USL Feature
Friday, April 22, 2011
By NICHOLAS MURRAY
Facing four teams that were all expected to challenge for the USL PRO playoffs, if not the championship, in their opening four games, the Richmond Kickers and their re-tooled squad were certainly going to get their mettle tested to start the new season.
With three wins out of three against Orlando City, Pittsburgh and Rochester, and the opportunity to make it four out of four on Saturday against the Charleston Battery, the Kickers have come through that test strongly so far.
And while it’s overstating things to lay the praise for the club’s strong start to the season solely at the feet of forward Matt Delicâte, it’s hard to ignore the Virginia Commonwealth University alum’s contribution to the team’s success. With three goals in three games, including two that proved to be game-winners, the 29-year-old has been as crucial as the Kickers’ stingy defense.
“I’m feeling pretty confident, and I’m feeling like if I get a few chances in a game I’m going to put one away and luckily that’s been the case so far,” Delicâte said by phone. “If the team is creating good chances then we’re going to be scoring goals, so I feel confident that if I get several chances in a game I’m going to stick one away.”
Delicate’s goal on Saturday that gave the Kickers a 1-0 victory against Rochester was also a landmark, his 50th goal for the club. It was another excellent finish as well, a flicked header from a cross from the right that looped into the left corner of the net.
Kickers head coach Leigh Cowlishaw has been pleased with the way his striker has started the season overall, helping bring other players into the attack and using his strength and big frame to hold up play for his teammates, but it’s Delicâte’s ability to be in the right position to find the back of the net that Cowlishaw admires most.
“It’s not that he has exceptional pace, or that he’s the most skillful player on the ball but he’s always in the right place at the right time and it’s hard to replicate,” Cowlishaw said by phone. “A goal a game against this opposition is a fantastic start, and he’s there at the right time when it matters and more times than not his finishing is clinical.”
That knack of finding the open space, or anticipating the pass or rebound before it happens, is a trait found in a lot of great goal-scorers at all levels. According to Delicâte, it’s a combination of both instinct and experience that has allowed him to be as prolific as he has.
“The more experience you have, the more you’ve seen a lot of different plays pan out and you kind of get a feel for where you need to be in order to be in a good position,” he said. “I think at times you can make your own luck. You’ve got to be proactive on the field and try to anticipate where a good spot might be to score a goal.”
Goals might be hard to come by on Saturday as the Kickers face the Charleston Battery’s strong defense in a rematch of last season’s USL Second Division Championship, and Delicate is expecting it will be tough to continue his streak of scoring in each contest this season.
“Obviously they’re going to do a great job of stopping us from creating chances,” Delicâte said. “It’s always a close game and it’s usually decided by a goal. The game might be decided by one good play, one good finish or one good defensive play by the defense or the ‘keeper.
“They’re always tight, defensive games, and that’s when you’ve got to be on it. I might only get one chance in that game, so I’ve got to make sure I make it count and the same goes for any other player on the team.”