Richmond Kickers 2013 USL PRO Schedule Released

photo courtesy uslsoccer.com

RICHMOND, VA – (Thursday, January 24, 2013) – The +Richmond Kickers  are pleased to announce the 2013 professional schedule, opening the season against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds on Saturday, April 6 at 7:00 p.m.  The Kickers will call Richmond City Stadium home for the 19^th consecutive season.

“We are looking forward to the season immensely,” commented Leigh Cowlishaw, Richmond Kickers Director of Soccer.  “With 13 teams visiting City Stadium and the added ingredient of MLS Reserves inter-league play, it could prove to be the most competitive and entertaining season in Kickers history.”

Featuring six teams with more than a decade of operational experience, and more than 100 years of combined operational experience, USL PRO will field 13 teams in a single-table format, playing a 26-game schedule as the league embarks on a groundbreaking partnership with MLS that features interleague games versus MLS Reserve teams.  Two new teams have been added to USL PRO in 2013, with the Phoenix FC Wolves and VSI Tampa Bay FC joining the 11 returning teams from 2012.

Eight of the Kickers 14 regular season home games will be played on Saturdays with four matches taking place under the lights on Fridays. The Kickers will host newcomer VSI Tampa Bay FC on Sunday, July 28 with a Wednesday, August 14 match-up against reigning Regular Season Champions Orlando City rounding out the home schedule. The majority of home games will kick off at 7:00 p.m.

Thanks to the new partnership with Major League Soccer, each of the 13 USL PRO teams will compete in two inter-league games against MLS Reserve League opponents.  With the exception of Antigua, which will play both of its games at MLS Reserve teams, USL PRO teams have been paired with a single MLS team to play a home and home series.  All inter-league games will count in both the official USL PRO and MLS Reserve League standings.  The Kickers will play host to the Vancouver Whitecaps Reserves on Saturday, June 22.

The 2013 USL PRO Playoffs will include the top eight finishers in the table, with the quarterfinals (No. 1 vs. No. 8, No. 2 vs. No. 7, etc.) set for the weekend of August 23-25. The semifinals featuring the four remaining teams will be played the following weekend, with the 2013 USL PRO Championship set for the weekend of September 6-8. All playoff rounds feature a single-game knockout format and teams will not be re-seeded following each round.

Established in 1993, the Richmond Kickers have consistently been one of the most successful professional soccer clubs in America.  Over the past 20 seasons, Richmond has qualified for postseason play 18 times, and reached the title match in 2010 for the sixth time in the past nine campaigns, falling just short of the Championship title.  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. 

Tickets

Don't miss a minute of exciting Kickers Pro action as they kick off their 21st season this spring.  Richmond Kickers season passes offer unbeatable value, VIP benefits and incredibly low prices to all regular season home games. Guaranteed to see at least 14 highly competitive USL PRO games for the best possible pricing, Kickers games are a fantastic way to get together with friends, family and colleagues for an unforgettable entertainment experience - order now!

Richmond Kickers 2013 Pro Schedule

DAY	DATE	OPPONENT	TIME	VENUE
Sat	April 6	PITTSBURGH RIVERHOUNDS	7:00 PM	Richmond City Stadium
Sat	April 13	CHARLESTON BATTERY	7:00 PM	Richmond City Stadium
Sat	April 20	ROCHESTER RHINOS	7:00 PM	Richmond City Stadium
Fri	May 3	@ Wilmington Hammerheads	7:30 PM	Legion Stadium
Sat	May 4	CHARLOTTE EAGLES	7:00 PM	Richmond City Stadium
Sat	May 11	ANTIGUA BARRACUDA FC	7:00 PM	Richmond City Stadium
Fri	May 17	LOS ANGELES BLUES	7:00 PM	Richmond City Stadium
Fri	May 24	HARRISBURG CITY ISLANDERS	7:00 PM	Richmond City Stadium
Fri	May 31	PHOENIX FC WOLVES	7:00 PM	Richmond City Stadium
Sat	June 8	WILMINGTON HAMMERHEADS	7:00 PM	Richmond City Stadium
Fri	June 14	ANTIGUA BARRACUDA FC	7:00 PM	Richmond City Stadium
Sat	June 22	VANCOUVER WHITECAPS RESERVES	7:00 PM	Richmond City Stadium
Fri	June 28	@ VSI Tampa Bay FC	7:35 PM	TBD
Sat	June 29	@ Orlando City	7:30 PM	Florida Citrus Bowl
Sat	July 6	@ Dayton Dutch Lions	7:30 PM	Miami Valley South Stadium
Fri	July 12	@ Rochester Rhinos	7:35 PM	Sahlen’s Stadium
Sat	July 13	@ Harrisburg City Islanders	7:00 PM	Skyline Sports Complex
Fri	July 19	@ Phoenix FC Wolves	7:30 PM	Sun Devil Soccer Stadium
Sun	July 21	@ Los Angeles Blues	4:00 PM	Cal State Fullerton Titan Stadium
Tues	July 23	@ Vancouver Whitecaps Reserves	TBD	TBD
Sun	July 28	VSI TAMPA BAY FC	7:00 PM	Richmond City Stadium
Fri	August 2	@ Charlotte Eagles	7:00 PM	Queens University of Charlotte
Sat	August 3	@ Charleston Battery	7:30 PM	Blackbaud Stadium
Sat	August 10	DAYTON DUTCH LIONS	7:00 PM	Richmond City Stadium
Wed	August 14	ORLANDO CITY	7:00 PM	Richmond City Stadium
Sat	August 17	@ Pittsburgh Riverhounds	7:00 PM	Highmark Stadium

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