008 U.S. Open Cup, beating the Fredericksburg Gunners of the PDL with a final scoreline of 3–0.^[7] The Kickers won their second-round game over the Western Mass Pioneers 2–1 before being eliminated from the Cup in the third round by MLS side, and defending USOC champion, New England Revolution, 3–0. In the 2011 US Open Cup the Kickers made a Cinderella run, defeating MLS clubs Columbus Crew and Sporting Kansas City to reach the semi-finals, before falling to the Chicago Fire.

In September 2005, Rob Ukrop's #6 jersey was retired. He was a well-liked soccer player on and off of the field, and particularly notable since he is the son of the influential Ukrop's grocery store CEO Robert "Bobby" Ukrop.

On January 24, 2013, it was announced that the Kickers had signed a multi-year deal to become the USL Pro affiliate of D.C. United.^[8]

Colors and badge

The Kickers' primary colors are red and white, having been so since the beginning of the 2001 season.^[9] Their kits are manufactured by Adidas, as they have been since at least 2009.^[10][11] In March 2012, the Kickers revealed a new logo to celebrate 20 years since their inception. Along with the new crest, the club also announced they would be using a third uniform with the colors from their first season in 1993, green and blue.^[12] They also have a black kit they have used during the 2013 season.

Richmond Kickers original logo (1993–2011)

Stadium

• First Market Stadium, University of Richmond, Richmond, Virginia (1993–1994)
• City Stadium, Richmond, Virginia (1995–present)

Club culture

Supporters

The Kickers' official supporters group is the River City Red Army who occupy section O of City Stadium.

James River Cup

The James River Cup was an annual competition held between the Richmond Kickers and the Virginia Beach Mariners (formerly Hampton Roads Mariners) which the team with the most points at the conclusion of all scheduled matches between the two teams would win. The Cup was held every year since 1996 with the exception of 1997 and 2001 when Virginia Beach did not field a team. In 2007, the Virginia Beach team was disbanded.

For the 2008 season, the James River Cup was contested between the Kickers' organization and the Hampton Roads Piranhas organization. The cup went to the organization that had the most points in games between their PDL and W-League teams. The series ended up tied 2–2–1, with the Piranhas winning the Cup on goal difference.

Winners

• 2008: Hampton Roads Piranhas
• 2007: Not held
• 2006: Virginia Beach Mariners
• 2005: Richmond Kickers
• 2004: Richmond Kickers
• 2003: Richmond Kickers
• 2002: Richmond Kickers
• 2001: Not held
• 2000: Richmond Kickers
• 1999: Richmond Kickers
• 1998: Richmond Kickers
• 1997: Not held
• 1996: Hampton Roads Mariners

Broadcasting

Beginning with the 2017 season, Richmond's CBS affiliate WTVR-TV will broadcast the club's home and away matches on their primary channel and their subchannels. ^[13]

All USL matches are broadcast on the USL YouTube page, as of 2014. Previously, games were broadcast on USL Live.

From 2003 to 2004, Selecta 1320 AM (WVNZ) broadcast select Kickers matches in Spanish; in 2005 they broadcast all Kickers home matches.^[14] However, Selecta 1320 AM does not broadcast Kickers matches now.

Roster

First team roster

As of March 15, 2017.^[15]

No.	Position	Player	Nation
1	Goalkeeper	DeBellis, MarcelMarcel DeBellis	Canada
2	Defender	William, YombyYomby William	Cameroon
3	Defender	Odoi-Atsem, ChrisChris Odoi-Atsem ([A])	United States
4	Defender	Owusu Sekyere, FredFred Owusu Sekyere	Ghana
5	Midfielder	Shanosky, ConorConor Shanosky	United States
8	Defender	Lee, EvanEvan Lee	United States
9	Forward	, OliverOliver	Brazil
10	Forward	Jane, SunnySunny Jane	Lesotho
11	Defender	Grant, AnthonyAnthony Grant	Jamaica
12	Midfielder	Wyatt, FinnlayFinnlay Wyatt	England
14	Midfielder	Imura, YudaiYudai Imura	Japan
15	Defender	Roberts, MallanMallan Roberts	Canada
16	Midfielder	McCann, PatrickPatrick McCann	United States
17	Midfielder	Umar, OscarOscar Umar	Ghana
18	Defender	Lee, AlexAlex Lee	Guam
20	Forward	Minutillo, MikeyMikey Minutillo	United States
21	Midfielder	Durkin, ChrisChris Durkin ([A])	United States
22	Goalkeeper	Wimmer, AlexAlex Wimmer	United States
24	Midfielder	Eskay, JacksonJackson Eskay	United States
26	Goalkeeper	Klenofsky, EricEric Klenofsky ([A])	United States
27	Midfielder	Gonzalez, RaulRaul Gonzalez	United States
28	Midfielder	Asante, SamuelSamuel Asante	Ghana
31	Defender	Troyer, BraedenBraeden Troyer	United States
32	Midfielder	Bolduc, MattMatt Bolduc	United States
35	Midfielder	Eaton, BrandonBrandon Eaton	United States
42	Midfielder	Finch, SimonSimon Finch	United States
70	Forward	Tayou, FranckFranck Tayou	Cameroon
71	Forward	, Luiz FernandoLuiz Fernando	Brazil

Reserves and academy roster

Club management

Coaching staff

Position	Staff
Head Coach	Leigh Cowlishaw
Assistant Coach	Michael Callahan
Assistant Coach	Sascha Görres
Goalkeeping Coach	Adrian Clewlow
Athletic Trainer	Cherish Nash

Last updated: February 2016
Source: Richmond Kickers official website

Head coaching history

Dates	Name	Notes
1993	Bobby Lennon
1994	John Kerr, Sr.
1995–1996	Dennis Viollet	Led team to only U.S. Open Cup title and to USISL championship
1997	Frank Kohlenstein
1998–1999	Colin Clarke
2000–present	Leigh Cowlishaw

Honors

League

• A-League (Second Tier)
  • Regular Season (1): 2001
• USL Second Division/USL Pro/USL (Third Tier)
  • Regular Season (3): 2006, 2007, 2013
  • Playoffs (2): 2006, 2009
• USISL Premier League (Fourth Tier)
  • Playoffs (1): 1995

Cup

• Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
  • Winners (1): 1995

Record

Year-by-year

History vs. Major League Soccer

• 3/15/97 – Exhibition – Richmond Kickers 3 vs. Columbus Crew 1 (UR Stadium)
• 6/17/97 – Exhibition – D.C. United 4 vs. Richmond Kickers 2 (UR Stadium)
• 7/23/97 – U.S. Open Cup (3rd Rd) – MetroStars 3 vs. Richmond Kickers 0 (UR Stadium)
• 6/14/00 – U.S. Open Cup (2nd Rd) – Richmond Kickers 3 vs. Colorado Rapids 0 (UR Stadium)
• 7/25/00 – U.S. Open Cup (3rd Rd) – San Jose Earthquakes 2 vs. Richmond Kickers 0 (Spartan Stadium)
• 4/1/01 – Exhibition – Richmond Kickers 0 vs. Dallas Burn 0 (UR Stadium)
• 7/24/01 – U.S. Open Cup (4th Rd) – D.C. United 2 vs. Richmond Kickers 1 (RFK Stadium)
• 4/13/02 – Exhibition – Richmond Kickers 0 vs. D.C. United 1 (UR Stadium)
• 7/17/02 – U.S. Open Cup (3rd Rd) – Columbus Crew 3 vs. Richmond Kickers 0 (Crew Stadium)
• 4/5/03 – Exhibition – Richmond Kickers 1 vs. D.C. United 1 (UR Stadium)
• 7/21/04 – U.S. Open Cup (4th Rd) – Richmond Kickers 2 vs. D.C. United 1 (UR Stadium)
• 8/4/04 – U.S. Open Cup (Quarterfinals) – Chicago Fire 1 vs. Richmond Kickers 0 (UR Stadium)
• 8/3/05 – U.S. Open Cup (4th Rd) – Richmond Kickers 1 vs. D.C. United 3 (UR Stadium)
• 7/10/07 – U.S. Open Cup (3rd Rd) – Richmond Kickers 1 vs Los Angeles Galaxy 0 (UR Stadium)
• 3/22/08 – Exhibition – Richmond Kickers 3 vs. D.C. United 0 (UR Stadium)
• 6/30/10 – U.S. Open Cup (4th Rd) – D.C. United 2 vs. Richmond Kickers 0 (George Mason Stadium)
• 6/28/11 – U.S. Open Cup (3rd Rd) – Richmond Kickers 2 vs. Columbus Crew 1 (Crew Stadium)
• 7/12/11 – U.S. Open Cup (Quarterfinals) – Richmond Kickers 2 vs. Sporting Kansas City 0 (Livestrong Sporting Park)
• 8/30/11 – U.S. Open Cup (Semifinals) – Chicago Fire 2 vs. Richmond Kickers 1 (Toyota Park)
• 5/29/12 – U.S. Open Cup (3rd Rd) – Richmond Kickers 1 vs. D.C. United 2 (City Stadium)
• 7/17/15 – U.S. Open Cup (4th Rd) – Richmond Kickers 1 vs. Columbus Crew SC 3 (City Stadium)^[16]

International competition

• 7/16/04 – Exhibition – Richmond Kickers 1 vs. Nottingham Forest 1 (UR Stadium)
• 7/25/09 – Exhibition – Richmond Kickers 1 vs. C.S.D. Comunicaciones 0 (UR Stadium)
• 7/1/14 – Exhibition – Richmond Kickers 1 vs. Mexico U21 1 (City Stadium)
• 7/31/14 – Exhibition – Richmond Kickers 0 vs. Crystal Palace 3 (City Stadium)
• 7/19/15 – Exhibition – Richmond Kickers 1 vs. West Bromwich Albion 2 (City Stadium)
• 7/16/16 – Exhibition – Richmond Kickers 2 vs. Swansea City A.F.C. 0 (City Stadium)^[17]

References

External links

• Richmond Kickers official website
• Richmond Times Dispatch: Richmond Kickers
• Richmond United Youth Academy Alumni