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Richmond Kickers are an American soccer team, founded in 1993. The team is a member of the United Soccer Leagues Second Division, the third tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, which they joined in 2006 having previously spent the majority of their history playing at the second level in the USISL, A-League, and USL First Division.
They play their home games at the University of Richmond Stadium in the city of Richmond, Virginia. The team's colors are red and white.
The Kickers currently have two developmental teams - Richmond Kickers Future and Richmond Kickers Destiny. Future play in the men's USL Premier Development League, while the Destiny play in the women's USL W-League.
The Kickers have two fan clubs, known as the Corner Kicks and the Side Kicks.
[edit] 2008 Roster
as at June 6, 2008
| No. |
|
Position |
Player |
| 1 |
 |
GK |
Mark Murphy |
| 2 |
|
MF |
Ralph Pace |
| 3 |
|
DF |
Kevin Knight |
| 4 |
|
MF |
Luke Vercollone |
| 5 |
|
DF |
Kelvin Jones |
| 7 |
|
MF |
Freddie Smith |
| 8 |
|
DF |
Adam Chavez |
| 9 |
 |
MF |
Adrian Bumbut |
| 10 |
|
FW |
David Bulow |
| 11 |
 |
FW |
Ben Hunter |
| 12 |
|
DF |
Anthony Catalano |
|
|
|
[edit] Year-by-year
| Year |
Division |
League |
Reg. Season |
Playoffs |
U.S. Open Cup |
| 1993 |
N/A |
USISL |
4th, Atlantic Division |
Divisional Semifinals |
Did Not Enter |
| 1994 |
3 |
USISL |
9th, Atlantic Division |
Did Not Qualify |
Did Not Enter |
| 1994 |
N/A |
USISL Indoor |
2nd, Northern Division |
Did Not Qualify |
Did Not Enter |
| 1995 |
N/A |
USISL Premier League |
2nd, Eastern Division |
Champions |
Champions |
| 1996 |
3 |
USISL Select League |
2nd, North Atlantic Division |
Runner-up |
Did Not Qualify |
| 1997 |
2 |
USISL A-League |
3rd, Atlantic Division |
Division Semifinals |
Third Round |
| 1998 |
2 |
USISL A-League |
1st, Atlantic Division |
Conference Semifinals |
Did Not Qualify |
| 1999 |
2 |
USL A-League |
2nd, Atlantic Division |
Second Round |
Did Not Qualify |
| 2000 |
2 |
USL A-League |
2nd, Atlantic Division |
Conference Semifinals |
Third round |
| 2001 |
2 |
USL A-League |
1st, Central Conference |
Quarterfinals |
Quarterfinals |
| 2002 |
2 |
USL A-League |
2nd, Southeast Division |
Runner-up |
Third Round |
| 2003 |
2 |
USL A-League |
3rd, Southeast Division |
Did Not Qualify |
Did Not Qualify |
| 2004 |
2 |
USL A-League |
2nd, Eastern Conference |
Quarterfinals |
Quarterfinals |
| 2005 |
2 |
USL First Division |
6th |
Runner-up |
Fourth Round |
| 2006 |
3 |
USL Second Division |
1st |
Champions |
Second Round |
| 2007 |
3 |
USL Second Division |
1st |
Runner-Up |
Quarterfinals |
[edit] History
The Kickers were founded in 1993, playing their first season in the USISL, playing in the league's amateur division. 1995 may have been the team's most successful year - the team not only won the USISL Premier League after a 15-3 regular season, they became the most recent team to win the U.S. Open Cup. 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. In October 2005, the Kickers announced they would move down to the USL Second Division for the 2006 season, proclaiming it a cost-saving measure to save the franchise.[1] In the 2007 U.S. Open Cup, the Kickers defeated the Los Angeles Galaxy of the MLS 1-0 in the third round of competition.[2]
[edit] 2008 season
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.[3]
[edit] 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) in which the team with the most points at the conclusion of all scheduled matches between the two teams. 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. The future of the James River Cup at this point is unknown, although currently it is on hiatus.
[edit] Winners
- 1996: Hampton Roads Mariners
- 1997: Not Held
- 1998: Richmond Kickers
- 1999: Richmond Kickers
- 2000: Richmond Kickers
- 2001: Not Held
- 2002: Richmond Kickers
- 2003: Richmond Kickers
- 2004: Richmond Kickers
- 2005: Richmond Kickers
- 2006: Virginia Beach Mariners
- 2007: Not Held
[edit] Titles and Accomplishments
- 1995 USISL Premier League Champions
- 1995 U.S. Open Cup Champions
- 1996 USISL Select League Runner-up
- 2001 USL Commissioners’ Cup
- 2002 USL First Division Runner-up
- 2005 USL First Division Runner-up
- 2006 USL Second Division Regular Season Champions
- 2006 USL Second Division Champions
[edit] Notable former players
[edit] Head Coaches
[edit] History vs. Major League Soccer
- 1997
- 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)
- 2000
- 2001
- 2002
- 2003
- 4/5/03 – Exhibition – Richmond Kickers 1 vs. D.C. United 1 (UR Stadium)
- 2004
- 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)
- 2005
- 8/3/05 – U.S. Open Cup (4th Rd) – Richmond Kickers 1 vs. D.C. United 3 (UR Stadium)
- 2007
- 7/10/07 - U.S. Open Cup (3rd Rd) - Richmond Kickers 1 vs Los Angeles Galaxy 0 (UR Stadium)
- 2008
- 3/22/08 - Exhibition - Richmond Kickers 3 vs. D.C. United 0 (UR Stadium)
[edit] International Competition
[edit] Average Attendance
- 1993: 2,433
- 1994: 985
- 1995: 1,109
- 1996: 1,255
- 1997: 1,925
- 1998: 2,527
- 1999: 2,488
- 2000: 2,192
- 2001: 2,436
- 2002: 2,431
- 2003: 2,273
- 2004: 2,333
- 2005: 2,754
[edit] References
- ^ "Kickers realign into USL2", RichmondKickers.com, 2005-10-25. Retrieved on 2008-06-10.
- ^ "Kickers oust LA Galaxy", RichmondKickers.com, 2007-07-11. Retrieved on 2007-07-11.
- ^ "Kickers disarm Gunners in 3-0 win", RichmondKickers.com, 2008-06-11. Retrieved on 2008-06-11.
[edit] External links
Tim Brown
Dwayne De Rosario
Onandi Lowe
Colin Clarke (1998-1999)
