Tag Archives: Conor Chinn

In-Depth Match Report of the Rhinos U.S. Open Cup Victory

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Since their first round U.S. Open Cup victory away to Portland Phoenix, Brooklyn Italians managed to earn another three points in the league.  Their win against New York Athletic Club moved the Italians to 12 points from four games in the National Premier Soccer League Northeast Atlantic Conference (but some might lead you to believe that the Italians somehow managed a 10-1-1 record out of four games; who knew that was possible).  In their weekend action, the Rhinos drew Dayton Dutch Lions at home 1-1.  A late header from Quavas Kirk salvaged a point from their match on Friday after giving up their first goal in league play this season.

After a flurry of chances for the Rhinos in the first few minutes of the game, the pace of the match slowed down.  It appeared that Rochester was lured down to the Italians level of physical long ball play trying to find their target forward.  There wasn’t much possession or creativity out of the midfield from other side for twenty minutes.

The Rhinos lined up in a 4-4-1-1 in front of Kristian Nicht. Jack Traynor and Troy Roberts (captain) partnered in the center of defense, Mike Zaher played left back and Quavas Kirk played on the right.  In the midfield, Conor Chinn started wide left which pushed Danny Earls into the middle with Tyler Rosenlund.  J.C. Banks played his normal right wing and Tam McManus once again excelled at his role playing behind a target forward, this time Andrew Hoxie.

Because of McManus’ position between the midfield and lone forward, Rochester’s wingers had the freedom to push forward.  That meant that if Hoxie pulled over to one side of the field to combine with a wide player, McManus occupied the center of the box while the far side winger could make a run to far post or to the space at the near post that Hoxie and McManus opened up for him.  This consistently happened allowing Conor Chinn several clear chances at goal throughout the game. Continue reading →

Rhinos Find a Way Past the L.A. Blues Again

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The Rhinos went into Titan Stadium at Cal State Fullerton hoping to take a point away from the L.A. Blues.  Instead of settling for a draw, the team exploded out of the half time break and notched two quick goals in the first 11 minutes of the second half.  Despite defending heavily, Rochester remained dangerous on counter attacks and continued to press for a third goal when they had possession.  This victory moves the team to 2-0 on the early season, which Jeff DiVeronica revealed on Twitter is the first time the Rhinos have accomplished this feat since 2006.  Not only that, but the Rhinos picked up 6 points on the road from one of the pre-season favorites in USL-Pro.

The Los Angeles play-by-play analyst Marc Serber (@SoccerSerber) was fantastic throughout the match.  But onto the actual game..

The Rhinos lined up in the same 4-5-1/4-4-1-1 with Tam McManus playing in the hole.  Kristian Nicht started behind a back line of Jack Traynor, Troy Roberts, George Kyriazis, and Quavas Kirk.  J.C. Banks and Danny Earls again started on the wings, while Tyler Rosenlund and Drew Cost combined in the center of midfield.  Graciano Brito was the lone man up top.

Kirk was determined to be fit after coming off with a knock late in the first match, but the 32 old year Greek central defender replaced the injured Tyler Bellamy for his first league start as a Rhino.

Los Angeles started in the same formation they played last week, a 4-5-1 that transitions to a 4-3-3.  Starting from the goalkeeper, the Blues’ starters were: Jose Miranda; Sunyhung Cho, Carlos Borja, Ebrima Jatta, Bryan Burke; Erlys Garcia, Irving Garcia, Ricky Waddell; George Davis IV, Brian Farber, and Matt Fondy. Continue reading →

Rhinos Top Binghamton University 4-0 in Preseason as More Trialists Feature

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Tam McManus, seen here celebrating a goal for Dunfermline Athletic, got on the score sheet for Rochester in the 6th minute

Rochester Rhinos head coach Jesse Myers started a full strength side against the Binghamton University Bearcats on Saturday morning at Sahlen’s Stadium.  Kristian Nicht started between the pipes and did well to maintain his concentration during the shut-out.  The back four looked like the starting contingent going forward.  Jack Traynor started on the left while Quavas Kirk played on the right.  Troy Roberts partnered Tyler Bellamy in the center of defense as he did much of last season.  The midfield showed some very promising attacking potential for 2012.  J.C. Banks started on the left wing, trialist Danny Earls played on the right flank, while Drew Cost and Tyler Rosenlund played centrally.  Having two highly capable wingers proved a plus for Rochester as they were able to attack from either side.  Tam McManus played as a withdrawn forward with Graciano Brito as the point man of the attack.

The formation could have been a traditional 4-4-2, or a 4-2-3-1 with advanced wingers, but the team most likely operated as a 4-4-1-1.  Scottish forward Tam McManus is the self-proclaimed “number 10″ for the Rhinos and likes to pop into spaces and exchange quick passes.The first half was largely the Danny Earls show and I fully expect his effort to be rewarded with a contract.  The Irish trialist had two assists to set up Tam McManus and J.C. Banks in the opening quarter of an hour. Continue reading →

Rochester Rhinos: Preseason Preview

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One week from today, on March 18, the Rochester (formerly Raging) Rhinos officially kick off their preseason when they take on the Pittsburgh Riverhounds at Peters Township High School in Pittsburgh.  The Rhinos then host five games at Sahlen’s Stadium against 4 colleges and the Montreal Impact u21 side.  The team looks solid in 10 positions on the field to me, and the team is only one of two signings away from the most attractive team to play in Rochester in ten or so years.

The goalkeeping situation got a whole lot more convincing with the addition of Kristian Nicht.  Nicht, 29, will likely be the starter for the Rhinos while 22 year old rookie Brandon Miller will deputize and look to excel in the newly formatted U.S. Open Cup.  Only the Los Angeles Blues boast a goalkeeper with close to the same pedigree and international club experience as Nicht, in Mexican veteran Oscar Duatt.

Below is a rundown of the rest of the roster and my confidence in each position. Continue reading →

Red Bulls Postseason Update: February 21, the One in Which the Club Releases 2 Young Players

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The first order of business: the club announced on February 10 that they have signed 20 year old Icelandic midfielder Victor Palsson.  He looks to add some depth to the midfield, though in a defensive role already filled by Teemu Tainio and Rafael Marquez.  And now, let’s just cut to the chase.

The Red Bulls decided to release developing young players Sacir Hot and Matt Kassel the other week.  Not only were the defender and midfielder once touted youngsters, they were also Homegrown Players for New York.  Taken by itself, NYRB releasing players isn’t big news.  But given the hype that was produced for two local boys who came through the academy system and the seeming failure of the club to properly invest time or energy into their youth players, this story deservedly ballooned into something bigger.

It is the nature of bloggers, especially sports bloggers (and super-especially soccer bloggers), to purport the mundane as earth-shaking.  And it is true that much of the uproar that appeared on Metrofanatic and the Facebook pages of Supporters’ Groups was the misdirected release of years of bottled up rage.  But there are quite valid gripes to make about the way the club has handled this situation, just the latest in a series of fumbles, and the rationale behind these player releases. Continue reading →

A Few Thoughts on High School and College Soccer

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A couple weeks back, the US Soccer Development Academy announced that it would officially switch to the 10-month schedule practiced and recognized by most of the FIFA world for the 2012-2013 season.  This would effectively make the DA a replacement for high school soccer as the switch blocks players from competing in scholastic leagues.  American youth soccer fanatics with internet access have long been haranguing the detriments of the high school system: limited practice each day, multiple games in a week, three month schedule in large swaths of the country, the physicality of play, the lack of proper officiating, uneven application across leagues and states, and the lack of concentrated possession based development in the face of huge gaps in quality between teams.  These bloggers and (let’s call them) “soccer activists” have been making noise telling youth players to skip the high school route for a while now, but until very recently there was no viable alternative.

For the current season the US Soccer Development Academy League (formed in 2009) has 78 participating clubs spread geographically through 10 divisions.  You can see the map and national clustering on the East Coast, California and Texas here.  From US Soccer’s page on the DA program, “The Academy’s programming philosophy of increased training, less total games and more competitive games is based on U.S. Soccer’s Best Practices utilized by the U-17 U.S. National Team Residency program.”  This directly addresses several of the most pressing concerns observers had about high school soccer.

Today the internet is ablaze with people similarly lambasting the college soccer system, myself included.  But what the general public might not fully understand is that there is not currently an adequate system to accommodate the thousands of NCAA players.  The Development Academy league has grown tremendously since its founding, but only provides access for players up to age 18.  After a player reaches the traditional high school graduation age, what are his options? Continue reading →

Rhinos Postseason Update: January 14

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Since November the Rochester Rhinos have made three signings, all of a different nature.  In Conor Chinn, the Rhinos signed a striker looking to kick-start his stuttering professional career.  In Brandon Miller, the Rhinos signed a promising young goalkeeper fresh out of college.  And in Quavas Kirk, the Rhinos re-signed a solid performer from the 2011 season.

 

On Monday December 19, Rhinos fans got an early Christmas present in the form of 24 year old striker Conor Chinn.  Chinn was drafted by the New York Red Bulls in 2010 and made 5 league appearances for the club before being waived after the season.  After a brief spell with Real Salt Lake, Chinn joined Atlanta Silverbacks of the NASL in June where he made 10 appearances. Continue reading →