Category Archives: Rochester Rhinos

Rhinos Wait Until the Second Half Against Syracuse University

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The Rochester Rhinos started about as strong a team as head coach Jesse Myers could line up.  Despite 7 players in the starting lineup returning from last season, the team couldn’t get the offense organized during the first half against Syracuse University.  Not to worry, though, as the Rhinos rallied with a couple of two-goal bursts to sink 4 past the Central New York college.

Grading the Rhinos’ Starters:
Between the pipes, second-year German goalkeeper Kristian Nicht provided leadership from the back.  Throughout the game you could hear Nicht calmly dishing out advice and reminders to his defense in addition to looking sharp when he was called into action.

Troy Roberts looked like Troy Roberts on Friday afternoon.  What can I say about Roberts that we don’t already know?  He looks fully fit and ready to carry the Rhinos into another successful season.

Unfortunately George Kyriazis seemed to struggle once or twice against Syracuse.  The Orange’s number 10, Tony Asante, fooled the Greek veteran on a couple of occasions and won a dangerous free kick outside the area off him.  Kyriazis didn’t have his best day at the office and was subbed off at halftime.

Lucas Fernandez began last year behind Quavas Kirk in the pecking order, but with the former u-17 US international gone, Fernandez started on Friday.  The Argentine right back was active throughout the first half but was often not on the same page as the players around him or he tried to do too much going forward instead of passing the ball on.

Disclaimer: Tyler Polak and Chris Estridge look very similar and are both natural left backs.
With that said, I’m pretty sure it was the younger Polak (on loan from the NE Revs) who started the match against Syracuse.  The 20 year old full back played well and looked to fit in well at a position that the Rhinos struggled to fill all of last season.

There was a lot to like about the Rhinos midfield on Friday.

Michael Tanke started in defensive midfield and put in the necessary work in that role.  Despite his vertical disadvantage in aerial challenges, Tanke is the type of player coaches love; one who never gives up on a play or his team.  That grit showed through on a couple occasions even though the match was a preseason friendly.

Partnering Tanke in the center of midfield was recent signing Lance “Sunshine” Rozeboom.  Rozeboom’s duties on the field were unclear in the opening sequences of the game.  Last year midfielder Tyler Rosenlund seemed to run into deep forward Tam McManus but Rozeboom grew into his box-to-box support role as the game went on.

Yet again, the men on the flanks for the Rhinos will earn a lot of fans this season.

Irish midfielder Danny Earls started the game on the left wing but had a somewhat quiet first half.  Earls swapped sides with 22 year old winger Gabe Latigue.

Latigue is another player on loan from the Revolution and impressed me more than any other player on the Rhinos against Syracuse.  Within the first ten minutes of the game, Latigue was gesturing to his teammates to calm down on the ball and maintain their composure faced with a very quick team from CNY.

Returning forward Tam McManus was frustrated much of the game on Friday.  It was a familiar sight for Rhinos’ fans who saw McManus not live up to his pedigree in 2012.  For all the skill and promise his CV suggested, Tam finished the season with only 1 goal and 2 assists in 21 games last season.  Perhaps with improved players on the field around him, McManus will realize his potential.

One such player is former Orlando City striker Matt Luzunaris.  Luzunaris was more than just a big body for the Rhinos; he ran down long balls and was able to connect quick passes with his teammates.  Hopefully Luzunaris will convert strong performances into goals during the regular season.

Rhinos’ First Two Goals:
Latigue created two goals in quick succession from the left wing in the second half.  He played a ball through the air to McManus, who took the ball off his chest with his back to goal.  The Scottish veteran forward then laid the ball off to midfielder Rozeboom on a silver platter and the former D.C. United man curled his shot into the far post with his right instep for 1-0.

Not more than a few minutes later, Latigue played a cross from the left channel to find McManus at the far post.  Tam made no mistake with his head from close range and put the Rhinos up 2-0.

Bevvy of Rochester Substitutions:
Around 20 minutes into the second half, Jesse Myers made a slew of substitutions for the Rhinos.  Bilal Duckett replaced Lucas Fernandez.  Matt Horth came on for Tam McManus.  Kristian Nicht gave the gloves over to Brandon Miller.  Michael Tanke made way for Josh Faga.  Matt Luzunaris came off for Kendell McFayden.  Lance Rozeboom subbed off for Chris Estridge.  Because of the changes, Tyler Polak moved to left midfield as Estridge took over as left back and Gabe Latigue shifted to the right wing as Danny Earls operated centrally.

The game slowed down half-way through the second period but the Rhinos controlled possession.  Shortly after, Gabe Latigue made his way for the bench (to a well-deserved standing ovation from myself and my girlfriend despite the cold) and Kendell McFayden played on the right side.  A player, I have no idea who he was, came into the match and played the withdrawn forward role.

Rochester Seals the Victory:
Syracuse central defender Brandon Albert was called for a handball late in the game.  Danny Earls stepped up and executed a cute chipped shot to the left side as goalkeeper Alex Bono dove the other way.

During a ten minute spurt, Kendell McFayden was very active coming inside from the right wing.  He had two shots from range; one was miles wide and one was just inches over the crossbar.  In the dying seconds of the match, Kendell brought down a long ball near the sideline and beat the Syracuse left back to draw a foul.  Danny Earls stood over the deadball as Rochester players backed the box despite holding a 3-0 advantage.

Earls played a drifting ball into the area from the free kick.  As the service was coming down between the penalty spot and the six-yard box, Tyler Polak redirected the flight of the ball past a hapless Bono to underline the Rhinos dominance in the second half.

General Notes on the Match:
As I mentioned above, Gabe Latigue was the best player on the field for me.  He was active both physically and verbally.  The winger clearly demonstrated how and when to take his chances and rarely turned the ball over, valuable for a young player.  Though it pains me to see J.C. Banks sitting idly on the bench recovering from his ACL injury, Latigue can go a long way towards filling his shoes in the first part of the season.

Bilal Duckett also impressed me playing right back in the second half.  Duckett looked good playing for a mediocre Harrisburg side last year and has the ability to play well for the Rhinos defense on loan from the Revs.

Another impressive young player lined up for the opposition on Friday.  Syracuse attacking midfield maestro Stefan Stamoulacatos popped up in a number of positions for the Orange and always looked dangerous with the ball at his foot.  Even though his free kicks didn’t inspire rave reviews, it was clear to see why this dynamic player his earned multiple call-ups to US youth national team camps with goalkeeper Alex Bono.

First Look at the Rhinos Affiliation Deal with New England Revs

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On Tuesday, March 26, both the Rochester Rhinos and New England Revolution announced the loan of four players to the USL-Pro side.  The four players loaned to the Rhinos for the 2013 season are Tyler Polak, Gabe Latigue, Matt Horth, and Bilal Duckett.  Below I’ll introduce those players and then examine where these transactions place the Rhinos.

Tyler Polak is a former US youth international who started all four matches for the Stars and Stripes in the 2009 u-17 World Cup in Nigeria.  Polak left college after only two years and the Revs drafted him early in the second round as a Generation Adidas player (an initiative for rising underclassmen).  At just 20 years of age, Polak is the youngest player on the Rhinos squad heading into the 2013 season.  The young left back certainly comes to the team with some great international experience but his age likely means he’ll have a learning curve before lining up in the physical USL-Pro.

Gabe Latigue is a midfielder from Elon University who the Revs selected in the 2013 Supplemental Draft.  The Revs blog over at SBNation (The Bent Musket) had this to say about Latigue when the team signed him on March 1: 

After entering camp in competition with six other unsigned rookies, Latigue managed to distinguish himself from the pack with his speed, ball skills, and drive to succeed. He also played well in preseason, where his set-piece talents were most on display.

Matt Horth is a 23 year old forward who spent the last two seasons playing with the Atlanta Silverbacks of the North American Soccer League.  Despite the team holding a quite abysmal record Horth was a consistent goal scorer, notching 18 goals in 49 games (better than one every three).  Horth is a proven forward in the second division who will definitely improve the Rhinos strike rate in 2013.

Bilal Duckett is the fourth player loaned from the Revs for the upcoming season.  If that name seems somewhat familiar to you, you may remember he played for the Harrisburg City Islanders last year and put in strong performances against the Rhinos.  After impressing the Revs enough during trials to earn a contract, apparently Duckett is seen as a reserve player or a project for the future.  As he showed last season in USL-Pro, Duckett can play across the back four and could see minutes at any position in defense.

Each of these four players should fit in well with the pace and skill of the Rhinos.  Polak is a promising young defender, Latigue is a hard-working midfielder, Horth has proven himself at a comparable (if not higher) level as a goal-scorer, and Duckett excelled in this league last year on a weaker team.  Rhinos head coach Jesse Myers personally evaluated the fringe players on the Revs and negotiated which of the players made available by Jay Heaps would work in Rochester.

I’m not arguing that all of these players should start for the Rhinos from Day 1, but I would say that the Rhinos got four players of equal or greater skill to what Myers could find as free agents.  Oh yeah, and these players are free for Rochester.

This is the first in a series of evaluations of the Rhinos loan affiliation partnership with the Revs I will do this season.  At this point (granted, before they have even played a pre-season match with the team), the deal seems to be working in the Rhinos favor.  I have confidence in the abilities that these four players bring to Rochester and they should free up resources for the team to pursue other capable players.  If the Rhinos weren’t already at the top of most preseason projections, the team certainly is now.

Comparing USL-Pro and NASL Schedules from 2012 and 2013

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On January 10, NASL released their 2013 Spring Regular Season schedule.  The schedule is a balanced format in which each of the 7 teams play each other team twice, once at home and once away.  A team will play each team once before playing any team a second time.  There will be three matches a week with one team having a bye each weekend.  The last matchday will be the Fourth of July, a Thursday, and FC Edmonton will have a bye that day.

2012′s NASL schedule was also a balanced format with each team playing the other 7 teams 4 times during the regular season (as was 2011′s).

Division III USL-Pro’s 2012 schedule was notably messier by comparison.  Each team played 24 matches, 12 at home and 12 away, but the placement of those matches raised a few eyebrows.

As an example, the Rochester Rhinos played 5 of their first 6 games on the road and then finished the season with 5 straight at home with 8 out of the last 10 games in Rochester.  The Rhinos started their season with two games against LA Blues on successive weekends.  After that the team had to play back-to-back nights in different cities twice (meaning they played in Charlotte Friday and then in Charleston the next night, and then in Harrisburg before playing in Dayton the following night).

A closer look at USL-Pro’s 2012 schedule:
Rochester had two instances of matches on back-to-back nights [May 11&12, May 25&26], and two instances of two games in three nights [June 15&17, July 12&14]

Richmond had three instances of games on back-to-back nights [Jun 1&2, June 15&16, July 27&28] and one instance of two games in three nights [Aug 17&19 (at Antigua)].

Dayton had three instances of back-to-back games [May 18&19, July 20&21, Aug 17&18] and two instances of two games in three nights [Jun 15&17 (at LA), July 18&20], which means Dayton had a game on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday of the same week all in different cities. Continue reading →

Is there a Correlation between Scheduling and Results in USL-Pro?

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One of the setbacks of minor league soccer is the cost of travel and lodging for road games.  I understand that sometimes teams and leagues have to make the financial decision to play games on consecutive nights or two games in three nights on the road in order to reduce the overall cost.  Each team in USL-Pro in 2012 played 12 games on the road, so each team experienced both of the scenarios above.  I set out to see if there was any connection between a congested schedule and the final standings in the league, and more specifically if the results of matches could be attributed to no rest or training before playing.

Rochester had two instances of matches on back-to-back nights [May 11&12, May 25&26], and two instances of two games in three nights [June 15&17, July 12&14]

Richmond had three instances of games on back-to-back nights [Jun 1&2, June 15&16, July 27&28] and one instance of two games in three nights [Aug 17&19 (at Antigua)].

Dayton had three instances of back-to-back games [May 18&19, July 20&21, Aug 17&18] and two instances of two games in three nights [Jun 15&17 (at LA), July 18&20], which means Dayton had a game on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday of the same week all in different cities.

Charlotte had five instances of back-to-back matches [May 4&5, July 6&7, July 27&28, Aug 10&11, Aug 18&19], though one was due to a rescheduled match against Wilmington, and one instance of two games in three nights [Apr 26&28 (at Antigua]

Pittsburgh had three instances of games on back-to-back nights [Apr 27&28, July 13&14
July 20&21], and three instances of two games in three nights [Apr 6&8 (at Antigua), May 16&18, July 4&6]

Orlando had one instance of games on back-to-back nights [June 29&30], and four instances of two games in three nights [May 11&13 (at Antigua), July 6&8 (at LA), July 25&27, Aug 1&3]

Charleston two instances of back-to-back matches [July 6&7, Aug 3&4] and two instances of two games in three nights [May 31&June 2, June 29&July 1].

Harrisburg had three instances of back-to-back games [Apr 20&21, Jun 22&23, July 6&7] and two instances of two games in three days [July 18&20, Aug 17&19 (at LA)].  In addition Harrisburg played 6 straight games at home 7 out of 8.

Wilmington had four instances of back-to-back matches [June 8&9, June 22&23, Aug 3&4, Aug 18&19], thought one was due to a rescheduled match with Charlotte, and three instances of two games in three nights, one of which was three games in five nights [May 2&4&6, July 12&14]

Los Angeles had two instances of back-to-back games [May 11&12, July 27&28], and eight instances of two games in three nights [May 4&6 (at home), May 24&26, June 15&17 (at home), June 28&30, July 6&8 (at home), July 12&14 (in FL vs Antigua), Aug 9&11 (at home), Aug 17&19 (at home)]

Antigua has one instance of back-to-back games [Aug 3&4], and ten instances of two games in three days [Apr 6&8 (at home), Apr 26&28 (at home), May 2&4, May 11&13 (at home), June 15&17, June 29&July 1 (at home), July 12&14 (as home team in FL), July 27&29, Aug 9&11 (at LA), Aug 17&19 (at home)].  Only two games all season were not a part of this grueling pattern.

 

Back-to-back games are worse for fitness, fatigue, proneness to injury and so on.  Therefore if we devise a point-based ranking system to judge which teams had harder schedules, back-to-back games count more heavily than two-in-three.

If back-to-back games counts for 2 and two-in-three counts for 1:
Antigua 12
Los Angeles 12
Wilmington 11
Charlotte 11
Pittsburgh 9
Dayton 8
Harrisburg 8
Richmond 7
Orlando 6
Charleston 6
Rochester 6

If back-to-back counts for 3 and two-in-three counts for 2:
Antigua 23
LA 22
Wilmington 18
Charlotte 17
Pittsburgh 15
Dayton 13
Harrisburg 13
Richmond 11
Orlando 11
Charleston 10
Rochester 10

If back-to-back counts for 5 and two-in-three counts for 3:
Antigua 35
LA 34
Wilmington 29
Charlotte 28
Pittsburgh 24
Dayton 21
Harrisburg 21
Richmond 18
Orlando 17
Charleston 16
Rochester 16

These three tallying systems give us the same ranking.  Antigua had the hardest schedule in terms of travel and congestion, and the Caribbean team also finished the season with the worst record.

Here is the final standings in USL-Pro from the 2012 season with point totals for each team:
Antigua 16
Pittsburgh 17
Dayton 22
LA 30
Charlotte 36
Harrisburg 37 Made the playoffs
Wilmington 37
Richmond 38
Charleston 38
Rochester 41
Orlando 57

The four teams with the easiest schedules are also the top four teams from the end of the season standings.  The top five teams in terms of scheduling are five of the six teams that made the USL-Pro playoffs in 2012.

In addition to the team with the worst schedule being the team with the worst record, five of the six teams with the worst schedules were the five teams that didn’t make the playoffs.

I’m not arguing causation, but there is definitely a correlation for teams between poorly devised schedules and poor results at the end of the season.  There isn’t a clear trend across the board with regard to dropping points from the second of two congested matches, but several teams had lower points per game for those matches than their season averages.  Who knows how to quantify the long term damage over the course of a season from niggling injuries and fitness problems caused by scheduling games on consecutive nights or playing two games in a weekend?

Schedule congestion is something fans and players alike have griped about for years but that they will have to live with into the foreseeable future.  The financial realities of minor league soccer mean that USL-Pro teams will once again have to battle the schedule as well as their opponents during the regular season.

2013 Rochester Rhinos Schedule

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A day after the announcement of integration with MLS Reserve League, USL-Pro released the schedule for 2013.  The schedule is a lot like 2012′s but with 26 games instead of 24.  Each USL-Pro team will play a home-and-home series with a MLS reserve team.  Rochester will also play 14 games at home and only 12 on the road because Antigua Barracuda FC will play all of its games on the road.

Sat Apr 13 7:30 PM ET Rochester at VSI Tampa Bay
Sun Apr 14 7:30 PM ET Rochester at Orlando
Fri Apr 19 7:00 PM ET Rochester at Charlotte
Sat Apr 20 7:00 PM ET Rochester at Richmond
Sat Apr 27 7:00 PM ET Rochester at Harrisburg
Sat May 4 7:05 PM ET Harrisburg at Rochester
Fri May 10 7:30 PM ET Rochester at Wilmington
Sat May 18 7:05 PM ET Orlando at Rochester
Sat May 25 7:30 PM ET Rochester at Charleston
Fri May 31 7:35 PM ET Los Angeles at Rochester
Sat Jun 1 7:00 PM ET Rochester at Pittsburgh
Fri Jun 7 7:35 PM ET Montreal (MLS) at Rochester
Fri Jun 14 7:35 PM ET VSI Tampa Bay at Rochester
Sun Jun 16 4:05 PM ET Charleston at Rochester
Fri Jun 21 7:35 PM ET Antigua at Rochester
Sat Jun 29 7:05 PM ET Phoenix at Rochester
Thu Jul 4 7:00 PM ET Rochester at Dayton
Sat Jul 6 7:05 PM ET Charlotte at Rochester
Fri Jul 12 7:35 PM ET Richmond at Rochester
Fri Jul 19 7:35 PM ET Wilmington at Rochester
Sun Jul 21 TBD Rochester at Montreal (MLS)
Sun Jul 28 4:05 PM ET Antigua at Rochester
Fri Aug 2 7:35 PM ET Dayton at Rochester
Fri Aug 9 7:35 PM ET Pittsburgh at Rochester
Fri Aug 16 10:30 PM ET Rochester at Phoenix
Sat Aug 17 11:00 PM ET Rochester at Los Angeles

Rochester starts the season with two back-to-back games in Florida, against VSI Tampa Bay on Saturday April 13 and Orlando City on Sunday April 14.  The following weekend the back-to-back road games against Charlotte on Friday April 19 and Richmond on Saturday April 20.  Rochester doesn’t play at home until their sixth game on May 4.

The Rhinos have another back-to-back at home to Los Angeles Friday May 31 before traveling to Pittsburgh on Saturday June 1.  Rochester plays two games in three days on three occasions.  First at home against VSI Tampa Bay and Charleston (Friday June 14 and Sunday June 16), then in Dayton before hosting Charlotte (Thursday July 4 and Saturday July 6), and finally at home against Wilmington and away to Montreal Reserves (Friday July 19 and Sunday July 21).

Rochester closes out the season with back-to-back games out West.  The Rhinos play Phoenix on Friday August 16 and then travel to play Los Angeles on Saturday August 17.

Looking Forward to 2013 with the Rhinos

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Perhaps I was too upset after Rochester’s semifinal exit on penalties at the hands of Charleston or just too occupied by my fall semester in college; I never wrote a full review of the Rhinos’ 2012 season.

Here is a brief summary of what I should have said at the end of August followed by some news for the upcoming campaign.

J.C. Banks had an amazing season and was set to train with an MLS club before suffering a frustrating ACL injury.  Danny Earls was similarly effective when playing on the wings.  Kristian Nicht was a beast of a goalkeeper for the Rhinos and routinely made acrobatic saves throughout the season.  Central defense was another strong position for the Rhinos when a healthy George Kyriazis partnered captain Troy Roberts.  Lucas Fernandez grew into his role at right back but the left side of defense was up for grabs the whole season.  Central midfield and forward were similarly open doors in 2012.  The coaches failed to find a suitable partner for Tyler Rosenlund in the center of the field and Tam McManus could not combine consistently with any of the four other forwards who played for the team.  Kendell McFayden was somewhat of a raw talent when the Rhinos signed him from FC Buffalo but he looks set to continue his development in 2013.

The Rhinos will be joined in USL-Pro by two expansion sides for the upcoming season so their travels could include trips to both Phoenix FC and VSI Tampa Bay in 2013.  We’ll soon find out whether or not Rochester has to fly to Phoenix, Los Angeles, or Antigua this year.  The schedule for 2012′s season was released on Wednesday, January 11 last year and 2011′s on Friday, January 14 of that year, so we can expect this year’s fixture list should be released in the next week.

Roster News for 2013
Fans will be pleased to know the spine of the team will remain in Rochester for the summer of 2013.  Kristian Nicht, Troy Roberts, Danny Earls, Tyler Rosenlund, Tam McManus, and Kendell McFayden are all returning to Sahlen’s Stadium.

The team has exercised the option on all available players and have reached a new contract with defender Tyler Bellamy, which means the current off-season roster is the following:

Goalkeepers:
Kristian Nicht, native of Germany, who had a breakout year with the Rhinos and whose strong performances in goal earned him USL-Pro Goalkeeper of the Year in 2012
Brandon Miller, a rookie backup from UNC Wilmington.

Defenders:
Troy Roberts, team captain who has almost become the face of the franchise in the back over the last three seasons.
Lucas Fernandez, the Argentine born right back who developed into a starter in 2012.
Kyle Manscuk, a Rochester native son (and Tottenham fan) who also plays for the indoor team Rochester Lancers.
Tyler Bellamy, the 24 year old New Jersey native who has played at left back and center back for the team since 2010.

Midfielders:
Tyler Rosenlund, the 2011 MVP draws praise from coaches for his work ethic and his 76 starts in three seasons show how crucial he has been to the team’s success over the years.
Danny Earls, the left footed winger from Ireland was arguably the best performing Rhino of the 2012 season scoring praise from home fans as well as the USL national office.

Forwards:
Tam McManus, while the 5’7″ Scotsman didn’t score as many goals as the coaches, fans, or player himself may have wanted in 2012, he put in enough effort off the ball to earn a couple first team all-league votes from other coaches.
Kendell McFayden, the speedy forward is a bit of a favorite of mine. I had the mixed pleasure of seeing him play for FC Buffalo before he was signed by the Rhinos, in a match against AFC Cleveland in which he played both sweeper and central forward in a front 3.  The Buffalo native grew from his utility role (as the best player on the field) at Buffalo to a more tactically aware striker with Rochester.

A source close to the organization has also told me there are 3 or 4 outside signings for the team awaiting league and federation approval.  This claim is corroborated by USL’s Communication Director on Twitter, who says the Rhinos have already come to terms with two exciting attacking players.

Rochester Championship Memory Lane
If this news isn’t enough to hold you Rhinos’ faithful over until the season starts in April, take a stroll down memory lane.  The team’s organization has posted a poll on their Facebook page asking fans to choose their favorite Rhinos’ Championship Season.  The options are the 1998 A-League Title, 1999′s historic U.S. Open Cup victory, and the 2000 and 2001 A-League Championships.

1998 saw the Rhinos set an attendance record for the A-League, drawing 11,498 fans per game, while scoring 72 goals and allowing just 15, both a league best that season.  Rochester’s 23 wins from 28 games earned them an astounding 70 points en route to the Championship win over Minnesota.  The Rhinos boasted the Goalkeeper, Coach, and Defender of the Year in Pat Onstad, Pat Ercoli, and Scott Schweitzer respectively.  The team also grabbed 5 of the 11 spots in the First Team All-League with Darren Tilley, Yari Allnutt, and Craig Demmin joining Onstad and Schweitzer.

What can I say about the 1999 U.S. Open Cup run that hasn’t already been said?  The Rhinos remain the only team outside MLS to hoist the trophy since the inception of that league.  In the process Rochester defeated three MLS teams, another feat that has yet to been replicated by any non-MLS team.

The 2000 season saw the emergence of Scott Vallow as the league’s best goalkeeper.  He was joined in the First Team All-League by Scott Schweitzer, Craig Demmin, and Yuri Allnutt.  Rochester eased to a 3-1 victory against Minnesota in the championship match in front of 14,276 at Frontier Field after a difficult playoff run.

Scott Schweitzer and Stoian Mladenov earned First Team All-League honors in 2001 as the Rhinos won their third A-League title.  Rochester was able to claim the championship despite losing Yari Allnutt, Craig Demmin, and Onandi Lowe to MLS transfers.  The Rhinos beat the Hershey Wildcats 2-0 in the final to hoist their last league title until 2010, ending one of the most impressive runs in American club soccer history.

David Litterer’s archive site was used as a reference for historical information in this post.

Make sure you vote for your favorite championship season on http://www.facebook.com/rochesterrhinos and stay tuned to Rhinos news and analysis on this blog.

The Rumors of MLS-USL Collaboration

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Jason Davis of NASN.tv reported today that USL (United Soccer Leagues) and MLS (Major League Soccer) have reached an agreement over creating a viable third division of soccer in the U.S. that would double as the reserve league for MLS clubs.

The details as understood are:

1. If an MLS city has a USLPRO team nearby, MLS will provide 5 players and pay their salary.

2. If there’s no USLPRO team, the MLS reserve side will become a new, permanent team in USLPRO.

3. All USLPRO teams will have an MLS affiliate.

I have a few initial thoughts on this arrangement but I’ll reserve full judgment until the details pan out.

Pros:

  • This would obviously mean more teams in USL-Pro which could lead to geographic scheduling system in which teams play a bulk of their games against teams in relative proximity (ie: Rochester playing New England, Montreal, New York, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Dayton).
  • USL-Pro becomes an established cornerstone of the MLS system, thereby reducing the chances the league would fold if some teams become insolvent.
  • This system would provide the game minutes and competitive atmosphere for the meaningful development of young players.  There have been several notable success stories for players loaned from MLS to USL-Pro, first among them Bright Dike.
  • There could be an interest around the league to see the next young stars of MLS.  This affect could be doubled if more MLS sides sign youth national team players like Luis Gil and Mobi Fehr.  For clubs struggling to establish themselves, this could be a draw to stabilize attendances.

Cons:

  • USL-Pro loses some prestige despite ensuring its continued survival.  USL’s Professional Division might not be strictly professional anymore.  And certainly if the league is the equivalent of a reserve division, they must stop using the quote “USL PRO is the strongest, best operated and most experienced North American men’s professional soccer league below MLS, both on and off the field.”
  • USL-Pro will become a development league instead of a place for experienced professional players.  Think about the Rhinos: Would Krystian Nicht or George Kyriazis want to come to the United States to play in a glorified reserve league?  The former MLS players who play in USL and NASL have been some of (if not a majority of) the most exciting players on the field; though there are certainly exceptions.
  • Similarly, teams who have professional ambitions may want to leave USL-Pro for NASL.  USL teams (or fans) without clear links to an MLS club may not be too interested in merely borrowing young players from MLS for a year at a time.
  • Many MLS teams use their reserve league team to tryout potential signings in their system.  It wouldn’t be possible in a professionalized league for a team to use an unregistered player in matches.

Questions/Concerns/Complications:

  • Recent changes to the NCAA rules with regard to players being paid (which made it possible for some USL-Premier Development League teams to play their players) would not cover all of the features of the reserve league.  For example, the rule change allowed teams who didn’t pay their players to play against teams who did.  The players on an amateur PDL team (which didn’t pay salaries) would maintain their NCAA eligibility despite playing against professional PDL teams in the same division.  However, this change does not mean that (to the best of my knowledge) a single team could pay some players and not pay college aged players hoping to keep their eligibility.  So for rising academy products like Rochester’s Jordan Allen playing with the Real Salt Lake academy team in Arizona, they might have to choose between maintaining the option of NCAA ball or going professional early to play on the reserve side.
  • How close is “nearby”?  Harrisburg City Islanders and Philadelphia Union (about two hours apart) have an affiliation deal in which four Union players were loaned to the USL side in 2012.  Columbus has loaned a player to Dayton Dutch Lions, about an hour away.  But on the other side, Portland Timbers loaned forward Bright Dike to L.A. Blues who were the closest USL club despite a distance of 1000 miles.
  • How are teams paired up?  The release by Davis said that every USL team will an MLS affiliate.  There are 19 MLS clubs and only 13 in USL-Pro, including one in Antigua and Barbuda.  If Antigua Barracuda FC is included in this deal, it will be interesting to see which MLS teams gets stuck supplying players to the Antigua national team based side.  Also, which of the Los Angeles Galaxy and Chivas USA get a deal with the LA Blues of USL?
  • I’ve said before that this country needs to have a restructuring of developmental soccer and that a good first move would be a national u-21, u-22, or u-23 league.  This arrangement would be a step towards the establishment of such a league, however a distinction will become apparent.  There will be a divide between current USL teams that are interested in developing players for MLS (Harrisburg, for example) and teams that have professional ambitions of their own (like Orlando City now and Rochester of old).  Eventually, if this report is true, the divide that exists in third division of Mexico (called la Segunda Division) between professional clubs and developmental clubs will play itself out in the U.S.
  • The details of the the contracts and the specifics of each loan arrangement for the USL-Pro teams receiving 5 players from MLS teams will be very important.  If a player on loan from an MLS team is performing very well and there is a lack of depth due to injury at that MLS side, will they be able to recall that player’s loan prematurely?  Surely a team competing for their own championship would not want to let go of an in-form asset to his parent club.
  • What will happen to current PDL teams belonging to MLS clubs?  Portland Timbers, Seattle Sounders, Chicago Fire and Vancouver Whitecaps operated u-23 teams in the Premier Development League in 2012 while D.C. United will enter a team in 2013.
  • Will full reserve sides of MLS teams be able to compete in the U.S. Open Cup?  For example, Portland Timbers u-23 and Seattle Sounders u-23 are both participating in the 2013 edition of the U.S. Open Cup, according to this report by Josh Hakala.  If these teams are promoted will they participate starting in 2014 when full implementation of the purported plan begins?  Or, in the case that current PDL teams are not “promoted” into USL-Pro, will the new full reserve sides for teams without nearby USL clubs be able to participate in the cup?

This salaciously brief report raises more questions than it answers, but has sparked interest in the USL.  No matter which side of the argument you fall under, this is certainly an exciting offseason for lower division soccer in the United States.

Responding to Tim Holt’s Appearance on Soccer is a Kick in the Grass, September 24

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I don’t want this to be an indictment against the show as a whole, which you may or may not enjoy.  However, a host can still be respectful while asking insightful and probing questions that make the guest think.  This doesn’t happen during the course of the interview below.

Tim Holt, the President of the United Soccer Leagues since 2009, was a guest on Soccer is a Kick in the Grass last week for about 11 minutes.  I took the liberty to cut that section out for y’all to listen to.

Tim Holt is generally good at what he does, I have no reason to dislike the guy.  He’s a former soccer player and has been involved with the organization since 1999.  Holt offers a different demeanor and public face for the league than did his predecessor.  However, he would be serving his organization better to provide a realistic assessment of the league’s position in American soccer rather than living in a parallel universe in which USL-Pro has been wildly successful over the last two years.

Soccer is a Kick in the Grass’s host stressed the performance of three USL-Pro clubs in the 2012 U.S. Open Cup, singling out the Charlotte Eagles defeating NASL’s San Antonio Scorpions.  Somehow the host made the claim that USL-Pro “came out on top” against their rival league.  One game against an expansion team playing in the competition for the first time is tantamount to a smothering by USL-Pro.

The Phoenix expansion plans are not a horrible idea at face value, but officials need to take many steps very quickly to get a stadium, some players and a marketing campaign underway for the 2013 season.  Head coach David Robertson did well to sign fellow Scotsman Darren Mackie on September 27, though.  Phoenix FC plans to announce their home venue for 2013 in October with a number of signed players on hand. Continue reading →

Rhinos Players in USL-Pro Team of the Week Throughout the Season

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I kept track of which Rhinos players were named to the Team of the Week on the league’s website.  I then compiled the information and awarded 5 points each time a Rhino was named Player of the Week, 3 points for Team of the Week, and 1 point for an Honorable Mention.

The Rhinos were inactive during Week 1, so no members of the squad were named to the USL-Pro Team of the Week.

Week 2:
GK: Kristian Nicht; “Was sharp in his first game in North America, recording a shutout.”
M: Tyler Rosenlund; “Well-placed header earned Rhinos victory against Los Angeles.”
F: Tam McManus; “Linked up well with midfield, and started move that led to goal.”
Honorable Mention: J.C. Banks (assist), Troy Roberts

Week 3:
F: Andrew Hoxie; “Halftime sub had major impact in Rhinos win against Blues
Honorable Mention: Kristian Nicht (shutout), J.C. Banks (goal)

Week 4:
D: George Kyriazis; “Strong presence at center back as Rhinos took third victory”
F: J.C. Banks ; “Scored only goal, his second of season, to keep Rhinos perfect”
Honorable Mention: Kristian Nicht (shutout)

Week 5:
D: Jack Traynor; “Played both fullback positions dominantly in 1-0 win against Eagles”
M: * Drew Cost; “Played key role in Rhinos’ goal, kept midfield tight throughout”
Honorable Mention: Tam McManus

Week 6:
GK: * Kristian Nicht; “Was outstanding in 10-save shutout to maintain Rhinos’ perfect start”
D: Troy Roberts; “Remarkably consistent, way key player in win against Charlotte”

Week 7:
D: Quavas Kirk; “Goal maintained Rhinos’ undefeated start to the season”
Honorable Mention: J.C. Banks

Week 8:
M: Danny Earls; “Strong work-rate all weekend was rewarded with assist vs. Dayton”
Honorable Mention: Tam McManus

Week 9:
D: George Kyriazis; “Put in strong performance despite Rhinos defeat to Kickers”
M: Danny Earls; “Was consistently threatening, only to be turned away by Pascale”

Week 10:
M: Tyler Rosenlund; “Fine header gave Rhinos lead against Hammerheads in 1-1 draw”
Honorable Mention: Danny Earls

Week 11:
M: Michael Tanke; “Bright spot for Rhinos had goal and assist in two contests”
Honorable Mention: Quavas Kirk

Week 12:
D: Troy Roberts; “Stalwart was consistent as Rhinos took big road victory”
M: J.C. Banks; “Had game-winning goal and assist as Rhinos snapped winless streak
Honorable Mention: Isaac Kissi, Graciano Brito

Week 13:
Honorable Mention: J.C. Banks

Week 14:
D: Danny Earls; “Scored game-winning goal in victory against Dayton.”
F: Kendell McFayden; “Two early goals sparked Rhinos in victory against Antigua”
Honorable Mention: J.C. Banks, Andrew Hoxie

Week 15:
Honorable Mention: Troy Roberts

Week 16:
D: Lucas Fernandez; “Had an assist, and helped set up opener, in Rhinos’ victory”
M: Tyler Rosenlund; “Controlled the midfield as Rhinos regained second place”
Honorable Mention: Andrew Hoxie, J.C. Banks

Week 17:
D: George Kyriazis; “Strong performance as Rhinos shut out Blues in 1-0 win”
M: Danny Earls; “Good possession and distribution in win against Los Angeles”
Honorable Mention: Tam McManus, Chris Estridge

Week 18:
Honorable Mention: Danny Earls

Week 19:
No Rhinos players mentioned because we played our worst game in team history.

Week 20:
D: George Kyriazis; “Played key role as Rhinos shut out Riverhounds to end season”
F: Andrew Hoxie; “Late strike allowed Rhinos to claim No.2 seed in playoffs”
Honorable Mention: Troy Roberts, Tyler Rosenlund

It should really come as any surprise who the top players were by this count.  J.C. Banks was an all-star who, when healthy, was in the very highest echelon of the league.  Danny Earls provided a spark when playing out wide and could play in other positions.  Rochester’s centerback tandem was the best or second best in the league this season.  Troy Roberts was a veteran leader and I don’t think I saw George Kyriazis put a wrong foot in all season.  Kristian Nicht was simply outstanding in his first season in North American soccer.  Aside from the regular season game against Charleston, Nicht consistently made saves that I didn’t think were humanly possible beforehand.

Banks: 14 points
Earls: 14 points
Kyriazis: 12 points
Nicht: 10 points
Rosenlund: 10 points
Roberts: 9 points
Hoxie: 8 points
McManus: 6 points
McFayden: 5 points
Cost: 5 points
Kirk: 4 points
Tanke: 3 points
Fernandez: 3 points
Traynor: 3 points
Estridge: 1 point
Kissi: 1 point
Brito: 1 point

Breakdown of Rhinos Regular Season Results

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Here are the results of each game of the Rhinos’ regular season with the final standings of each opponent.

@ LA 1-0, win, 8th
@ LA 2-0, win, 8th
@ Dayton, 1-0, win, 9th
vs Charlotte, 1-0, win, 7th
@ Charlotte, 1-0, win, 7th
@ Charleston, 1-0, win, 3rd
vs Dayton, 1-1, tie, 9th
@ Harrisburg, 0-1, loss, 6th
@ Dayton, 2-2, tie, 9th
vs Richmond, 0-1, loss, 4th
vs Wilmington, 1-1, tie, 5th
@ Harrisburg, 1-2, loss, 6th
@ Pittsburgh, 1-1, tie, 10th
@ Richmond, 3-2, win, 4th
vs Harrisburg, 1-2, loss, 6th
vs Antigua, 4-1, win, 11th
vs Dayton, 2-0, win, 9th
@ Wilmington, 0-0, tie, 5th
@ Orlando, 0-4, loss, 1st
vs Pittsburgh, 2-0, win, 10th
vs LA, 1-0, win, 8th
vs Orlando, 0-1, loss, 1st
vs Charleston, 0-4, loss, 3rd
vs Pittsburgh, 1-0, win, 10th

Totals against each team by standing:
1st – 2 losses, 0 points
2nd – Us, lol
3rd – 1 win, 1 loss, 3 points
4th – 1 win, 1 loss, 3 points
5th – 2 ties, 2 points
6th – 3 losses, 0 points
7th – 2 wins, 6 points
8th – 3 wins, 9 points
9th – 2 wins, 2 tie, 8 points
10th – 2 wins, 1 tie, 7 points
11th – 1 win, 3 points

Rochester Rhinos earned 41 points from 24 games for the season for 1.71 points per game:
against Orlando – 0 points per game (2 games)
against Charleston – 1.5 ppg (2 games)
against Richmond – 1.5 ppg (2 games)
against Wilmington – 1 ppg (2 games)
against Harrisburg – 0 ppg (3 games)
against Charlotte – 3 ppg (2 games)
against LA – 3 ppg (3 games)
against Dayton – 2 ppg (4 games)
against Pittsburgh – 2.3 ppg (3 games)
against Antigua – 3 ppg (1 game)

Conclusions:  Taking the moronic scheduling of games out of the equation, a team is supposed to tie teams as good as they are and beat they are better than.  The Rhinos followed that mold in all cases except against Harrisburg.  Grabbing 1.5 points per game against Charleston and Richmond across 2 games respectively means 1 win and 1 loss, which is fair if you accept the assumption that they are equally talented teams.  Only taking 1 point per game from Wilmington is a testament to Corey Hertzog and the impact he had since joining that team.  In every other case, taking at least 2 points per game is a remarkable record in any competitive league.

Saying that the Rhinos took most of their wins from weaker teams means nothing.  In any league in the world, successful teams get most of their wins from weaker teams.  By virtue of logic most teams take wins from weaker teams; that’s why they are the weaker teams.  We also got results against tougher teams.  There were only two teams we didn’t nick a point from all season.

A 4-0 loss at home, the worst home result in team history, is a depressing way to end the season but takes away from the fact that we beat Charleston at Blackbaud earlier in the season.  The 3 points from a 1-0 win are the same as the 3 points from a 4-0 win.

The problem here isn’t so much the results (except against Harrisburg and god, do I hate Harrisburg), but the performances.  It hurts and also defies reasonable explanation how we take the best attack-minded team we’ve had in years and try to grind out results.

I would love to get some feedback from other fans before I try to tackle the season in review.  Comment on this post (or any other post, lol) or email me dohertysoccer [at] gmail.com to let me know what you thought of the Rhinos season or what the team could have done better this year.