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Rochester Rhinos

Rhinos name Stephen Guppy name player/assistant coach

March 28, 2008 - USL First Division (USL-1)
Rochester Rhinos News Release


(Rochester, NY)... The Rochester Rhinos announced today that Stephen Guppy has been named the player/assistant coach of the United Soccer Leagues First Division club. Guppy joins former Rhino and new head coach Darren Tilley on the bench as Rochester enters its 13th season of professional soccer.

"I'm delighted to be here in the city of Rochester," said Guppy. "Rochester has always been looked upon as one of the big clubs in the USL. There's a lot to get done with little time to do it, but I'm certainly looking forward to getting started."

"Adding a player/coach of Steve's caliber is a tremendous asset to the club," said Rhinos Executive Vice President Matthew Ford. "Having represented his country at all levels and having played in over 150 English Premier League games, Steve will have a tremendous impact on the team, particularly the younger players in the squad."

Guppy, 38, brings with him to Rochester over 15 years of professional experience in the highest levels of competitive soccer in Europe and North America. A native of Winchester, England, Guppy's began his career and made his first appearance on the soccer scene, making his debut with Southampton in 1989 as a member of the reserve squad.

Guppy would spend the next six seasons (1989-94, 2004-05) with Wycombe Wanderers of Football League Division Two, where he helped guide the team to the Conference championships in 1993 as well as completing the non-league double by winning the FA Trophy. He was instrumental in Wycombe's debut season in the Football League, helping them secure a promotion to Division Two via the playoffs. In 192 career appearances with the Wanderers, Guppy registered 26 goals.

In August of 1994, Guppy received the prestigious opportunity of making one first-team appearance as a substitute for Newcastle United in 2-0 win over Manchester United in the League Cup.

He subsequently moved on to Port Vale in November 1994. In nearly three seasons at the then Division One club, his 12-goal performance in 105 games left him a true favorite among fans.

Guppy made the jump to the English Premier League in 1997 as a member of Leicester City Football Club. It was in his first spell with the Foxes that he was most successful, playing in over 140 matches and notching nine goals. He was placed second on a list of the best crossers in Europe behind David Beckham. He gained League Cup honors with Leicester City in 2000, having also reached the final in the previous season.

Guppy moved on to join Celtic Football Club of the Scottish Premier League for the next three seasons (2001-04) where he would help deliver the team its first Scottish Premier League Championship (2001-02), Scottish Cup (2001) and Scottish League Cup (2001).

After being released by Celtic in January 2004, he briefly re-joined Leicester City but was released by them in the summer of 2004. He then spent a brief spell at Leeds United in August 2004 before gaining a short term deal at Stoke City followed by a short spell back at Wycombe.

Guppy made his North American and Major League Soccer debut with a five-game stint with D.C. United during the 2005-06 season, playing alongside Freddy Adu. He made his return to the English Leagues in 2006-07, netting two goals in 27 games with Stevenage Borough F.C.

Most recently, Guppy spent the last three months with Aston Villa, where he has been training in preparation for the upcoming 2008 USL-1 season.

Rochester begin their 13th season on Friday, May 2nd at 7:30 p.m. in Charleston, SC, as they take on the two-time A-League champion Charleston Battery at Blackbaud Stadium. Rochester opens its 2008 home slate at PAETEC Park on Saturday, May 17th against Charleston at 7:35 p.m.

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