Rochester Rhinos
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| Full name | Rochester Rhinos | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Rhinos | ||
| Founded | 1996 | ||
| Stadium | Sahlen's Stadium Rochester, New York (Capacity: 13,768) |
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| President |  Pat Ercoli |
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| Head Coach | Jesse Myers |
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| League | USL Pro | ||
| 2011 | Regular Season: 4th, National Division: 1st, Playoffs: Semi-finals |
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| Website | Club home page | ||
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 Current season |
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The Rochester Rhinos are an American professional soccer team based in Rochester, New York, United States. Founded in 1996, the team plays in the National Division of the new USL Professional Division, the third tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, having self-relegated from the USSF D2 Pro League at the end of the 2010 season.
The team plays its home games at Sahlen's Stadium, formerly known as PAETEC Park, where they have played since 2006. The team's colors are black, white and green. The team is coached by first time head coach Jesse Myers.
The club has been known at times as the Rochester Raging Rhinos.
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[edit] History
The team was founded in 1996 and played in the now-defunct original A-League until it merged with the USISL for the 1997 season, creating the new A-League. The A-League was renamed the USL First Division in 2005. In 2006 the Rhinos moved into the newly-completed PAETEC Park, a 13,768-seat soccer-specific stadium. Construction at the stadium is ongoing and will, once completed, boost the capacity to approximately 20,000 seats.
The Rhinos have prided themselves on upholding a high level of play over their twelve plus year history. The team has never missed the playoffs, reaching the championship game six times (1996, 1998–2001, 2006). The Rhinos have been league champions three times (1998, 2000, 2001). They also won the 1999 U.S. Open Cup, becoming the only non-Major League Soccer team to win the cup since MLS began play in 1996.
The Rhinos were considered a candidate to be an expansion team at the MLS level when PAETEC Park was in the planning stages.[1]
The team was declared insolvent in 2008 after defaulting on their stadium agreement, and PAETEC Park was seized by the city of Rochester.[2] After a brief search for a new owner and investor who could improve the team's financial outlook, in March, 2008, the Rhinos official website announced that the Rhinos had found both in Utica businessman Rob Clark. The new owner then announced that the team will now be known as the "Rochester Rhinos," and that the financial situation of the team no longer put them in any danger of not being able to afford the upcoming season.[3]
After two seasons under owner Rob Clark, on November 30, 2009, the club announced they would be joining the new NASL for its 2010 season.[4] The United States Soccer Federation refused the NASL's application for sanctioning, and will instead operate its own temporary second-division league for 2010. The Rhinos will be part of that temporary USSF Second Division league.[5] The Rhinos switched leagues again before the 2011 season to the third-division USL Pro league, who consider themselves equally competitive with the second-division NASL.
The 2009, 2010, and 2011 seasons saw many players come & go from the Rhinos roster, which is a change from their earlier history during the 1990s and early 2000s when players such as Lenin Steenkamp (9 years) and Doug Miller (8 years) stayed for many years. Nathaniel Short, Ryan Heins, and Isaac Kissi were with the team in 2009 and 2010, but of the three only Isaac Kissi was back in 2011.
The 2011 season ended with the Rhinos first in their division followed by a playoff season that lasted 2 games. The Rhinos saw off the Pittsburgh Riverhounds 4-0 in first round of the playoffs and then lost 2-1 at home to the Harrisburg City Islanders to finish the season.
On September 15, 2011, the official Rhinos website announced that head coach Bob Lilley would not be returning for the 2012 season. [6] On October 12 Jess Myers, most recently an assistant coach of the Richmond Kickers, was named as the new head coach of the Rhinos. [7]
[edit] Colors and badge
![[icon]](/web/20120504215136/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} |
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[edit] Stadium
- Fauver Stadium at the University of Rochester; Rochester, New York (1996)
- Frontier Field; Rochester, New York (1996-2005)
- PAETEC Park/Rochester Rhinos Stadium/Marina Auto Stadium/Sahlen's Stadium; Rochester, New York (2006-present)
[edit] Club culture
[edit] Supporters
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This section requires expansion. |
The Rhinos main supporters groups have been the Safari and the Stampede.
During the 2011 season, the Oak Street Brigade was founded by members of the Rochester chapter of the American Outlaws (U.S. National Team supporters club) [8] and they have been the most visible supporters club in Section 101.
[edit] Media
The Rhinos have been covered in the Rochester based Democrat and Chronicle newspaper since their founding by reporter Jeff Diveronica.
[edit] Broadcasting
All home matches and some away matches are broadcasted on http://www.usllive.com
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This section requires expansion. |
[edit] Players and staff
[edit] Current roster
as of November 28, 2011[9]
[edit] Staff
Jesse Myers - Head Coach- Bill Sedgewick - Assistant Coach
- Dave DiPasquale - Head Athletic Trainer
[edit] Notable former players
- See also All-time Rochester Rhinos roster
[edit] Rochester Rhinos Hall of Fame
- 2011: Lenin Steenkamp
[edit] Head coaches
Pat Ercoli (1996-2003)
Laurie Calloway (2004-2007)- Darren Tilley (2008-2009)[10]
- Bob Lilley (2010-2011)
- Jesse Myers (2012-present)
[edit] Achievements
- USSF Division 2 Professional League [11]
- Regular Season Champions (1): 2010
- Champions, USL Conference (1): 2010
- USL A-League
- Winners (3): 1998, 2000, 2001
- Northeast Division Champions (3): 1998, 1999, 2002
- U.S. Open Cup
- Winners (1): 1999
[edit] Record
[edit] Year-by-year
| Year | Division | League | Regular Season | Playoffs | Open Cup | Avg. Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 2 | A-League | 4th | Final | Final | 9,991 |
| 1997 | 2 | USISL A-League | 2nd, Northeast | Division Semifinals | Round of 16 | 10,677 |
| 1998 | 2 | USISL A-League | 1st, Northeast | Champion | 3rd Round | 11,499 |
| 1999 | 2 | USL A-League | 1st, Northeast | Final | Champion | 11,551 |
| 2000 | 2 | USL A-League | 2nd, Northeast | Champion | 3rd Round | 11,628 |
| 2001 | 2 | USL A-League | 2nd, Northern | Champion | 2nd Round | 10,789 |
| 2002 | 2 | USL A-League | 1st, Northeast | Conference Finals | 3rd Round | 10,008 |
| 2003 | 2 | USL A-League | 2nd, Northeast | Conference Finals | 4th Round | 10,169 |
| 2004 | 2 | USL A-League | 4th, Eastern | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | 10,200 |
| 2005 | 2 | USL First Division | 2nd | Semifinals | Quarterfinals | 9,791 |
| 2006 | 2 | USL First Division | 2nd | Final | 4th Round | 10,110 |
| 2007 | 2 | USL First Division | 5th | Quarterfinals | 3rd Round | 9,705 |
| 2008 | 2 | USL First Division | 4th | Semifinals | 3rd Round | 8,243 |
| 2009 | 2 | USL First Division | 6th | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | 6,888 |
| 2010 | 2 | USSF D-2 Pro League | 1st, USL (1st) | Quarterfinals | 3rd Round | 6,464 |
| 2011 | 3 | USL Pro | 1st, National | Division Finals | 3rd Round | 5,339 |
[edit] References
- ^ [1]. Sports Illustrated.
- ^ City Says It Will Seize PAETEC Park, Citing Default. WYSL.
- ^ Utica businessman buys Rhinos; 2008 season a go. Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.
- ^ ROCHESTER RHINOS JOIN NEW NASL
- ^ "Club Listing". USSF Division-2 Pro League. http://www.ussoccer.com/USSF-D2-Pro-League/USSF-D2-Pro-League/Clubs/2010-Clubs.aspx.
- ^ "Lilley Decides not to Return". Rhinossoccer.com. http://www.rhinossoccer.com/news/index.html?article_id=162.
- ^ "Rhinos Name Myers Head Coach". Rhinossoccer.com. http://www.rhinossoccer.com/news/index.html?article_id=168.
- ^ http://www.theamericanoutlaws.com/
- ^ http://www.rhinossoccer.com/team/roster/
- ^ Sources: Rhinos will name Tilley head coach
- ^ "Division-2 Schedule and Results". USSF Division-2 Pro League. http://ussf.demosphere.com/scripts/runisa.dll?M2.65898:gp:605921020.7299:73193+Elements/Display+E+46241++20952154++04/2010+20945465++.
[edit] External links
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