Friday, August 4, 2000 - The Impact entered Rochester hoping to increase their chances of making the playoffs. After a late-season surge, Montreal, left for dead at the mid-season mark, are suddenly climbing in the Northeast Division. After knocking off Rochester, Toronto, and Long Island, teams are beginning to take them seriously.
Rochester has been struggling all season to find a consistent attack, and their defense has been showing signs of fatigue, as of late. An injury to the backbone of the Rochester defense, Craig Demmin, does not help the situation.
The first half saw Montreal take control of the midfield, as Steenkamp and Tanner of the Rhinos struggled to keep up with the speed and aggression of the younger Montreal players. Former Rhino Mauro Biello, one of the remaining veteran Impact players, looked at ease moving the ball into Rhinos territory. Both teams, however, failed to exploit any chances that they were able to create.
Once again, fans saw Steenkamp taking wild long-range shots from well outside the Impact goal box. If he were a field goal kicker, he would have scored many times in the first half. This exemplified the lack of concentration and creativity by the Rhinos frontmen. Not much can be said about the Montreal attack either, as both teams seemed more interested in trying to give the fans the game ball as a souvenir, rather than putting it in the net.
The only highlight of the first half came in the 31st minute. Martin Nash chipped the ball into the goal box from the left side, to an awaiting Eddy Sebrango, who in turn advanced the ball to the net. 'Keeper Jim Larkin dove at the attempt, but Tommy Tanner was in a good position to tap it just past Larkin's arm and into the net.
The Rhinos came out confident in the second half, but Montreal created three quality chances in the opening three minutes. It almost seemed as if Rochester was caught napping after securing the lead before the half. This would come to fruition in the 57th minute when a wide-open Biello ran onto a cross and lifted past a charging Scott Vallow to even the game.
Montreal's goal was a wake-up call for Rochester, who took control of the game from that point on. Martin Nash dominated the midfield for Rochester, creating multiple chances that just fell short of going in. His efforts paid off in the 69th minute, when Nash tapped a cross off of the post. The ball careened in front of the goalmouth to John Ball, who effortlessly tapped in the empty-netter.
Montreal continued to try and make a game of it, but were stopped at every opportunity. After the 80th minute, better known to Rochester as the substitution minute, the Rhinos put a battery of fresh legs on the field that helped secure the win. Andrew Restrepo stood out in the match, having to fill the shoes of Craig Demmin. Rochester's forwards, while still not scoring many goals, have improved and are actually creating chances that, without a little luck for the Montreal defense, would have been goals.
Inside Track:
· Click here to hear what Yari "Son of Jarel" Allnutt had to say after the game.
Scoring Summary
1 2 Final
MON 0 1 1
ROC 1 1 2
Goals:
Rochester: Tanner 31st (Sebrango), Ball 69th (Nash)
Montreal: Biello 57th (Oliviero)
Cautions/Ejections:
Rochester: Ball 72nd (caution), Lowe 90th (caution)
Montreal: Francois 44th (caution), Pizzolitto 67th (caution), Larkin 90th (caution)
Rochester Lineup: GK-Vallow, D-Zavala (Walton 90th), D-Restrepo, D-Schweitzer, D-Sedgewick, M-Tanner (Ball 63rd), M-Steenkamp, M-Allnutt (Daligcon 84th), M-Nash (Kirmse 81st), F-Sebrango (Lowe 81st), F-Glenn
Rating the Rhinos
On a scale of 8 (highest), here's how the Rhinos fared versus Montreal:
| |
|
|
Keith's |
J-P's |
|
| Pos. |
|
Name |
Rating |
Rating |
Comments |
| GK |
 |
Scott Vallow |
7.0 |
7.0 |
Solid performance again from the Rhinos' future. Biello's goal is forgiven; his defense let him down. |
| D |
 |
Carlos Zavala |
6.0 |
6.0 |
Played a good game; near-misses on free kicks. Corners need to be played a little shorter into the box. |
| D |
 |
Scott Schweitzer |
6.5 |
6.0 |
Played solid as usual; cleared a potential disaster off the goal line. |
| D |
 |
Bill Sedgewick |
6.0 |
6.0 |
Seemed a little out of sync and slow. Managed to get better as the game went on. |
| D |
 |
Andrew Restrepo |
6.5 |
7.5 |
As was the case last season during the Rhinos' improbable US Open Cup run, Andrew played well and helped to ease the pain caused by the Demmin injury. |
| M |
 |
Lenin Steenkamp |
5.5 |
5.5 |
Needs to look for the open man more than he does, especially of late. Long-range shots are not working; they haven't worked once in league play this season. |
| M |
 |
Yari Allnutt |
6.0 |
6.5 |
Another reliable performance by the Son of Jarel. |
| M |
 |
Martin Nash |
7.0 |
7.5 |
Great plays make this guy great to watch. Set up the first goal, assisted on the second. |
| M |
 |
John Ball |
6.5 |
7.0 |
Put in the game-winner. Reliable stuff off the bench. |
| M |
 |
Tommy Tanner |
6.0 |
7.0 |
Scored the first goal and has been playing much better over the last month or so. Seemed tired early in the second half. Played 63 hard-fought minutes. |
| F |
 |
Jimmy Glenn |
6.0 |
6.5 |
He's consistent and always a threat. Too bad more plays aren't sent his way. |
| F |
 |
Eduardo Sebrango |
6.0 |
6.0 |
Seems to be a little more aggressive lately. Still lacks the speed to place fear in the hearts of defenses around the league. |
| - |
  |
Coaches |
5.5 |
6.5 |
Got the offense a little more involved, but needs to find more creative combinations up top. Former Rhino Darren Tilley is killing with the Vancouver 86ers. Was it the player or the system in Rochester that made him ineffective? |
