USL Rochester Rhinos

Rebuilding the Rhinos

Published on January 24, 2014 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Rochester Rhinos News Release


Head Coach Bob Lilley's resume reads like a testament to the Rochester Rhinos business model:

13 seasons

13 playoff appearances

7 division titles

3 regular season titles

2 finals appearances

2006 USL Championship

Lilley has been charged with returning the club to the playoffs after the Rhinos missed out on the postseason for the first time in their history in 2013. It is no surprise that Lilley's first move was to clean house on a roster that had the second highest salary in USL PRO yet only posted a 6-10-10 record the previous season. With Thursday's announcement that the Rhinos have agreed to terms with fifth-year midfielder Tyler Rosenlund for the 2014 season, only four players will be returning this season. Rosenlund will be joined by second-year Rhino Lance Rozeboom in center midfield. Winger JC Banks will begin his fourth season with the club, while striker Matt Luzunaris will be returning for his second season in Rochester. Thursday the Rhinos also announced that they had agreed to terms with two new acquisitions for the 2014 season - goalkeeper Alex Horwath and center back Kyle Hoffer.

The six players that the Rochester Rhinos have under contract have the potential to create a strong nucleus of players down the spine of the team - a feature of every team Bob Lilley constructs and coaches.

Goalkeeper

Former Rhinos goalkeeper Kristian Nicht exploded onto the scene in Rochester in 2012. Nicht was named to the USL PRO All-League team, and was named the USL PRO Goalkeeper of the Year after his first season with the Rhinos. Rochester finished second in the table and was eliminated from the playoffs on penalty kicks by the eventual USL PRO Champion Charleston Battery. Nicht's second campaign in Rochester unfolded quite differently as the German posted a 4-10-10 record with a 1.56 goals-against average in 24 games played. Nicht's departure during the off-season provided the opportunity for the Rhinos to sign Alex Horwath.

Horwath is a 6'4", 185 pound goalkeeper who plays the part. He is good off of his line, and can control his penalty box by claiming crosses. Horwath is athletic for his size, and has good technique as a shot-stopper. He began his career as a reserve in Major League Soccer in 2010, and made one start with the New York Red Bulls in 2011. Horwath has played 47 matches and logged over 4,000 minutes over the past two seasons in USL PRO with both Wilmington and VSI Tampa Bay, so he has gained valuable playing experience at the professional level.

The former United States Men's National Team U-17 player is five years younger than Nicht, and will be presented with the chance to become the Rhinos starting goalkeeper in training camp this year.

Center Back

24 year-old Kyle Hoffer has already been named to the All-League team in 2011, won a USL PRO Championship with Charleston is 2012, and was the inaugural signing and captain of VSI Tampa Bay in 2013.

Hoffer is a ball-winning center back who is strong in the tackle yet technical enough to help his team keep possession and build out of the back. Hoffer's ball winning ability is a necessity to deal with an opponent's direct style of play. While Lilley is a long ways away from naming a successor to Troy Roberts as the captain of the Rhinos, at minimum Hoffer's experience with Tampa Bay will bring a needed element of leadership to the locker room.

Hoffer is a center back with a valuable skill set who could play a role in the Rhinos back four this season.

Central Midfield

Lance Rozeboom and Tyler Rosenlund will begin their second year as a tandem in central midfield in 2014. Last season Rozeboom was the Rochester Rhinos 2013 Rookie of the Year. Rozeboom was a collegiate star with the University of New Mexico in the fall of 2011, but lost his 2012 MLS season with D.C. United after suffering a torn ACL in April. Rozeboom was out for a year, but returned to put in a strong effort for Rochester in 2013. The rookie logged 2,099 minutes as a central midfielder in 25 USL PRO matches. Rosenlund was the Rhinos 2011 MVP, and the fifth-year midfielder is about to join some very heady company on the clubs "All-Time" lists as he enters the season with 98 games played, 92 games started, and 7,910 career minutes in the regular season. Rosenlund has won the 2010 USSF Division II Supporters Shield and the 2011 USL PRO National Division Title with the Rhinos.

Rosenlund is a box-to-box midfielder who provides a valuable link between defense and attack in the middle of the park. He is capable of scoring goals and creating chances - he has nine goals and seven assists in his career - but his best role is probably in a three man midfield with a classic withdrawn forward playing in front of him. Last season Rozeboom complemented Rosenlund by playing as a holding midfielder in front of the Rhinos back four. He is a strong enough defender to fill in at center back, and can help relieve pressure when the Rhinos are in possession with his ability to change the point of attack.

The partnership of Rosenlund and Rozeboom as anchors in central midfield gives the Rhinos the flexibility to play out of a 4-4-2 formation or a five-man midfield this season.

Attacking Pieces

The Rochester Rhinos top two returning attacking players are winger JC Banks and striker Matt Luzunaris. Last season Banks scored one goal with two assists for four points on 11 shots in 1,029 minutes played. Luzunaris scored one goal off of five shots in five matches played. However, Luzunaris missed out on the final 20 matches of the season after breaking his leg in the Rhinos home opener in Sahlen's Stadium in May, and Banks was continuing his recovery from reconstructive surgery on his ACL in September 2012.

In 2012, Banks had one of the best seasons for a midfielder in Rhinos history when he scored five goals and added eight assists in only 18 matches before he suffered a knee injury in July 2012. Luzunaris was with the Orlando City Lions in 2012 where he scored nine goals and added two assists in only 934 minutes on the pitch. Luzunaris was named to the USL PRO All-League Second Team for averaging just over a goal a match with Orlando City, while Banks was named the Rhinos 2012 MVP and USL PRO All-League First Team after leading the league in assists.

When training camp opens on March 1st Banks will be 18 months out from his ACL surgery and Luzunaris will be ten months out from surgery to repair his broken leg. How well one or both return to form in 2014 could be a critical story line for the Rhinos in 2014.

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