Rochester New York FC facts for kids
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| Founded | 1996 as Rochester Raging Rhinos | ||
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| Stadium | John L. DiMarco Field | ||
| Stadium capacity |
1,500 | ||
| Owner | David and Wendy Dworkin Jamie Vardy |
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| President | Pat Ercoli | ||
| Head coach | Bruno Baltazar | ||
| League | MLS Next Pro | ||
| 2022 | 4th, Eastern Conference Playoffs: Conference Semifinals |
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Rochester New York FC is a professional soccer team from Rochester, New York, USA. It used to be known as the Rochester Rhinos.
The team started in 1996 as the Rochester Raging Rhinos. They are famous for being the only team not in MLS to win the U.S. Open Cup. This big win happened after MLS was formed.
RNY FC took a break from playing after the 2017 season. They came back on March 25, 2022. They now play in the MLS Next Pro league, which is a third-tier league.
Contents
Team History: From Rhinos to RNY FC
Early Years and Big Wins (1996–2017)
The Rochester Raging Rhinos began playing soccer in 1996. They quickly became a strong team. In 1998, they won their first league championship.
A year later, in 1999, they made history! They won the 1999 U.S. Open Cup. They beat an MLS team, the Colorado Rapids, 2–0. This was a huge deal because no non-MLS team had won the cup before. They continued their winning streak, taking home two more league titles in 2000 and 2001.
In 2006, the Rhinos moved into a new stadium called PAETEC Park. It could hold 13,768 fans. This stadium is now known as Marina Auto Stadium.
The team faced some money problems in 2008. A new owner, Rob Clark, stepped in to help. He changed the team's name to the "Rochester Rhinos." This helped the team keep playing. The Rhinos joined different leagues over the years, including the USSF Division 2 Professional League and USL Pro.
In 2013, the Rhinos teamed up with the New England Revolution from MLS. This meant they would work together. Later, in 2016, David and Wendy Dworkin became the new owners. They also own a part of the Sacramento Kings basketball team.
A New Beginning (2017–Present)
After the 2017 season, the Rhinos decided to take a break. They needed to find more money and a new stadium.
On June 15, 2021, exciting news came out! Famous English soccer player Jamie Vardy became a co-owner of the team. He wanted the team to play again in 2022.
On September 1, 2021, the club changed its name and look. They became Rochester New York FC, or RNYFC. Their new logo shows the High Falls waterfall in Rochester. The team returned to play in 2022 in the new MLS Next Pro league. They are the first independent club in this league.
Where RNY FC Plays: Stadiums Over Time
The Rochester team has played in several stadiums:
- Fauver Stadium; Rochester, New York (1996)
- Frontier Field; Rochester, New York (1996–2005)
- Marina Auto Stadium; Rochester, New York (2006–2017)
- John L. DiMarco Field; Brighton, New York (2022–present)
The Raging Rhinos first played at Fauver Stadium. Then, they moved to Frontier Field, which is also a baseball park.
From 2006 to 2017, the team played at Marina Auto Stadium. This stadium was built just for soccer. When the team took a break, they looked for a new place to play.
In 2021, they announced they would play at Empire United Soccer Complex. But this field needed a lot of upgrades. So, for the 2022 season, they chose John L. DiMarco Field. This field is at Monroe Community College and can hold 1,500 fans.
Who Cheers for RNY FC: Supporters' Groups
Meet the Fans
Rochester New York FC has two main groups of fans who cheer them on. They are called the Oak Street Brigade and the North Star Ultras.
- The Oak Street Brigade started in 2011.
- The North Star Ultras formed when the team was on hiatus.
Both groups now stand together in section "A" at John L. DiMarco Field. They make a lot of noise to support their team!
Team Members: Players and Coaches
Current Roster
| No. | Pos. | Player | Nation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Goalkeeper | Phillip Ejimadu |  United States
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| 3 | Defender | Christian Wood | United States
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| 4 | Defender | Ian Garrett | United States
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| 5 | Midfielder | Pedro Dolabella |  Brazil
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| 6 | Midfielder | Bubacar Djaló |  Portugal
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| 8 | Midfielder | Ed Williams |  England
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| 11 | Midfielder | Jesus Batiz | United States
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| 15 | Defender | Lamar Batista | United States
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| 18 | Midfielder | Opi Edwards |  Ghana
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| 21 | Defender | Jacob Akanyirige | United States
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| 22 | Defender | Milan Vanacker |  Belgium
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| 26 | Defender | Ryan Firestone | United States
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| 27 | Forward | Warner Brown |  Jamaica
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| 30 | Midfielder | Brennan McDermott | United States
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| 31 | Goalkeeper | Matheus Franca | Brazil
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- ^ Empire United Academy player.
Famous Former Players
Many great players have been part of the Rochester team. Some are even in the Rochester Rhinos Hall of Fame!
Rhinos Hall of Fame
- 2011: Lenin Steenkamp
- 2012: Craig Demmin, Doug Miller, Pat Onstad
- 2013: The 1999 U.S. Open Cup Team (the whole team!)
- 2014: Yari Allnutt, Scott Vallow
- 2015: Darren Tilley, Mali Walton
Retired Jersey Numbers
Some players were so important that their jersey numbers were retired. This means no one else on the team will wear that number again.
- 14 – Mickey Trotman
- 19 – Doug Miller
Head Coaches
Here are the people who have led the team as head coach:
Pat Ercoli (1996–2004)- Laurie Calloway (2005–2007)
- Darren Tilley (2008–2009)
- Bob Lilley (2010–2011)
- Jesse Myers (2012–2013)
- Pat Ercoli (interim, 2013)
- Bob Lilley (2014–2017)
- Bruno Baltazar (2021)
What RNY FC Has Won: Honours
League Titles
- USL Championship
- Champions (1): 2015
- USSF Division 2 Professional League
- Regular Season Champions (1): 2010
- USL A-League
- Winners (3): 1998, 2000, 2001
Cup Wins
- U.S. Open Cup
- Winners (1): 1999
- Runners-up (1): 1996
Team Performance: Year by Year
This table shows how the team has done each season.
| Season | League | Position | Playoffs | USOC | Continental / Other | Average attendance | Top goalscorer(s) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Div | League | Pld | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD | Pts | PPG | Conf. | Overall | Name | Goals | ||||||
| 1996 | 2 | A-League | 27 | 14 | 13 | 0 | 44 | 42 | +2 | 42 | 1.56 | N/A | 5th | RU | RU | Ineligible | 9,991 | Doug Miller |
23 | |
| 1997 | A-League | 28 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 56 | 47 | +9 | 42 | 1.50 | 2nd | 9th | R1 | Ro16 | 10,677 | Doug Miller |
23 | |||
| 1998 | A-League | 28 | 24 | 4 | 0 | 72 | 15 | +57 | 72 | 2.57 | 1st | 1st | W | Ro16 | 11,499 | Darren Tilley |
21 | |||
| 1999 | A-League | 28 | 22 | 6 | 0 | 47 | 20 | +27 | 66 | 2.36 | 1st | 1st | RU | W | 11,551 | Mauro Biello |
8 | |||
| 2000 | A-League | 28 | 17 | 9 | 2 | 42 | 25 | +17 | 53 | 1.89 | 3rd | 6th | W | Ro16 | 11,628 | Yari Allnutt |
10 | |||
| 2001 | A-League | 26 | 16 | 6 | 4 | 43 | 27 | +16 | 52 | 2.00 | 2nd | 3rd | W | R2 | 10,789 |  Lenin Steenkamp |
9 | |||
| 2002 | A-League | 28 | 17 | 8 | 3 | 38 | 25 | +13 | 54 | 1.93 | 2nd | 4th | SF | Ro16 | 10,008 | Lenin Steenkamp |
8 | |||
| 2003 | A-League | 28 | 15 | 7 | 6 | 55 | 36 | +19 | 51 | 1.82 | 3rd | 7th | SF | Ro16 | 10,169 | Doug Miller |
17 | |||
| 2004 | A-League | 28 | 15 | 10 | 3 | 36 | 32 | +4 | 48 | 1.71 | 4th | 5th | QF | QF | 10,200 | Chris Carrieri |
8 | |||
| 2005 | USL-1 | 28 | 15 | 7 | 6 | 45 | 27 | +18 | 51 | 1.82 | N/A | 2nd | SF | QF | 9,791 | Kirk Wilson |
9 | |||
| 2006 | USL-1 | 28 | 13 | 4 | 11 | 34 | 21 | +13 | 50 | 1.79 | 2nd | RU | Ro16 | 10,110 | Matthew Delicâte |
8 | ||||
| 2007 | USL-1 | 28 | 12 | 10 | 6 | 39 | 36 | +3 | 42 | 1.50 | 5th | QF | Ro16 | 9,705 |  Hamed Modibo Diallo |
9 | ||||
| 2008 | USL-1 | 30 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 35 | 32 | +3 | 41 | 1.37 | 4th | SF | Ro16 | 8,243 |  Johnny Menyongar |
6 | ||||
| 2009 | USL-1 | 30 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 34 | 32 | +2 | 43 | 1.43 | 6th | QF | SF | DNQ | 6,888 | Johnny Menyongar |
11 | |||
| 2010 | D2 Pro | 30 | 16 | 8 | 6 | 38 | 24 | +14 | 54 | 1.80 | 1st | 1st | QF | Ro16 | 6,464 | Isaac Kissi |
8 | |||
| 2011 | 3 | USL Pro | 24 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 31 | 23 | +8 | 40 | 1.67 | 1st | 4th | SF | Ro16 | 5,339 | Andrew Hoxie
 Kendall Jagdeosingh |
5 | ||
| 2012 | USL Pro | 24 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 27 | 23 | +4 | 41 | 1.71 | N/A | 2nd | SF | R3 | 6,233 | Andrew Hoxie |
6 | |||
| 2013 | USL Pro | 26 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 25 | 39 | –14 | 28 | 1.08 | 11th | DNQ | R3 | 5,876 |  Tam McManus |
7 | ||||
| 2014 | USL Pro | 28 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 29 | 25 | +4 | 38 | 1.46 | 6th | QF | Ro16 | 5,972 | J.C. Banks |
9 | ||||
| 2015 | USL | 28 | 17 | 1 | 10 | 40 | 15 | +25 | 61 | 2.18 | 1st | 1st | W | R4 | 5,599 |  Steevan Dos Santos |
9 | |||
| 2016 | USL | 30 | 13 | 5 | 12 | 38 | 25 | +13 | 51 | 1.70 | 4th | 6th | QF | R4 | 3,655 | Christian Volesky |
10 | |||
| 2017 | 2 | USL | 32 | 14 | 7 | 11 | 36 | 28 | +8 | 53 | 1.66 | 4th | 9th | QF | R4 | 2,031 | Jochen Graf |
11 | ||
| 2018 | On Hiatus | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | 3 | MLSNP | 24 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 37 | 30 | +7 | 40 | 1.67 | 4th | 9th | QF | R4 | DNQ | N/A | Gibran Rayo |
13 | |
| Total | – | – | 639 | 326 | 181 | 132 | 921 | 649 | +272 | 1113 | 1.74 | – | – | – | – | – | – | Doug Miller |
75 | |
1. Avg. Attendance includes statistics from league matches only.
2. Top Goalscorer(s) includes all goals scored in league play, playoffs, U.S. Open Cup, and other competitive matches.
3. Points and PPG have been adjusted from non-traditional to traditional scoring systems for seasons before 2003. This helps compare team performance better.
4. Pts in 2008 does not include one point taken away for playing a player who was not allowed to play.
See also
In Spanish: Rochester Rhinos para niños
