Before Extra Time – Soccer ramblings from RVA

Before Extra Time: soccer ramblings from RVA

Hello, again

This site has been dormant for a long time, a time just after I went to Black and Red United as a contractor to write about D.C. United for almost 10 years. If you look all over Twitter today, you’ll see that SBN is melting down and it looks like a bunch of the MLS blogs are getting axed (as well as their hockey blogs).

Some folks are starting Substacks, some folks are taking their podcasts independent, but I’m going back to where I started: rambling on WordPress in case anyone wants to read it.

I’ll be writing some about D.C. United this year; not game threads or recaps or anything like that, but formations, rumors, off the field intrigue, MLS financials, all those sorts of good things. So, if that seems like something you’d like to follow, here’s where I’ll be.

January 20, 2023
Joseph Haboush signs with Al-Safa SC of the Lebanese Premier League

The Richmond Kickers announced today that rookie midfielder Joseph Haboush has left the team to sign with Al-Safa SC of the Lebanese Premier League. Al-Safa has been the champions of the Lebanese league the past two seasons and Haboush will join them in time to participate in the AFC Cup, which is Asia’s Champions’ League. One of his teammates in Beirut will be Ibrahim Toure, who is the younger brother of Yaya and Kolo Toure.

Haboush was signed in February to be a contender for the central attacking midfielder position and started the first game of the season in that position; however, when Joseph Ngwenya was signed in April, any opportunities for playing time were severely limited. With Nate Robinson now in Finland, Haboush leaving for Lebanon, and an unknown number of changes still to come to the team, it will be a wild offseason for the Kickers. However, it does please me to see Kickers’ alums moving up in the soccer world, which both shows the talents of Leigh Cowlishaw as a coach and the respectability of the Kickers as an overall organization. Best wishes to Haboush in Beirut!

October 18, 2013
Nate Robinson to go on trial with Vaasan Palloseura of the Finnish Veikkausliiga

Richmond Kickers winger Nate Robinson will be going on trial for three weeks with Vaasan Palloseura of the Finnish Veikkausliiga, which is the top division of Finnish soccer. VPS is currently third in this season’s Veikkausliiga, with two games left to play after this international break. Should they stay in third place, they will qualify for the first qualifying round of the 2014-2015 Europa League; this would be an amazing leap for a player who was considering going back to his PDL six months ago. VPS would be a good landing place for Robinson, as the team currently has two Americans who made the jump straight from USL Pro. Karsten Smith played for FC New York in its only USL Pro season and the San Antonio Scorpions in NASL before going to Finland; Jordan Seabrook played for the Harrisburg City Islanders before making the jump to a team in a Swedish regional league and then quickly jumping up to VPS.

It is becoming more and more likely that Robinson’s first season will become his only season in the River City, with D.C. United and the New York Red Bulls also offering trials to Robinson. If Robinson does not make the jump overseas, there will be MLS opportunities for him.

October 13, 2013
Henry Kalungi loan deal to the Carolina Railhawks finally complete

After what seems like an eternity, Henry Kalungi’s loan deal to the Carolina Railhawks is finally complete. There he will join another Richmond Kickers loanee, Mike Callahan, in helping the Railhawks close out their NASL season. This will be Kalugni’s second loan stint with the Railhawks, having played in one game for them at the end of the 2012 season. Hopefully, that experience will allow him to slot right in and get a couple of games worth of playing time.

The Railhawks have stumble at bit in their last few games, now sitting 7 points behind the New York Cosmos in the race for the second spot in the Soccer Bowl with four games remaining. Former Richmond Kickers head coach Colin Clarke, who now coaches the Railhawks, will have a tough time getting his club back near the top; however, they do have a chance against the Cosmos tomorrow night. I am all for rooting against any and all New York based soccer teams, so hopefully the Railhawks can pull off a win and hopefully their Richmond Kickers loanees can help them do so.

October 11, 2013
Matthew Delicate to leave the Richmond Kickers

Richmond Kickers all-time leading goalscorer Matthew Delicate has told the team that he has played his last season in the River City, according to Vic Dorr of the Richmond Times-Dispatch. He anticipates offers from a number of USL Pro teams; failing that, he will retire. Delicate was apparently displeased by the manner in which his contract for this year was negotiated as he came off of a long term injury and feels that the same thing is shaping up to happen this season.

Delicate only became a starter down the stretch for the Kickers, when Michael Seaton was dealing with injury and being recalled to D.C. United, after battling injuries in 2012 as well. In his only quote about the situation, Leigh Cowlishaw mused that other teams can afford to pay higher salaries than Richmond can, and it is in exactly this spot where the Kickers benefited so greatly from the MLS-USL Pro relationship. If the Kickers re-sign Deli at a higher salary and then D.C. United wants to send Michael Seaton (or another striker) down for more experience, the Kickers have wasted their money. Another year of that relationship will allow the Kickers again to get good players for free from MLS and being able to spend that savings to improve the rest of their roster.

It would be strange to see Deli in a different uniform (even though he was with Rochester for three years), but I wish him the best of luck in his post Richmond career.

October 3, 2013
Mike Callahan to join the Carolina Railhawks on loan from the Richmond Kickers

Another day, another Richmond Kickers player on the move. This time it is defensive midfielder Mike Callahan, who is going to North Carolina’s Triangle to join the Carolina Railhawks on loan. There are six games left in the fall season for the Railhawks, in which Callahan can hopefully propel the Railhawks past the New York Cosmos and into the Soccer Bowl against the Atlanta Silverbacks. For those who don’t know, the NASL adopted a split schedule this year, and the Soccer Bowl pits the winner of the spring season against the winner of the fall season.

Mike Callahan is a tenacious defensive midfielder who is best at breaking up play, serving as an outlet for the rest of the players on his team, and playing the short, safe pass to keep possession. This past season with the Kickers has been his best so far, and has been the first season in which Callahan has been healthy the entire time. It is also a homecoming for him, having grown up in Cary, North Carolina. We will keep you updated on Callahan’s progress with the Railhawks.

September 27, 2013
Richmond Kickers’ Nate Robinson to go on trial in Finland

Despite it being the USL Pro offseason, there is never a lack of news in Richmond Kickers land. It come out today that Kickers starlet and USL Pro Rookie of the Year Nate Robinson will be going on trial in Finland, via his twitter page:

By this time next week I will be engulfed by snow in Finland! Peace ‘Merica. #Trials #soccerlife

— Nathan Robinson (@Nate_R7) September 26, 2013

This trial comes after training stints with D.C. United and the New York Red Bulls. In addition, Kickers’ captain Henry Kalungi recently announced that he will be going on loan to the Carolina Railhawks for the rest of their fall season. It is always good to see Kickers players getting chances in other leagues, even if it means that they might not be back to help the Kickers in the following season. I will keep you updated on the progress of these situations, to see if anything happens from them.

September 26, 2013
Kickers offseason roundup, part 1

Welcome to our first installment of the Kickers offseason roundup, where we tell you what has been happening since the season has ended and get you ready for 2013!

The first bit of news from the Kickers offseason is that Shane Johnson, standout centerback, has been resigned to a multi-year deal. On the surface, this seems a little strange to me; Johnson played very well throughout his first season, besides when he was injured, and he could be in line for a move up the ladder in the coming years. Although it is rare, players have made transfers directly from the lower leagues of American soccer to MLS; the more typical route is that an out of contract player gets offered a trial and then signs with an MLS team. For an example, Osvaldo Alonso, currently a fixture of the MLS Best XI team, had his rights purchased by the Seattle Sounders from the Charleston Battery. But playing time is key and Johnson will definitely get playing time in Richmond. In a few years, he may be moving up.

A second bit of news is that the Richmond Kickers will be holding open tryouts in February and March. Unlike MLS, which holds a draft in January, USL Pro (and NASL, for that matter), allow teams to sign whichever players they can get. For the Kickers, these tryouts have produced such notable names as Ronnie Pascale and Clyde Simms. These sessions will take place after the USL Combine, which takes place in Bradenton, Florida, January 24-27.

Finally, a number of key players have retired. As was well expected, Ronnie Pascale has officially retired, having been a mainstay with the Kickers for the past 12 years. In addition, midfielder Nozomi Hiroyama has also announced his retirement. And while it has not been announced, I would expect Mike Burke to return to retirement after having been called back during a shortage of midfielders. That is a lot of experience leaving the team, and we wish them all the best in their furture endeavors.

Keep your eyes open for more offseason USL news, coming next week, which includes expansion and a rumored MLS-USL partnership.

December 29, 2012
Richmond Kickers vs. Dayton Dutch Lions Game Thread

The Richmond Kickers are back in action tonight, and Matthew Delicate has a chance to eclipse Rob Ukrop’s club record for goals scored. Both sit on 63 goals for the club, but unless Ukrop gets in a time machine, it will be Delicate’s record soon. Doing so in front of a home crowd, in a much needed win, would be an appropriate way to pass the club legend (and president). The Dutch Lions are coming off of a 2-0 defeat at the hands of the Wilmington Hammerheads last night, with the Kickers coming off a convincing 3-1 win over the Pittsburgh Riverhounds last weekend.

Every point is important now, and getting 3 of them at home is critical for the rest of the season. The Kickers are in a dogfight now, and they are competing with 5 times for three playoff spots. They haven’t missed the playoffs since 2003 and doing so this year would be a disaster. I know that I keep harping on this, but it is true; this is a team that is used to being at the top of the league. If they can build off of last weekend, however, the team is in a good position for a late season run that cements their place in the playoffs. Here’s hoping, anyways.

Game Time: 7:00pm

Video: As with all Kickers home games, there is no streaming video.

Lineup: With no news about Long Tan or Ethan White so far, I am adjusting the predicted lineup as though neither of them will be available. That gives us something like this

Pascale
Goerres Kalungi Yeisley Johnson
Heins Dos Santos Vercollone Fogelsong
Delicate Agorsor

Prediction: As with last week, nothing less than 3 points is acceptable. 2-0 win for the Kickers, with goals from Delicate (breaking the Kickers all-time scoring record) and Vercollone.

What are you drinking: No drinks tonight, as I am in the press box. However, I have whiskey of some sort or another waiting for me after the game..

As for all game, there will be live blogging after the jump. Feel free to join in!

(more…)

July 21, 2012
Richmond Kickers vs. Dayton Dutch Lions Preview!

After a string of disappointing results and scrappy wins, the Richmond Kickers broke out with a 3-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Riverhounds this past weekend. If they want to continue their streak of consecutive playoff appearances, currently at eight, alive they will have to continue their winning ways against the Dayton Dutch Lions. The Dutch Lions are coming off of a win against the Harrisburg City Islanders but currently sit seven points behind the Kickers for the last playoff spot. As with the game against the Riverhounds, this is one that the Kickers must win if they expect to get to the playoffs. There are five teams battling for three playoff spots who are all within 3 points of each other, which leaves no room for error.

This will be the match where we found out if the offensive explosion mounted against the Riverhounds was a sign of this team turning the corner or if it is just a sign of how poorly the the Riverhounds played in that match. Leigh Cowlishaw’s lineup choices will depend on what players he has available, particularly whether or not the on-loan players from D.C. United will be around for this game. Personally, I think that Long Tan will again be loaned to the Kickers for this match as well as most of the rest of the matches of the year, barring an injury crisis up I-95. Ethan White, however, is a bigger question; D.C. United’s starting right back, Robbie Russell, is injured and likely to be out for at least a month. United have only one true fullback on the bench, Chris Korb, and their emergency right back, Andy Najar, is currently in London with the Honduran Olympic Team. All of that is to say that I would not be surprised if United kept White at least until the Olympics are over.

With that in mind, here are my predictions for the starting lineup this weekend:

Pascale
Johnson Kalungi Yeisley Goerres
Heins dos Santos Vercollone Fogelsong
Tan Agorsor

I know that Long Tan hasn’t been officially re-loaned to the Kickers, but I am thinking he likely will; if not, Matthew Delicate will start in his place. I am also hoping to get a look at Phillippe Davies in this game, especially if what has been said about him is true. Ideally, I would like to see him come in at around the 60th minute for Gerson dos Santos and keep the game from turning into the disjointed slog it was last week after dos Santos left.

As for a prediction? I am going to go with a 2-0 victory of the Dutch Lions, keeping the Kickers on track for a playoff spot. What do you all see?

July 20, 2012