Successful stretch vs. Eagles comes to end

Until Richmond lost to Charlotte 3-0 last Friday, it had been nearly six years since the Eagles had beaten the Kickers. While the two rivals didn't meet in 2004-05 because they played in different leagues, Richmond had gone 10-0-3 vs. the Eagles since 2002.

"I was aware of it, yeah," Richmond coach Leigh Cowlishaw said. "We just seemed to find a way to beat them. At a certain stage, a run like that comes to an end. It's near impossible to continue forever. It was a good stretch. We had a lot of tough games against them, and somehow came out on top.

"Losing the first [meeting] of the season is probably the best one to lose. We have to play them two more times, and hopefully, play them in the final."

The teams meet again May 24, Richmond's next home game, and also June 3 in Charlotte.

The Eagles (2-0, six points) are the early leaders in United Soccer Leagues Second Division, outscoring the opposition 9-0. Former Kicker Dustin Swinehart has five goals and one assist.

"They have a very talented team," Cowlishaw said. "I think they're better, and you combine that with the fact they're on a [larger] field that suits their [attacking] style of play. . . . I expect them to be very strong throughout the season."

Play by Ssejjemba led to penalty kick

Another ex-Kicker, forward Robert Ssejjemba, didn't score for Charlotte but played a role in one of the goals. He was taken down in the box, setting up a penalty kick by Swinehart that made it 2-0 in the 58th minute.

"At the time, I felt we came out strong in the second half and the penalty was against the run of play," Cowlishaw said. "I thought we had been unlucky not to tie it up. From there, we probably could have gone on and won the game. That was pretty much the turning point."

The Kickers (1-1, three points) are back in action Sunday, when they travel to Crystal Palace Baltimore (1-0, three) for a 4 p.m. start.

Kickers get automatic spot in U.S. Open Cup

The Kickers have been awarded an automatic berth in the 2008 U.S. Open Cup by virtue of winning the USL2 regular-season title last season. USL2 playoff champion Harrisburg City Islanders also will be in the field. The first round is set for June 10, with opponents to be determined.

Former Kickers' GM gets Club Soccer post

Former Kickers' vice president and general manager Curt Johnson was named senior vice president of marketing for US Club Soccer this week. Johnson worked with the local franchise from 1997-99 before joining the Kansas City Wizards of Major League Soccer as general manager.

US Club Soccer is a non-profit organization whose mission is to develop competitive club soccer in this country. It has more than 2,300 member clubs and league teams in 48 states. - John Packett