COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Matthew Delicate scored in the 85th minute to lift the Richmond Kickers to a startling 2-1 victory over the Columbus Crew of MLS in tonight’s U.S. Open Cup third-round match on the Crew’s home field.
Delicate, the Kickers’ most prolific scorer of 2011, sprawled near the goalmouth to reach a nice crossing pass from teammate Edson Elcock. He headed the ball home.
Richmond capitalized on Columbus’ manpower crisis. The Crew was forced to compete with nine field players after Danny O’Rourke drew a red card – and the mandatory ejection that accompanied it – in the 67th minute.
The Kickers advanced to the Open Cup quarterfinals for the fifth time in franchise history. Richmond will face Sporting Kansas City of MLS at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park on Tuesday, July 12.
Midfielder Nozomi Hiroyama gave Richmond an early 1-0 lead when he connected on a Stanley Nyazamba cross in the 20th minute. Midfielder Cole Grossman scored for Columbus in the 37th minute.
The Kickers will have little time with which to savor tonight's result. Richmond plays three USL PRO matches in the next nine days: at Rochester on Friday, at home against Dayton on July 4 and at home against Charlotte on July 8.
Richmond is tied for second place in USL PRO’s American Division with a 7-3-3 record. The Kickers opened the season with six consecutive victories but have struggled lately. They have won but one of their past seven and have failed to score in their past two USL PRO outings.
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