RHINO DROPPINGS

May 4, 2005

Last time out: Know what?  Nobody, RD included, really knows what to think about Rochester’s 1-0 road loss to Vancouver last Saturday night.  Not the players, the coaches or the fans.  Anybody who is even thinking of quietly inching toward the Panic Button is severely retarded.  The team that took the field was not the 2005 Rochester Rhinos and the match, though it counts in the standings, was treated like a second pre-season.  Considering the number of players missing due to injuries, indoor duty, and visa issues, a 1-0 road defeat on a penalty kick to a Bob Lilley team doesn’t sound that bad.  In Canada, no less.  Plus, the first away match of the season never goes well for the Rhinos.  They haven’t won one since 2000 (2001 vs. Western Mass – a US Open Cup qualifier – doesn’t count).  Hey, speaking of wacky statistics, this was the first time Rochester opened the season on the road since 1998.  Also, it was the first game the Rhinos have ever played in April.  Isn’t that crazy?

R.I.P. shout-out to Bill Sedgewick.  We'll miss you, you bald dynamo, you.  Please don't hurt us in the future.

Next up: The Islanders come to town this Saturday, bringing a pair of ex-Rhinos (Corey Woolfolk and Noah Delgado) in a bid for their first-ever win against Rochester.  Ironically, it was Woolfolk who did the most damage to Puerto Rico in 2004, scoring two game-winning goals in the three meetings between the teams.  Actually, of the 17 points (six goals, five assists) scored by Rhinos in those three matches, only six came from players currently on Rochester’s roster.

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	Tail of the Tape
0-1-1	Record	0-0-1
0-0-0 (away)		0-0-0 (home)
0.50	GFA	0.00
0.00 (away)		0.00 (home)
2.00	GAA	1.00
0.00 (away)		0.00 (home)
<1.50>	Goal Differential	<1.00>
0.00 (away)		0.00 (home)
1 loss	Streak	3 losses
6 losses (away)		1 loss (home)
2-2-6	Last 10 matches	2-2-6
1-1-8 (away)		5-2-3 (home)
0-0-3	Head-to-Head	3-0-0
0-0-1 (away)		1-0-0 (home)
0-3-6	May Record*	9-3-3
0-0-2 (away)		4-1-1 (home)
2-1-6	Saturday Record*	14-0-4
2-0-3 (away)		9-0-1 (home)
0-1-3	May/Saturday Record*	5-0-1
0-0-1 (away)		3-0-1 (home)
	* - since 2003

Check out that 2-2-6 record in Puerto Rico's last 10 matches.  Hoo!  That's pretty bad and . . . what?  Oh, frick . . . 

Prediction: Rhinos 3, Islanders 0

Where have you gone, Andy Restrepo?  Montreal captain Mauro Biello assisted on Mauricio Vincello’s goal in Montreal’s 1-1 draw in Puerto Rico on Friday, and on Kevin Wilson’s game-winner against the Islanders on Sunday.  Unlike Lenin Steenkamp, Biello failed to make the Team of the Week.  Greg “It’s High” Simmonds received a yellow card in Charleston’s 0-0 draw against Atlanta, though he has managed to peel off 11 shots in the Battery’s first three matches of the year.  No word on how many of those shots sailed into adjacent thoroughfares.

This is a new feature we’re going to have here in the RD: Current Rhinos vs. Ex-Rhinos.

* - USL-1 players only

Theoretically, this could get slightly more exciting as the season progresses…stay tuned.

In MLS, Carlos Mendes has played every minute of every match for the MetroStars, while teammate John Wolyniec started every match except the Metros’ lone win of 2005.  Pat Onstad and San Jose have had a rocky start to their season, currently sporting a 1-1-3 record, and allowing 11 goals in just five games (yet, inexplicably, resting in third place in the six-club West).

Around the (A-)League:  The Rochester-Vancouver match wasn’t the only feisty one in the USL-1.  Eight yellow cards were also issued in the 1-1 draw between Charleston and Virginia Beach on Friday…and Jeff Bilyk didn’t even get one of ‘em!  This was the game where the fans in Charleston shattered the world record for most people wearing “Groucho glasses” at the same time (1,509).  Not to be outdone, the inbred population of Columbus, Georgia will try to break the old record of 937 at a walk to support the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill this Saturday.  See folks – this is why we keep the Red States around.  They’re always doing crazy stuff to keep us entertained.

In other Naughty News, Jason Kutney (Charleston), Sandro Grande (Montreal), and Rumba Munthali (Toronto) all received two yellow cards over two-match spans last weekend.  Their antics paled in comparison to Toronto’s Conrad Smith, who was granted a red card just 18 minutes after entering the game as a 54^th minute substitution during the Lynx’ 1-1 thriller in Virginia Beach.  The Thug of the Week honors, however, go to Chad Brown, winner of two yellow cards in one match, despite coming in as a sub in the 80^th minute of Seattle’s 2-1 home loss to Portland.  That’s some fast-acting thuggery, Chad!  Congratulations!

Interesting Matchups: Former Rhino Carl Fletcher and the Toronto Lynx travel to DeKalb Stadium to take on Atlanta – the team Fletch played for in 2004.

Montreal, who should see the return of stalwart midfielder Zé Roberto from the indoor Philadelphia Kixx, have Saturday-Sunday matches in Virginia.  First up are the hapless Mariners, but then the Impact face the high-flying Kickers the following day in the season’s first clash of true league powerhouses.  Richmond’s insane offense against Montreal’s stingy defense makes for a truly interesting skirmish.  Since the Kickers don’t play on Saturday, and Montreal isn’t allowed to bring their crooked refs, RD gives the edge to Richmond this time.

Weird numbers of the week: In 2004, Virginia Beach was 2-2-6 with Pato Aguilera, and 9-1-8 without him.  Rochester was 11-1-3 without Pato, and 6-2-10 with him.  In total, Pato’s teams were 8-4-16 (0.72 PPM) with him, and 20-2-11 (1.28 PPM) without him.

Weekly trivia:  Which Rhino has more game-winning goals in May?

a)     Stoian Mladenov

b)     Bill Sedgewick

c)      Ian Fuller

d)     Rene Rivas

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