RICHMOND,
VA – (Thursday, November 1, 2012) – The Richmond Kickers are
pleased to host open tryouts February 1-3, 2013 and March 22-24, 2013 for eligible
college seniors, qualified free agents and talented amateur players that are
seeking a professional contract. A select number of players will be invited to
participate in three days of intense training and scrimmages in front of the
Kickers technical staff at the Kickers state-of-the-art training facility Ukrop Park
in Richmond, Virginia.
Attendance
at the joint player combine is one of the best ways to ensure that a
player’s complete soccer resume and professional evaluation is in front
of key decision makers for the Richmond Kickers. Training sessions will take
place in front of professional coaching staff, led by Kickers Director of
Soccer, Leigh Cowlishaw, who will be
joined by an array of experienced technical staff and former professional
players.
Past
Kickers trials have produced such prominent players as Clyde Simms (New England
Revolution, D.C. United and U.S. Men’s National Team), Ronnie Pascale (Three-time USL-2 Goalkeeper of the
Year), Tim Brown (New Zealand National Team) and Robert Ssejjemba (2006 USL-2
MVP and Ugandan National Team).
“Richmond was the first pro
team that I played for, playing with the caliber guys that they had there at
the time,” commented Simms. “The team was great – the staff
and players were very welcoming and professional. I was able to get a good
amount of playing time there, which was huge for my development and being able
to make it to the next level.”
Discovered
at the Kickers 2004 combine, Simms spent one season in Richmond before being recognized by D.C.
United and the U.S. Men’s National Team. Simms appeared in 31 games for
2,571 minutes with the Kickers and started more games than any other rookie
that season (28). Since then, he made 182 appearances over seven seasons,
posting over 13,000 minutes, in a D.C. United uniform before signing with the
New England Revolution following the 2011 campaign.
Simms
is one of 18 D.C. United players who played with the Kickers over the past two
decades, with the roster of former Kickers players also including 2011 Major
League Soccer MVP Dwayne De Rosario, Mike Burke, Jeff Causey, Ben Crawler,
Brian Kamler, Mike McGinty, Richie Williams, Mark Simpson and Robert Ssejjemba.
Players who have featured with the Kickers on loan include Brian Carroll, John
DiRaimondo, Justin Mapp, Andy Metcalf, Bryan Namoff, Anthony Peters, Long Tan
and Ethan White. In franchise history, 22 players have progressed from the
Richmond Kickers into Major League Soccer.
Interested
players should please submit an application
and $150 registration fee by January 22 or March 12. Space is limited and
applications will be reviewed on a first come, first served basis. Registration
fees are non-refundable. Application fees increase to $175 after the
registration deadline. Attendance at all sessions is required.
