May 2, 2001

Next match. The Rhinos (17-2-9 in 2000) take on the Connecticut Wolves (1-8-19) Friday, May 5, at Frontier Field in their first match of the 2001 season. Kickoff is at 7:35 p.m.

Why you need to go. For starters, it's the home opener. And for fans who haven't made it out to any of the practices or pre-season matches at Bishop Kearney, this will be your first chance to catch a glimpse of the newest Rhinos, as well as an opportunity to mourn the loss of Rhinos past. In addition to being a regular divisional showdown, this is also the first of six qualifying matches for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, a competition the Rhinos have already qualified for by virtue of being the defending A-League champions. (Confused? Join the club.)

History. The Rhinos showed the Wolves what for in their only two meetings last season, winning 2-0 at Frontier, and 3-0 in New Britain. Connecticut opened the 2001 campaign with a 1-0 overtime win over the Minnesota Thunder, last year’s Western Conference champions.

Scouting report. Like many clubs that have been lingering near the bottom of the pack over the last few years, Connecticut has loaded up on talent during the off-season. The newest Wolves include Kenyan draft pick Paul Oyuga and former El Paso Patriot midfielder Mobi Oparaku, a member of Nigeria's 1996 Olympic Gold Medal team and 1998 World Cup squad. Pilfered from the Charleston Battery are 2000 A-League assist leader Temoc Suarez and Jamaican national team middie Dean Sewell, who will join fellow Reggae Boy Winston Griffith in the Wolves attack. As if that weren't enough, they've also added dangerous striker Patrick Beech (11^th in scoring), ex-New England Revolution forward Fabio Zuniga, and former Canadian national team member Randy Samuel (from the now defunct Hampton Roads franchise). The Wolves’ only major departure from 2000 is defender Hector Navarette, who decided to try his luck in this year’s MLS SuperDraft. He was picked, but then waived by Tampa Bay… presumably after the team got a good look at former Rhino Craig Demmin.

New faces. You'll probably need a scorecard to tell the players apart this year. Look for two brand new-strikers (Bulgarian Atanas "Nasho" Kirov and former Hershey Wildcat Jamal Mitchell, who was 16^th in scoring) to torment opposing 'keepers throughout the season, with speedy Trinidad & Tobago national teamer Mickey Trotman backing them up off the bench. No major changes in the midfield, other than former Dallas Burn benchwarmer Kirk Wilson and Fairport's own Mario Cristofori, who could both see action when Head Coach Pat Ercoli needs a pair of fresh legs in late-match situations. In the back, the only new face is Carlos Parra, who spent the last four years playing in MLS. Oh, and the guy with the floppy hair isn't new --- that's Carlos Zavala's funky new lid.

Not so Lowe-nly. A lesser team could have been crippled by the departure of two First Team A-League members (City's Favorite Local Professional Athlete winner Yari Alnutt and three-time Rhino Most Valuable Player Craig Demmin), fan favorite Tim Hardy, and Onandi Lowe, the MVP from last year's championship match, but the Rhinos still have two guys who made last year's First Team (Scotts Schweitzer and Vallow) and two who landed on the Second Team (Martin Nash and Lenin Steenkamp). And don't forget about the return of defender Fuseini Dauda and 1998 A-League Goalkeeper of the Year Pat Onstad. So turn that frown upside down, and keep reminding yourself that Eddy Sebrango was just a bad dream.

Injury report. Several Rhinos are banged up, but only defender Mali Walton is out for Saturday's clash. The Wolves' goalkeeper, Adam Throop, is doubtful, while Suarez, Sewell, and a handful of others are listed as questionable from various pulls and strains."

Upcoming matches. The Rhinos take their act to New England next weekend for non-league US Open Cup qualifying clashes with D3 clubs Western Mass (May 11) and New Hampshire (May 12) before returning home on May 19 for the return leg of the New Hampshire tie. The Safari (the Rhinos Official Fan Club) is making the overnight trip, so if you're interested, give them a call (544-4694). And yes, you'll be back in time for Mother's Day dinner. As always, both matches will be carried by WYSL 1040 AM.

Around the league. We’re not sure if the meek are inheriting anything just yet, but Minnesota, the team the Rhinos have faced in the last three championship matches, are 0-0-2 this season, with road losses in Connecticut and Long Island. Charleston and the Richmond Kickers also lost early matches to, respectively, the (formerly?) lowly Nashville Metros and the recently promoted Charlotte Knights.

US blues. Sure, the US (3-0-0) is sitting pretty on top of the final group in the CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers, but former Rhino Craig Demmin sent national team fans into cardiac arrest this week with a tough foul to US forward Josh Wolff in Tampa Bay’s match against the Chicago Fire last Saturday. Wolff seriously sprained his ankle, and Demmin was yellow-carded --- his second booking in the last two weeks.