Of course, as one who attended the Rhinos inaugural match in 1996, I will forever remain a fan of the (currently) only professional soccer team in New York state, and the team that remains one of the hidden jewels of US Soccer, truly the pride of the Upstate region and minor league soccer.

For anyone interested in following me, I write for the Juventus Offside and occasionally for the Bari Offside, or check me out on Twitter.

-Rhinos defeat Colgate University 3-0 in the last preseason friendly

-Rhinos plan on “Dynamic Attack”

-Get to know new forward Darren Spicer

-Get to know new forward Anthony Hamilton

This new season promises to be a strange one. The management wasn’t the only thing overhauled, though Ercoli, Sedgewick, and Lilley are great changes, I’m not a fan of the others. There are only 3 players from the old team who have been retained- standouts like Johnny Menyongar, Tiger Fitzpatrick, Brett Sancho, Kenney Bertz, etc, have all left. Bertz has moved on to a job in law enforcement, which I don’t fully understand…he was one of the best defenders in the USL-1. Anyways, we say farewell to the old, and welcome to the new!

Welcome back, Frankie!

Sanfilippo will be an important part of our backline this year, as he has plenty of USL-1 experience and will perhaps fill the boots left by Scott Palguta a few years ago. I don’t believe John Ball will be getting a new contract, despite coming off one of his best seasons, so he’ll be an important experienced player back there. Hopefully Kenny Bertz and Brett Sancho will still be around.

In other news, season ticket prices were released, and they are solid. As low as $99 for the full season, there is also a deal for 4 family tickets for $299, in, coincidentally, the opposite side of the stadium from the new fans section. Best of all, it’s $35 for students with a high school or college ID. $35 for season tickets, if you go to 3 games, you’ve broken even! There’s 14 home games, so you’re paying $2.50 a game, cannot beat that. Check out Rhinos.com or call 454-KICK to get your seats.

Saturday, April 10 @ Miami FC TBD
Saturday, April 17 @ Portland 10 pm
Saturday, April 24 @ Austin TBD
Wednesday, April 28 @ NSC Minnesota TBD

Saturday, May 1 vs. Carolina 7 pm
Saturday, May 8 vs. AC St. Louis 7 pm
Wednesday, May 19 vs. Crystal Palace Baltimore 7 pm
Saturday, May 22 @ Vancouver TBD
Saturday, May 29 vs. Vancouver 7:00

Friday, June 4 vs. NSC Minnesota 7:30 pm
Saturday, June 12 vs. Crystal Palace Baltimore 7 pm
Sunday, June 20 @ Montreal TBD
Saturday, June 26 vs. Puerto Rico 7 pm

Saturday, July 3 vs. Montreal 7 pm
Friday, July 9 vs. Austin 7:30 pm
Wednesday, July 14 @ Crystal Palace Baltimore 7 pm
Saturday, July 17 vs. Carolina 7 pm
Thursday, July 22 @ FC Tampa Bay TBD
Saturday, July 24 @ Puerto Rico TBD
Tuesday, July 27 @ Carolina TBD

Wednesday, August 4 vs. Portland TBD
Wednesday, August 11 @ Carolina TBD
Saturday, August 14 vs. Montreal 7 pm
Wednesday, August 18 @ Crystal Palace Baltimore 7 pm
Saturday, August 21 vs. Miami FC 7 pm
Friday, August 27 @ Montreal TBD

Saturday, September 11 vs. FC Tampa Bay 7 pm
Friday, September 17 vs. Miami FC 7:30 pm
Saturday, September 25 @ Miami FC TBD

Saturday, October 3 @ AC St. Louis TBD

As for how the playoffs this season will work, here is the D&C’s explanation. It’s similar to the old USL-1, but a few tweaks.

Eight teams will qualify for the USSF Division II playoffs. The first-placxe teams in each conference will advance to the postseason along with the next six teams, regardless of conference, with the highest point totals. All three rounds of the playoffs will be a two-game home and away series decided by aggregate goals.

Two months until the first game!

I’m finding it impossible to dislike Rob Clark- While some of his earlier decisions were a bit odd, the last year has shown he is a capable manager of the club. He has done all the right things, heavily promoting the Rhinos and pushing to get people out to the stadium. This summer, after a stale last few years under ex-Rhino Darren Tilley, he shook things up. Pat Ercoli is back as a GM, our new coach is a proven, experienced winner, and the latest news is just as exciting.

Ryan called for Rob Clark to appoint an ex-Rhinos as coach, I wasn’t so much in favor of the Guardiola effect, it didn’t seem to go that well with Darren Tilley. It is important, however, to have a legacy of our great side in the management, so joining as an assistant coach the Rhinos announced a few days ago is Billy Sedgewick, our ex-defender/midfielder over a 7-season period, who is currently ranked 3rd in franchise history for starts and games played.

Sedgewick will make it a priority to connect the players to the Rochester community, hopefully taking them out on some garbage plate runs after victory. He started two charity campaigns, Quarters for Cancer and Strides for Shaun, running the LA Marathon in honor of his friend and teammate Shaun Tsakiris when he got testicular cancer.

Sedgewick played for a while under new coach Bob Lilley, and the two hit it off well.

Lilley said Sedgewick contacted Ercoli shortly after Ercoli was hired as GM in October. Then Lilley and Sedgewick talked, but Ercoli left the decision up to Lilley, a veteran of 10 USL seasons as a coach with Hershey, Montreal and Vancouver.

“The more we talked about it, the more it made perfect sense,” Lilley said. “He knows what this organization is all about.”

Lilley said Sedgewick relied on effort and guile as a player, traits he’ll try to impress upon young players, and Sedgewick regularly admitted he had to get by on that because he wasn’t as talented.

“I’m excited,” he said. “I have a great familiarity and the same vision as Bob does and the way he goes about things.”

From the Rhinos Offside, a very warm welcome home to Billy Sedgewick!

I heard rumblings about a league split a few weeks ago, but I didn’t really pay attention because it was only 4-5 clubs, and not the Rhinos. The USL has had teams bouncing in and out of different leagues and divisions constantly, so I figured it was just another case of that. It’s definitely not, it’s bigger, and a question about the future of lower-league soccer in the United States in general.

Essentially, as I said, it breaks down to the future of lower-league soccer. It all started when Nike, who owned the USL, decided to sell off their portion, instead of selling it to the team owners who wanted to control the league like the NFL, they sold it to a company named NuRock Soccer Holdings. It seemed the team owners were pretty upset about this decision, rightfully so, and they brought up some good complaints about the league. I’m not calling for promotion and relegation, though it should exist, but essentially it seems that the team owners want the league to grow, whereas NuRock is planning on keeping steady. This is quite an achievement, over the last 10 years or so (and last 2, especially for the Rhinos) I just wanted the league to remain solvent, to hell with any ambition. But it seems that we’ve outgrown that.

The structure of the old league was good, but it wasn’t really competitive. We had too many teams that moved in and out, and while the old teams, like Vancouver, Montreal, Rochester, and Puerto Rico were omnipresent powers, there was a cycling of teams at the bottom, that generally played poorly and didn’t last long in the leagues. Does anyone remember the Syracuse Salty Dogs, back when there were 2 professional soccer teams in Upstate NY? Yeah. They lasted one season, and went kaput. How about those Cleveland City Stars, who were just awful this season?

The new league, the NASL, seems to be ambitious, one that wants to promote a brand that is not entirely unambitious nor completely under the MLS’s shadow. The group of breakaways have applied earlier this month to FIFA and USSF to be a 2nd-division league within the US, and with more defections (like Rochester) it seems the USL-1 is going to die out, whether it merges with the USL-2 or just ceases to exist. The USL-1 only has 4 teams right now, and NuRock must be wondering what they just invested in.

As it stands, the NASL has 10 teams, plenty to start a new league, and these are quality teams from the USL-1. From the USL-1, there are the Rochester Rhinos, Miami FC, Atlanta Silverbacks, Carolina Railhawks, Minnesota Thunder, Montreal Impact, and Vancouver Whitecaps. Joining us from USL-2 is Crystal Palace Baltimore. St Louis and Tampa Bay are also planning on teams to join the league.

Left in the USL-1 as of now is Cleveland City Stars, Puerto Rico Islanders, Portland Timbers, and Austin Aztex. The Portland Timbers are joining the MLS in two years, so their status is kind of in limbo, but the new league will not miss Cleveland or Austin, relatively new teams that weren’t competitive. I would not be surprised if Puerto Rico made the jump as well, they have a rich tradition of rivalry with other teams in the new NASL. This season, a new team named FC New York formed, with intention to play next season, their status is also unknown. (It’d be nice if the Rhinos weren’t the only professional soccer team in New York state, though it is a point of pride) Like I said, I don’t see that league standing.

What would be interesting is if they managed to get enough expansion teams to keep the USL-1 alive. Is there any other country in the world with two 2nd-division leagues? It’s odd. NuRock holdings has threatened to sue all of the dissenting clubs, though according to the Vancouver Offside, the club names and badges are not in danger.

All in all, I like this. The USL-1 had become somewhat stagnant, and the owners decided that the new ownership of the league was not best suited to their plans, which I think generally coincide with the fans desires. The NASL, assuming everything gets off the ground, should prove to be a more stable, competitive league that is not always in the shadow of the USL-1. Perhaps, it is the foundations of a league that could one day be a viable group for promotion and relegation to the MLS.

First, who is Doug. If you don’t know, then you were living under a rock during the 1990’s. Doug Miller was a special class of striker, making plays that made MLS teams look dumb (hello Open Cup trophy). Doug Miller also currently resides in Rochester, having opened his own youth development team. Because of this, we can safely assume he has some knowledge of how to coach. Now before you all get on me about the whole difference between coaching kids and adults, I’m aware. And I have full faith in Doug that he can handle it. He will come in well respected by the players, and be able to make the difference we need.

Now I made my vote. Let’s hear yours. And with any luck, The Rhinos Management (we all know they read this blog to make critical decisions, because let’s be honest, we’re awesome) will take our suggestions and we will bring some silverware to Rochester this season.

Today in a press conference at the Hyatt in downtown Rochester, owner Rob Clark unveiled former manager Pat Ercoli as the new general manager of the Rochester Rhinos. Ercoli, if somehow you have forgotten, coached the team from 1996-2003, leading us to 3 A-league titles, 2 US Open Cup finals, and of course, the 1999 Open Cup win.

In his last two years at the club, things stagnated and the Rhinos and Ercoli parted ways. We then had Laurie Calloway as coach from 2004-2007, and Darren Tilley from 2008-2009. Neither Calloway or Tilley were able to bring silverware to Rochester, and neither were able to bring back to magic that was the Rhinos of the late 1990s. For the last two years, Matt Ford has been general manager of the team though team performance has been lackluster. Was hiring Darren Tilley the right move? I think we can say now that he did not bring the Rhinos to a higher level of play.

Rob Clark has impressed me in a number of ways, while some of his decisions have been strange, he has worked hard to bring the Rhinos back into the glory days, and I respect that immensely. He has done good work with promotions, stadium upgrades, etc to try and bring the fans back to whatever-our-stadium-is-named-now, all that was lacking on the last season was performance on the pitch. This is a great move to bring Ercoli back.

Ercoli and Clark will continue to look for a new coach for the team.

[From Rhinossoccer.com] (Rochester, NY)… The Rochester Rhinos announced today the organization will not be entering into negotiations with head coach Darren Tilley for a new contract for the 2010 season and beyond.

“We would like to thank coach Tilley for his commitment to the organization over the past two years.” says Rob Clark, Rhinos owner and CEO. “Darren will always be regarded as one of the best players in Rhinos history.”

The club also announced that President/GM Matt Ford’s contract will not be renewed for the 2010 season. Mr. Ford will bte staying on to assist the club in this time of transition.

Rob Clark will be available for comment and questions at (315) 796-5009 or at the Rhinos offices at Marina Auto Stadium.

I’m not surprised by the move, moreso by the timing though. Supposedly Tilley got the news while on the way back from Puerto Rico, while in Atlanta. That is a minus for my for the organization, Rob Clark should have given the team a few days to get over the defeat before enacting changes. And to find out while traveling back with the team…not very classy in my opinion.

That said, I think the move was necessary. As I said in the last post, the Rhinos have the players to win championships, but it’s been muddled for the last few seasons. Some have claimed it was a mistake to fire Laurie Calloway two seasons ago, but I disagree. His time was stagnating as well, and I was not sure he was building towards anything. Tilley had two seasons to do something, but we never played that impressive and frankly, the performances at home in particular were embarrassing. It’s no surprise attendance was down this season, though still 3rd best in the league. GM Matt Ford was also kicked out, though he will stay to help with the transition. I don’t exactly know his role in the team, so I won’t comment on that.

What do I think about Rob Clark? Generally, positively, though he is not without his quirks. This season I witnessed a very competent marketing crew and management do very well with the Rhinos- The food and drink at the stadium was a big improvement, the marketing via a variety of ways (Facebook, Twitter, and traditional media) was smart, and the promotions for the games were excellent. I am sure this was mostly his idea, to try and drive the crowds out to the stadium and other than mediocre attendances, every game I went to, the amenities and promotions were great.

But the performances on the pitch did not follow. It seemed when Rob Clark took over, he wanted to rebuild the team into the glory we were in the late 90s and early 2000s. Part of this was hiring Rochester legend Darren Tilley as coach. Most teams go through waves of form, positive patches, before cooling off and heating up again. The Rhinos were more or less completely mediocre the last two years, and I have no doubt that the relatively poor attendances are largely down to this. For the last 2-3 seasons (including the end of Laurie Calloway) the team has looked bad at home. I’m not asking for champagne football, but when you draw 6 consecutive games 0-0 at home, it’s hard to blame the more casual fans for staying home. Playing at home should be a major advantage, yet we had a better record on the road this season.

Simply put, something had to change. Scotty Vallow said he felt guilty, as the players performances were not up to par, but it’s really not his fault or the players, Tilley failed to get the best out of them. There have been rumors that a significant amount of corporate sponsors or season tickets were on the line, that they were disappointed with the last few seasons and were reconsidering their support, and in that case it makes sense as well.

Here’s to hoping for a better 2010 Rhinos season…perhaps one with a trophy.

And that’s how the season ends, not with a bang, but a whimper.

It was always going to be difficult- Even with our leading scorer, we had extreme difficulties scoring, though 3 goals in an aggregate game is not bad, that was when the defense let up. The defense had been great, keeping plenty of clean sheets all season but the Islanders were just a class above. Grabbing that goal at Rochester Rhinos stadium in the first leg was a major boost for them, a 2-1 score at home is not especially positive to take on the road, much less against an organized team like the Islanders.

[From RhinosSoccer.com...]- For the second year in a row the Rochester Rhinos entered the second leg of a playoff series carrying a lead into their two-game aggregate goals series against the Puerto Rico Islanders.

Rochester took the 2-1 lead with a home win on Thursday night at Marina Auto Stadium. The Islanders began the match shorthanded after losing their best player, defender Cristian Arietta for the game courtesy of a red card ejection on Thursday night.

The Rhinos, on their heels from the start fell behind early as Fabrice Noel gave the Islanders an early one goal lead, tying the aggregate goals series at two goals each. Rochester suffered a huge set back in the 29th minute when Brent Sancho was the recipient of his second yellow card, putting the Rhinos down a man for the remainder of the match. The Islanders nearly made the score 2-1 (3-2) when Petter Villegas drilled the goalpost to the right of goalkeeper Scott Vallow. Puerto Rico did add another goal just a short time later when Nicholas Adderly converted a cross from former Rhino Jonny Steele to give the Islanders a one goal lead on aggregate.

With ten minutes remaining in the match Noel tallied his second goal of the match taking the ball past two defenders and punching it past Vallow to give the Islanders a 4-2 series lead. The Rhinos fought back as defender Kenney Bertz registered his second playoff goal to bring Rochester back to within a goal in the closing minutes.

As time began to wind down and the Rhinos pressing Adderly converted a counter attack opportunity giving Puerto Rico an insurmountable 5-3 aggregate lead in the 90th minute.

For the second year in a row the Rhinos are eliminated from the postseason after taking a lead in aggregate play to Puerto Rico. Rochester finished the season 12-11-10. The club will return home on Monday night.

Sometimes playoff games are aggravating because of poor luck, or poor performance. But this is one of those series where we just have to admit we were not up to the task. Our run-in to the playoffs was underwhelming, the team was having difficulties scoring at home. Darren Tilley has done a decent job with the team, but that’s it, just decent. This team is championship caliber- Scotty Vallow in goal, with two excellent center-backs in Kenny Bertz and Brett Sancho, our fullbacks are quality in Danny Earls and John Ball who had a record year, and Tiger Fitzpatrick is a good midfielder. Our forwards were underwhelming for yet another season, except for team MVP Johnny Menyongar.

For someone who grew up in the Rhinos glory years of 96-2001, the last 5-6 years have been fairly disappointing. The team has remained fairly competitive, but not competitive enough to win titles, and that’s why we play. But that’s football for you, sticking with the team in the good days and the bad, and especially the mediocre.

Upcoming is the offseason- Cold for 6 months, rain and sleet which gives way to snow and ice storms. The Rhinos players will scatter around, some off to the indoor leagues of the MISL, some off to foreign countries to play in leagues there. And we will wait…through all the cold and snow, anticipating that first Spring day where it is sunny yet brisk, when we can return to Rochester Rhinos stadium and watch our beloved team play.