The 2016 Richmond Kickers season was the club's twenty-fourth season of existence. It is also the Kickers' ninth-consecutive year in the third-tier of American soccer, playing in the United Soccer League for their fifth season.
The Kickers finished the season ranked seventh in the Eastern Conference, and earned a berth into the 2016 USL Playoffs. Richmond lost in their first round match-up to Louisville City.
Non-competitive
Preseason friendlies
| February 28 | Richmond Kickers | 3–1 | Longwood Lancers | Bensley |
| 13:00 EDT | Yeisley  44'Sekyere 63' (pen.)dos Santos 89' |
Keilty 34' |
Stadium: Ukrop Park |
| March 5 | Richmond Kickers | 1–0 | Virginia Cavaliers | Bensley |
| 18:00 EDT | Yeisley 35' |
Summary | Stadium: Ukrop Park |
| March 6 | Richmond Kickers | 0–0 | Navy Midshipmen | Bensley |
| 17:00 EDT | Summary | Stadium: Ukrop Park |
| March 9 | Carolina RailHawks | 0–1 | Richmond Kickers | Cary |
| 11:00 EDT | Pérez  |
Summary | Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park |
| March 16 | Richmond Kickers | 1–2 | Carolina RailHawks | Richmond |
| 19:00 EDT | Yeisley 7' |
Report | Moses 15' Black 80' |
Stadium: City Stadium |
| March 20 | Richmond Kickers | 0–2 | VCU Rams | Richmond |
| 17:00 EDT | Roberts  20'Ownby 62' |
Summary | Herranz 34' 52' Santos 83' |
Stadium: City Stadium |
Midseason friendlies
| July 16 Friendly | Richmond Kickers  | 2–0 |  Swansea City | Richmond |
| 19:00 EDT | Amat 11' (o. g.) Grant 74' |
[1] | Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 7,128 Referee: Patrick Rosas |
Competitive
USL Regular season
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Charlotte Independence | 30 | 14 | 8 | 8 | 48 | 29 | +19 | 50 | Conference Playoffs |
| 6 | Charleston Battery | 30 | 13 | 9 | 8 | 38 | 33 | +5 | 48 | |
| 7 | Richmond Kickers | 30 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 33 | 26 | +7 | 45 | |
| 8 | Orlando City B | 30 | 9 | 8 | 13 | 35 | 49 | −14 | 35 | |
| 9 | Wilmington Hammerheads FC | 30 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 37 | 47 | −10 | 34 |
Source: 2016 USL Standings
Rules for classification: 1) total wins; 2) total goal differential; 3) total goals scored; 4) points earned against top four Conference finishers; 5) disciplinary points; 6) coin toss or drawing of lots
Rules for classification: 1) total wins; 2) total goal differential; 3) total goals scored; 4) points earned against top four Conference finishers; 5) disciplinary points; 6) coin toss or drawing of lots
Matches
| March 26 1 | Richmond Kickers | 3–1 | Harrisburg City Islanders | Richmond |
| 17:00 EDT | Callahan 16' Yeisley 23'Imura 48' |
Report | Barril 51' |
Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 5,355 Referee: Mark Gorak |
| April 1 2 | Wilmington Hammerheads | 0–0 | Richmond Kickers | Wilmington |
| 19:00 EDT | Perone 27' Parratt 69' |
Report | Yeisley 44' Callahan 80'Yomby 85' |
Stadium: Legion Stadium Referee: Neil Barbulescu |
| April 9 3 | Richmond Kickers | 1–0 | Rochester Rhinos | Richmond |
| 17:00 EDT | Imura 61' |
Report | Garzi 73' |
Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 4,990 Referee: Matthew Franz |
| April 17 4 | Bethlehem Steel | 2–1 | Richmond Kickers | Bethlehem |
| 19:00 EDT | Ayuk 21' Jones 46' 79' |
Report | Imura 50' Pittman 53' |
Stadium: Goodman Stadium Attendance: 2,417 Referee: Guido Gonzales |
| April 22 5 | Charlotte Independence | 3–2 | Richmond Kickers | Charlotte |
| 19:00 EDT | Calvert 43' Alajarín 54'Brown 61'Mizell 90'Herrera 90+2' (pen.) |
Report | Jane 20' Sekyere 26'Yeisley 86'Delicâte 89' |
Stadium: Ramblewood Soccer Complex Attendance: 1,239 Referee: David Erbacher |
| April 30 6 | Richmond Kickers | 1–0 | Toronto FC II | Richmond |
| 17:00 EDT | Ownby 9' |
Report | Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 3,655 |
| May 7 7 | Richmond Kickers | 1–0 | Wilmington Hammerheads | Richmond |
| 19:00 EDT | Perone 52' (o.g.) Ownby 54'Asante 90+1' |
Report Box Score |
Fairclough 33' Barnes-Homer 40'Doue 89' |
Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 4,209 Referee: Danielle Cheskey |
| May 11 8 | Toronto FC II | 1–0 | Richmond Kickers | Vaughan |
| 12:00 EDT | Hamilton 39' Bernal 75'Bouchard 82' |
Report Box Score |
Stadium: Ontario Soccer Centre Attendance: 1,222 Referee: Yusri Rudolf |
| May 14 9 | New York Red Bulls II | 1–1 | Richmond Kickers | Harrison |
| 16:00 EDT | Abang 67' |
Report Box Score |
Asante 40' Ownby 90' |
Stadium: Red Bull Arena Attendance: 168 Referee: Jaroslaw Werel |
| May 21 10 | Richmond Kickers | 0–0 | Louisville City | Richmond |
| 19:00 EDT | Report Box Score |
Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 3,411 Referee: Danielle Chesky |
| May 28 11 | Richmond Kickers | 1–2 | FC Montreal | Richmond |
| 19:00 EDT | Ownby 60', 88' Yomby 72'Asante 81' |
Report Box Score |
Riggi 53' Béland-Goyette 58'Tabla 77'Mkungilwa 90'Yoseke 90' |
Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 4,147 Referee: Matthew Kreitzer |
| June 4 12 | FC Cincinnati | 1–1 | Richmond Kickers | Cincinnati |
| 19:00 EDT | Okoli 7', 12' Stevenson 25' |
Report Box Score |
Pittman 61' Lee 68'Roberts 90'Ownby 90' |
Stadium: Nippert Stadium Attendance: 11,278 Referee: Luis Guardia |
| June 11 13 | Richmond Kickers | 3–1 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds | Richmond |
| 17:00 EDT | Murrell 17' (o.g.) Gilstrap 20' (o.g.)Grant 67' |
Report | Hertzog 90' |
Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 4,017 Referee: Jaime Herrera |
| June 18 14 | Charlotte Independence | 1–0 | Richmond Kickers | Charlotte |
| 19:00 EDT | Calvert 30' Martinez 35' |
Report | Callahan 40' Paulini 73' |
Stadium: Ramblewood Soccer Complex Attendance: 1,564 Referee: Marco Vega |
| June 25 15 | Richmond Kickers | 0–0 | Bethlehem Steel | Richmond |
| 19:00 EDT | Troyer 51' Sekyere 60' |
Report | Jones 61' |
Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 3,982 Referee: Matthew Franz |
| July 2 16 | Charleston Battery | 2–0 | Richmond Kickers | Charleston |
| 19:30 EDT | Mueller 29' Cordoves 36'Marini 77' |
Report | Ownby 86' |
Stadium: MUSC Health Stadium Referee: Vincent Apple-Chiarella |
| July 8 17 | Harrisburg City Islanders | 0–3 | Richmond Kickers | Lancaster |
| 19:00 EDT | [2] | Paulini 11' Jane 27'Callahan 75' |
Stadium: Clipper Magazine Stadium Attendance: 1,381 Referee: Christopher Spivey |
| July 14 18 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds | 0–2 | Richmond Kickers | Pittsburgh |
| 19:00 EDT | Earls 16' Campbell 44' |
[3] | Imura 44' (pen.) Jane 67'Jane |
Stadium: Highmark Stadium Attendance: 1,844 |
| July 23 19 | Richmond Kickers | 3–0 | Toronto FC II | Richmond |
| 19:00 EDT | Aguilar 11' Imura 49', 70'Sekyere 59' |
Report | Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 4,179 Referee: Guido Gonzalez Jr. |
| July 30 20 | Richmond Kickers | 2–1 | New York Red Bulls II | Richmond |
| 19:00 EDT | Dykstra 6' Imura 12' (pen.)Eskay 90+3' |
Report | Allen 10' Carroll 13'Abang 65'Metzger 90+1' |
Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 3,113 Referee: Artur Sibiga |
| August 3 21 | Rochester Rhinos | 0–1 | Richmond Kickers | Rochester |
| 19:05 EDT | Kamdem 74' |
Report | Roberts 54' Sekyere 60'Asante 70'Imura 74'Ownby 77' |
Stadium: Sahlen's Stadium Attendance: 4,217 Referee: Charles Murphy |
| August 6 22 | FC Montreal | 1–2 | Richmond Kickers | Montréal |
| 15:00 EDT | Beland-Goyette 45' Riggi 87' |
Report | Eskay 23' Mishu 45'Durkin 60'Luiz Fernando 63'Imura 88' |
Stadium: Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard Attendance: 120 Referee: Chris Grabas |
| August 13 23 | Richmond Kickers | 1–1 | FC Cincinnati | Richmond |
| 19:00 EDT | Jane 63' Callahan 81'Troyer 86' |
Report | Okoli 79' Wiedeman 81' |
Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 3,093 Referee: Jorge Ramierz |
| August 17 24 | Richmond Kickers | Postponed | Charleston Battery | Richmond |
| 19:00 EDT | Stadium: City Stadium | |||
| Note: Match postponed after 20 minutes of play and a 100-minute delay, due to severe weather. | ||||
| August 21 25 | Orlando City B | 1–1 | Richmond Kickers | Melbourne |
| 19:30 EDT | Cox 44' (pen.) Laryea 52' |
Report | Jane 53' Callahan 85' |
Stadium: Titan Soccer Complex Attendance: 642 Referee: Christina Unkel |
| August 27 26 | Richmond Kickers | 1–0 | Orlando City B | Richmond |
| 19:00 EDT | Thomsen 76' |
Report | Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 3914 Referee: Mark Gorak |
| August 31 24 | Richmond Kickers | 1–1 | Charleston Battery | Richmond |
| 19:00 EDT | Grant 50' Jane 88' |
Report | Portillo 28' 69' Williams 45'Griffith 90' |
Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 2647 Referee: JT Alukonis |
| Note: Rescheduled from August 17. Game was replayed in full. | ||||
| September 10 27 | Louisville City FC | 2–0 | Richmond Kickers | Louisville |
| 19:30 EDT | Lancaster 18' (pen.) 89' Craig 45'Rasmussen 55'Smith 90' |
Report | Asante 67' |
Stadium: Louisville Slugger Field Attendance: 7362 Referee: Brandon Artis |
| September 14 28 | Richmond Kickers | 0–0 | Charlotte Independence | Richmond |
| 19:00 EDT | Report | Martinez 42' |
Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 3106 Referee: Matthew Franz |
| September 17 29 | Richmond Kickers | 1–2 | Charleston Battery | Richmond |
| 17:00 EDT | Imura 34' (pen.) |
Report | Ferguson 38' Guerra 50'Prince 62'Williams 71'Chang 86' |
Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 6123 Referee: Gary Gutierrez |
| September 24 30 | Wilmington Hammerheads | 2–0 | Richmond Kickers | Wilmington |
| 19:00 EDT | Barnes-Homer 16' Mecham 64'Moose 71' |
Report | Stadium: Legion Stadium Attendance: 3395 Referee: Patrick Schmidt |
USL Cup
| October 2 1 | Louisville City FC | 2–0 (a.e.t.) | Richmond Kickers | Louisville |
| 19:00 EDT | Davis IV 92' Hoffman 102' |
Report | Asante 5' Lee 18'Yeisley 34'Yomby 40'Troyer 42' |
Stadium: Louisville Slugger Field Attendance: Andrew Musashe Referee: 5467 |
U.S. Open Cup
The Kickers entered the U.S. Open Cup with the rest of the USL, in the second round.
| May 18 Second round | Richmond Kickers  | 4–0 | Charlottesville Alliance FC | Richmond |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Jane 2' 86' Roberts 25' Grant 48' Luiz Fernando 83' |
Report Box Score |
Harrison 53' Clare 61'Davis 88'McCartney 89' |
Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 1,428 Referee: J. T. Alukonis |
| June 1 Third round | Fort Lauderdale Strikers  | 1–1 (a.e.t.) (2–0 p) | Richmond Kickers | Pembroke Pines |
| 11:00 AM EDT | Gonzalez 2' Fernandes 43'Vértiz 97'Giro 109' |
Report | Imura 32' Grant 71'Pittman 106' |
Stadium: Broward College South Campus Soccer Field Referee: Caleb Mendez |
| Penalties | ||||
Victor  Núñez  Santos Moura |
Imura Paulini Yeisley Luiz Fernando |
|||
Transfers
In
| Date | Player | Club | Fee | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 6, 2016 |  Sunny Jane
|
Wilmington Hammerheads
|
Free | [1] |
| February 23, 2016 |  Luiz Fernando Nascimento
|
Corinthians
|
Undisclosed | [2] |
| February 23, 2016 | Romulo Peretta
|
Corinthians
|
Undisclosed | [2] |
| March 8, 2016 | Sawyer Gaffney
|
Richmond Kickers Academy
|
Academy signing | [3] |
| March 14, 2016 |  Lucas Paulini
|
Atlanta Silverbacks
|
Free | [4] |
| March 24, 2016 | Jackson Eskay
|
William & Mary Tribe
|
Free | [5] |
| April 5, 2016 | Travis Pittman
|
Missouri Comets
|
Free | [6] |
Out
| Date | Player | Club | Fee | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 6, 2016 | George Davis IV
|
Louisville City
|
Free | [7] |
Statistics
First team roster
Goals and assists
| No. | Pos. | Name | USL | USL Playoffs | U.S. Open Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goals | Assists | Goals | Assists | Goals | Assists | Goals | Assists | |||
| 14 | MF |  Yudai Imura |
10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 2 |
| 10 | FW | Sunny Jane |
4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| 9 | DF |  Anthony Grant |
3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| 22 | FW | Brian Ownby |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 11 | FW | Luiz Fernando Nascimento |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 8 | DF | Hugh Roberts |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 5 | MF | Michael Callahan |
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 17 | FW | Jason Yeisley |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 15 | MF | Lucas Paulini |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 32 | MF | Scott Thomsen |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 7 | FW |  Matthew Delicâte |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 24 | MF | Jackson Eskay |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 26 | MF |  Miguel Aguilar |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 4 | DF |  Fred Owusu Sekyere |
0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 18 | DF |  Alex Lee |
0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 25 | MF | Travis Pittman |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 28 | MF | Samuel Asante |
0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Disciplinary record
| No. | Pos. | Name | USL | USL Playoffs | U.S. Open Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||
| 5 | MF | Michael Callahan | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| 28 | MF | Samuel Asante | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 |
| 22 | FW | Brian Ownby | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 18 | DF | Alex Lee | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| 4 | DF | Fred Owusu Sekyere | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 25 | MF | Travis Pittman | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 17 | FW | Jason Yeisley | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 31 | DF | Braeden Troyer | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2 | DF | William Yomby | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 10 | FW | Sunny Jane | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 8 | DF | Hugh Roberts | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 9 | DF | Anthony Grant | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 15 | MF | Lucas Paulini | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 24 | MF | Jackson Eskay | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 34 | DF | Luke Mishu | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 37 | MF | Chris Durkin | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 50 | GK | Andrew Dykstra | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
References
- ^ "Kickers sign Sunny Jane". RichmondKickers.com. Archived from the original on January 20, 2016. Retrieved March 27, 2016.
- ^ a b "Kickers sign Brazilian strikers". RichmondKickers.com. Archived from the original on March 26, 2016. Retrieved March 27, 2016.
- ^ "Kickers add Academy goalkeeper". RichmondKickers.com. Archived from the original on April 1, 2016. Retrieved March 27, 2016.
- ^ "Kickers sign Lucas Paulini". RichmondKickers.com. Archived from the original on March 19, 2016. Retrieved March 27, 2016.
- ^ "Jackson Eskay Signs Deal With Richmond Kickers". TribeAthletics.com.
- ^ "RICHMOND 1, ROCHESTER 0". RichmondKickers.com. Archived from the original on April 11, 2016. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
- ^ Litner, Jonathan (January 15, 2016). "Louisville City FC signs former UK player". Louisville Courier-Journal. Courier-Journal.com. USA Today Network. Retrieved March 27, 2016.
