Whitecaps FC Host Rochester Rhinos On Saturday
May 21, 2010 - U.S. Soccer Federation D-2 (USSF D-2)
Vancouver Whitecaps News Release
VANCOUVER, BC - In the final match of a five-game home stand, Vancouver Whitecaps FC (2W-1L-3D) host USL Conference club Rochester Rhinos (3W-2L-2D) in the USSF D-2 Pro League on Saturday evening.
Coming off Wednesday's 0-0 draw with Major League Soccer (MLS) club Toronto FC in this year's Nutrilite Canadian Championship, Teitur Thordarson's side will be looking for all three points in the league, as former head coach Bob Lilley and his Rhinos side make their final regular season appearance at Swangard Stadium. The weekend clash is also the first match of a home-and-away set, with the Whitecaps visiting Rochester's Marina Auto Stadium on the following Saturday in USSF D-2 action. Both matches will be shown live on Shaw TV, cable 4.
Saturday's match between the Whitecaps and Rochester Rhinos at Swangard kicks off at 7 p.m. PT. Whitecaps individual match tickets start at $20, plus applicable service charges, and are available at all Ticketmaster Ticket Centres, online at ticketmaster.ca, and by phone at 604.280.4400 or 1.800.663.9311. Visit whitecapsfc.com/tickets for more information on individual match tickets.
WHITECAPS FC
Whitecaps fans might be starting to feel a sense of déjà vu in the past few home games. Wednesday's draw with TFC was Vancouver's third-straight goalless result and fourth-straight stalemate of this early season. Though goals have been in short supply recently, the mood amongst Thordarson's squad remains positive and upbeat following two good performances versus Montreal Impact and The Reds.
The 'Caps know that maintaining a positive approach and a strong work ethic will produce the scoring breakthroughs that have been desired by all Whitecaps faithful in the past couple of weeks. Thordarson will hope a result against the Rhinos will provide his team with an added boost of confidence before his side return to their travels next week.
The Whitecaps are still without defender/midfielder Blake Wagner, who remains sidelined with a strain in his foot, and long-term casualty Mouloud Akloul, who continues his recovery from a fractured ankle. Goalkeeper Dan Pelc also remains sidelined with a gluteus maximus injury. Youngster Ethan Gage, meanwhile, is in the Netherlands for a 12-day camp with the Canadian U-20 national team. 'Caps captain Martin Nash and midfielder Jonny Steele, meanwhile, are former Rochester players.
RHINOS
The winds of change swept through Upstate New York ahead of this year. The dismissal of former Whitecaps striker Darren Tilley as head coach at the end of last season led Rhinos owner and chief executive officer Rob Clark to hire Lilley as head coach last November. This weekend sees the former 'Caps head coach make his first visit to Swangard since leaving Vancouver at the end of the 2007 campaign. With him travels a Rhinos squad that is looking to maintain their position near the top of the USL Conference standings, despite having a four-match unbeaten league run come to an end on Wednesday with a surprise 1-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace Baltimore.
Under Lilley, the Rhinos look virtually brand new as a side, with only three players in veteran goalkeeper Scott Vallow, defender Ryan Heins, and midfielder Nano Short being retained from the 2009 squad. In a bid to try and restore Rochester's glory days of the late 1990's and early millennium, Lilley's new-look team include the likes of defender Troy Roberts (Los Angeles Galaxy), and strikers Anthony Hamilton (Chivas USA) and Tino Nunez (Real Salt Lake) from MLS. 'Caps fans, meanwhile, will be familiar with defenders Rich Costanzo (Minnesota Thunder) and Frankie Sanfilippo (Charleston Battery), as well as midfielders Jonathan Greenfield (Minnesota Thunder) and Darren Spicer (Charleston Battery) from the United Soccer Leagues First Division days. The team also includes two Canadian midfielders in Ian Bennett and Vancouver native Tyler Rosenlund.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Saturday's match will be the 19th all-time meeting between the Whitecaps and Rhinos, with both clubs first meeting back in 1996 and again in 2000. Vancouver have since played Rochester in every season dating back to the 2005 campaign. The 'Caps lead the all-time series of results with eight wins, seven defeats, and three draws versus the Rhinos. This includes a home record of five wins, two defeats, and two draws. More recently, however, the Whitecaps have claimed just one victory in their last five meetings versus the Rhinos (1W-3L-1D). Vancouver will then make their final regular season visit to Rochester, New York, when they face the Rhinos again on Saturday, May 29.
...ON THE ROAD AGAIN
The Whitecaps head out on the road for three matches after Saturday's game. They kickoff the road trip next Wednesday night in Quebec, as they visit the Impact in the Nutrilite Canadian Championship. Kickoff from Montreal's Stade Saputo is set for 5 p.m. PT and can be seen via live streaming on sportsnet.ca or on Rogers Sportsnet East and Rogers Sportsnet West. Vancouver will then visit the Rhinos in Upstate New York on the following Saturday before completing their road trip in Southern Ontario when they take on Toronto FC at BMO Field on Wednesday, June 2.
Saturday's match between the Whitecaps and Rochester Rhinos is available live on Shaw TV, Shaw Direct (satellite channel 299), and online at whitecapsfc.com/live.
U.S. Soccer Federation D-2 Stories from May 21, 2010
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- Whitecaps FC Host Rochester Rhinos On Saturday - Vancouver Whitecaps
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