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Rochester Rhinos

Lilley Optimistic About 2015

March 28, 2015 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Rochester Rhinos News Release


Rochester, NY - The Rochester Rhinos kickoff the 2015 season at the New York Red Bulls today. The Rhinos have one of the richest soccer histories in North America and hope to continue this tradition. The 2013 Rhinos were the only team in club history to miss the playoffs, but with the return of Bob of 2014, the Rhinos returned to the playoffs as well. With Lilley heading into his second, consecutive, year with the Rhinos, the coach has a good feeling about the 2015 season.

The 2015 season has brought a number of changes to the Rhinos as well as the league. The offseason leading to the 2015 season saw tremendous growth, including a number of clubs owned and operated at by MLS parent clubs.

"I think the level of play is going to be very strong this year. We have all of the MLS teams coming in and they will certainly put good teams out there. And I think a few of the early results with Seattle beating Sacramento and Toronto pushing Charleston indicates that the league is going to be stronger as a whole," Lilley stated when asked about the upcoming season. "It's exciting to have all of these new opponents. Old rivalries will be there again. We're excited to open up at Red Bull Arena and NYRBII as well. We are going to be challenged but we feel like we have a really good group and we're looking forward to it."

A team managed by Lilley will usually have two base qualities: a focus on possession and a strong defense. He believes that keeping these two qualities will help, but he recognizes the need for scoring. The Rhinos allowed only 25 goals last year, which was the second fewest, but only managed to score 28 goals.

"Well, I think for us, last year we were pretty good in possession and we also defended really well. That won't always win you games though. You've got to score goals to win. We feel like that is going to be important to us to be more explosive and we've taken the steps to improve ourselves offensively," Lilley said. "We still want to have the ball and we still want to dictate games on our terms. Hopefully we can be as stingy as we were last year. I think if we're able to keep the possession and defending where it was last year, I do expect we are going to be quite good because I do believe we will score a lot of goals this year."

Bob Lilley and the Rochester Rhinos will return seven players from the 2015 roster, losing key players such as Rookie and Goalkeeper of the Year, John McCarthy, and 2014 team MVP, JC Banks. But, Bob is optimistic.

"Well, there's no doubt that we lost some key players. Losing McCarthy in goal is a pretty significant loss. We lost a few of our CB's that were solid for us last year, so we've had to replace those. And losing JC and Tyler, they were key pieces to us offensively," Bob began when asked about the evolution of the Rhinos roster. "So, we had to go into the market and be aggressive. I think we've done that and I think, overall, we are better than we were last year. We are little more athletic, a little more explosive, certainly bigger, overall, as a team, and I just think there will be just more depth in our group. I think we, right now, are significantly ahead of where we were at this time last year."

Although the preseason was a week shorter than last, Bob likes where the team is at. He recognizes that he is a touch demanding, but likes how the players are responding and coming together as a whole.

"I think the chemistry is all great right now because we haven't lost yet, you know, and hopefully it stays great and we keep the ball rolling. But, I like how the guys interact with one another. I like the mentality of the group in terms of training and helping each other out. The communication amongst the guys seems to be at a good point right now," Lilley stated. "Certainly, they are all adapting to me, I'm pretty demanding. But, I think we have a very good group that wants to learn and grow, and are working really hard. George, Gavin, and I are pushing them hard and, right now, we seem to be coming together even though training camp was one week shorter. I think we are ahead of the pace we were on last year and we have a stronger group moving forward."

As we stated above, the Rhinos return a solid group of seven players from 2014 to play in the 2015 season, our 20th Anniversary season. Lilley gave us a nice breakdown of the squad and possible players to watch.

"It's tough question, because we are happy with the whole group. It's tough to say who's going to emerge as the season goes on because I think there's going to be competition for jobs all year," Lilley began when asked of players to watch this season.

"In goal, we are happy with all three. Miller looks good as does Murdoch (not cleared), who we brought in from Hibernian FC, and Grinwis. They are all pushing one another, which is a good sign," Lilley stated. "We have Onua and Pat coming back which adds some stability there and I believe we have added some solid pieces that will help bolster the backline."

"We are really excited about the midfield with Walls and Garzi. Walls was one of our best players last year and Garzi has looked extremely sharp this year and expect him to play a big part. Dixon is one of the more explosive players in the league and Mendoza was real solid for us last year. With those four coming back, we are excited what we are going to do in the midfield. We have added Kenardo Forbes who played indoor for Syracuse. He sees the game well and has great awareness. He's an exciting and creative player. As he gets fit, we will see more contributions from him," Lilley continued.

"Colin Rolfe has been very good all preseason banging in goals and he looks hungry and fit. Volesky is a young player who was the MLS combine MVP and was drafted by Portland. When he was let go, we were able to get him here and he looks the part. We have a number of interesting pieces and look forward to seeing what happens," Lilley said about the forward crop.

"So hopefully, all of those guys will bring a lot this year but they will be challenged daily by other guys on the roster. It will be interesting to sit back and watch these guys compete. Hopefully we can do really well as a group and everyone will contribute," Lilley finished.

The Rochester Rhinos begin the 2015 campaign on the road against the New York Red Bulls II and the match can be streamed live on Youtube.com. The Rhinos continue on the road before we open up Sahlen's Stadium for our home opener on April 26th against, none other than, the New York Red Bulls II. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:05pm.

Rochester Rhinos 2015 Rhinos season tickets, flex packs and group tickets are available by calling (585) 454-KICK (5425), by visiting the MVP Health Care Box Office at Sahlen's Stadium, or online at rhinossoccer.com. Full season ticket packages start at $99.00 and the Rhinos Family Pass is $299.00 for a family of four!

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