June 27, 2001

Last time out. The fourth-place Rhinos (4-2-1, 18 points) didn’t gain much ground on the division leaders when they drew third-place Montreal (4-1-6, 19 points) 0-0 last Friday at Frontier in the first of four meetings between the two clubs. But they did do a great job of lulling the crowd of 11,475 to sleep. It became evident pretty early on that the Impact were playing for a draw, but that didn’t keep Rochester coach Pat Ercoli from playing a defensive game and making defensive subs. Another match like this and we’ll have to change The Score to The Bore.

The first 85 minutes were as exciting as golf, but the game came to life for the last five in regulation and the subsequent double overtime. The Rhinos peppered the Impact goal with a series of free kicks just outside the penalty area, but only managed to hit the post once. Montreal ’keeper Greg Sutton may have kept a clean sheet, but his drawers were probably a mess. Still, the Rhinos looked badly out of sync, tripping over their opponents’ feet, as well as their own.

The (anti) hero. The head referee, Vladimir Fabre, who lost control of the physical match from the get-go. Even though plenty of fouls seemed to happen right in front of him, most went uncalled. On the plus side, he didn’t see Rhinos defender Fuseini Dauda take down Montreal’s George Papandreou at the edge of the box after being displaced by Niall Thompson early in the first half. Dauda should have been sent off, but he wasn’t even carded.

U.S. Open Cup. If the Rhinos dispose of Hershey in the Cup on July 2, there’s a pretty good chance the third-round match will be played at Frontier, too. The match is tentatively scheduled for July 11, and will pit the Rhinos against the winner of a match between D.C. United and the D3 New Jersey Stallions. The Red Wings are on the road that day, and since D.C. hosted the third round match against the Rhinos in 2000, the soccer gods should shine their light on Rochester again.

The scheduling fluke continues for the quarterfinals (July 24) and semifinals (August 21/22), with the Wings battling for basement honors on the road for both dates. The Score isn’t looking past any opponents, but has its eye on a potential quarterfinal match that will bring Craig Demmin and his Tampa Bay Mutiny back to Frontier for a third go at the Rhinos in Cup action.

There is a downside to the whole thing --- D.C. is 2-0-0 against Rochester (outscoring them 6-0 in Cup action), and advancing to the third round will mean the Rhinos will be playing six matches over a 15-day period. Just as a comparison, their last six have taken place over 27 days. Ouch.

Next time out. The Rhinos host sixth-place Long Island (2-2-3, 12 points) this Saturday night at Frontier Field. Rochester rode the Rough Riders raw last year, sweeping the four game series and outscoring Long Island 10-3. Of course, eight of those 10 goals came from ex-Rhinos, like John Ball, Yari Alnutt, and Jimmy Glenn.

Scouting report. The Rough Riders are much better than their record, considering they’ve beaten Connecticut (a 3-1 road win, no less), Minnesota, and drawn the mighty Richmond Kickers. Another goal here and there, and Long Island would have the best record in the Northern Conference. And the idea isn’t that far-fetched, either, considering two of Long Island’s top scoring threats (Cordt Weinstein and Fausto Klinger) have whiplash from being shuttled between the Rough Riders and the New York/New Jersey Metrostars.

Read the last issue of The Score here.