MVP: LwL

Team DPs: 28

LAF are rivals to 2 teams.

Updated for Season 24

The Rochester Rhinos are an American professional soccer team based in Rochester, New York United States. Founded in 1996, the team plays in the USL Pro Division, the third tier of the American Soccer Pyramid having self-relegated from the USSF D2 Pro League at the end of the 2010 season.

The team plays its home games at Sahlen's Stadium  formerly known as PAETEC Park, where they have played since 2006. The team's colors are black, white and green.

On January 5, 2016, the league announced that it had revoked the Clark family's ownership of the club, citing the revocation of the lease on Sahlen's Stadium by the City of Rochester. The league took over operations of the club until it could be sold to a new ownership group.  David and Wendy Dworkin, minority owners of the Sacramento Kings basketball club, were identified as the Rhinos' new owners on January 16. The Dworkins were officially announced as the new owners on March 10, 2016.

The club has been known at times as the Rochester Raging Rhinos.

OASL Achievement

Under the Management of Graham Wilkes, the Rhinos won three Division 2 titles in seasons 7,10 & 14 and previously the Steve urner trophy came to Rochester under the management of Robin Dewar in seasons 5 & 6.

In season 15, Paul Cockayne became the new Rhinos' manager.  A mid-table finish was to be expected but Cockayne has hopes of building on the work of previous managers and achieving something new for the Rhinos - a division 1 title. Season 16 proved to be something of a disappointment for the Rochester Rhinos.  They finished a place lower than the previous season - 9th - and only narrowly avoided a playoff match.  They fared no better in the cup competitions, although they did manage to finish 4th in the Allan Sellers Plate. Season 17 saw a much improved league performance and a fifth place finish, only once bettered in the club's history.  There were disappointments in the cups but close-season purchases appear to have left the club in a strong position to challange for some silverware in season 18. Unfortunately, season 18 did not bring what expected. Some more games in the cup, but silverware was not found. Manager Cockayne did not accept a new contract and The Rhinos searched for a new manager.

With Simon Bijker they expected season 19 would bring them back to the top of the league. Bijker tried to bring down expectations, and unfortunately he was right about the league. The season ended as number 9 of the league. Better it was in the cups. Runner up for Steve Turner Thropy and winners of the ASC Plate. Bijker:"We could not do anything better I think, unfortunately those cup matches are right after eachother so we had to focus on one of the two. But I think we are very happy to add an Cup to our Thropy cabinet".

For this season Bijker is sure some progress could be made in the league. Bijker:"We have a nice team, not the best but also not the worst. If we are lucky we might end up in the top 6. For the cups it depends on the teams we will face. That is one big lotery".

Season 20 has ended. Unfortunately Rochester did not end in the top 6. An 8th place was the best the team could manage. Bijker:"I think if you only look to the league, we could do better. But we also looked to the cups. I like to add trophy's to our cabinet and unfortunately our squad is not that big enough to fight for all the prices. Still we managed to win the Allan Sellers Cup. It was the first time we managed to win this, last year we were runnerup but this year we wanted to win the tropy. Unfortunately we had the same issue as last year. To much cup games right after eachother and therefor we lost in the Steve Turner trophy semi finals. But as mentioned we added a Cup to our cabinet. And than I think you can say we did great, within the power we have".

Season 23 saw Phil McIntosh return to the league.  The team seemed strong, but lacked depth.  An early season surge was tempered by mid-season aging and, though still sporting a decent starting squad, the Rhinos steadily sank to the bottom third of the division.  The most glaring deficiency was a back up goal tender.  That issue has been remedied for Season 24, but the team is still very much a work in progress.  "We have shored up the defense and added a rookie striker, but success is measured as a marathon, not a sprint," says the new manager.  Our second keeper will keep us in more games, surely."

League Record

I am in my seventies, retired, and living in Fair Oak, Hampshire. UK.

I developed an interest in football from the age of about 8, but lacked the talent even to make it into the junior school team.  So my involvement with the game has been as a supporter, or perhaps a better term is a “follower”.   Initially I was a Wolves fan, until I discovered how far away I lived from Wolverhampton.  After that juvenile disappointment,  I followed my local team, St Albans City until I moved to Manchester where I became a neutral, happily watching United and City on alternate weeks.  This pattern continued when I moved to Nottingham, within spitting distance of both Forest and County grounds.  Moving South, I revived my interest in non-league football, following Wokingham Town and Bracknell Town, and for the last couple of years, after another move, Winchester City.

However, in my retirement, more of my time goes into other interests – cricket, bridge, and music, and into being a grandad to two wonderful boys who live nearby.  I am looking forward to watching them grow up, and hope that I live to see the day when they buy me a pint for the first time.