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.
| 2012 season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owner |  Rob Ukrop | |||
| Head coach |  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 | |||
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
| February 25, 2012 Preseason 1 | Richmond Kickers | 3–0 | James Madison Dukes | Richmond, Virginia |
| 18:30 EDT | Stadium: Ukrop Park |
| March 3, 2012 Preseason 2 | Richmond Kickers | 1–2 | VCU Rams | Richmond, Virginia |
| 19:00 EDT | Stadium: Ukrop Park Attendance: 500 |
| March 11, 2012 Preseason 3 | Richmond Kickers | 7–0 | Richmond Kickers U-18 | Richmond, Virginia |
| 18:00 EDT | Stadium: Ukrop Park |
| March 17, 2012 Preseason 4 | Richmond Kickers | 1–1 | North Carolina Tar Heels | Richmond, Virginia |
| 19:00 EDT | Delicâte  47' | Report | Walters 34' | Stadium: Ukrop Park Attendance: 500 Referee: Mike Andrews |
| Note: 2012 Pro-Am Challenge | ||||
| March 23, 2012 Preseason 5 | Richmond Kickers | 0–0 | William & Mary Tribe | Richmond, Virginia |
| 17:00 EDT | Report | Stadium: Ukrop Park Attendance: 500 |
| March 25, 2012 Preseason 6 | Richmond Kickers | 4–0 | Old Dominion Monarchs | Richmond, Virginia |
| 17:00 EDT | Delicâte 6' Nyazamba 23'Foglesong 54'MacKenzie 58' | Report | Stadium: Ukrop Park Attendance: 450 |
| March 28, 2012 Preseason 7 | Richmond Kickers | 1–0 | Longwood Lancers | Richmond, Virginia |
| 19:00pm EDT | Nyazamba 36' | Stadium: Ukrop Park | ||
| Note: Match abandoned in the 65th minute due to severe weather | ||||
| March 31, 2012 Preseason 8 | Richmond Kickers | 0–2 | Maryland Terrapins | Richmond, Virginia |
| 14:00 EDT | Report | Mullins 67', 76' | Stadium: City Stadium |
USL Pro regular season
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | T | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Orlando City SC (C) | 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 |
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]
(A) Advances to USL Pro Playoffs; (C) Commissioner's Cup (best regular season record)
Match reports
| April 7, 2012 Match 1 | Richmond Kickers | 1–2 | Charleston Battery | Richmond, Virginia |
| 17:00 EDT | Nyazamba 65' Görres  70' | Report | Cuevas 41', 67' Richter 80' | Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 5,009 Referee: Moo Hackett |
| April 14, 2012 Match 2 | Charleston Battery | 1–2 | Richmond Kickers | Charleston, South Carolina |
| 19:30 EDT | Paterson 19' Falvey 61' | Report | Nyazamba 61' 79' Callahan 81'Görres 90' | Stadium: Blackbaud Stadium Attendance: 4,729 (SO) Referee: Sky Arthur Benning |
| April 21, 2012 Match 3 | Richmond Kickers | 0–2 | Orlando City | Richmond, Virginia |
| 17:00 EDT | Callahan 69' | Report | Molino 31' Boden 61'Pulis 89' (pen.) | Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 3,169 Referee: Mark Gorak |
| April 28, 2012 Match 4 | Orlando City | 0–0 | Richmond Kickers | Orlando, Florida |
| 19:30 EDT | Ustruck 75' | Report | Kalungi 49' Bulow 83' | Stadium: Citrus Bowl Attendance: 7,899 Referee: Marcos C. Deoliveira |
| May 5, 2012 Match 5 | Dayton Dutch Lions | 1–1 | Richmond Kickers | Bellbrook, Ohio |
| 19:30 EDT | Bardsley 2' Preciado 29'Bartels 61'Holloway 75'DeGroot 90' | Report | Hiroyama 54' Bulow 90' (pen.) | Stadium: Miami Valley South Stadium Attendance: 1,012 Referee: Andrey Castel |
| May 12, 2012 Match 6 | Richmond Kickers | 2–2 | Harrisburg City Islanders | Richmond, Virginia |
| 19:00 EDT | Delicâte 8' Agorsor 11' 78' | Report | Noone 9' Pelletier 44'Langley 58'Ekra 80'Welker 89' | Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 2,273 Referee: Andrew Chapin |
| May 19, 2012 Match 7 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds | 1–1 | Richmond Kickers | Bridgeville, Pennsylvania |
| 19:00 EDT | Smith 45' Harada 69' | Report | Pascale 31' Delicâte 71'Foglesong 77' | Stadium: Chartiers Valley High School Attendance: 897 Referee: John Douglass |
| May 26, 2012 Match 8 | Richmond Kickers | 3–1 | Wilmington Hammerheads | Richmond, Virginia |
| 19:00 EDT | Bulow 69' Agorsor 90' Agorsor 90' | Report | Budnyy 18' | Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 2,346 Referee: Matt Franz |
| June 1, 2012 Match 9 | Harrisburg City Islanders | 1–1 | Richmond Kickers | Harrisburg, Pennsylvania |
| 19:00 EDT | Brandt 67' Pettis 79'Basso 84' | Report | Johnson 68' 70' | Stadium: Skyline Sports Complex Referee: Michael Piercey |
| June 2, 2012 Match 10 | Rochester Rhinos | 0–1 | Richmond Kickers | Rochester, New York |
| 19:05 EDT | Kirk 13' Cost 61'Fernandez 90' | Report | Vercollone 5' | Stadium: Sahlen's Stadium Attendance: 5,237 Referee: David Mon |
| June 9, 2012 Match 11 | Richmond Kickers | 1–0 | Charlotte Eagles | Richmond, Virginia |
| 19:00 EDT | Bulow 90' | Report | Grousis 90' | Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 2,193 Referee: Mark Gorak |
| June 15, 2012 Match 12 | Wilmington Hammerheads | 2–1 | Richmond Kickers | Wilmington, North Carolina |
| 19:30 EDT | Budnyy 16' Evans 23'Hertzog 29'Cole 38'Nicholson 65' | Report | Agorsor 6' | Stadium: Legion Field Attendance: 3,371 Referee: David McPhun |
| June 16, 2012 Match 13 | Charlotte Eagles | 4–1 | Richmond Kickers | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| 20:00 EDT | Thornton 24' Kabwe 65'Ferrer 86'Meza 90+' | Report | Agorsor 19' Vercollone 81' | Stadium: Charlotte Christian Stadium Attendance: 1,447 Referee: Jordan Shaw |
| June 23, 2012 Match 14 | Richmond Kickers | 2–3 | Rochester Rhinos | Richmond, Virginia |
| 19:00 EDT | Vercollone 8' Callahan 45'Yeisley 81'Pascale 90' | Report | Brito 27' Earls 42'Tanke 59'Hoxie 85'Banks 90'Nicht 90' | Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 2,365 Referee: Shawn Fitch |
| July 3, 2012 Match 15 | Richmond Kickers | 1–0 | Los Angeles Blues | Richmond, Virginia |
| 19:00 EDT | Heins 66' | Report | Russell 60' Miller 79' | Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 1,424 Referee: Charles Carson |
| July 7, 2012 Match 16 | Wilmington Hammerheads | 1–0 | Richmond Kickers | Wilmington, North Carolina |
| 19:30 EDT | Parratt 20' Hertzog 66'Musa 73' | Report | Heins 23' Kalungi 45'  86'Delicâte 73' | Stadium: Legion Field Attendance: 3,909 Referee: Abbes Mansour-Hafifi |
| July 13, 2012 Match 17 | Richmond Kickers | 3–1 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds | Richmond, Virginia |
| 19:00 EDT | William 37' Calvano 45' (o.g.)Delicâte 73' 86' (pen.) | Report | Kassel 56' 90' (pen.) Smith 69'Costanzo 90+2' | Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 1,641 |
| July 21, 2012 Match 18 | Richmond Kickers | 2–0 | Dayton Dutch Lions | Richmond, Virginia |
| 19:00 EDT | Heins 11' Davies 33'Delicâte 90' (pen.) | Report | Williams 48' DeLass 85'Bardsley  90'Jeff DeGroot 90' | Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 1,510 Referee: Jim Sadowski |
| July 27, 2012 Match 19 | Charlotte Eagles | 1–0 | Richmond Kickers | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| 19:00 EDT | Devon Grousis 23' Roberts 52' 80' | Report | Stadium: Charlotte Christian Stadium Attendance: 581 Referee: Matt Jozaitis |
| July 28, 2012 Match 20 | Richmond Kickers | 2–1 | Charlotte Eagles | Richmond, Virginia |
| 19:00 EDT | William 13', 56' Vercollone 42' | Report | Herrera 73' 75' | Stadium: City Stadium Referee: Matthew Franz |
| August 3, 2012 Match 21 | Richmond Kickers | 2–0 | Antigua Barracuda | Richmond, Virginia |
| 19:00 EDT | dos Santos 84' Delicâte 90' | Report | Blakely 32' | Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 1,907 Referee: Jeff Davis |
| August 11, 2012 Match 22 | Richmond Kickers | 2–1 | Harrisburg City Islanders | Richmond, Virginia |
| 19:00 EDT | Nyazamba 13' Agorsor 44'Kalungi 56'Yomby William 78' | Report | Yomby William 15' (o.g.) Welker 86' | Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 2,922 Referee: Bill Dittmar |
| August 17, 2012 Match 23 | Antigua Barracuda | 0–1 | Richmond Kickers | Saint George Parish, Antigua and Barbuda |
| 19:00 EDT | Blakely 47' Christian 71' | Report | Bulow 61' | Stadium: Sir Vivian Richards Stadium Attendance: 400 Referee: Curtis Charles |
| August 19, 2012 Match 24 | Antigua Barracuda | 2–1 | Richmond Kickers | Saint George Parish, Antigua and Barbuda |
| 19:00 EDT | Griffith 1' Burton 38' | Report | Agorsor 90+2' | Stadium: Sir Vivian Richards Stadium Attendance: 381 Referee: Brian Willet |
USL Pro Playoffs
| August 25, 2012 First round | Richmond Kickers | 2–3 | Wilmington Hammerheads | Richmond, Virginia |
| 19:00 EDT | Yeisley 12' Elcock 79' | Report Report | Briggs 57' Chirishian 69'Perry 72'Guzman 90'Parratt 90+3' | Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 1,441 Referee: Charles Carson |
U.S. Open Cup
Richmond Kickers| May 22, 2012 Second round | Aegean Hawks | 0–4 | Richmond Kickers | Boyds, Maryland |
| 19:30 EDT | Agorsor 20' dos Santos 30', 82'Hiroyama 84' | Stadium: Maryland SoccerPlex |
D.C. United| May 29, 2012 Third round | Richmond Kickers | 1–2 (a.e.t.) | D.C. United | Richmond, Virginia |
| 19:00 EDT | Nyazamba 45' (pen.) | Report | Salihi 24' Saragosa 107' Kitchen 111' | Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 5,014 Referee: Kai Goodrich |
Statistics
Appearances and goals
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Regular Season[11] | Playoffs[12] | U.S. Open Cup[13][14] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
| 0 | GK | USA | Josh Pantazelos | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | GK | ENG | Ryan Jones | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | DF |  CMR | Yomby William | 20 | 4 | 18 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | USA | Shane Johnson | 22 | 1 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | USA | Luke Vercollone | 27 | 2 | 24 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 5 | MF | USA | Ryan Heins | 26 | 2 | 23 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 7 | FW | ENG | Matthew Delicâte | 21 | 5 | 19 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 8 | MF |  BRA | Gerson dos Santos | 26 | 2 | 23 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 9 | MF |  JPN | Nozomi Hiroyama | 22 | 1 | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 10 | MF | USA | David Bulow | 20 | 4 | 19 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 11 | MF | USA | Edson Elcock | 20 | 1 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 14 | MF | USA | Bobby Foglesong | 13 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 15 | MF | USA | Chris Agorsor | 24 | 8 | 21 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 16 | FW |  SCO | Ross MacKenzie | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | FW | USA | Jason Yeisley | 22 | 2 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 18 | FW |  CHN | Long Tan | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | MF | USA | Michael Burke | 8 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | MF |  CAN | Philippe Davies | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | MF | USA | Michael Callahan | 17 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 22 | GK | USA | Ronnie Pascale | 27 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 23 | DF |  GER | Sascha Görres | 27 | 1 | 24 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 24 | DF | USA | Ethan White | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | DF |  UGA | Henry Kalungi | 19 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 99 | MF |  ZIM | 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 | | 15 | Christopher Agorsor | 6 | 2 | 0 | 8 |
| 2 | FW | | 7 | Matthew Delicâte | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 3 | DF | | 2 | Yomby William | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| MF | | 10 | David Bulow | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| MF | | 99 | Stanley Nyazamba | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| 4 | DF | | 4 | Luke Vercollone | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| MF | | 5 | Ryan Heins | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| MF | | 8 | Gerson dos Santos | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| FW | | 17 | Jason Yeisley | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| 5 | DF | | 3 | Shane Johnson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| MF | | 9 | Nozomi Hiroyama | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| MF | | 11 | Edson Elcock | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| DF | | 23 | Sascha Görres | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Disciplinary record
| Position | Nation | Number | Name | USL Pro | USL Pro Playoffs | Open Cup | Total (USSF Total) | ||||
| | | | | | | | | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOTALS | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
Transfers
In
| No. | Pos. | Player | Transferred from | Fee/notes | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | FW | Jason Yeisley | Pittsburgh Riverhounds | Free | December 6, 2011 | [5] |
| 3 | DF | Shane Johnson | Longwood Lancers | Free | March 9, 2012 | [15] |
| 15 | FW | Chris Agorsor | Real Salt Lake | Free | April 26, 2012 | [16] |
| 20 | MF | Philippe Davies | Vancouver Whitecaps | Free | July 13, 2012 | [17] |
Out
| No. | Pos. | Player | Transferred to | Fee/notes | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | MF |  Shaka Bangura | Anagennisi Dherynia | Free | January 12, 2012 | [18] |
| 12 | MF | Jamel Wallace | Wilmington Hammerheads | Free | February 15, 2013 | [19] |
| 15 | MF | Evan Harding | Unattached | |||
| 17 | MF | Dave Hertel | Unattached |
Loan in
| No. | Pos. | Player | Loaned from | Start | End | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | DF | Ethan White | D.C. United | Loan | June 14, 2012 | [20] |
| 18 | FW | Long Tan | D.C. United | Loan | July 13, 2012 | [21] |
Loan out
| No. | Pos. | Player | Loaned to | Start | End | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | DF | Henry Kalungi | Proline | October 3, 2011 | February 3, 2012 | [22] |