Richmond Kickers - 20 Professional Years

Several leagues and hundreds of clubs in American soccer history have called themselves professional.

 For the RICHMOND KICKERS it has actually been 20 years this season.

The 1993 Team posing in their original green shirts.

With a modern record of 77 wins in U.S. Open Cup history, the club has weathered the storm of re-organization, folding franchises and rebranding of their perspective leagues.  

They have played Cup Giant Killers since the onset of Major League Soccer, now two divisions above them.   They are the club that began the modern era by winning the 1995 U.S. Open Cup.

The 1995 National Champions

The Kickers are a club from top to bottom with tremendous local support both with fans and businesses. The Kickers are identified through several levels of youth teams, all wearing their red jerseys worn ever since their cup triumph. 

This year the club celebrated its 20th anniversary by wearing a specially made green shirt tops which reflect the inaugural season.

The Special jerseys made for the 20th Anniversary

David Bulow returned to the Kickers in 201 for his third tour of duty. After scoring against Sporting Kansas City in last year's Open Cup tournament, he became the sole record holder of the most goals in the 99 year competition.

David Bulow in Action

Bulow's 14 tallies surpassed Johnny Menyongar and 100-goal MLS legend Jamie Moreno who are tied at 13 goals each.

The Kickers have been a solid competitor in the American professional ranks but also the stepping stone for top notch players like Dwayne DeRosario and Richie Williams. 

David Bulow's 20th Anniversary Richmond Kickers jersey has been kindly donated to the International Soccer Archives. (Thanks to Shelley Sowers)

On The Brink of Destiny: Orlando City

Since the 1980's Orlando, Florida has been the destination to Disney World - the dream vacation for international travelers. The central Florida area was also a destination for the world's best soccer team as the Citrus Bowl hosted the 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 1996 Olympics and the 1998 MLS All-Star Game.

On a smaller level, Orlando has had incarnations of lesser know clubs flirting with fame. The most successful of these was the USL (formerly USISL) Orlando Lions of the early 1990's. Finishing both the 1992 and 1993 seasons with the best league record, they fell short in the play-offs - then known as the "Sizzling Six". 

(Official Match Program from the 1993 USL Championship - ISA Collection)

The club honed its skills by playing some of the best European clubs money could buy including Bayer Leverkusen which visited in 4 successive years to Florida. The Orlando club featured several collegiate and pro journeymen of American soccer.

(Orlando Lions side that faced Bayer Leverkusen - ISA Collection)

The 1993 Championship, played in Daytona Beach's Municipal Stadium, was won by the Greensboro Dynamo defeating Orlando 2:1. The other play-off finalists were San Jose, Dallas, Atlanta and Los Angeles. Just as they are today, Tampa Bay Rowdies and the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers played in APSL, a level just above Orlando but not withstanding of the USISL's caliber of skill.

(A 1993 USISL Championship jersey monogrammed with the Final - ISA Collection)

Orlando will play for the USL Championship once again. This time they face Harrisburg City on the 3rd of September at the Citrus Bowl. The Citrus Bowl, the venue for so much international soccer, will host the match. About 10,000 fans are expected to see the game live which is on par with the numbers following MLS and surpassing NASL (2nd Division) attendance.

It is no secret that the ambitions of Orlando City is to join Major League Soccer and be showcased at the highest club level in North America and perhaps more.  With Orlando's large Hispanic population, it could very well appeal to MLS's marketing strategy. 

(Orlando Lions 1993 USISL runners up medal - ISA Collection)

Only time will tell if Orlando will reach its destiny at the club level. A win in the final would be a step in the right direction.

I.S.A. Adds Seattle Sounders Record Open Cup Artifacts

The Record Setting Final of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup between the Columbus Crew and Seattle Sounders will be chronicled at the International Soccer Archives. The Seattle Sounders, who won their second consecutive Cup title, drew 31,311 fans and broke the previous mark set in 1929.

The Sounders also became the first professional club to win back-to-back Open Cups since the 1930 - 1931 Fall River Marksmen of the American Soccer League. Seattle Sounders sent a match ticket (above) and the game jersey of Captain Kasey Keller (below).

Keller, who is no stranger to Cup Finals, played in two Finals with Leicester City in 1997 and 1999 and was in the squad of Tottenham Hostspurs in 2002.

Among the ephemera are the original line-up sheets and media packets. These items will go into the collection next to the 1930 U.S. Open Cup medal exhibited in the I.S.A. Collection.

Seattle Sounders finished only their second season in Major League Soccer.

World Cup Fever Grips Bonhams Football Auction

Bonhams Auctions (Chester, England) held their Sporting Memorabilia sale in conjunction with the first week of the 2010 World Cup. It was no surpise with the frenzy the global tournament reaches, that bidding was intense.

As expected, the England based auction company featured items from their finest moment - the 1966 World Cup - which the nation hosted and won. Topping the list was Geoff Hurst's red England shirt. Although it was only his spare, and never worn, it fetched 8,880 Pound Stirling (approximatly 1 Pound = $1.50) or about $13,138.00 US dollars.

Next in line was from the international career of Welsh legend - John Charles. His 1957-58 season winners medal with Italian club Juventus also brought 8,880.00 Pounds ($13,138). 

Former Scottish International and Newcastle United player Jimmy Scoular's career,   World Cup items, including David Beckham, were highlighted along with these medals and jerseys:

- 1966 England World Cup jersey - Ian Callaghan L2,280 ($3,375)

- 1966 West Germany World Cup jersey - Siegfred Held - L2,520 ($3,730)

- 1952 N. Ireland jersey - Danny Blanchflower - L1,740 (2,575)

- 1986 England World Cup jersey - Kenny Sansom - L1,020 ($1,509)

- 1998 England Team jacket - David Beckham - L264 ($391)

- 1955 Newcastle's F.A. Cup medal - J. Scoular - L6,960 ($10,297)

- 1951 Newcastle's F.A. Cup medal - Fairbrother - L6,000 ($8,877)

- 1984 Watford F.A. Cup runner-up medal - Les Taylor - L3,960 ($5,859)

Other artifacts from autographs to game programs filled the catalog including a 1966 hand-signed England World Cup Team photograph - 3,280 Pounds ($4,854), and a 1937 Scottish Cup match program between Celtic and Aberdeen L420  ($622).

Of interest to American soccer history were the USA jersey swapped with Jimmy Scoular in Scotland's 1952 match with United States L816 ($1,208) and the jersey of Ramon Mifflin who appeared for Team USA in the 1976 Bicentennial Cup against England L 720 ($1,066).

Also proving that paper is not pulp - An autographed poster of PELE's Farewell Game from 1977 rang up L744 ($1,102) and a game program from Liverpool's 1964 Tour match vs. the San Francisco Select Team hammered at L 240 ($355).

Bonhams is associated with Bonham & Buttefields of California. They are expected to feature more international sporting memorabilia in the future.

Bornstein's Boots - A Boost for Haiti

Sometimes a kick is just a kick, a smile is just a smile ... but in the case of USA international Jonathan Bornstein - the fundamentals of both worlds apply.

Recently, Bornstein offered up his game-worn soccer shoes to raise money for the American Red Cross and their humanitarian aid to earthquake ravaged Haiti.

The boots he wore (above) while scoring against Costa Rica on October 14, 2009 not only won the match for the USA, but allowed Honduras to also qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

Jonathan kindly autographed the pair of shoes (above) which were sold on ebay, the online auction site. They drew 51 bids and finished with a final price of $1,725 USD - all which will go directly to the Haiti cause.

It is not often that such well publized memorabilia can make it into the hands of the general public. However, this item is well documented and a great addition to any international soccer collection.