Kickers Face Wilmington Hammerheads in USL Pro Quarterfinals

Playoff soccer is finally here in Virginia as the Richmond Kickers concluded the 2011 USL PRO regular season as the third seed in the American Division with a 12-7-5 record and 41 points and will travel to Wilmington, NC this Friday, August 19 to face the #2 seed Wilmington Hammerheads (14-7-3, 45 points) in the first round of the playoffs.  Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. on USLLive.com from Legion Stadium.  The winner of Friday’s match-up will advance to the USL PRO Semifinals to face the winner of the #1 seed Orlando City versus #4 seed Charleston Battery match on Saturday, August 27.  

Should both the Kickers and the Battery advance to the Semifinal Round, the Kickers will host the match at Richmond City Stadium on Saturday, August 27.  If they are successful in the Semifinals, the Kickers will host the winner of the National Division in the Championship match, as the league’s third seed overall, on Saturday, September 3. Kickers versus HammerheadsWith a rivalry dating back to the 2006 season, the Kickers hold an all-time series record of 9-3-3 over the Hammerheads. 

The two clubs face off this weekend for the third time in 2011, having most recently met on August 10 in Wilmington when the Kickers handed the Hammerheads a 2-0 decision on their home turf.  Kickers midfielder Ryan Heins notched the eventual game-winner in the 18th minute before forward Matthew Delicâte added an insurance goal 16 minutes from regulation. 

The Kickers staunch defense, led by goalkeeper Ronnie Pascale, posted their second of four shutouts that week to conclude the 2011 regular season schedule. Earlier this season, the American Division rivals met at Richmond City Stadium when the Kickers narrowly edged the Hammerheads 2-1 on May 7. 

Wilmington opened the scoreline in the 3rd minute and held the advantage until Kickers midfielder Gerson dos Santos unleashed an unstoppable low drive past goalkeeper Brock Duckworth to tie the score at one apiece in the 65th minute. 

With the momentum shifting in favor of the home side, it was the Kickers inexhaustible goal-scorer, Delicâte, who pulled through with an 80th minute game-winner. Over the past 19 seasons, Richmond has qualified for postseason play 17 times, and reached the title match in 2010 for the sixth time in the past nine campaigns, falling just short of the Championship title following a 2-1 loss to the Charleston Battery. 

Richmond's seven previous league Championship appearances (1995, 1996, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009) include winning the Premier League title in 1995, a shoot-out loss to Seattle in the USL First Division final in 2005 and taking the USL Second Division crown twice against Charlotte in 2006 and 2009.  

USL PRO PlayoffsThis weekend, the USL PRO playoffs will see eight teams compete in the postseason’s opening round, with the top four teams from each the American Division and National Division squaring off in four single-game Division Semifinals.  

The postseason begins on Friday, August 19, with the National Division champion Rochester Rhinos hosting the #4 seed Pittsburgh Riverhounds at 7:30 p.m. at Sahlen’s Stadium. The Rhinos completed a season sweep of the Riverhounds last Saturday with a 1-0 victory, and have yet to concede a goal against Pittsburgh in 2011, having earned a pair of 3-0 victories earlier in the season.

The other National Division Semifinal will also take place on Friday night as the Harrisburg City Islanders host the #3 seed Los Angeles Blues at the Skyline Sports Complex at 7:30 p.m. The #2 seed City Islanders went undefeated against the Blues during the regular season, taking a win and two draws in their three meetings. 

USL PRO regular season champion Orlando City closes out the divisional semifinals on Saturday night as it hosts the Charleston Battery at the Florida Citrus Bowl at 7:30 p.m. The Lions have won three of the teams’ four meetings this season against the Battery, including a win in the U.S. Open Cup. 

Charleston earned its place in the playoffs last weekend with a 4-3 win against the Charlotte Eagles, and will be hopeful of springing an upset as it tries to earn back-to-back championships. The single-game Division Finals will be played August 26-28, with the 2011 USL PRO Championship, hosted by the highest remaining seed, to be played Saturday, September 3, live on Fox Soccer Channel.