Kickers Show Their Skills on the Field and On the Screen

We headed to New York Deli on Monday night to play FIFA 09 with some fans. Play N Trade Carytown brought the game, the Kickers brought the players, and a good time was had by all. Pictured above are Kickers pro players Evan Harding and David Bulow with Kickers VP - Communications, Shelley Sowers. Pictured below, David takes on a fan in an intense game of FIFA. The Kickers held their own, while assuring the crowd that they are much better with their feet than they are with the Xbox controllers.

New York Deli will host Kickers fans again on April 18th at a pre-game party for the regular season home opener at UR Stadium. Dig out your Kickers gear for the new season to be eligible for great specials at the Deli on the 18th. The party starts at 5:00, with the pro team kicking off (just a short walk away!) against the Harrisburg City Islanders at 7:00.

Player Watch This Week

Want to get to know the Kickers pro team a little better? Come out to these fun events this week and you can be BFF with Sascha and Evan in no time.

Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K

Saturday, March 28

8AM - 1PM

Catch up with us in Monroe Park after the race.

FIFA 09 Party at New York Deli

Monday, March 30

8PM - 11PM

Play with the Pros in Carytown on Monday night.

USA vs. Trinidad & Tobago Viewing Party

Wednesday, April 1

7PM - 10PM

Watch the game live at Home Team Grill in the Fan.

Kickers Gear Up for 2009 Season

This post was written by Kickers guest blogger and fan, Patrick Wood:

The Kickers walked away with a 2-0 victory over the Lancers of Longwood University Sunday. The team as a whole worked hard for this win and it showed through good communication among the players throughout the match. Goals came from Matthew Delicâte in the 1st half and Ross MacKenzie in the 2nd half. Even with Longwood putting on more pressure in the 2nd half, the Kickers fought on to keep it a clean sheet. Longwood did hit the back of the net once, but it was called back due to an offside call.

This was a good outing for the new players and a few trialists. One of the players who stood out in this match was the recently signed former VCU player, Gerson Dos Santos. He brought a lot of size to the midfield and was a key playmaker in Sunday’s match. It will be interesting to see him evolve in the next couple of preseason games leading up to the home opener exhibition against USL-1 Carolina Railhawks.

Play with the Pros

We're going on a play date and you're invited. The Kickers are teaming up with Play N Trade Carytown, New York Deli, and Brick Weekly magazine on Monday, March 30th. Come out and play at New York Deli in Carytown to enter a FIFA 09 tournament from 8-11 PM. While there, mingle with Kickers staff to get all the information you need for the upcoming pro season. There might be a special appearance by some of your favorite Kickers, and you can also meet some of our new friends from Play N Trade and Brick. So mark your calendar! More details next week.

http://ny-d.com/

http://playntrade.com/richmond2

http://www.brickweekly.com/

Social Marketing rewards...coming soon!

For those of you who frequently read our blog, check our Facebook page, and follow us on Twitter, you are in luck as you may soon be the recipient of coupons, discounts, and giveaways that will distributed exclusively through these sources! Keep your eyes peeled for coupons hidden in links, Facebook contests for free prizes, and Twitter "tweets" about ticket giveaways and promotions. Feel free to pass on the word to other Kickers fans, unless you don't want to share the love and keep everything for yourself! But we'd appreciate you passing on the word...

Have you seen the Kickers bus lately?

While March marks the beginning of the Kickers' preseason, it also marks the beginning of another travel season for the Richmond Kickers sleeper bus. Not only does the big, black bus provide transportation for the Richmond Kickers pro team, W-League team, and US Academy youth teams, but it also transports local college sports teams, other pro sports teams, and other youth sports programs. It even takes area companies and their employees to different events all over the east coast. From mid-February through late November, the Kickers bus will be everywhere from Tampa, Florida to Dayton, Ohio to Massachusetts.

So keep your eyes peeled for our bus, and if you see it, email us at kickers93@gmail.com or post a comment on this blog post and let us know where and when you saw the bus. Our goal is put together a map showing the many different places where people have spotted the bus and where it has been this year. Also, if you, your company, your friends, or your friends' companies are ever interested in using the bus for a trip, give us a call or an email for a free quote and to set up a tour of the bus that takes the Kickers everywhere (except Bermuda, of course).

Pro Pass Perks

The 2009 Pro Passes will be mailed out soon, and they're making us hungry. Hungry for some professional soccer. And hungry for some Ukrop's Hand Tossed Pizza and Arby's roast beef sandwiches. Here is the roundup of Pro Pass Perks for 2009:

• Admission to all Kickers Pro regular season home games


• Ukrop's Hand Tossed Pizza - buy one slice and get a second slice of equal or lesser value free


• Arby's Roast Beef Sandwiches - buy a large fry and regular soft drink and get your roast beef sandwich free


• Play N Trade Carytown- For Youth Pro Passes Only - activate your pass by April 15th to be eligible to win a Sony PSP at the Kickers regular season home opener on April 18th, courtesy of Play N Trade Carytown

Are you hungry yet?

A Heartbreaker to End a Good Season

This post was written by Kickers guest blogger and fan, Patrick Wood:

The Kickers Indoor team took the field again in front of another packed crowd at SCOR on Friday, to reach for the Mid-Atlantic Division Championship. The Kickers couldn’t find the net in the 1st quarter, but sadly the Impact did. Greg Simmonds helped the Kickers by putting them on the board in the 2nd quarter bringing the score to 2-1. Luke Vercollone fired some powerful shots against Impact Keeper Chris Peter, but every one was saved. Andy McIntosh tallied one goal in an effort to keep the Kickers on their feet. To no avail the team was handed a sad 5-3 loss and an end to a great season.

The team did have a number of chances (25 shots in the 2nd half) but none of them seemed to hit their target. The large crowd of fans brought energy to the arena as they cheered on the Kickers to the final whistle. From here we wait out the month until we see the Kickers Pro team open up the USL-2 season in an exhibition against the Carolina Railhawks of USL-1 on April 4 at 7pm at Sports Backers Stadium. This will feel like the longest month ever, but it will be great to see some more great soccer in the Virginia capital!