2012 Richmond Kickers season

Richmond Kickers
2012 season
Owner United States Rob Ukrop
Head Coach England Leigh Cowlishaw
Stadium City Stadium
USL Pro 4th
USL Pro Playoffs First round
U.S. Open Cup Third round
Highest home attendance 5,014
vs. D.C. United (May 29
U.S. Open Cup)
Lowest home attendance 2,273
vs. Harrisburg (May 12
USL Pro Regular Season)
Average home league attendance League: 2,433
Playoffs: 1,441
Cup: 5,014
Home colors
Away colors
Third colors
← 2011 2013 →

The 2012 Richmond Kickers season was the club's twentieth season of existence. It was the Kicker's sixth-consecutive year in the third-tier of American soccer, playing in the USL Professional Division for their second season.

After a slow start for the first two-thirds of the regular season, a four-match winning streak catapulted the Kickers into the top half of the table, thus qualifying them for the playoffs, making it the ninth consecutive season that the Kickers made the playoffs of any league they were participating in. In the first round of the playoffs, Richmond lost 3–2 by the Wilmington Hammerheads thus ending their postseason ambitions.

Richmond also reached the third round of the 2012 U.S. Open Cup, where in extra time, they lost to Major League Soccer side, D.C. United.

Background

The 2011 campaign marked the Kickers' debut in the newly created USL Pro League, which assumed the role as the third division of American soccer. During the regular season, Richmond finished third in their division and third in the overall table, making it the first time since 2005 that the Kickers did not finish the regular season either as the regular season champion or finalist. In the playoffs, the Kickers were eliminated by Commissioner's Cup winners and eventual USL Pro champions, Orlando City.[1]

Outside of league play, Richmond made one of their deepest runs in the U.S. Open Cup, the domestic knockout cup competition.[2] The Kickers reached the semifinals of the tournament after knocking out two Major League Soccer clubs, Columbus Crew and Sporting Kansas City in the third round and quarterfinals, respectively.[3] The last time Richmond reached the semifinals of the Open Cup was in 1995, when the Kickers won their lone U.S. Open Cup title.[4]

Off the field, the Kicker organization posted their fourth highest average attendance in club history.

Review

Offseason

On December 6, 2011, the Kickers signed Pittsburgh Riverhounds' Jason Yeisley on a free transfer.[5]

From January 20–22, the Kickers hosted their fourteenth player combine and had open tryouts.[6]

On January 30, 2012, the club announced their preseason schedule, which included fixtures against several local college soccer teams.[7]

Preseason

The Kickers are expected to begin preseason training camp in February.

April

The Richmond Kickers opened the regular season with home and away fixtures against long-time rivals, Charleston Battery, and the defending USL Pro regular season and postseason champions, Orlando City, earning a win, a draw and two losses during the four-match span. Richmond's home opener was on April 7 against Charleston in front of a crowd of 5,009. The Kickers suffered a 2–1 home defeat to the Battery thanks to a pair of goals from Charleston's Jose Cuevas, who netted in the 41st and 67th minutes of the match. The Kickers lone goal came from Stanley Nyazamba, who tallied for the home side in the 65th minute. The following weekend, the Kickers traveled south to Charleston, South Carolina to play the Battery at their home venue, Blackbaud Stadium. In front of a sold-out crowd of 4,729, the Kickers earned a last-minute, 2–1 victory over the Battery thanks to a goal from longtime defender, Sascha Görres.[8] The Kickers' other goal came from Nyazamba, who netted his second of the campaign.

On April 21, the Kickers returned home to take on the defending USL Pro champions, Orlando City, who had been hot off a 2–0–0 start. In front of a crowd of 3,169; the Kickers were shutout at home by Orlando, as they suffered a second-straight home defeat, losing 2–0 in the process. City's two goals both came in the second half off a 61st-minute strike from Luke Boden, and an 89th minute penalty kick from Anthony Pulis. The return leg was the following weekend, where Richmond ended Orlando's six-matching winning streak (including last season), where the Kickers drew City 0–0 at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida.[9]

Competitions

Preseason

USL Pro regular season

Further information: 2012 USL Pro season

Standings

Pos
 Team
 GP
 W
 T
 L
 GF
 GA
 GD
 Pts
Qualification
1 Orlando City (CC) 24 17 6 1 50 18+32 57 Commissioner's Cup, Playoffs 1st round bye
2 Rochester Rhinos (A) 24 12 5 7 27 23+4 41 Playoffs 1st round bye
3 Charleston Battery (A) 24 12 2 10 36 26+10 38 Playoffs
4 Richmond Kickers (A) 24 11 5 8 31 27+4 38
5 Wilmington Hammerheads (A) 24 10 7 7 34 32+2 37
6 Harrisburg City Islanders (A) 24 10 7 7 34 29+5 37
7 Charlotte Eagles 24 11 3 10 34 26+8 36
8 Los Angeles Blues 24 9 3 12 26 29−3 30
9 Dayton Dutch Lions 24 4 10 10 20 29−9 22
10 Pittsburgh Riverhounds 24 4 5 15 20 39−19 17
11 Antigua Barracuda 24 5 1 18 16 50−34 16

Source: USL Pro official standings
Rules for classification:Points, then tiebreak: 1) Head-to-head record based on total points in League games, 2) Total wins in League games, 3) Goal difference in League games, 4) Goals scored in League games, etc.[10]
(CC) = Commissioner's Cup (best regular season record); (A) = Advances to USL Pro Playoffs; (D) = Divisional winners.
Only applicable when the season is not finished:
(Q) = Qualified for the USL Pro Playoffs, but not yet to the particular phase indicated; (E) = Eliminated from playoff-contention.


Match reports

USL Pro Playoffs

U.S. Open Cup

Further information: 2012 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup

Statistics

Appearances and goals

No. Pos Nat Player TotalRegular Season[11] Playoffs[12] U.S. Open Cup[13][14]
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
0 GK United States Josh Pantazelos 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 GK England Ryan Jones 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2 DF Cameroon Yomby William 20 4 18 4 1 0 1 0
3 DF United States Shane Johnson 22 1 19 1 1 0 2 0
4 DF United States Luke Vercollone 27 2 24 2 1 0 2 0
5 MF United States Ryan Heins 26 2 23 2 1 0 2 0
7 FW England Matthew Delicâte 21 5 19 5 1 0 1 0
8 MF Brazil Gerson dos Santos 26 2 23 1 1 0 2 1
9 MF Japan Nozomi Hiroyama 22 1 19 0 1 0 2 1
10 MF United States David Bulow 20 4 19 4 0 0 1 0
11 MF United States Edson Elcock 20 1 18 0 1 1 1 0
14 MF United States Bobby Foglesong 13 0 12 0 0 0 1 0
15 MF United States Chris Agorsor 24 8 21 6 1 0 2 2
16 FW Scotland Ross MacKenzie 4 0 4 0 0 0 0 0
17 FW United States Jason Yeisley 22 2 19 1 1 1 2 0
18 FW China Long Tan 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
19 MF United States Michael Burke 8 0 7 0 1 0 0 0
20 MF Canada Philippe Davies 6 0 6 0 0 0 0 0
21 MF United States Michael Callahan 17 0 16 0 0 0 1 0
22 GK United States Ronnie Pascale 27 0 24 0 1 0 2 0
23 DF Germany Sascha Görres 27 1 24 1 1 0 2 0
24 DF United States Ethan White 6 0 6 0 0 0 0 0
25 DF Uganda Henry Kalungi 19 0 17 0 1 0 1 0
99 MF Zimbabwe Stanley Nyazamba 21 4 19 3 1 0 1 1

Top scorers

Ranking Position Nation Number Name USL Pro U.S. Open Cup Playoffs Total
1 FW United States 15 Christopher Agorsor 6 2 0 8
2 FW England 7 Matthew Delicâte 5 0 0 5
3 DF Cameroon 2 Yomby William 4 0 0 4
MF United States 10 David Bulow 4 0 0 4
MF Zimbabwe 99 Stanley Nyazamba 3 1 0 4
4 DF United States 4 Luke Vercollone 2 0 0 2
MF United States 5 Ryan Heins 2 0 0 2
MF Brazil 8 Gerson dos Santos 1 1 0 2
FW United States 17 Jason Yeisley 1 0 1 2
5 DF United States 3 Shane Johnson 1 0 0 1
MF Japan 9 Nozomi Hiroyama 0 1 0 1
MF United States 11 Edson Elcock 0 0 1 1
DF Germany 23 Sascha Görres 1 0 0 1

Disciplinary record

Position Nation Number Name USL Pro USL Pro Playoffs Open Cup Total (USSF Total)
Red card Red card Red card Red card
TOTALS — — — — — — — —

Transfers

In

No. Pos. Player Transferred From Fee/Notes Date Source
17 FW United States Jason Yeisley United States Pittsburgh Riverhounds Free December 6, 2011 [5]
3 DF United States Shane Johnson United States Longwood Lancers Free March 9, 2012 [15]
15 FW United States Chris Agorsor United States Real Salt Lake Free April 26, 2012 [16]
20 MF Canada Philippe Davies Canada Vancouver Whitecaps Free July 13, 2012 [17]

Out

No. Pos. Player Transferred To Fee/Notes Date Source
12 MF Sierra Leone Shaka Bangura Anagennisi Dherynia Free January 12, 2012 [18]
12 MF United States Jamel Wallace Wilmington Hammerheads Free February 15, 2013 [19]
15 MF Canada Evan Harding Unattached
17 MF United States Dave Hertel Unattached

Loan In

No. Pos. Player Loaned From Start End Source
24 DF United States Ethan White United States D.C. United Loan June 14, 2012 [20]
18 FW China Long Tan United States D.C. United Loan July 13, 2012 [21]

Loan Out

No. Pos. Player Loaned To Start End Source
25 DF Uganda Henry Kalungi Uganda Proline October 3, 2011 February 3, 2012 [22]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Official Match Information: Richmond Kickers 0–3 Orlando City". United Soccer Leagues. USLPro.USLSoccer.com. August 27, 2011. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
  2. ↑ Barnhart, Gerald (July 8, 2011). "2011 US Open Cup: Richmond Kickers are 'The Last Men Standing'". TheCup.us. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
  3. ↑ "Kickers surprise MLS foe in U.S. Open Cup third-round match". Richmond Times–Dispatch. TimesDispatch.com. June 28, 2011. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
  4. ↑ Dorr, Jr., Vic (July 14, 2011). "Kickers show grit in victory". Richmond Times–Dispatch. TimesDispatch.com. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
  5. 1 2 "Kickers Land Yeisley: Former FC Dallas and USL PRO All-League Star Signs with Richmond". RichmondKickers.com. December 6, 2011. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
  6. ↑ "Kickers Pro Tryouts Jan 20–22". RichomondKickers.com. September 30, 2011. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
  7. ↑ "Preseason Schedule Announced: Local Favorites, NCAA Champions and ACC Powerhouse Featured". RichmondKickers.com. January 30, 2012. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
  8. ↑ "Goerres' Late Goal Lifts Kickers". USL Pro. USLSoccer.com. April 14, 2012. Retrieved May 14, 2012.
  9. ↑ "Draw with Richmond keeps Orlando City undefeated". WFTV 9 News. WFTV.com. April 30, 2012. Retrieved May 14, 2012.
  10. ↑ See Rule 2.11 League Regulations
  11. ↑ "Richmond Kickers 2012 Statistics". uslsoccer.com. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
  12. ↑ "Official Match Information Wilmington Hammerheads at Richmond Kickers". uslsoccer.com. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
  13. ↑ LaRoue, Jimmy. "2012 US Open Cup Second Round: Richmond Kickers defeat Aegean Hawks 4-0 to earn rematch with DC United". thecup.us. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
  14. ↑ "KICKERS FALL IN OPEN CUP". richmondkickers.com. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
  15. ↑ "KICKERS BOLSTER DEFENSE". richmondkickers.com. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
  16. ↑ "NEED FOR SPEED". richmondkickers.com. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
  17. ↑ "KICKERS SIGN THREE". richmondkickers.com. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
  18. ↑ "Δεύτερη μετεγγραφική περίοδος / ενημέρωση". http://www.sigmalive.com/. Retrieved 18 February 2013. External link in |publisher= (help)
  19. ↑ "Hammerheads Head to Turkey for Preseason Tour". wilmingtonhammerheads.com. Retrieved 19 February 2013.
  20. ↑ "Ethan White loaned to the Richmond Kickers". dcunited.com. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
  21. ↑ "Trio loaned out for weekend matches". dcunited.com. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
  22. ↑ "Kalungi Goes On Loan To Proline". United Soccer Leagues. USLPro.USLSoccer.com. October 3, 2011. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
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