LAST SEASON:
Regular season record: 17-3-8, 2nd place in Eastern Conference; lost to Syracuse in first round of playoffs
Record against active USL-1 teams: 15-3-5 (explanation)
RD's 2004 prediction: 10-8-10, 6th place in Eastern Conference
Richmond had a strong year in 2004, nearly catching Montreal for first place in the East after a 7-0-1 tear in August and September.  In the playoffs, the Kickers managed to come back and tie the aggregate with Syracuse before falling, 5-4, on penalty kicks.  The irony, if you’re a Rhinos fan, is thick and juicy.

 

SEACREST, OUT:
D Clyde Simms (3+0=6) to DC United
M David Testo to Columbus; Second-Team All League; Rookie of the Year
M David Hayes (3+5=11) to Atlanta
Simms

 

BACK IN BLACK:
D Peter Luzak All-League First Team; Defender of the Year runner-up
D Kevin Knight two Teams of Week
M Richie Williams (2+2=6); All-League Second Team
M Joey Worthen (5+2=12); two TOW
F Kevin Jeffrey (8+4=20)
F McColm Cephas (10+4=24); Rookie of the Year runner-up
F Matthew Delicâte (7+6=20)
Worthen

 

FRESH MEAT:
D Paul Williams from Stoke City (England)
F Chris Carrieri from Orange County
M Tom Poltl (8+8=24) from Rochester
Carrieri

 

LOCAL HISTORY:
- Rochester is 8-1-4 against Richmond
- Rochester was 2-0-1 against Richmond in 2004
- Kirk Wilson has two goals and two assists in his last three home matches against Richmond
- In their last three matches in Richmond, Rochester has been outscored 6-2
- On July 23, 2004, Kevin Jeffrey and McColm Cephas combined for four goals and an assist in Richmond’s 4-1 win over Rochester

 

THE LOWDOWN:
Keeping their triptych of dangerous strikers and adding Carrieri should strike fear into the hearts of fans around the league.  Should those four merely match their 2004 numbers, they’ll outscore most teams.  Richmond’s biggest problem will be attempting to replace Testo, Simms and Hayes (the Kickers have added only draft pick Sascha Görres in midfield), but considering most of last year’s goals were assisted by forwards, that might not be as much of an issue as one might think.  Another team a bit long in the tooth, and without too much depth.  Should Richmond stay (relatively) injury-free, they should be a cinch for the post-season.

 

RD's 2005 prediction: 19-4-5; 2nd place and out in second round of playoffs

Back to the 2005 preview