USL Rochester Rhinos

Rochester Hosts USL Championship Game Friday Night

October 15, 2015 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Rochester Rhinos News Release


ROCHESTER, NY - The Rochester Rhinos will host LA Galaxy II in the USL Championship Game in Sahlen's Stadium at 7:30PM on Friday, October 16th 2015.

The Rochester Rhinos have been holding a season long celebration of their 20 th anniversary, and for the most part the focus of that celebration has been on the early years of the franchise. From 1996 to 2001 the Rhinos played in seven finals and won four trophies. Rochester hosted and won league championships in 1998, 2000 and 2001, and became the only club outside of Major League Soccer to win the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in 1999. After adding the Rhinos regular season championships in 1998, 1999 and 2002 into consideration Rochester won seven trophies in the first seven years of the club's history.

The subsequent dozen years of the club's history ended up being less fruitful for the Rhinos. Rochester did not win a trophy from 2003 to 2009. While the club was able to celebrate the opening of their soccer specific stadium in the City of Rochester with a cameo in the 2006 final, the early success of the Rhinos in Frontier Field did not follow the club down the street to translate into early success at 460 Oak Street.

The ownership of Rob Clark breathed new life into the franchise in March 2008, and the return of legendary coach Pat Ercoli as the Rochester Rhinos President and Chief Operating Officer in conjunction with the arrival of Bob Lilley as head coach in 2010 began the club's rebuilding project. After a regular season championship in 2010 the Rochester Rhinos joined USL in 2011, and had immediate success in winning their first league trophy of the USL era - the National Division Title. After a second place finish and league semifinal appearance in 2012, the Rochester Rhinos missed the playoffs for the only time in club history in 2013 during Coach Lilley's hiatus from the team. Lilley returned to run the Rhinos in 2014, and led the team back to the playoffs with a sixth place finish, but there was little foreshadowing last season to lead anyone to believe the 2015 edition of the club would be historic.

The 2015 Rochester Rhinos will be playing in the club's ninth final on Friday night. The Rhinos won the 2015 USL Regular Season Championship by capping off their nineteen match unbeaten streak to open the season with a 17 - 1 - 10 record. Rochester had the best defensive record in USL history, and tied the best mark in club history by conceding fifteen goals in a twenty-eight match regular season. The Rhinos have yet to concede a goal in the 2015 playoffs after defeating New York Red Bulls II two-nil in the USL Conference Semi-Finals and Louisville City FC one-nil in the USL Conference Final. The 2015 Rochester Rhinos are one match away from joining the 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2001 teams in the pantheon of club champions.

"This is the game that we've been working to reach all season." Rochester Rhinos head coach Bob Lilley said. "From an organizational stand point this has been the goal since I was hired in 2010 - to win a championship. We have a talented young team who loves to press and get after our opponents. In LA Galaxy II we're seeing a team who likes to do the same things we do, and that should result in an exciting first 15 to 20 minutes of play, and a great final."

The Rochester Rhinos opponent in Friday night's final represents the changing paradigm of the USL in 2015. LA Galaxy II are a wholly owned subsidiary of the MLS club LA Galaxy. Los Dos first choice starting eleven for the 2015 Western Conference playoffs has featured four players on loan from the first team - Jack McBean (six goals, five assists), and Raul Mendiola (four goals, eight assists) are among the club's leading attacking catalysts while Kenny Walker and Oscar Sorto help anchor the LA Galaxy II back four. 21 year-old Ariel Lassiter, son of United States Men's National Team and MLS alumni Roy Lassiter, signed with Los Dos during the off-season in the hopes of making inroads into MLS. He has captured the attention of the LA Galaxy hierarchy with eleven regular season goals and three of the team's five goals in the 2015 postseason. The LA Galaxy's initial success in USL last season prompted seven more MLS sides to field USL teams this season.

"In my opinion the LA Galaxy have either the best, or one of the top two, set-ups in Major League Soccer from top to bottom. From their Academy to the USL to the MLS, the Galaxy is one of the model organizations in the country today. They've put out a good team in the playoffs, and are going to offer a great challenge on Friday night." Lilley said.

Tickets are on sale for the USL Championship Game on Friday, October 16th 2015 at 7:30PM in Sahlen's Stadium. Tickets can be purchased by calling (585)454-KICK (5425), online via Ticketmaster, or by visiting the MVP Health Care Box Office at Sahlen's Stadium during business hours.



United Soccer League Championship Stories from October 15, 2015


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