July 2, 2008
The Rhinos hung in with DC United for a while.
Scott Vallow played well, T-Bone Bonseu didn't look out of place, and they kept Luciano Emilio off the scoreboard in the first half.
The problem was that the Rhinos never really controlled the game through the midfield despite the fact that DC didn't play a lot of their regulars.
And the biggest problem is that they didn't cash in the couple of good chances that they did create.
So, when Marc Burch put away not one, but two free kicks late in the second half, it shouldn't have surprised anyone.
The Rhinos have lacked consistent offense all season and suffered untimely defensive breakdowns. Last night was no exception.
So, the Rhinos enter Saturday night's home match versus Vancouver on a two game losing streak and with a serious need to get results to avoid missing the playoffs for the first time in club history.
News & Notes:
- As always, the Open Cup has some interesting results. The USL 2nd Division's Crystal Palace Baltimore defeating the NY Red Bulls 2-0 was my favorite. And the Charleston Battery took home the Joe Valenti Cup by defeating Houston 4-3 on PKs. Seattle also dispatched Chivas USA 2-0, but that seems to be a recurring theme.
- The USWNT is up 1-0 at the half versus Norway thanks to a Lindsay Tarpley goal in the 5th minute. Abby had a couple of shots in the first half, but she has not gotten closer to the 100 goal mark.
- Former Rhino Jonny Steele has been named the USL 1st Division Player of the Week.
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 news@soccersam.com. James promises to read (but not to respond) to all of them.
