Richmond Kickers' Conor Shanosky delivers in new role

By CHARLIE CORR
charlie.corr@uslsoccer.com

The Richmond Kickers have never been short of leadership among its roster, particularly being a club that qualifies for the USL Cup Playoffs every season.

For defender Conor Shanosky, his leadership role took on a new level as he wore the captain’s armband. In front of a City Stadium-record crowd of 8,021, Shanosky delivered the lone goal during a 1-0 victory against the Harrisburg City Islanders on Saturday.

“Obviously it’s a big honor to wear the captain’s armband – first time in my career, so that was nice,” Shanosky said. “It’s always very special. But I think we’ve got a lot of leaders on the team. We’ve got a good group. It’s about building that and doing better as a group and keep pushing.”

For more, visit USLSoccer.com.

Matthew Delicate: Toast of Richmond

Richmond's Matthew Delicate

Fifteen years ago, forward Matthew Delicate was playing for the Wales U-18 national team and had zero knowledge of Richmond, Va. Fast-forward to the present, and Delicate is the toast of the Richmond Kickers.

It was April of 2000 when Virginia Commonwealth University’s assistant men’s soccer coach Ted Jones, a fellow native of Wales, prompted Delicate’s path to the States. Delicate has been a lethal offensive weapon since, from VCU to the Kickers.

“I actually was just looking at trials at various professional clubs at that point, hoping I would just pick up with a team,” Delicate said. “Then this opportunity to play at VCU came out of the blue. A few months later, I was playing for them with a scholarship. It all happened very quickly.”

It was a path that Delicate never envisioned, but something he clearly has embraced and succeeded in.

“It was never even remotely on the radar,” Delicate said. “I had never heard of Richmond. I never heard of the NCAA or college soccer. The opportunity to come to the States was a big surprise, but it also was a great opportunity.”

For more, visit uslsoccer.com.

Fire reach U.S. Open Cup final

Dominic Oduro -- Getty Images

By Charlie Corr
ESPNChicago.com

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- It was not the smoothest of performances for the Chicago Fire. But the home side did its job on Tuesday in topping the USL Pro's Richmond Kickers, 2-1, in the semifinals of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup at Toyota Park.

"It was a scrappy one, but we got it done," Fire defender Jalil Anibaba said.

Sebastian Grazzini netted a first-half penalty-kick goal and Dominic Oduro tallied a second-half game-winner as Chicago advanced to its sixth Open Cup final appearance. The Fire have won the Open Cup four previous times (1998, 2000, 2003 and 2006) and were the runners-up in 2004.

"Opportunities like this, you can't let them slip away," Fire interim head coach Frank Klopas said. "It was a special moment for the team, for our fans obviously, to put ourselves in this situation now in the final, to have an opportunity to win something. We knew what was at stake.

Read more at ESPNChicago.com.

Fire host Kickers in Open Cup semis

Frank Klopas -- Getty Images

By Charlie Corr
ESPNChicago.com

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- The four-time Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup champion Chicago Fire have touted their best available lineup throughout this year's tournament.

The same cannot be said for some other MLS squads, and you only have to look at the Fire's 4-0 quarterfinal win over a reserve-laden New York Red Bulls side on July 12 to come to that conclusion.

But the semifinal round will not have that type of aura to it as Chicago hosts the USL Pro's Richmond Kickers on Tuesday at Toyota Park (broadcast available at Chicago-Fire.com). Being the only non-MLS team remaining in this year's tournament, the Kickers no doubt will try everything to halt the Fire's deepest run in the Open Cup since their 2006 championship over the Los Angeles Galaxy.

"This is a tournament that we take very seriously," Fire interim head coach Frank Klopas said. "This has been one of our goals from the beginning, to put ourselves in a position to win the U.S. Open Cup. Now we have a great opportunity on Tuesday. We're not going to underestimate anyone."

Read more at ESPNChicago.com.