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from February 6, 2010
FEBRUARY 6, 2010
FROM THE KICK THIS ARCHIVES
Will the schedule come out today?

scheudleRhinos owner Rob Clark gave a sneak preview of what the Rhinos 2010 schedule will look like.

Here is the entire USSF 2nd Division schedule in PDF Format.

The Rhinos will have a four game road trip to open the season ahead of the May 1st home opener versus Carolina.

The one thing that jumps out to me is that the playoffs will start on October 4th. That is roughly three weeks sooner than the MLS playoffs and about a week and a half later than the 2009 USL-1 playoffs started.

I hope they have lots of coffee and hot chocolate on hand for the home opener and playoffs.

Top 20 list of most memorable Rhinos matches 

Without further ado, here is the list of the top 20 most memorable Rhinos matches that fans will get to vote on to come up with the top 15.

 

May 10                 1996       Fauver Stadium                 Rochester vs. NY Fever                 1-1 (1st game in team history)    

July 12                   1996       Frontier Field                     Rochester vs. Montreal                 3-2 (1st game at Frontier Field)

September 7      1996       Frontier Field                     Rochester vs. Tampa Bay              4-3 (USOC)

September 25   1996       Claude Robillard               Rochester vs. Montreal                 2-1 (Playoff Win in Montreal)

October 12          1996       Frontier Field                     Rochester vs. Colorado                 3-0 (USOC Semifinal)

September 23   1998       Frontier Field                   Rochester vs. Montreal                 4-1 (Largest playoff win vs Montreal)                    

October 17         1998       Frontier Field                     Rochester vs. Minnesota              3-1 (Rhinos first championship)

June 20                 1999       Frontier Field                     Rochester vs. NY Freedoms        2-1 OT (USOC)

July 14                   1999       Frontier Field                     Rochester vs. Chicago                    1-0 (USOC)

August 11            1999       Frontier Field                     Rochester vs. Dallas                        2-1 OT (USOC Quarterfinal)

September 1      1999       VB Sports Complex         Rochester vs. Columbus                               3-2 (USOC Semifinal)

September 14   1999       Crew Stadium                    Rochester vs. Colorado                 2-0 (Rhinos win USOC)

September 20   2000       Frontier Field                     Rochester vs. Minnesota              3-1 (Rhinos win second league title)

October 13          2001       Frontier Field                     Rochester vs. Hershey                   2-0 (Rhinos win third league title)

July 17                   2002       Webster Schroeder        Rochester vs. Kansas City             3-2 (USOC)

June 23                 2003       Frontier Field                     Rochester vs. DC United          0-2 (Friendly in front of 14,426 people)

July 20                   2004       Lusitano Stadium             Rochester vs. New England         1-1 (USOC - Rhinos win on PK's)

July 14                   2006       PAETEC Park                Rochester vs. Miami    5-4 (Ricky Lewis header wins it in stoppage time)

July 27                   2008       Saputo Stadium            Rochester vs. Montreal          2-0 (Rhinos ends losing streak in Montreal)

September 3      2009       P&G Stadium                     Rochester vs. Portland               2-1 (Rhinos end Timbers streak)

The first 12 to 15 were pretty easy to come up with. It was the last 5 to 8 that took some time.

And like with any list like this there will be games that were missed. I just can't wait to see how some of the games that were hotly debated do when the fan voting is over with.

News & Notes:

- The new franchise in Minnesota has a name and a logo now.

- Tampa Bay has signed D Julian Valentin who spent the bulk of 2009 on loan from the LA Galaxy to the Cleveland City Stars.

- Carolina has re-signed forward Gregory Richardson who they picked up mid-way through the 2009 season after he was let go by the Colorado Rapids.

- Chris Pontius has re-signed with DC United after being a 2009 MLS Rookie of the Year candidate.

- Jesse Marsch has retired to take a job as Bob Bradley's assistant with the USMNT. That leaves Jaime Moreno as the lone '96er left on an MLS roster.

- The potential future home of Crystal Palace Baltimore looks nice.

- Is that even a question?  How can the LA Sol folding be seen as anything but a sign of bad things to come for WPS?

- Ives Galarcep is moving to Fox Soccer.com.

- Jozy Altidore scored his first premiership goal over the weekend.

- Nobody wrote in Soccer Sam for this? What is the world coming to? Seriosuly though, John Harkes may not have been captain for life, but it appears that Sunil Gulati is president for life of US Soccer and I'm not sure how good of a thing that is.

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author, and not necessarily those of the Rochester Rhinos or SoccerSam.com. Feel free to send any comments or complaints to news@soccersam.com. James promises to read (but not to respond) to all of them.


More MAS

MASD&C.com

Devo's Direct Kicks

The home of the Rhinos will remain Marina Auto Stadium for at least 2010.

Apparently the length and dollars of the contract are still being worked.

On the business side, I wonder how suite sales are going and when the schedule will get released.

Hopefully the schedule is out soon and the suite sales are going well.

News & Notes:

- DaMarcus Beasley needs a new ride after his car was torched in Glasgow. What is wrong with these people? At least Run DMB doesn't seem to be taking this too hard.

- Jonathan Bornstein's boots raised over $1700 for Haiti and he called the winner to congratulate him.

- Jonathan also spent some time taking pictures recently.

- Peter Wilt has a Q&A with AC St Louis' Jeff Cooper at Pitch Invasion.

- I have to say amen to this rant about FC team names in the US by Dan Loney at Big Soccer.

- If you think you have a busy schedule, check out what USWNT forward & UCLA senior Lauren Cheney was up to recently.

- It looks like the Portland Timbers may have gotten over the final hurdle to get PGE Park renovated for their jump to MLS in 2011.

- Speaking of schedules, MLS released their 2010 schedule yesterday.

- Here is a cool look at the adventures of owning a PDL team.

- Vancouver has signed Blake Wagner, formerly of FC Dallas.

- Ryan Knapp wonders where soccer would be without internet forums and message boards.

- With Aztex Amber Ale being unveiled, when Rohrbach's coming out with a Rhinos themed beer?

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author, and not necessarily those of the Rochester Rhinos or SoccerSam.com. Feel free to send any comments or complaints to news@soccersam.com. James promises to read (but not to respond) to all of them.


Ralston Wrap Up

SR

Devo's Direct Kicks

MLS Talk

MLS Daily

WV Hooligan

Boston.com

The Offside Rules

Inside Minnesota Soccer

Stltoday.com

The Steve Ralston signing has gotten the expected internet buzz.

The big question now is will this be the splashiest signing of the 2nd Division off season or will some of the other NASL clubs step up and sign some guys that will garner some "Wows"?

Tampa Bay has added another international with an intriguing resume in Japanese utlity man Takuya Yamada.

But, Yamada doesn't have near the US name recognition that Ralston does.

Which leads to the obvious question of when will the Rhinos announce a new signing?

News & Notes:

- Jay Needham is returning to US 2nd Division soccer with the Austin Aztex.

- The #18 man in the USL-1 top 25 of the decade is another former Rhino: Charles Gbeke.

- Freddie Ljungberg is back with Seattle and Sigi Schmid is downplaying any potential issues between Freddie and Kasey Keller.

- The St. Louis Athletica made a big move up to the top of the LA Sol dispersal draft list. But, they didn't target Marta. Instead, they are going after Shannon Boxx.

- Another day and another Salvadoran International moves to MLS. This time it's Chivas USA landing Osael Romero.

- Ridge Mahoney likes the approach that the NY Red Bulls are taking this time around.

- Jaime Moreno is back with DC United.

- The "Not in my backyard" crew are out in Houston after the Dynamo unveiled a new stadium plan.

- Here is the latest on the DC United ownership and stadium situations.

- Charlie Davies is having elbow surgery on his way back.

- The Seattle Sounders and Wayne Rooney are doing OK.......

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author, and not necessarily those of the Rochester Rhinos or SoccerSam.com. Feel free to send any comments or complaints to news@soccersam.com. James promises to read (but not to respond) to all of them.


AC St Louis makes a splash

SRNASL.com

Apparently you can go home again.

Steve Ralston grew up in the St Louis area and now he is the first signing by AC St Louis.

Ralston leaves the New England Revolution as the MLS All-Time leader in games played, minutes played, and assists.

Not only will Ralston be counted on to be an on the field leader for AC St Louis, but he is also an assistant coach for the first year club.

As is usually the case for a player in their mid-30s, durability is a question for Ralston as he played in 26 league games in 2007, 21 league games in 2008, and then 20 league games last season.

Kind of like Steve Guppy coming to Rochester in 2008 with durability questions, older players can surprise. 

Now it will be interesting to watch who AC St Louis surrounds Ralston with.

News & Notes:

- Greg Lalas does his farewell column at SI.com on the state of US players abroad.

- Speaking of players abroad, the Landon Donovan to stay with Everton talk is starting to heat up. The obvious stumbling block will be the fact that Landon will likely be worth more to MLS & LA than to any club in Europe.

- Freddy Adu sets up Eddie Johnson for Eddie's first goal in Greece for Aris. I love the "Made in the USA" from the commentators.

- Kenny Cooper to Plymouth Argyle is official.

- On the downside, Dolo-mite is on the shelf for over a month with a shoulder injury.

- Steve Davis takes a look at the stadiums in MLS. Speaking of stadiums, Philly appears to have sold the naming rights to their new dig and the club's CEO is talking up a star studded list of teams that want to play there.

- Manchester United may be headed to the US this summer.

- Red Bulls Reader checks in with Carlos Mendes.

- I think DC United trialist Two-Boys Gumede is up there on an All-Name team.

- I'd rather have the NASL look at markets like Ottawa ahead of Phoenix, San Diego, and San Antonio . But, that's just me.

- I hope the CAF change their mind about banning Togo from the African Cup of Nations over what happened this year.

- Beckham versus Montreal Impact fans? I don't know who I want to win this war of wills. Well, if Beckham moves his view from Montreal to Rochester, then the choice is easy!

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author, and not necessarily those of the Rochester Rhinos or SoccerSam.com. Feel free to send any comments or complaints to news@soccersam.com. James promises to read (but not to respond) to all of them.


The weekend is almost here.....

WeekendThe weekend is almost here, but there is some big news in the soccer world.

LA Sol fold

Daily Soccer Fix

MLS Talk

Soccer Insider

LA Sol website

The LA Sol have folded after one season and Marta, Shannon Boxx, and the rest of the Sol players will be dispersed amongst the remaining WPS clubs for 2010.

This can not be a good sign for the long term health of the second attempt to have a pro women's soccer league in the US.

The writing was on the wall when AEG pulled out and WPS was trying to find new owners to operate the club.

The question now is what kind of financial shape are the other WPS teams really in?

MLS and Players extend CBA deadline

MLSNet.com

With the current CBA set to expire over the weekend, both sides have been working hard and have opted to extend the current CBA by 2 weeks to try and get a deal done.

That has to be a positive sign. Hopefully they can get a deal done as the US needs to have MLS up and running in 2010 to help prep players for the World Cup.

News & Notes:

- John Ball has signed with the Ohio Vortex of the PASL-Pro indoor league.

- IMS.com has a Q&A with Tampa Bay CEO Andrew Nestor. I find the tug of war over the right to sell merchandise with the Tampa Bay Rowdies name interesting.

- Jason Mellor at Fanhouse UK has to eat some humble pie over Landon Donovan's move to Everton. The BBC talked to Landon Donovan. No Short Corners has a media round up on Landon as well.

- Philadelphia has acquired Michael Orozco by trading allocation money to NY for the first spot in the allocation order. Orozco and Califf along the back line should help the Union out of the gate.

- MLS Insider has some aerial shots of Philly's new home.

- I need to find a pair of these in Rochester.

- I should remember this when my kids get older...... Ouch!

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author, and not necessarily those of the Rochester Rhinos or SoccerSam.com. Feel free to send any comments or complaints to news@soccersam.com. James promises to read (but not to respond) to all of them.



SOCCERSAM.COM NEWS DIRECTOR JAMES WEISE

Read the latest news from the Rhinos and all around the soccer world with the latest news postings from Soccersam.com News Director James Weise. You can read James' soccer news and opinion column right here at soccersam.com.

SoccerSam.com News Director
James Weise

James became the Kick This! News Director in March of 2005. A long time listener and caller of the show, he jumped at the chance to audition when he heard there was an opening. He brings to Kick This! the voice of the fan who has always maintained a love for the game and his team.

Growing up, James was a fan of Sheffield Wednesday because they had an American midfielder by the name of John Harkes. When MLS started up, DC United became James’ team to follow because their marquee player just happened to be John Harkes.

As a student at Clarkson University, he enjoyed watching a guy who did a crazy flip throw in, and even got to play in an indoor fraternity league against him. His name.... Mike Kirmse. James is a long time season ticket holder and Kirmse will likely always be his favorite all-time Rhino.

James is also passing on his love for the game. Both of his boys play for the town of Chili, and his daughter is anxiously awaiting her turn. Although only a year and a half, she loves playing soccer with the boys...


JAMES WEISE'S NEWS ARCHIVE

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