USL Rochester Rhinos

Old Place, New Faces, Same Expectations.

Published on October 18, 2013 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Rochester Rhinos News Release


With the end of the 2013 season came the announcement of the return of Coach Bob Lilley.  It has been two years since he was last with the Rochester Rhinos, during which he spent his time back in his home state of Pennsylvania with his family.  To keep himself fresh in the soccer world, Coach Lilley took time to work with the PA Classics boys and girls teams, ages ranging from U12 to U18. 

When speaking with him, Coach Lilley stated that there are a lot of differences between U12's and U18's.  The U12 teams sees everything fresh and still have high hopes and dreams; the U18's on the other hand tend to be more realistic and the focus is mostly on preparing them for the college game.  Coach Lilley then went on to say that he thought coaching different age groups and genders strengthens you as a coach.  It gives you a chance to learn how to help players succeed, adapt, and set goals for themselves.  At both the professional and PA Classics level, there is the constant theme of always trying to help players get better.  Managing the team at the professional level is mostly focused on getting the chemistry right and having the players understand the roles.  "In the pros, we are trying to get all the players to buy into the system, put their egos aside, and make sure the group is able to move forward in a professional and mature way," Coach Lilley stated.  He continued to say, "At the youth level, it is more focused on development.  You let players learn from their mistakes.  We don't get the luxury at the pro level."  Yet, at the base of it all is motivating the players and trying to get more consistency from everyone. At the end of the day, he has thoroughly enjoyed his time with the PA Classics, but he is excited to get back to the professional environment.  That was the major thing he missed since he spent most of his time, playing and coaching, at the professional level. 

We then talked about his proudest moment in soccer, as well as his proudest moment while with the Rhinos.  He began saying that his proudest moment in soccer was in 2006, with Vancouver, when they won the championship against the Rhinos.  He said this was his most proud moment because it was the result they worked so hard for.  He then stated that his first year, as a whole, with the Rhinos was him most proud moment.  He could pick anything specifically, but just seeing how consistent the young team was and winning the regular season title was a very great feeling and accomplishment.  They were able to maintain a high standard of play throughout the year when the league was very deep with Montreal, Vancouver, and Portland all still in the league and prepping for the MLS.

In the conversation with Coach Lilley, we spoke on the Rhinos past two seasons.  He began by stating that there is a fine line between winning and losing at the professional level, and since he wasn't there for the preparations, he couldn't really speak on the topic that well.  But, he did mention that in the first year after he left, the Rhinos were able to get off to a hot start and ride that momentum far into the playoffs and close to a championship.  In the second season, he stated there was a bit of a slow start and injuries with a tough early season schedule didn't help.  He stated that the ups and downs can happen to any team and because there is a fine line between winning and losing at this level, you must always be vigilant to put yourself in the best position to maintain a standard of success.  "Rochester deserves a winner and we want to give ourselves the best chance to be successful and be at the top of the table.  There are definitely challenges year in and year out, but challenging for championships year in and year out is at the top of the priority list," Coach Lilley said. 

In his career, Coach Lilley has been to a number of different places, and he says he will touch on his previous professional coaching experience when he comes into this season.  He believes that in the last five to six years the level of play, across the board from college to pro, has gone up significantly.  There are better players available and he says he has to bring the correct players together and have them mesh.  This happens to be his first order of business when returning to Rochester.  As he stated before, the talent pool is deep and he will begin scouting and putting together player combines in December.  "I have to look at the pool of players and not rush to make decisions in November and December.  We have to make sure we are evaluating the entire pool as thoroughly as possible to find the right fit to have success," Coach Lilley stated.  He also mentioned that he was hoping to go into the preseason with spots open.  He wanted to do this to create competition within the team to round out the roster, which he hope would keep the intensity and urgency high leading into the season.   He also touched on having high expectations for the upcoming season.  He believes that with high expectations come accountability, not only from the coaching staff, but the players and the entire organization.  "We're not going there to rebuild.  Obviously there will be changes to the roster, but the expectation is that, even though there will be a number of changes, we will have success immediately."  Hard work and commitment will be the necessary ingredients for this to come to fruition, but that is what the professional environment is all about.   "We aren't measured on effort and attitude, you have to have results and expectations should be high," stated the coach.  Past success equal high expectations, which he hopes to meet this season. 

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from October 18, 2013


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