Who are ya? – Rochester Rhinos

By: Bob Kellett | May 7th, 2008

The Details: Portland Timbers v Rochester Rhinos, Thursday, May 8, 7pm, PGE Park. Web audio broadcast, Video webcast, Spanish radio on La X 1040AM

Last season: The 2007 Rochester Rhinos had high hopes playing their second season at Paetec Park, a stadium built over a filled-in section of the Erie Canal. Alas, the Rhinos did not live up to those high expectations, finishing the regular season in fifth place with 12 wins, 10 losses, and 6 draws. Rochester was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by Atlanta. A franchise that once won three league trophies and the US Open Cup in its first six years, Rochester has now gone six years without winning anything.

2008 Outlook
Change is underway in upstate New York. After a messy offseason in which there was question as to whether Rochester would even be around this year, the club was purchased by a new owner, dropped the “Raging” from its nickname, and adopted a ridiculous Clip Art badge. Coach Laurie Calloway was canned after three lackluster seasons at the helm. Former player Darren Tilley was hired to guide the ship and a whole bunch of players with USL First Division experience were brought in at the last minute to prevent an utter implosion. The results so far have not been pretty. The Rhinos began their 2008 campaign last weekend by losing 2-0 at Charleston and 1-0 at Minnesota.

Familiar faces:
Former Timbers midfielder Luke Kreamalmayer is a familiar face playing in an unfamiliar position. After being traded to Charleston for Tim Karalexis this past winter, Kreamalmayer was then dealt to Rochester where he is playing right back, an odd position for a player who had his most success in an attacking role.

Keep an eye on:
Steve Guppy – On the plus side, Guppy has played for teams like Celtic, Leeds United and Newcastle United. On the down side, Guppy is now 39 years old and is a player-coach for the Rhinos and he is one wrong step away from not being able to move. A player who has lost a step or three, Guppy can still be dangerous from time to time with his crosses.

Matthew Delicâte – One of the reasons that Rochester was disappointing last season was that Delicâte missed six weeks with a broken jaw. The striker from Kent, England scored a bunch of goals for Richmond before moving on to play for Rochester in 2006. At 6-3, 190lbs, he’ll have fun banging with Cameron Knowles for 90 minutes.

Tenywa Bonseu – There aren’t too many players from Uganda making a living as a professional soccer player in the United States and I am fairly certain that Bonseu is the only one who goes by the nickname “T-Bone”. He spent a bunch of time playing in MLS and now is a regular feature in Rochester’s backline.

Scott Vallow – He’s a veteran goalkeeper who enjoys it when thousands of fans remind him that “Vallow Swallows”. I thought he might have retired by now or that he might have been turned into glue, but apparently he is still skillful enough to play for the same franchise he first joined in 2000.

The series: The Timbers and the Rhinos have played each other 8 times and it has not been pretty for the boys in green. Portland has 1 win, 6 losses, and 1 draw against Rochester. In 2007, the Timbers finally broke through and beat Rochester 2-0 at PGE Park behind goals from Andrew Gregor and Leonard Griffin. The result was different in Rochester with the Rhinos coming out on top 2-1. Griffin also scored in that game.

Feel the excitement

Final random thoughts: Rochester had a brutal offseason and it has shown thus far on the pitch. The Rhinos lost a lot of their young talented players from last season and have replaced them with veterans who have experience but don’t have the legs. In their first two games, the Rhinos have mustered a total of 4 shots, and that was against a pair of defenses that don’t rate as highly as the Timbers’. On paper this seems like an opportunity for Portland to extend its early season winning streak and to maintain an unblemished home record under Gavin Wilkinson. An early goal by the Timbers could crack Rochester’s resolve. Both teams play again on Saturday nigh – Portland in Seattle, Rochester in Vancouver – so expect both managers to go to their bench often.

Game Previews (I’ll post them when I see them)

Timbers Prepare for Rochester, Seattle this week (Portland Timbers)
Double Match Weekend for Timbers (Nasty Challenge)
Timbers face a couple big dogs this week (Dave Knows)
Rhinos get new life, but they’re still looking for first points (Portland Tribune)
Rhinos are still seeking first victory of season (Democrat and Chronicle)
Rhinos looking to grab road points in Portland (Rochester Soccer)