7PM – Sahlen’s Stadium
Match Officials, as assigned by PRO:
REF: Mr. Jaime Herrera
AR1: Mr. Democratis Pashalidis
AR2: Mr. Christopher Trottier
4TH: Lauren Dearman
Riverhounds Yellow Card Watch (5 cautions to a match ban)
Danny Earls – 4
Anthony Arena – 3
Stephen Okai – 3
Kevin Kerr – 2
Matt Dallman – 1
Willie Hunt – 1
Lebo Moloto – 1
Amara Soumah – 1
Russell Drew – 1
Robbie Vincent – 1
The Riverhounds look to start a new winning streak while ending Rochester’s undefeated run as they close out the first half of the season in upstate New York. Last season, the Hounds picked up their first win of the season in stunning fashion in Rochester. Can they following that up this year by handing the Rhinos their first loss in league play?
The Riverhounds are coming off of rain soaked 1-nil victory over the Wooden Spoon contending FC Montreal. The boys dictated nearly the entire match without reward until a deflection at the top of the box fell to the feet of Kevin Kerr. Kerr took advantage and put the Hounds on the board with a little over 10 minutes to play. The team, with a full week’s rest (which must seem like an eternity after the run of mid-week Cup games) must go from playing the bottom of the East to the very top against Rochester.
There is also the small point of seeking revenge for a home loss earlier in the season that came after some *curious* officiating. Th team will want to show that that result wasn’t indicative of the game and that they are owed a couple points on the back end.
Danny Earls will be back in the squad to face his old club after serving a one-match ban last weekend. A interesting lineup selection will be answered when we see who starts in net for the beloved. Ryan Thompson is back with the squad for a short spell between Jamaica’s Copa America and Gold Cup tournaments. Thompson spent a lot of time on the bench in Chile and may be looking to see some competitive playing time in his week back with his club. However, does Mark Steffens feel it is in the teams best interest to give Thompson the start over Calle Brown who appears to be the team’s starter in Thompson’s absence.
For the Rhinos, its going to be about getting back on track. The team has sputtered, for as much as a first place team can sputter, with three consecutive road draws in league play. Last week, Rochester need a late goal in Harrisburg (who love giving up lots of late goal) to swipe a point from an otherwise unimpressive performance. But, that’s what good teams do. They find a way to get points even when they don’t have their best nights. A stingy defense and willingness to battle through an entire 90 minutes has let the Rhinos walk away from every match with at least a point. They also play well ay home, with an unblemished mark this season in Sahlen’s Stadium.
This won’t be an easy game for the Hounds. So, we’re bringing the backup. A bus of 40+ loud Army members with nothing to do on the trip up except get warmed up and plan on how to best exert ourselves into the match. Tonight will not be the night to pull any punches. Make no mistake, this is a business trip.
#UNLEASH
