| 2017 season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owners | David and Wendy Dworkin | |||
| Head coach | Bob Lilley | |||
| Stadium | Capelli Sport Stadium | |||
| USL | 4th, Eastern Conference | |||
| USL Playoffs | Conference semifinals | |||
| U.S. Open Cup | Fourth Round | |||
| Highest home attendance | 3,459 (4/22 vs. NYRB2) | |||
| Lowest home attendance | 963 (10/10 vs. BST) | |||
| Average home league attendance | 2,031 | |||
| Biggest win | ROC 4–0 CLT (4/29) | |||
| Biggest defeat | CHS 5–0 ROC (4/15) | |||
| 
 | ||||
The 2017 Rochester Rhinos season was the club's 22nd overall and seventh with the United Soccer League, now known as the USL Championship. The Rhinos returned to playing in Division II of men's professional soccer, as the USL and all its teams were promoted from Division III after the 2016 season. They looked to return to the USL playoffs after losing to the New York Red Bulls II in the conference semifinals the previous year.
This was the Rhinos' final season in the second tier of American professional soccer. The team initially announced that it would go on hiatus for the 2018 season.[1][2] It later announced that it would not resume professional operations until 2020, at which time it will join USL League One, a third-level league operated by USL's parent company, United Soccer League (not to be confused with the Rhinos' former league), that will play its first season in 2019.[3]
Roster
as of June 25, 2017 [4]
| No. | Position | Player | Nation | 
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Kyle Morton | |
| 2 | DF | Raymond Lee | |
| 3 | DF | Ryan Felix | |
| 4 | DF | Bradley Kamdem | |
| 5 | MF | Jordan Dover | |
| 6 | FW | Christiano François | |
| 7 | MF | Ryan James | |
| 8 | MF | Brandon Beresford | |
| 9 | MF | Stefan Defregger | |
| 10 | MF | Sofiane Tergou | |
| 11 | MF | Kenardo Forbes | |
| 12 | FW | Jochen Graf | |
| 13 | MF | Mike Garzi | |
| 15 | DF | Joe Farrell | |
| 17 | DF | Wal Fall | |
| 18 | FW | Antonio Correia | |
| 20 | DF | Todd Pratzner | |
| 21 | FW | Darius Madison | |
| 22 | MF | Jalen Brown | |
| 23 | GK | Tomas Gomez | |
| 24 | FW | Rayane Boukemia | |
| 25 | DF | Sergio Campbell | |
| 29 | MF | Samuel Edoung-Biyo | |
| 33 | GK | Daniel Lynd | 
Competitions
Preseason
Regular season
Standings
- Eastern Conference
 
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Louisville City FC (C) | 32 | 18 | 8 | 6 | 58 | 31 | +27 | 62 | Conference Playoffs | 
| 2 | Charleston Battery | 32 | 15 | 9 | 8 | 53 | 33 | +20 | 54 | |
| 3 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 32 | 14 | 11 | 7 | 50 | 35 | +15 | 53 | |
| 4 | Rochester Rhinos | 32 | 14 | 11 | 7 | 36 | 28 | +8 | 53 | |
| 5 | Charlotte Independence | 32 | 13 | 9 | 10 | 52 | 40 | +12 | 48 | |
| 6 | FC Cincinnati | 32 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 46 | 48 | −2 | 46 | |
| 7 | New York Red Bulls II | 32 | 13 | 5 | 14 | 57 | 60 | −3 | 44 | |
| 8 | Bethlehem Steel FC | 32 | 12 | 8 | 12 | 46 | 45 | +1 | 44 | |
| 9 | Orlando City B | 32 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 37 | 36 | +1 | 42 | |
| 10 | Ottawa Fury | 32 | 8 | 14 | 10 | 42 | 41 | +1 | 38 | |
| 11 | Harrisburg City Islanders | 32 | 10 | 7 | 15 | 28 | 47 | −19 | 37 | |
| 12 | Saint Louis FC | 32 | 9 | 9 | 14 | 35 | 48 | −13 | 36 | |
| 13 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds | 32 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 33 | 42 | −9 | 36 | |
| 14 | Richmond Kickers | 32 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 24 | 36 | −12 | 32 | |
| 15 | Toronto FC II | 32 | 6 | 7 | 19 | 27 | 54 | −27 | 25 | 
Rules for classification: 1) total wins; 2) total goal differential; 3) total goals scored; 4) points earned against top four Conference finishers; 5) disciplinary points; 6) coin toss or drawing of lots
(C) Champions
Match results
Win Draw Loss
All times in Eastern Time.
| April 1 1 | Bethlehem Steel FC | 2–3 | Rochester Rhinos | Bethlehem, Pennsylvania | 
| 4:00 PM EDT (UTC−4) | Davies  Conneh  | 
Report | Madison  Fall Graf  | 
Stadium: Goodman Stadium Attendance: 3,102 Referee: Jorge Ramírez  | 
| April 7 2 | Toronto FC II | 0–0 | Rochester Rhinos | Vaughan, Ontario | 
| 7:30 PM EDT (UTC−4) | Spencer  | 
Report | Beresford  Fall  | 
Stadium: Ontario Soccer Centre Attendance: 525 Referee: David Barrie  | 
| April 15 3 | Charleston Battery | 5–0 | Rochester Rhinos | Charleston, South Carolina | 
| 7:00 PM EDT (UTC−4) | Williams  Guerra Chang Thomas Anunga Mueller  | 
Report | Fall  James  | 
Stadium: MUSC Health Stadium Attendance: 2,421 Referee: Howard Ashe  | 
| April 22 4 | Rochester Rhinos | 2–2 | New York Red Bulls II | Rochester, New York | 
| 6:05 PM EDT (UTC−4) | Garzi  Farrell  | 
Report | Allen  Bezecourt  | 
Stadium: Capelli Sport Stadium Attendance: 3,459 Referee: Geoff Gamble  | 
| April 29 5 | Rochester Rhinos | 4–0 | Charlotte Independence | Rochester, New York | 
| 5:05 PM EDT (UTC−4) | Fall  Garzi Madison Felix Forbes  | 
Report | Davidson  Johnson Herrera  | 
Stadium: Capelli Sport Stadium Attendance: 1,941 Referee: Greg Dopka  | 
| 21 May 6 | Rochester Rhinos | 1–1 | Richmond Kickers | Rochester, New York | 
| 4:05 PM EDT (UTC−4) | Beresford  Forbes Farrell Felix  | 
Report | Gonzalez  Asante  | 
Stadium: Capelli Sport Stadium Attendance: 2,003 Referee: Henrik Karlsson  | 
| 24 May 7 | Rochester Rhinos | 1–0 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | Rochester, New York | 
| 7:05 PM EDT (UTC−4) | Fall  Garzi  | 
Report | Hristov  Lowe Nanchoff  | 
Stadium: Capelli Sport Stadium Attendance: 1,140 Referee: Matthew Franz  | 
| June 3 8 | Rochester Rhinos | 1–0 | FC Cincinnati | Rochester, New York | 
| 6:00 PM EDT (UTC−4) | Kamdem  | 
CIN Report ROC Report Box Score  | 
Walker  Halfhill  | 
Stadium: Capelli Sport Stadium Attendance: 2,158 Referee: Jorge Ramirez Assistant referees: Gabriel Angelone Ankur Singh Fourth official: Anthony Perdue  | 
| June 7 9 | Orlando City B | 1–1 | Rochester Rhinos | Orlando, Florida | 
| 6:30 PM EDT (UTC−4) | Hines  Barry Laryea  | 
Report | Correia  Fall  | 
Stadium: Orlando City Stadium Attendance: 967 Referee: Jonathan Weiner  | 
| June 10 10 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 1–1 | Rochester Rhinos | St. Petersburg, Florida | 
| 7:30 EDT (UTC−4) | Cole  Collins Savage Nanchoff  | 
Report | Graf  Fall Kamdem  | 
Stadium: Al Lang Stadium Attendance: 6,026 Referee: Kevin Broadley  | 
| June 17 11 | Rochester Rhinos | 1–0 | Ottawa Fury | Rochester, New York | 
| 6:05 PM EDT (UTC-04:00) | Felix  Farrell Tergou  | 
Report | Stadium: Capelli Sport Stadium Attendance: 2,548 Referee: Lorant Varga  | 
| June 23 12 | Rochester Rhinos | 0–1 | Orlando City B | Rochester, New York | 
| 6:00 PM EDT (UTC-04:00) | Defregger  Dover  | 
Report | Timbó  | 
Stadium: Capelli Sport Stadium Attendance: 1,243 Referee: Charles Murphy  | 
| July 1 13 | Charlotte Independence | 2–1 | Rochester Rhinos | Charlotte, North Carolina | 
| 6:00 P.M. EDT (UTC−4) | Estrada  Ross  | 
Report | Farrell  Fall  | 
Stadium: Matthews Sportsplex Attendance: 1,623 Referee: Gustavo Solorio  | 
| July 5 14 | Saint Louis FC | 0–0 | Rochester Rhinos | Fenton, Missouri | 
| 8:00 PM EDT (UTC−4) | Sheldon  | 
Report | Lee  | 
Stadium: World Wide Technology Soccer Park Attendance: 4,634 Referee: Dule Djurasevic  | 
| Note: Re-scheduled from May 6 due to flooding of World Wide Technology Soccer Park[5][6] | ||||
| July 8 15 | Rochester Rhinos | 1–0 | Harrisburg City Islanders | Rochester, New York | 
| 6:05 PMEDT (UTC−4) | Madison  Graf  | 
Report | Stadium: Capelli Sport Stadium Attendance: 2,178 Referee: Ismir Pekmic  | 
| July 15 16 | Ottawa Fury | 1–1 | Rochester Rhinos | Ottawa, Ontario | 
| 2:00 PM EDT (UTC-04:00) | Barden  Bruna Hume  | 
Report | Graf  Garzi  | 
Stadium: TD Place Stadium Attendance: 5,525 Referee: Chris Grabas  | 
| July 22 17 | Rochester Rhinos | 0–0 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds | Rochester, New York | 
| 6:05 PM EDT (UTC-04:00) | Report | Adewole  Souto  | 
Stadium: Capelli Sport Stadium Attendance: 3,269 Referee: Jaroslaw Werel  | 
| July 26 18 | Rochester Rhinos | 2–0 | Toronto FC II | Rochester, New York | 
| 7:05 PM EDT (UTC-04:00) | Defregger  Dunn Correia  | 
Report | Onkony  | 
Stadium: Capelli Sport Stadium Attendance: 2,148 Referee: Jared Simons  | 
| July 29 19 | FC Cincinnati | 2–3 | Rochester Rhinos | Cincinnati, Ohio | 
| 7:00 PM EDT (UTC-04:00) | McLaughlin  Djiby Josu Berry Jaye König Greig Walker  | 
Report | Graf  Kamdem Fall  | 
Stadium: Nippert Stadium Attendance: 23,548 Referee: Guido Gonzalez Jr.  | 
| August 5 20 | New York Red Bulls II | 2–1 | Rochester Rhinos | Montclair, New Jersey | 
| 4:00 PM EDT (UTC-04:00) | Basuljevic  Bonomo  | 
Report | Fall  | 
Stadium: MSU Soccer Park Attendance: 582 Referee: Charles Murphy  | 
| August 8 21 | Harrisburg City Islanders | 0–1 | Rochester Rhinos | Harrisburg, Pennsylvania | 
| 7:30 PM EDT (UTC-04:00) | Grosh  Brent Mensah  | 
Report | Madison  Garzi  | 
Stadium: FNB Field Attendance: 2,078 Referee: Amber O'Connor  | 
| August 19 22 | Rochester Rhinos | 0–1 | Charleston Battery | Rochester, New York | 
| 18:05 PM EDT (UTC-04:00) | Madison  | 
Report | Hackshaw  Williams Portillo Cooper  | 
Stadium: Capelli Sport Stadium Attendance: 2,319 Referee: Bardhyl Pashaj  | 
| August 26 23 | Rochester Rhinos | 1–2 | Saint Louis FC | Rochester, New York | 
| 6:05 PM EDT (UTC-04:00) | Fall  Graf  | 
Report | Howe  Rudolph Alihodžić Ledbetter  | 
Stadium: Capelli Sport Stadium Attendance: 1,607 Referee: Lucasz Szpala  | 
| September 2 24 | Toronto FC II | 0–1 | Rochester Rhinos | Vaughan, Ontario | 
| 7:30 PM EDT (UTC-04:00) | Report | Brown  Fall  | 
Stadium: Ontario Soccer Centre Attendance: 143 Referee: Alexis Vaughan  | 
| September 9 25 | Rochester Rhinos | 1–1 | Ottawa Fury | Rochester, New York | 
| 6:00 PM EDT (UTC-04:00) | François  | 
Report | McEleney  Bruna Dos Santos  | 
Stadium: Capelli Sport Stadium Attendance: 2,345 Referee: Calin Radosav  | 
| September 16 26 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds | 1–1 | Rochester Rhinos | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | 
| 7:00 PM EDT (UTC-04:00) | Kerr  | 
Report | Tergou  Farrell  | 
Stadium: Highmark Stadium Attendance: 2,341 Referee: Greg Dopka  | 
| September 20 27 | Louisville City FC | 2–1 | Rochester Rhinos | Louisville, Kentucky | 
| 7:30 PM EDT (UTC-04:00) | Davis IV  Spencer  | 
Report | Graf  Lee James Gomez Felix  | 
Stadium: Louisville Slugger Field Attendance: 6,698 Referee: Jon Freemon  | 
| September 23 28 | Richmond Kickers | 1–0 | Rochester Rhinos | Richmond, Virginia | 
| 7:00 PM EDT (UTC-04:00) | Minutillo  | 
Report | Kamdem  | 
Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 5,969 Referee: Jorge Ramirez  | 
| September 30 29 | Rochester Rhinos | 0–0 | Louisville City FC | Rochester, New York | 
| 6:05 PM EDT (UTC-04:00) | Forbes  Felix  | 
Report | Ownby  Morad  | 
Stadium: Capelli Sport Stadium Attendance: 1,775 Referee: Eric Tattersall  | 
| October 7 30 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds | 0–2 | Rochester Rhinos | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | 
| 7:00 PM EDT (UTC-04:00) | Chevy  | 
Report | Graf  Fall  | 
Stadium: Highmark Stadium Attendance: 2,400 Referee: Elvis Osmanovic  | 
| October 10 31 | Rochester Rhinos | 1–0 | Bethlehem Steel FC | Rochester, New York | 
| 7:05 PM EDT (UTC-04:00) | Graf  | 
Report | Conneh  | 
Stadium: Capelli Sport Stadium Attendance: 963 Referee: Thomas Snyder  | 
| October 14 32 | Rochester Rhinos | 2–1 | New York Red Bulls II | Rochester, New York | 
| 6:05 PM EDT (UTC-04:00) | Graf  Forbes  | 
Report | Valot  | 
Stadium: Capelli Sport Stadium Attendance: 1,402 Referee: Ismir Pekmic  | 
Playoffs
| October 21 Conference Quarterfinals | Rochester Rhinos | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | Charlotte Independence | Rochester, New York | 
| 6:05 PM EDT (UTC-04:00) | Dover  Graf François Farrell Defregger  | 
Report | A. Martínez  E. Martínez Davidson  | 
Stadium: Capelli Sport Stadium Attendance: 1,647 Referee: Bardhyl Pashaj  | 
| October 28 Conference Semi-finals | Louisville City FC | 1–0 | Rochester Rhinos | Louisville, Kentucky | 
| 7:30 PM EDT (UTC-04:00) | Jimenez  Ownby Ranjitsingh  | 
Report | Felix  | 
Stadium: Louisville Slugger Field Attendance: 7,117 Referee: Victor Rivas  | 
References
- ↑ DiVeronica, Jeff (November 30, 2017). "Rhinos to take one-year hiatus, host 'several' USL matches". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
 - ↑ Tsujimoto, Ben (November 30, 2017). "Rochester Rhinos to take hiatus from United Soccer League". The Buffalo News. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
 - ↑ "Rochester Approved for USL Division III" (Press release). Rochester Rhinos. August 22, 2018.
 - ↑ "2017 Roster". Rochester Rhinos. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
 - ↑ "USL Announces May 6 Game Postponed". saintlouisfc.com. May 3, 2016. Archived from the original on June 6, 2017. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
 - ↑ "Saint Louis FC vs. Rochester Rhinos Rescheduled to July 5th". saintlouisfc.com. May 12, 2016. Archived from the original on June 6, 2017. Retrieved October 18, 2018.