LAST SEASON:
Regular season record: 15-3-10, 4th place in Eastern Conference; lost to Montreal in first round of playoffs
Record against active USL-1 teams: 14-1-9 (explanation)
RD's 2004 prediction: 12-8-8, 4th place in Eastern Conference and out in the first round of the playoffs
The worst since 1997, featuring a surprising start (10-1-2), a dizzying finish (5-2-8), and more offensive trouble in the post-season (the Rhinos have scored a whopping four goals in their last 10 playoff matches – that’s only four more than Puerto Rico!).  As predicted, there was…uh…noticeable tension between coach Pat Ercoli and spunky forward Chris Carrieri, though it came much later in the season than most expected.  Corey Woolfolk provided offense from the bench, but promptly forgot where the back of the net was once he made the starting XI.

 

SEACREST, OUT:
D David Wright 26 starts, 23 complete games; to retirement
D Ryan DiNunzio to Charlotte
M Noah Delgado to Puerto Rico
F Chris Carrieri (8+8=24) to Atlanta; two Teams of the Week
F Corey Woolfolk (9+1=19) to Puerto Rico
GK Theo Zagar (0.84 GAA, 9 SO) to Toronto
Carrieri

 

BACK IN BLACK:
D Craig Demmin All-League Second Team
D Bill Sedgewick 25 starts
D John Wilson 21 starts; three TOW
M Kirk Wilson (4+2=10); two TOW
Wilson

 

FRESH MEAT:
D Tenywa Bonseu from the MetroStars
M Stoian Mladenov from LASK Linz (Austria)
M Jonathan Bolanos (2+5=9) from Seattle
GK Scott Vallow from Colorado
GK Dusty Hudock (1.401 GAA, 4 SO) from Charleston
About half of the personnel from the defunct Syracuse franchise, including coach Laurie Calloway and ex-Rhinos Scott Schweitzer and Rene Rivas
Hudock

 

THE LOWDOWN:
Rochester finally jettisoned their bumbling coach and replaced him with Calloway (what is it about Rhinos coaches and their girlie first names?), who guided the not-so-good Salty Dogs to a 3rd place finish and better-than-good trip to the semi-finals.  We know Calloway is the perfect fit when it comes to whipping a bunch of lackadaisical miscreants into form, but the fact that 2004’s two leading scorers (Carrieri and Woolfolk) have been replaced by the likes of Rey Martinez (missed most of the Rapids season with a toe injury) and Mauro Carabajal (four starts for Syracuse in '04) doesn’t exactly calm the nerves of fans who see Haley’s Comet more frequently than multi-goal games.  Mladenov’s return practically guarantees a better on-field product, as long as he plays in the middle.  For the love of Kries, play him in the middle.

 

RD's 2005 prediction: 15-4-9; 4thplace and out in second round of playoffs

Back to the 2005 preview