Rochester New York FC

Rochester New York FC, formerly known as the Rochester Raging Rhinos and later the Rochester Rhinos, was an American soccer team based in Rochester, New York, United States. In 2023, the club withdrew from the professional level in MLS Next Pro. The club won the 1999 U.S. Open Cup, marking the only time a non-MLS team has won the U.S. Open Cup since MLS started play in 1996.

Rochester New York FC
Founded1996 as Rochester Raging Rhinos
DissolvedMarch 2023 (2023-03)[1][2]
StadiumJohn L. DiMarco Field
Capacity1,500
OwnerDavid and Wendy Dworkin[3]
Jamie Vardy[4]
PresidentPat Ercoli
20224th, Eastern Conference
Playoffs: Conference Semifinals
WebsiteClub website

Founded in 1996 as the Rochester Raging Rhinos, they changed their name to Rochester Rhinos to start the 2008 season. The club began a four-year hiatus after the 2017 USL season in the second tier of the United States soccer league system.[5] The team then rebranded as Rochester New York FC and played their first and only season in MLS Next Pro in 2022, but departed before the beginning of the 2023 season.[6][1][2]

The club was affiliated with the youth club Empire United Soccer Academy, who rebranded as Rochester New York FC Youth, and continue to operate as a separate club. The youth club currently has a team in the United Premier Soccer League.

History

1996–2017

Rochester Raging Rhinos was founded in 1996 and played in the now-defunct original A-League until it merged with the USISL for the 1997 season, creating the new A-League. After reaching the championship game in 1996 they won their first league championship in 1998.

In 1999 the club made it to the final of the U.S. Open Cup, where they defeated MLS club Colorado Rapids 2–0, becoming the first team from outside MLS to win the national cup since MLS's inception.[7][8] This win was followed by two further A-League titles in 2000 and 2001.

A year after the A-League's renaming to the USL First Division in 2005, the Rhinos moved into the newly completed PAETEC Park, a 13,768-seat soccer-specific stadium now known as Rochester Community Sports Complex Stadium, and again made the championship game. The Rhinos were considered a candidate to be an MLS expansion team when PAETEC Park was in the planning stages.[9]

The team was declared insolvent in 2008 after defaulting on their stadium agreement, and PAETEC Park was seized by the city of Rochester.[10] After a brief search for a new owner and investor who could improve the team's financial outlook, in March 2008 the club was taken over by Utica businessman Rob Clark. Clark changed the team's name to the "Rochester Rhinos," and assured that the financial situation of the team was stable and it would be able to play the next year.[11] After two seasons under Clark the club joined the new NASL for its 2010 season.[12] The United States Soccer Federation refused the NASL's application for sanctioning, and instead operated its own temporary second-division league for 2010. The Rhinos were part of that temporary USSF Division 2 Professional League.[13] The Rhinos switched leagues again before the 2011 season to the then third-division USL Pro league, who considered themselves equally competitive with the second-division NASL.

The 2011 season ended with the Rhinos first in their division followed by a playoff season that lasted two games. The Rhinos saw off the Pittsburgh Riverhounds 4–0 in first round of the playoffs and then lost 2–1 at home to the Harrisburg City Islanders to finish the season. At the end of the season, head coach Bob Lilley was replaced by Jesse Myers, most recently an assistant coach of the Richmond Kickers.[14][15]

In January 2013, the Rhinos became the official USL Pro affiliate of the New England Revolution.[16] On May 19, Following a 1–6–1 start to the 2013 season, Myers was dismissed and Pat Ercoli named head coach. They missed the playoffs for the first time ever, finishing with a 6–10–10 record.[17]

The league revoked the Clark family's ownership of the club in January 2016, citing the revocation of the lease on Rochester Rhinos Stadium by the City of Rochester. The league took over operations of the club until it could be sold to a new ownership group.[18] David and Wendy Dworkin, minority owners of the Sacramento Kings basketball team, were identified as the Rhinos' new owners later in the month.[19] The Dworkins were officially announced as the new owners on March 10, 2016.[20]

2017–2023

On November 30, 2017, the Rhinos announced that they would go on hiatus.[21] After almost a year of silence the team announced that it planned to move to the new third division league USL League One and return to the field in 2020.[22] Moreover, the team announced that it had reached a deal with the City to vacate Marina Auto Stadium and stated it would be searching a site to build a new stadium.[22] Towards the end of the first USL League One season, the Rhinos' President Pat Ercoli announced on Uncle Sam's Soccer Podcast that due to delays and pacing of the development of the Rhinos' new stadium that the team would likely sit out the 2020 season and relaunch in 2021.[23]

On November 30, 2017, the team announced that they would not play in 2018 while additional funding was sought.[24][25] On August 22, 2018, it was announced that the club would pursue a new stadium location and attempt to join USL League One.[26]

In June 2021, Jamie Vardy was announced as co-owner of the franchise and intends to field a team for the 2022 season. Lee Tucker, who was the project leader at Vardy’s successful V9 Academy – which gave opportunities to non-league players in England seeking to break into the professional game, will be appointed Sporting Director.[27]

On September 1, 2021, it was announced that the club had gone through an extensive makeover as part of the club’s rebirth, the Rhinos had a complete rebrand to Rochester New York FC or RNYFC for short, and had a new logo introduced. The new club badge features an abstract rendering of Rochester's High Falls waterfall.[28]

The club returned to play in 2022, and were the only independent club in the new MLS Next Pro league.[6] They made the playoffs but were eliminated in the quarterfinals. On March 10, 2023, Rochester New York FC withdrew from MLS Next Pro and ceased operations[1] citing an "unsustainable business model".[29]

Stadiums
John L. DiMarco Field at Monroe Community College

The Raging Rhinos first began play in 1996 at Fauver Stadium, a soccer venue at the University of Rochester. They then played at Frontier Field, a Minor League Baseball park, from 1996 to 2005.

Starting in 2006, the team played in Marina Auto Stadium, a soccer-specific stadium built for their use. When the Rhinos went on hiatus at the end of 2017, they originally sought to remain at the stadium, scheduling neutral-site USL matches during the 2018 season to meet the terms of their lease. However, in August 2018 the team announced they would be seeking a new venue.[30]

In June 2021, when the team announced a new co-owner ahead of a planned return to play in 2022, they indicated they would play at Empire United Soccer Complex in Henrietta, New York. However, Empire United's field had no stands, concessions, or other amenities, and would have required upgrades for professional soccer use.[31] In order to be ready for a March 2022 kickoff in MLS Next Pro, the team announced in December 2021 that they would instead play at John L. DiMarco Field, a 1,500-capacity soccer and lacrosse venue at Monroe Community College in Brighton, New York.[32][33]

Club culture

Supporters

Rochester New York FC had two major supporters' groups. Founded in 2011, the Oak Street Brigade previously occupied section 101 at Capelli Sport Stadium, the former home of the Rochester Rhinos. The other major supporters' group is the North Star Ultras.

  • ^
    Empire United Academy player.
    •

    Notable former players

    Rochester Rhinos Hall of Fame

    Retired numbers
    Notes
    1. Died in a crash car in 2001.[34]

    Head coaches

    Honors

    League

    Cups

    Record

    Year-by-year
    Main article: List of Rochester New York FC seasons
    Season League Position Playoffs USOC Continental / Other Average attendance Top goalscorer(s)
    Div LeaguePldWLDGFGAGDPtsPPGConf.OverallNameGoals
    1996 2 A-League 27141304442+242 1.56 N/A 5th RU RU Ineligible 9,991 United States Doug Miller 23
    1997 A-League 28141405647+942 1.50 2nd 9th R1 Ro16 10,677 United States Doug Miller 23
    1998 A-League 2824407215+5772 2.57 1st 1st W Ro16 11,499 England Darren Tilley 21
    1999 A-League 2822604720+2766 2.36 1st 1st RU W 11,551 Canada Mauro Biello8
    2000 A-League 2817924225+1753 1.89 3rd 6th W Ro16 11,628 United States Yari Allnutt10
    2001 A-League 2616644327+1652 2.00 2nd 3rd W R2 10,789 South Africa Lenin Steenkamp9
    2002 A-League 2817833825+1354 1.93 2nd 4th SF Ro16 10,008 South Africa Lenin Steenkamp8
    2003 A-League 2815765536+1951 1.82 3rd 7th SF Ro16 10,169 United States Doug Miller17
    2004 A-League 28151033632+448 1.71 4th 5th QF QF 10,200 United States Chris Carrieri8
    2005 USL-1 2815764527+1851 1.82 N/A 2nd SF QF 9,791 United States Kirk Wilson9
    2006 USL-1 28134113421+1350 1.79 2nd RU Ro16 10,110 England Matthew Delicâte8
    2007 USL-1 28121063936+342 1.50 5th QF Ro16 9,705 Ivory Coast Hamed Modibo Diallo9
    2008 USL-1 30111093532+341 1.37 4th SF Ro16 8,243 Liberia Johnny Menyongar6
    2009 USL-1 30119103432+243 1.43 6th QF SF DNQ 6,888 Liberia Johnny Menyongar11
    2010 D2 Pro 3016863824+1454 1.80 1st 1st QF Ro16 6,464 Ghana Isaac Kissi8
    2011 3 USL Pro 2412843123+840 1.67 1st 4th SF Ro16 5,339 United States Andrew Hoxie
    Trinidad and Tobago Kendall Jagdeosingh    		5
    2012 USL Pro 2412752723+441 1.71 N/A 2nd SF R3 6,233 United States Andrew Hoxie6
    2013 USL Pro 26610102539–1428 1.08 11th DNQ R3 5,876 Scotland Tam McManus7
    2014 USL Pro 28101082925+438 1.46 6th QF Ro16 5,972 United States J.C. Banks9
    2015 USL 28171104015+2561 2.18 1st 1st W R4 5,599 Cape Verde Steevan Dos Santos9
    2016 USL 30135123825+1351 1.70 4th 6th QF R4 3,655 United States Christian Volesky10
    2017 2 USL 32147113628+853 1.66 4th 9th QF R4 2,031 United States Jochen Graf11
    2018 On Hiatus
    2019
    2020
    2021
    2022 3 MLSNP 2410863730+740 1.67 4th 9th QF R4 DNQ 1,096 United States Gibran Rayo13
    Total – – 639 326 181 132 921 649 +272 1113 1.74 – – – – – – United States Doug Miller 75

    ^ 1. Avg. attendance include 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 prior to 2003 to more effectively compare historical team performance across seasons.
    ^ 4. Pts in 2008 excludes one deducted point for fielding an ineligible player.

    References
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    2. Update on Rochester New York FC and MLS NEXT Pro, MLS Press Release, 10 Mar 2023
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    4. "Jamie Vardy: Leicester City striker becomes co-owner of American football club Rochester Rhinos". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on June 15, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
    5. Rhinos, Rochester (November 30, 2017). "ROCHESTER RHINOS ANNOUNCE DECISIONS FOR 2018 SEASON". Archived from the original on December 3, 2017. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
    6. "Jamie Vardy re-brands US football club Rochester New York FC ahead of professional return". skysports.com. Sky UK. September 1, 2021. Archived from the original on September 30, 2021. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
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    9. "Raging into MLS?". sportsillustrated.com. November 8, 2003. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
    10. City Says It Will Seize PAETEC Park, Citing Default Archived July 18, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. WYSL.
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    24. DiVeronica, Jeff (November 30, 2017). "Rhinos to take one-year hiatus, host 'several' USL matches". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Archived from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
    25. Tsujimoto, Ben (November 30, 2017). "Rochester Rhinos to take hiatus from United Soccer League". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
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    27. "Premier League star Jamie Vardy buys stake in Rochester Rhinos". June 15, 2021. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
    28. Driffill, Matt (September 1, 2021). "Rhinos no more: Rochester New York FC announces 'new era' of local professional soccer". rochesterfirst.com. Nexstar Media Inc. Archived from the original on September 10, 2021. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
    29. Woitalla, Mike (March 10, 2023). "Rochester New York FC, co-owned by Jamie Vardy, folds after first MLS Next Pro season". Soccer America. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
    30. Reichard, Kevin (August 23, 2018). "Rhinos Leaving Marina Auto Stadium, Shifting to USL DIII". Soccer Stadium Digest. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
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    33. "John L. DiMarco Field". Monroe Community College Athletics. Archived from the original on December 7, 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
    34. Sancho’s connection to Rochester Rhinos has long history on Socawarriors.net
    35. Getting his kicks running his own business by Thomas Adams – August 17, 2012 on Rbj.net
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