ROCHESTER, NY, Friday, May 3, 2003 - On a mid-summer's night back in 1996, a 0-8 Rochester Raging Rhinos finally played a home game at Frontier Field against the mighty Montreal Impact. Rochester's Doug Miller, forward and MLS reject, scored a hat trick against Montreal, giving Rochester its first victory in an inaugural season in which the Rhinos would finish second overall to Seattle. It was also the start of a three-year love affair between the city of Rochester-Soccer Town USA-and Miller.
On a night that could only be described as energy-filled and upbeat, Miller returned to Frontier and the Rhinos for their seventh home opener in front of 10,026 anxious and excited Rhinos fans. Against the Atlanta Silverbacks, the stage was set for a night of Miller hat tricks and 3-0 and 4-1 predictions. But as the game played out and Miller wasted more chances than he put away, it was evident that this was not the same magical Rhinos of the past, but a new, young and somewhat confused team for 2003.
The Rhinos set the pace early, blasting a close-range shot from just inside the Atlanta goal box in the second minute. Miller wasted a beauty of a chance when he played the ball a little too tricky into the side netting. Rochester free kicks in the 10', 14' and 18' sailed high over what appeared to be an outmatched Atlanta defense. Atlanta's offense didn't fare much better in the first half, waiting nearly 21 minutes before finally producing a shot on veteran Rochester keeper Bill Andracki.
Miller finally came through in the 27', burying a Temoc Suarez pass into the net. Suarez chipped Miller the ball into the goal box and, off a chest trap, Miller buried the shot past Silverbacks keeper Anthony Tokpah.
Atlanta responded quickly with a free kick in the 28', which required Andracki to push the ball acrobatically over the bar. Not to be outdone, Miller found himself all alone streaking towards the Atlanta net in the 34', chipping past an onrushing Tokpah only to clip the far post. Seven minutes later, Miller missed again, this time wasting a nice through ball from midfielder Bill Sedgewick.
As the second half began, Atlanta seemed to move more on the offensive, controlling the flow of the game. Miller missed another clear chance in the 51', and Lenin Steenkamp's through ball in the 54' found no one in the Atlanta goal box.
Defensively, the Rhinos began to show holes as Scott Schweitzer resorted more to fouling than playing the ball, finishing with a game-high 5 fouls and a caution. The result of such lackluster defensive play nearly cost the Rhinos in the 62', when Shakar Asad of Atlanta fired high over an empty net.
Again, Rochester replied quickly with a Miller goal. Midfielder David Hayes fired on Tokpah, who turned away the shot. Miller quickly made this into a rebound and scored from inside the 6-yard box. Hayes is a slick player who could become a great offensive threat for Rochester with the likes of Miller up front.
Until the 78', it appeared that Rochester was on their way to a comfortable home opener against a weak opponent. They maintained control of the ball, and kept it away from their seemingly porous defense. When Atlanta began applying pressure, the cracks in the defense became leaks.
A corner after a few failed clearance attempts in the Rochester goal box ended in disaster for the Rhinos in the 79', as Eric Ozimek's corner kick found John Berry Nusum, who converted for the Silverbacks. The Rhinos attempted a reply of their own, but to no avail. Hayes' cross was deflected out for a Rochester corner in the 83', but an unflinching Tokpah saved Steenkamp's resultant header off the Rhinos' corner kick.
With the match winding down and Atlanta recklessly sending players forward, the Silverbacks won a corner in the 85' where Nusum, whose father had played for the NY Cosmos and Rochester Lancers, again scored from a Ozimek corner kick. Rochester midfielder Stoian Mladenov appeared to head the ball clear from the goal line, smacking the crossbar in the process, back into the Rochester goal box. Referee Agusto St. Silva appeared unfazed and confused, and it was the assistant referee who indicated a goal. A controversial call evened the game a 2-2.
Rochester pressured well with substitute forward Jamel Mitchell in both overtime halves, yet neither side could muster up the winning goal. Each team left the field with 1 point in the standings, with Atlanta appearing to be the moral victor.
Goal Summary
Time Goal Scorer & Assist Score
27' Miller, Suarez ROC 1 - ATL 0
63' Miller, Hayes ROC 2 - ATL 0
79' Nusum, Ozimek ROC 2 - ATL 1
85' Nusum, Ozimek ROC 2 - ATL 2
Starting Lineups
Y = Yellow Card
R = Red Card
Rochester Raging Rhinos
Formation: 3-5-2
1 GK - Bill Andracki
2 D - Ryan Dinunzio (Y)
3 D - Craig Demmin
4 D - Scott Schweitzer (Y)
7 M - Temoc Suarez (Y)
10 M - Stoian Mladenov
11 M - Bill Sedgewick
12 M - David Hayes
23 M - Lenin Steenkamp
8 F - Fred Commodore
19 F - Doug Miller
Atlanta Silverbacks
Formation: 3-5-2
1 GK - Anthony Tokpah
2 D - Alan Woods (Y)
3 D - Carl Fletcher (Y)
5 D - Joard Odera
6 M - David Moore (Y)
13 M - Eric Ozimek (Y)
15 M - Byron Mitchell
20 M - Martin Klinger
22 M - Ramon Luna
11 F - Shakar Asad
8 F - John Berry Nusum
How They Fared
Here's how we feel the Rhinos fared against the Atlanta Silverbacks:
8 = Highest, 0 = Lowest
J-P's Keith's
Player Rating Rating Comments
1 GK - Bill Andracki 6.0 6.0 Mostly solid, had hard time with set plays.
2 D - Ryan Dinunzio 5.5 6.0 Decent marking, cautioned early.
3 D - Craig Simmons 4.5 5.0 Invisible most of game, plenty of mistakes.
4 D - Scott Schweitzer 3.5 4.5 Get him pompoms and a skirt. Great cheerleader.
7 M - Temoc Suarez 7.5 6.0 Hard, aggressive play; had an assist.
10 M - Stoian Mladenov 6.5 6.0 Played well, should shoot when he passes, should
pass when he shoots.
11 M - Bill Sedgewick 5.5 4.5 Played sound, not sterling.
12 M - David Hayes 6.5 6.0 Good, slick player; may be huge factor in wins.
23 M - Lenin Steenkamp 4.5 5.0 Where was he? Remove the "player" from
player/assistant coach…
8 F - Fred Commodore 5.0 5.0 Needs to be a bigger presence in new, flashy "O".
19 F - Doug Miller 8.0 8.0 Overall, awesome. Welcome back, Dougie!
Coaches 6.0 6.0 Great plan for the first half. Finishing may be
a problem. A bad call ruined opening win.
Statistics
SHOTS:
ROC: 33
ATL: 13
SAVES:
ROC: 3
ATL: 7
FOULS:
ROC: 25
ATL: 20
CAUTIONS/EJECTIONS:
ROC: 3/0
ATL: 5/0
ATTENDANCE: 10,026
