Richmond, VA – (Tuesday, April 14, 2009) – The Richmond Kickers return to the University of Richmond Stadium (just off the Downtown Expressway) on Saturday, April 18th to host the Harrisburg City Islanders and College Night. College students can present their college identification at the gate to purchase tickets for just $5.00. The first 500 fans through the gate will receive a Richmond Kickers t-shirt, courtesy of Dr. Babik and Crossridge Family & Cosmetic Dentistry, the official dentist of the Richmond Kickers.
The regular season officially opens on April 18th when the Kickers host USL-2 rivals Harrisburg City Islanders. Over the past three seasons, the Kickers hold a narrow 3-2-2 record over the Islanders. The heated rivalry continues as Richmond has not forgotten the 2007 USL-2 Championship match when Harrisburg stripped the defending champions of the title after nine-rounds of nail-biting penalty kicks.
Last season, the Kickers dropped a devastating 4-1 decision on the road to the City Islanders in early June before battling to a scoreless draw in Richmond later that month. The Kickers went on to conclude the 2008 campaign with a regular season record of 14-4-2 and 44 points, good for a first-place tie in the USL Second Division, alongside the Charlotte Eagles (13-2-5, 44 points). Despite finishing with the most wins in the league, the Kickers narrowly missed claiming the Regular Season Champion title for the third consecutive year as the Eagles took the tiebreaker based on head-to-head games played. Meanwhile, Harrisburg finished fifth in the standings with a record of 7-3-10 and 31 points. The defending Champions were ousted in the first round of post-season play by Crystal Palace Baltimore.
Join Kickers fans for the Pre-Game Party at New York Deli in Carytown before the game and take advantage of discounts and specials from 5:00 pm until 6:30 pm on Saturday, April 18th. Mention the Kickers for half-price burgers and $.35 chicken wings. After the game, meet and mingle with the players at the Post-Game Party at Home Team Grill in the Fan.
Players to Watch
Kickers: Goal-scoring sensation Matthew “Deli” Delicate (#7) celebrated his homecoming last weekend, notching a 90th minute game-winner over the Carolina RailHawks during the USL-1 exhibition. Reaching seventh place on the Kickers all-time career goals list (19) and ninth place on the all-time career points list (46) in just two seasons, Deli returned to Richmond after spending three seasons with the Rochester Rhinos of USL-1. Goalkeeper Ronnie Pascale (#22) earned his first clean sheet of the season, posting four heroic saves over the RailHawks on April 4th. Entering his 10th season with the Kickers, the veteran netminder earned back-to-back USL-2 Goalkeeper of the Year honors in 2006 and 2007. Richmond welcomes back local talent Kenny Cutler (#17) who spent the last four seasons with Real Salt Lake. A native of Richmond and graduate of Freeman High School, Cutler is reunited with head coach Leigh Cowlishaw, who coached his U-12 Richmond Strikers team. Fan favorite Mike Burke (#19) returns for his 10th season with the Kickers. Last season, the 2008 USL-2 MVP Finalist leapfrogged into third place in the all-time career goals category with 33 and into second place in the all-time career games played category with 233. Rookies Gerson dos Santos (#18) and Henry Kalungi (#25) add strength to the defense in 2009, out of Virginia Commonwealth University and Winthrop University, respectively.
City Islanders: After three seasons with the Rochester Rhinos (USL-1), Harrisburg welcomes the return of forward Chad Severs (#20) who helped produce the best offensive season in team history. The 2005 USL-2 Rookie of the Year set single-season club records with 13 goals and 31 points. Despite playing only 29 games in a Harrisburg uniform, Severs ranks as the club’s all-time leader in goals (20), points (47), and game-winning goals (6). The City Islanders defense will be led by veteran duo Dustin Bixler (#3) and Anthony Calvano (#23) again in 2009. Named MVP of the USL-2 Championship in 2007, Bixler secures the defensive unit for his fifth season and ranks fourth on the Islanders all time games played list (71). Partnering with Bixler on the back line, Calvano returns for his third season in Harrisburg. The menacing Mo Oduor (#19) will once again anchor the midfield for his sixth season with the City Islanders. The former U-20 Kenyan National Team player resides in fourth place on the all-time in games played (59) list. Newcomer Tomer Chencinski (#14) will protect the nets in 2009 after beginning his career with Toronto FC of Major League Soccer and the Detroit Ignition of the now-defunct Major Indoor Soccer League.
Pro Pass Kickoff Night
Saturday is Pro Pass Kickoff Night and all Pro Pass holders in attendance will be eligible to win great prizes. Visit RichmondKickers.com and activate your Youth Pro Pass by April 15th to be eligible to win a Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP). In addition to the grand prize drawing, to be held at halftime, Pro Pass holders are eligible for special prizes and drawings, including a 2009 Kickers soccer camp, gift certificates to Windy Hill and RoomStore World, autographed Kickers gear and more! Click HERE to activate now!
Tickets
General admission tickets for regular season home games will remain $12/adults and $7/youth ages 3-17 for the third consecutive season. Order tickets in advance via RichmondKickers.com or present a Ukrop’s Valued Customer Card at the gate and receive a $2.00 discount per ticket. Alleviate the hassle of individual tickets and enjoy all of the Kickers Pro and Destiny (W-League) regular season home games for the best possible pricing with a 2009 Family Pass ($119), All-Access Pass ($90), Adult Pro Pass ($55) or Youth Pro Pass ($20).
Richmond Kickers 17th Season
The Richmond Kickers enter into their 17th season as a member of the United Soccer Leagues family since 1993. Over the past 16 seasons, Richmond has qualified for post-season play 13 times, including six Championship appearances. The Kickers reached the title match in 2007 for the fourth time in the past six seasons, narrowly missing their second consecutive league title after nine rounds of penalties. Richmond’s five previous league Championship appearances (1995, 1996, 2002, 2005, 2006) include 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. In 2008, the Kickers fell short of another Championship berth after falling 1-0 in overtime to the eventual champions, Cleveland City Stars.
