Richmond Kickers is an American professionalsoccer club based inRichmond, Virginia. The Kickers compete as a member ofUSL League One (USL1). The club was established in 1993, and began play that same year as aUnited States Interregional Soccer League (now USL League Two)expansion team, which at the time, was the fourth tier of soccer in the United States.

Richmond Kickers

Full name	Richmond Kickers Soccer Club
Nickname(s)	Roos
Founded	1993; 32 years ago (1993)
Stadium	City Stadium Richmond,Virginia
Capacity	6,000[1]
Owner	22 Holdings, LLC (majority)[2] RKYSC (minority)
Chairman	Robert Ukrop
Head coach	Darren Sawatzky
League	USL League One
2024	USL League One, 8th of 12 Playoffs: Quarter-finals
Website	http://www.richmondkickers.com/
Home colors Away colors Third colors
Current season

The club's majority owner is 22 Holdings, LLC, and its minority owners are Richmond Kickers Youth Soccer Club and theUkrop family, a prominent family from theGreater Richmond Region who founded theUkrop's grocery chain. The company serves as the club's primary uniform sponsor.Darren Sawatzky has been the club's manager since 2019, taking over forDavid Bulow. The club's director of soccer,Leigh Cowlishaw, coached the team from 2000 until 2018, making him one of the longest tenured professional soccer coaches in American soccer history.

The Kickers play their home league matches atCity Stadium, with a reduced capacity of 6,000 seats for most matches.^[3] City Stadium has been the club's primary home since 1995. The club has one primary supporters group: the Red Army, who sit in Section O of the stadium. Richmond has rivalries with fellow Mid-Atlantic and Deep South soccer clubs including theCharleston Battery andGreenville Triumph. The Kickers had an intrastate rivalry with theVirginia Beach Mariners, where the two sides competed for theJames River Cup until the Mariners folded in 2009.

The Kickers played their inaugural match on May 8, 1993, winning 1–0 over the now defunctColumbia Spirit. Richmond has won eight trophies over the course of their history including four regular season titles across the second, third, and fourth divisions, and three playoffs championships across the third and fourth divisions. The club has won theU.S. Open Cup once,winning the domestic cup in 1995. The club earned a berth into the 1996CONCACAF Cup Winners Cup, but ultimately did not play in the tournament.

Today the club is one of the most well-attended USL League One teams, with an average of 3,000 to 4,000 fans per match.^[4]

The team has been known to develop several players who has notable soccer careers. Some notable players who played for the Richmond Kickers include,Derrick Etienne,Dwayne De Rosario, andMatt Turner. Some players who played a majority of their career with Richmond includeMatthew Delicâte,Yomby William,Robert Ukrop, andKevin Jeffrey.

The Richmond Kickers were founded in 1993 and played their inaugural season in theUnited States Interregional Soccer League (USISL), which, at the time, represented the third division of theAmerican soccer pyramid. The team originally played their home matches on the campus of theUniversity of Richmond and targeted players specifically from Virginia.^[5] After a poor season in 1994, the club self-relegated to the newly formed fourth-tierUSISL Premier League, now known as theUSL League Two. During the1995 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-defunctCocoa Expos in the championship. That same season, Richmond won their only,Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup championship. The following year, Richmond chose to rejoin the third division, where they reached theUSISL Select League championship, only to lose to theCalifornia 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 theSeattle 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.^[6] 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.

In September 2005, the club retiredRob Ukrop's #6 jersey. Ukrop played for the inaugural 1993 Kickers and the 1995U.S. Open Cup team, joined theNew England Revolution at the launch ofMajor League Soccer before returning midway through the 1996 season to play out his career in his hometown.

Richmond Kickers have not only experienced league success, but have been perennial contenders in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup tournament. In the2007 U.S. Open Cup, the Kickers defeated theLos Angeles Galaxy of the first division,Major League Soccer, 1–0 in the third round of competition.^[7] The Kickers won their First Round match of the2008 U.S. Open Cup, beating theFredericksburg Gunners of thePDL with a final scoreline of 3–0.^[8] The Kickers won their second-round game over theWestern 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 clubsColumbus Crew andSporting Kansas City to reach the semi-finals, before falling to theChicago Fire.

The Kickers briefly sponsored two developmental teams of their own:Richmond Kickers Future andRichmond Kickers Destiny. Future played in the men'sUSL Premier Development League from 2002 to 2008, while the Destiny played in the women'sUSL W-League from 2004 to 2009. The Kickers entered a multi-year deal to become the USL Pro affiliate ofD.C. United in 2013, and continued that affiliation through 2018.^[9]Loudoun United FC was launched as a fully owned-and-operated affiliate of D.C. United for the 2019USL Championship season, presumably ending the Kickers' affiliation tenure.^[10]

After two losing seasons in the second-divisionUSL Championship, the Kickers announced that they were self-relegating and becoming inaugural members of the new third division league,USL League One.^[11][12] In addition to joining a new league, the Kickers announced that 22 Holdings, LLC, an organization consisting of former Davidson College soccer players and led by former Kickers playerRob Ukrop, had acquired a controlling interest in the team.^[13] The former majority owners, the Richmond Kickers Youth Soccer Club, would continue holding a minority interest in the team and operating as the team's youth organization.^[13]

The Kickers' primary colors are red and white, having been so since the beginning of the 2001 season.^[14] Their kits are manufactured byAdidas, as they have been since at least 2009.^[15][16] In March 2012, the Kickers revealed a new logo designed by branding firm yogg llc 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.^[17] They also have a black kit they have used during the 2013 season.

For the 2022 season, the club released "legacy kits" for the season which included the club's original green color in the home kits. The club used the original 1993 logo in the kits.^[18]

In January 2025, the club released their third logo, featuring an interlocking R and K, as well as alternative logos featuring akangaroo.^[19]

• E. Claiborne Robins Stadium,University of Richmond,Richmond, Virginia (1993–1994)
• City Stadium,Richmond, Virginia (1995–present)

The Kickers' supporters groups sit in section O of City Stadium. The two supporters groups are theRiver City Red Army, which formed in 2010, and theScuffletown Social Club, which formed in 2020.

The James River Cup was an annual competition held between the Richmond Kickers and theVirginia 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 theHampton 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 ongoal difference.^[20]

• 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

As of March 16, 2025^[21]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

• A-League (Second Tier)
  • Regular Season (1): 2001
• USL Second Division/USL Pro/USL League One (Third Tier)
  • Regular Season (4): 2006, 2007, 2013, 2022
  • Playoffs (2): 2006, 2009
• USISL Premier League (Fourth Tier)
  • Playoffs (1): 1995

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

• Participations inCONCACAF Cup Winners Cup:1996

• Bon Secours Cup
  • Winners (2): 2019, 2020
• James River Cup
  • Winners (7): 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005

This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by the Kickers. For the full season-by-season history, see:List of Richmond Kickers seasons.

^ 1.Avg. attendance include statistics from league matches only.
^ 2.Top goalscorer(s) includes all goals scored in league, league playoffs,U.S. Open Cup,CONCACAF Champions League, and other competitive continental matches.

• 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 vsLos Angeles Galaxy 0 (UR Stadium)
• 3/22/08 – Exhibition – Richmond Kickers 3 vs.D.C. United 0 (UR Stadium)
• 7/1/08 - U.S. Open Cup (3rd Rd) -New England Revolution 3 vs. Richmond Kickers 0 (Veteran's 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)^[22]

• 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)^[23]

• Official website 
• Richmond Times Dispatch: Richmond Kickers