Focus could hold key to Kickers’ playoff success

The Richmond Kickers intend to play mind games from start to finish in tonight's USL-2 playoff semifinal against the Harrisburg City Islanders.

Focus, concentration and vigilance, say the Kickers, will be essential -- more so, perhaps, than the speed and stamina that both clubs possess in abundance.

"We can't afford to let our guard down -- not even once," said Kickers defender Kenny Cutler. "We can't afford to turn our brains off at any point in the game -- not even for an instant. Do that in the playoffs, and you're asking for trouble."

Playoff soccer, Cutler said, demands an uncommon mental investment from its participants.

"You have to be sharper and quicker -- on defense, especially, because the intensity and level of play is going to increase dramatically," he said. "Every shot, every pass carries an increased level of urgency, and you have to respond with an increased level of alertness and concentration. A mental mistake that leads to one bad goal now, in the playoffs, could mean the end of our season."

Forward David Bulow agreed.

"We've faced [Harrisburg] three times already," winning twice, Bulow said. "We know them, and they know us. I don't think anybody is going to do anything to make [the opponent] say, 'Wow -- who's that guy and where'd he come from?'"

Thus, Bulow said, "the little things . . . the small details" will acquire immense significance. "Slip up once, just once, and that could be it. We could be done. The season could be over. The mental part becomes more important, absolutely, in the playoffs. We have to stay focused and mentally strong -- as individuals and as a group -- for 90 minutes."

Both men said vigilance on set-piece plays -- corner kicks, throw-ins and free kicks -- will be essential because that is where surprises are most likely to occur.

Said Cutler: "We've spent extra time [in training] this week attacking and defending on set-piece plays -- and I'm sure [the City Islanders] have, too."

Tonight's contest offers an intriguing match between the two clubs that seemed most likely to contend for the USL-2 championship when the season began four months ago. Two of the three regular-season meetings were taut. Richmond escaped with a 2-2 home-field tie on opening night when Bulow hit the bull's-eye with a penalty kick in the 50th minute. The Kickers earned a 1-0 victory three weeks ago in Harrisburg when Ben Hunter scored in the 42nd minute.

Sandwiched between those two slices of drama was an aberration: a 5-0 Kickers runaway in a July 2 home match that should be regarded cautiously. Chase Harrison, Harrisburg's No. 1 goalkeeper, did not play that night.

Conventional wisdom suggests that, given the stakes, tonight's contest will be intense, physical and conservative. Yes and no, said Kickers forward Joey Worthen.

"The tone is different in a playoff game because now, all of a sudden, it's do or die," Worthen said. "But more conservative? I'm not so sure about that."

When playing in familiar surroundings and buoyed by a partisan crowd, Worthen said, "you want to be the aggressor. It's tough -- mentally and physically -- to sit back and play defense for 90 minutes. The team that can build some momentum early and maybe put the other team in a hole -- I think that team will be in the driver's seat."

Contact Vic Dorr Jr. at (804) 649-6442 or .