June 30, 2012

If you want your Craig Demmin bobblehead, you better get to the Rhinos game tonight early as the first 1000 fans will get the momento on Hall of Fame induction night as Doug Miller, Pat Onstad, and Demmin will join last year's first inductee Lenin Steenkamp in the Rhinos Hall of Fame.

On the field, the Rhinos will try to build off last weekend's thrilling victory in Richmond thanks to USL PRO Team of the Week's JC Banks who set up Graciano Brito for the Rhinos first goal and then scored the game winner in the 90th minute off an assist from Isaac Kissi.

The win snapped the Rhinos 0-3-4 winless skid and puts them firmly in third place in the league behind Charleston and Orlando City. Harrisburg comes to town in the middle of a log jam as 4th place and 9th place in the USL PRO League is currently seperated by only six points. The City Islanders may be in seventh place and three points back of fourth place Wilmington. But, they have played the second fewest matches in the league at twelve and own two games in hand over the Hammerheads. Only the LA Blues (5th place with 17 pts in 11 games) have played fewer matches.

The City Islanders have had a rough week as they lost 3-0 in Orlando City and 3-1 in Charleston in league play last weekend before getting bounced from the US Open Cup 5-2 by the Philadelphia Union on Tuesday night.

MISL News:

- It has been announced that Chicago will have an MISL franchise for 2012-13.

- The Norfolk SharX will not return to the MISL next season.

- Keith Tozer announced the US Futsal team and it features a bunch of MISL stars.

News & Notes:

- Abby Wambach is up for a bunch of ESPYs again this year.

- There is also a viral video about Abby and the USWNT that is gaining a lot of attention.

- Jeff Kassouf and Jenna Pel have early reports on what may come of Wednesday's US Soccer summit on women's pro soccer.  

- How many of these 15 facts about Abby Wambach did you know?

- Abby and the USWNT will take on Canada this afternoon in their Olympic send off match.

- MLS went 3-0 vs the USL PRO League in the US Open Cup QFs.

- Didier Drogba is leaving Chelsea for China. Seriously.

- Orlando City's owners see the club in MLS by 2015 or 2016.

- Although, there are reports that MLS is looking to put a stadium in Queens near the Mets' Citi Field.

- David Beckham was not selected to be a part of the Great Britian Olympic team.

- FC Dallas becomes the latest MLS club to get a jersey sponsor.

- Could USMNT captain Carlos Bocanegra be headed to Vancouver?

- Brian McBride is coming out of retirement. Sort of.

- The USMNT will play a friendly versus Mexico in August. Is there ever anything friendly when the US & Mexico play?

- And don't forget that Italy plays Spain tomorrow in the finals of Euro 2012.

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author, and not necessarily those of the Rochester Rhinos or SoccerSam.com. Feel free to send any comments or complaints to jamesrweise@gmail.com. James promises to read (but not to respond) to all of them.