Rested Rhinos ready for Pittsburgh

Tonight What: The fourth-seeded Rhinos (16-6-4) play No. 12 Pittsburgh (12-12-4) in Game 1 of their A-League quarterfinal playoff series. When/where: 7:35 tonight at Bethel Park (Pa.) Stadium. Listen: WYSL-AM (1040), WBER-FM (90.5), Internet -- www.wysl1040.com Format: Two games, most goals wins. Game 2: 7:35 p.m. Saturday at Frontier Field. Series: Rochester won two of three meetings and there was one tie.

By Jeff DiVeronica
Democrat and Chronicle

(Wednesday, September 26, 2001) -- You remember the Rochester Rhinos, right?

It's been 18 days since their last competitive match, so if you're not a soccer fan you might have thought their season was over. But their last three seasons haven't ended until October, and the Rhinos have no plans for this one to be any different.

The fourth-seeded and defending league champions open the A-League playoffs tonight against a dangerous Pittsburgh team in Bethel Park, Pa.

The Riverhounds are the 12th and last seed in the playoffs, but they've outscored teams 11-4 while winning four straight -- their longest streak of the season.

Pittsburgh upset No. 5 Charleston in the first round, coming back to win Game 1, 2-1, at home before a 3-1 road triumph.

The playoffs are a two-game series. The team that scores the most goals wins.

The layoff for the Rhinos was the result of a first-round bye and then a week delay because of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

"The break could work against us or for us, but I think we've stayed competitive at training," midfielder Lenin Steenkamp said. "We're ready."

The teams met four times this season with Rochester holding a 2-1-1 edge.

The Rhinos won 2-1 and tied 2-2 at home, needing Stoian Mladenov's late goal to earn the draw.

At Pittsburgh, Rochester won 4-3 in overtime on July 28, then lost 1-0 at Pittsburgh on Aug. 17 -- the most recent matchup.

"After that 2-2 tie, we felt like we let one get away," said Riverhounds coach Kai Haaskivi, whose club hasn't let anything get away recently.

The Riverhounds struggled with consistency but have thrived in big games. They reached the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals, beating Colorado (MLS) before losing to Chicago (MLS), and decisively dismissed Charleston, the second highest scoring team in the league.

They feature veteran goalie Randy Dedini and a few former MLS stars, including Brazilian forward Welton, defender Ricardo Iribarren and midfielder Henry Gutierrez, the ex-Rhinos All-Star.