The 2018 Richmond Kickers season was the club's 26th season of existence. It was also the club's 11th season playing in the second tier of American soccer, and their seventh straight season in the United Soccer League, since renamed the

USL Championship The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, pl ...

. The Kickers failed to improve on their 2017 campaign, and saw the team failed to qualify for the playoffs for consecutive seasons for the first time in club history. It was the fourth season in the club's history where they failed to qualify for the postseason. The Kickers finished with six wins, their fewest since 1994, and 24 losses, their most ever. During the season, the Kickers saw their long-time head coach,

Leigh Cowlishaw Leigh Cowlishaw (born 16 December 1970) is an English former footballer and coach. He served as the head coach of the Richmond Kickers from 2000 until 2018. Career Coaching Cowlishaw had been manager of the Kickers since 2000, during which t ...

step down from the post, and

David Bulow David Bulow (February 4, 1980 – May 6, 2021) was an American soccer player and coach. A midfielder, his playing career spanned 14 years and included three stints with the Kickers, as well as stints in Ireland and elsewhere in the United State ...

take up coaching duties for the second half of the 2018 season. On September 11, 2018, the Kickers announced that due to financial issues associated with competing in the main USL, they would self-relegate themselves and become a founding member of

USL League One USL League One (USL1) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that had its inaugural season in 2019. The Division III league is operated by United Soccer League, the same group that operates the Division II USL Championshi ...

, a new third-tier professional league operated by USL's parent company,

United Soccer League United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a Association football, soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues curren ...

(not to be confused with the former name of its top league).

Background

The club is looking to improve off of a historically poor season. During the 2017 campaign, the Kickers finished with an 8–16–8 record, causing them to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2003. The Kickers amassed a club low 25 goals in the 32-match season. The club finished 14th out of 15 teams in the USL's Eastern Conference, and finished 26th in the 30-team league. The Kickers also suffered a second round exit in the U.S. Open Cup, losing to amateur outfit, Christos FC. It was the Kickers' shortest spell in the Open Cup since 2009.

Roster

''As of March 16, 2018.'' #

Transfers

In

Out

Loan in

Non-competitive

Preseason friendlies

Midseason friendlies

Competitive

USL

Table

Results

U.S. Open Cup

Statistics

Appearances and goals

, -

Top scorers

Awards

USL Team of the Week

References

External links

Richmond Kickers Official Website
{{2018 in American soccer Richmond Kickers seasons