| 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 | |||
The2012Richmond 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 theUSL 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 theWilmington Hammerheads thus ending their postseason ambitions.
Richmond also reached the third round of the2012 U.S. Open Cup, where in extra time, they lost toMajor League Soccer side,D.C. United.
The 2011 campaign marked the Kickers' debut in the newly createdUSL 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 twoMajor League Soccer clubs,Columbus Crew andSporting 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 Kickerswon their lone U.S. Open Cup title.[4]
Off the field, the Kicker organization posted their fourth highest average attendance in club history.
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 localcollege soccer teams.[7]
The Kickers are expected to begin preseason training camp in February.
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'sJose Cuevas, who netted in the 41st and 67th minutes of the match. The Kickers lone goal came fromStanley 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 fromLuke Boden, and an 89th minutepenalty kick fromAnthony 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 theCitrus Bowl inOrlando, Florida.[9]
| February 25, 2012Preseason 1 | Richmond Kickers | 3–0 | James Madison Dukes | Richmond, Virginia |
| 18:30EDT | Stadium:Ukrop Park |
| March 3, 2012Preseason 2 | Richmond Kickers | 1–2 | VCU Rams | Richmond, Virginia |
| 19:00EDT | Stadium:Ukrop Park Attendance: 500 |
| March 11, 2012Preseason 3 | Richmond Kickers | 7–0 | Richmond Kickers U-18 | Richmond, Virginia |
| 18:00EDT | Stadium:Ukrop Park |
| March 17, 2012Preseason 4 | Richmond Kickers | 1–1 | North Carolina Tar Heels | Richmond, Virginia |
| 19:00EDT | Delicâte 47' | Report | Walters 34' | Stadium:Ukrop Park Attendance: 500 Referee: Mike Andrews |
| Note: 2012 Pro-Am Challenge | ||||
| March 23, 2012Preseason 5 | Richmond Kickers | 0–0 | William & Mary Tribe | Richmond, Virginia |
| 17:00EDT | Report | Stadium:Ukrop Park Attendance: 500 |
| March 25, 2012Preseason 6 | Richmond Kickers | 4–0 | Old Dominion Monarchs | Richmond, Virginia |
| 17:00EDT | Delicâte 6' Nyazamba 23'Foglesong 54'MacKenzie 58' | Report | Stadium:Ukrop Park Attendance: 450 |
| March 28, 2012Preseason 7 | Richmond Kickers | 1–0 | Longwood Lancers | Richmond, Virginia |
| 19:00pmEDT | Nyazamba 36' | Stadium:Ukrop Park | ||
| Note: Match abandoned in the 65th minute due to severe weather | ||||
| March 31, 2012Preseason 8 | Richmond Kickers | 0–2 | Maryland Terrapins | Richmond, Virginia |
| 14:00EDT | Report | Mullins 67',76' | Stadium:City Stadium |
| 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 |
| April 7, 2012Match 1 | Richmond Kickers | 1–2 | Charleston Battery | Richmond, Virginia |
| 17:00EDT | Nyazamba 65' Görres  70' | Report | Cuevas 41',67' Richter 80' | Stadium:City Stadium Attendance: 5,009 Referee: Moo Hackett |
| April 14, 2012Match 2 | Charleston Battery | 1–2 | Richmond Kickers | Charleston, South Carolina |
| 19:30EDT | 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, 2012Match 3 | Richmond Kickers | 0–2 | Orlando City | Richmond, Virginia |
| 17:00EDT | Callahan 69' | Report | Molino 31' Boden 61'Pulis 89' (pen.) | Stadium:City Stadium Attendance: 3,169 Referee: Mark Gorak |
| April 28, 2012Match 4 | Orlando City | 0–0 | Richmond Kickers | Orlando, Florida |
| 19:30EDT | Ustruck 75' | Report | Kalungi 49' Bulow 83' | Stadium:Citrus Bowl Attendance: 7,899 Referee: Marcos C. Deoliveira |
| May 5, 2012Match 5 | Dayton Dutch Lions | 1–1 | Richmond Kickers | Bellbrook, Ohio |
| 19:30EDT | 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, 2012Match 6 | Richmond Kickers | 2–2 | Harrisburg City Islanders | Richmond, Virginia |
| 19:00EDT | 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, 2012Match 7 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds | 1–1 | Richmond Kickers | Bridgeville, Pennsylvania |
| 19:00EDT | Smith 45' Harada 69' | Report | Pascale 31' Delicâte 71'Foglesong 77' | Stadium:Chartiers Valley High School Attendance: 897 Referee: John Douglass |
| May 26, 2012Match 8 | Richmond Kickers | 3–1 | Wilmington Hammerheads | Richmond, Virginia |
| 19:00EDT | Bulow 69' Agorsor 90'Agorsor 90' | Report | Budnyy 18' | Stadium:City Stadium Attendance: 2,346 Referee: Matt Franz |
| June 1, 2012Match 9 | Harrisburg City Islanders | 1–1 | Richmond Kickers | Harrisburg, Pennsylvania |
| 19:00EDT | Brandt 67' Pettis 79'Basso 84' | Report | Johnson 68' 70' | Stadium:Skyline Sports Complex Referee: Michael Piercey |
| June 2, 2012Match 10 | Rochester Rhinos | 0–1 | Richmond Kickers | Rochester, New York |
| 19:05EDT | Kirk 13' Cost 61'Fernandez 90' | Report | Vercollone 5' | Stadium:Sahlen's Stadium Attendance: 5,237 Referee: David Mon |
| June 9, 2012Match 11 | Richmond Kickers | 1–0 | Charlotte Eagles | Richmond, Virginia |
| 19:00EDT | Bulow 90' | Report | Grousis 90' | Stadium:City Stadium Attendance: 2,193 Referee: Mark Gorak |
| June 15, 2012Match 12 | Wilmington Hammerheads | 2–1 | Richmond Kickers | Wilmington, North Carolina |
| 19:30EDT | Budnyy 16' Evans 23'Hertzog 29'Cole 38'Nicholson 65' | Report | Agorsor 6' | Stadium:Legion Field Attendance: 3,371 Referee: David McPhun |
| June 16, 2012Match 13 | Charlotte Eagles | 4–1 | Richmond Kickers | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| 20:00EDT | 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, 2012Match 14 | Richmond Kickers | 2–3 | Rochester Rhinos | Richmond, Virginia |
| 19:00EDT | 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, 2012Match 15 | Richmond Kickers | 1–0 | Los Angeles Blues | Richmond, Virginia |
| 19:00EDT | Heins 66' | Report | Russell 60' Miller 79' | Stadium:City Stadium Attendance: 1,424 Referee: Charles Carson |
| July 7, 2012Match 16 | Wilmington Hammerheads | 1–0 | Richmond Kickers | Wilmington, North Carolina |
| 19:30EDT | 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, 2012Match 17 | Richmond Kickers | 3–1 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds | Richmond, Virginia |
| 19:00EDT | 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, 2012Match 18 | Richmond Kickers | 2–0 | Dayton Dutch Lions | Richmond, Virginia |
| 19:00EDT | 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, 2012Match 19 | Charlotte Eagles | 1–0 | Richmond Kickers | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| 19:00EDT | Devon Grousis 23' Roberts 52' 80' | Report | Stadium:Charlotte Christian Stadium Attendance: 581 Referee: Matt Jozaitis |
| July 28, 2012Match 20 | Richmond Kickers | 2–1 | Charlotte Eagles | Richmond, Virginia |
| 19:00EDT | William 13',56' Vercollone 42' | Report | Herrera 73' 75' | Stadium:City Stadium Referee: Matthew Franz |
| August 3, 2012Match 21 | Richmond Kickers | 2–0 | Antigua Barracuda | Richmond, Virginia |
| 19:00EDT | dos Santos 84' Delicâte 90' | Report | Blakely 32' | Stadium:City Stadium Attendance: 1,907 Referee: Jeff Davis |
| August 11, 2012Match 22 | Richmond Kickers | 2–1 | Harrisburg City Islanders | Richmond, Virginia |
| 19:00EDT | 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, 2012Match 23 | Antigua Barracuda | 0–1 | Richmond Kickers | Saint George Parish, Antigua and Barbuda |
| 19:00EDT | Blakely 47' Christian 71' | Report | Bulow 61' | Stadium:Sir Vivian Richards Stadium Attendance: 400 Referee: Curtis Charles |
| August 19, 2012Match 24 | Antigua Barracuda | 2–1 | Richmond Kickers | Saint George Parish, Antigua and Barbuda |
| 19:00EDT | Griffith 1' Burton 38' | Report | Agorsor 90+2' | Stadium:Sir Vivian Richards Stadium Attendance: 381 Referee: Brian Willet |
| August 25, 2012 (2012-08-25)First round | Richmond Kickers | 2–3 | Wilmington Hammerheads | Richmond, Virginia |
| 19:00EDT | 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 |
vRichmond Kickers| May 22, 2012Second round | Aegean Hawks | 0–4 | Richmond Kickers | Boyds, Maryland |
| 19:30EDT | Agorsor 20' dos Santos 30',82'Hiroyama 84' | Stadium:Maryland SoccerPlex |
v
D.C. United| May 29, 2012Third round | Richmond Kickers | 1–2 (a.e.t.) | D.C. United | Richmond, Virginia |
| 19:00EDT | Nyazamba 45' (pen.) | Report | Salihi 24' Saragosa 107'Kitchen 111' | Stadium:City Stadium Attendance: 5,014 Referee: Kai Goodrich |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Position | Nation | Number | Name | USL Pro | USL Pro Playoffs | Open Cup | Total (USSF Total) | ||||
| | | | | | | | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOTALS | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 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] |
| 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 |
| 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] |
| No. | Pos. | Player | Loaned to | Start | End | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | DF | Henry Kalungi | Proline | October 3, 2011 | February 3, 2012 | [22] |
