RHINO DROPPINGS
June 7, 2006
Rhino Droppings brings you our initial impressions of the grand opening of PAETEC Park:
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Favorite pre-game moment: Realizing many, many more people would suffer the wrath of the incessant and absolutely unnecessary jock rock than did at Frontier. Those who were previously apathetic about the noise level are up in arms now that they’ve been exposed to it. Get on the bandwagon – we’ve been circling for years. RD would have more concrete data from the opener, but we didn’t want the rain to ruin our high-tech Krebstar equipment.
Least favorite pre-game moment: Realizing the molded plastic seats don’t fold up like they did at Frontier. The trauma administered to the backs of our knees every time we stood up will, hopefully, diminish in time for the next game. And people want cup holders? You’d literally have to climb on top of people to get to the aisles.
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Favorite game moment: Johnny Menyongar scoring the first-ever goal at PTP in the 2nd minute (he wasn’t offside, and still made the Team of the Week).
Least favorite game moment: Steve Shak converting in extra-time thanks to the PA system leaving the Rhinos with their pants down because they were unable to communicate with each other. It’s one thing to damage the hearing of your fans, but now you’ve cost the team two points. Nice.
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Favorite non-game moment: When the power went out, giving the crowd a chance to prove they actually know how to cheer on their own without cues from the Romantics and Cotton-Eye Joe. The noise created while thousands of people stamped their feet was a nice surprise.
Least favorite non-game moment: When the PA was restored just in time for Rockhead Rocky to announce that Scott Vallow had made the save of the game…in the 9th minute. The RD is all for having clairvoyant employees working with the club, but we’d assume somebody with this ability would be working as a coach and not a microphone goon. There were attempts made toward the end of last season to let cheering develop on its own, but on Saturday night, the music plowed through the Stampede and the ex-404ers like a semi in a Metallica video.
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Favorite post-game moment: The flux of foot traffic heading for the exit was stopped so several Virginia Beach players could make their way to the temporary locker rooms. This technically wasn’t RD favorite post-game moment, but it will be when Montreal has to take the same path. Impact players might want to dress like their sitting in the first four rows of a Gallagher show.
Least favorite post-game moment: Finding out the gate at the north end of P1 was closed, which meant every vehicle had to file out of the same exit onto Smith Street and into the traffic bugaboo that will be 100 times worse when there’s a game during which everyone doesn’t leave at halftime.
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Favorite post-game complaint: It’s a tie between “parking” and “concessions,” two dilemmas which can easily by solved by, respectively, “getting there early” and “eating at home.” Jesus H. Christ, is there some law that says you have to stuff your faces while you watch the game? Sneak food in, if you really want to stick it to the man.
Least favorite post-game complaint: The Club Seat Shaft, which you can get for $600.00 per seat if you call in the next three minutes (and we’ll throw in lacrosse tickets at no extra charge!). VIP parking, wait-service and free Stampede Sheets turned into a traffic quagmire, a tiny tent with over-priced food, and no Stampede Sheets. Then again, if the wait-service was up and running, it sounds like people might still be waiting for their grub.
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Next up: This year, RD is proud to partner with soccersam.com to bring you Special New Match Previews, which are going to be the same as the Regular Old Match Previews, only in a different location.
Click here for the match preview (a new window will open)
Where have you gone, Andy Restrepo? No, seriously – where have you gone? There was little excitement generated from ex-Rhinos in the USL-D1 this week. The most thrilling thing we could dig up is that Craig Demmin and Pato Aguilera both got into the game when Virginia Beach tied Toronto 0-0 on Sunday. A whopping 810 people saw the event, which was slightly less than the number of folks lined up at the Snake Bites window at PTP (we had more fans in two sections than they had total). The Lynx managed to scratch up their first point of the season, which sadly will be one of the high points of their wretched season. Unless we can beat up on more clubs the night before they have to play at Centennial.
In D2, Jamel Mitchell scored in Harrisburg City’s 3-0 rout of Long Island. The Rough Riders are 0-1-4, and the second division’s answer to the Toronto Lynx.
Around the (A-)League: Atlanta opened Silverbacks Park with a 3-2 win over Charleston on Saturday night, and probably had more fans left at the end of the game than there were in Rochester when the final whistle blew at PTP (Atlanta’s attendance: 3,217). Even without injured forward Fabian Dawkins, the S-Backs scored more goals in a 32-minute span of this game than they had in their all of their previous 2006 games combined. That’s hot ape action!
Did you ever wonder how close they came to naming the place Atlanta Silverbacks Stadium? That would have been the greatest soccer acronym ever, especially if Robbie Aristodemo scored there (headline: “Aristodemo scores in ASS thriller”). Or if US Senator Rick Santorum was there for some campaign pitch during an Atlanta win (headline: “Silverbacks whip ASS into frenzy; Santorum all over the place”).
You should probably sit down before you read this: There was an ejection in the Montreal-Puerto Rico match on Sunday. Surprisingly, only two other cards were handed out in the 1-0 Impact victory. Masahiro Fukazawa played (as a sub, for one minute) for the first time since spraining his foot in the first match of the season. He Who Shall Not Be Named did not dress for action, probably because he was too busy aiding Al-Qaeda freedom fighters in Quebec.
This weekend’s action: Seattle (0-1-2, -6 on the road) visits Charleston (2-2-0, +5 at home) on Thursday. We think we know how this one will end, but what about the Sounders taking on Atlanta two evenings later? Could be a rough weekend for the defending champs, optimistically looking at one point against two of the league’s weaker clubs.
Then again, Charleston plays Saturday and Sunday in Puerto Rico, so anything could happen. Other busy teams include Vancouver (home against Miami on Friday; in Portland Sunday) and Miami (in Vancouver, then onwards to Minnesota on Sunday).
RD wonders if there will be any kind of live updates from Virginia Beach while the Lady Rhinos play Laval at PTP on Friday night. Fans can always listen to the Fickle broadcast on their own personal radios, but doing so while watching another game could cause Scanners-style injuries. We do know the 10,000+ fewer fans will make it a whole lot easier to enjoy the very positive aspects of the new stadium.
MLS Update: Everyone’s favorite Webster Schroeder US Open Cup opponent is on a 0-2-3 run, which makes last weekend’s attendance (11,023 for a 1-1 draw against Red Bull) seem like Kansas City is a happening soccer town.
John Wolyniec scored the Galaxy’s only goal in a 2-1 road loss to Houston. Woly’s strike was the first for Los Angeles in their sickening six-match losing streak, during which they amassed a less-than-sexy -11 goal differential. Not counting their two wins in 2006 (against Chivas and RSL), the Galaxy have scored only twice this year. In a move that surprised nobody, Steve Sampson was fired as the Los Angeles coach.
On the winning side of MLS, Real Salt Lake is unbeaten in their last four games (whooda thunk losing players to the World Cup would actually help a club?). Atiba Harris’s one-match suspension due to last week’s ejection meant Jeff Cunningham got the start alongside Jason Kreis. After scoring off the bench in the last three matches, Cunningham netted two as a starter.
Also surprising is CD Chivas USA’s two straight wins, which perhaps no so coincidentally, occurred once ex-Sounder Preston Burpo replaced Brad Guzan in the net:
Chivas pre-Burpo: -6 goal differential; 1.72 GAA
Chivas post-Burpo: +4; 0.50 GAA
Because of an amazing string of injuries, Columbus suited up their fifth different goalkeeper of the season…and that’s not even counting out-for-the-season Jonny Walker. The latest batch, which includes former Milwaukee Rampage ‘keeper Dan Popik, follows Andy Gruenebaum (broken hand), Bill Gaudette (broken hand), and ex-Hershey Wildcat Jon Busch (ACL). Amazingly, the Crew have gone 4-2-2 since opening the season with two losses.
US Open Cup: The qualifying round is tonight, and among the participants are one-time Rochester USOC opponent (and Laurie Calloway’s former club) Des Moines, who take on the Croatian Eagles. Winners advance to the first round, which includes familiar names like Pittsburgh Riverhounds, Carolina Dynamo, and Virginia Beach Submariners. Submariners? That’s kind of cool…
Find of the Week: In a box of old tickets in the RD attic – Rochester Flash vs. “Ajax of Holland”. Anyone remember this one? Ajax was about to begin another Eredivisie title run that fall, and only a couple of seasons away from a victory in the Cup Winners’ Cup.
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