Richmond Kickers News Release -- www.richmondkickers.com
Friday, January 13, 2012
RICHMOND, Va. – The Richmond Kickers, alongside the Charleston Battery, are pleased to announce the introduction of the Pioneer Cup, a home and away derby established to commemorate the 20th Anniversary Season of the two clubs. Wearing retro 1993 green and blue adidas uniforms, the Kickers will play host to the Battery for the first leg of the Pioneer Cup on Saturday, April 7 at Richmond City Stadium before swapping home field advantage on Saturday, April 14 at Blackbaud Stadium. The winner of the Pioneer Cup will be determined by the aggregate score of the two-game series.
Rivals since 1993, Richmond and Charleston, along with fellow USL PRO side Charlotte Eagles are the longest, continuously operating professional soccer clubs in the United States. The Kickers first-ever league match against the Battery was on May 1, 1993 at Stoney Field in downtown Charleston. The Battery claimed the 2-1 victory behind goals from Mario Lone and Nigel James, with Richmond’s current head coach Leigh Cowlishaw notching the lone goal for the Kickers.
“I can still recall our first game against the Battery in 1993 and after countless challenges and obstacles, it is a testament to both clubs that twenty years later these two organizations are experiencing unprecedented success on and off the field,” commented Cowlishaw.
“We are looking forward to kicking off our 2012 season against the Battery,” added Cowlishaw. “There is no better feeling than beating them and I know their fans feel same way about beating the Kickers. We are proud to have shared twenty memorable years with the Battery and expect a fiercely competitive set of matches to entertain the fans.”
Since their inception, the Kickers and the Battery have met 43 times over the past 19 seasons, with Charleston narrowly leading the all-time series record with 20 wins, 19 losses and four draws. Most recently, both teams were successful on their home turf in 2011, as the clubs exchanged a 2-1 scoreline early in the season. Despite combining for six league Championship titles (Charleston 1996, 2003, 2010; Richmond 1995, 2006, 2009), the two sides have only met in one high-stakes match, with the Battery stripping the Kickers of the USL Second Division crown in a heated 2-1 affair on August 28, 2010.
Sharing more than just records and tradition, the Kickers and the Battery have seen several players on both sides of the pitch including Marco Ferruzzi, Mike Burke, Scott Cannon, Mac Cozier, Kevin Scott, Mario Lone, Greg Simmonds, Josh Henderson, Kelvin Jones, Luke Vercollone and Anthony Catalano.
Reserve your 2012 Season Passes and celebrate 20 years of professional soccer with the Richmond Kickers. Richmond Kickers season passes offer unbeatable value, VIP benefits and incredibly low prices to all regular season home games. Guaranteed to see 12 highly competitive USL PRO games for the best possible pricing, order a Family Pass ($129), All-Access Pass ($95) Adult Pro Pass ($60) or Youth Pro Pass ($30, ages 3-17). Individual tickets for regular season home games will remain $12/adults and $7/youth ages 3-17 for the fifth consecutive season.