Rhinos ready for Rampage of youngsters

Game day Matchup: No. 4 seed Rochester (17-7-4) plays the No. 8 Milwaukee Rampage (16-11-3) in Game 1 of the A-League semifinals. When/where: 5 p.m. today at Milwaukee County Sports Complex, Franklin, Wis. Radio: WYSL-AM (1040), WBER-FM (90.5). Format: Team with most goals after two games advances to the Oct. 13 championship game. Game 2: 7:35 p.m. Saturday at Frontier Field. Other semifinal: No. 2 Hershey (18-7-3) plays at No. 3 Vancouver (16-8-2) tonight at 10:30. On the Web:www.rhinossoccer.com.

By Jeff DiVeronica
Democrat and Chronicle

(Wednesday, October 3, 2001) -- The fourth-seeded Rhinos are the defending A-League champions, a veteran unit with a playoff-tested nucleus that has led Rochester to three title games in the past three seasons. They play a conservative, counter-attacking style of soccer, relying on defense as their foundation.

The Milwaukee Rampage are the young guns, an eighth-seeded upstart that knocked off No. 1 Richmond in the quarterfinals. Milwaukee goes all out at all times, trying to beat opponents by outscoring them.

And today these two teams, with different styles and strengths, will begin to decide who will reach the A-League title game. The Rhinos and Rampage open their two-game, total-goal semifinal series today in Franklin, Wis. Game 2 is Saturday at Frontier Field.

"It's going to be a fun series," said third-year Milwaukee coach Boro Sucevic, whose club's average age is 24. "We have younger players and they're cheaper. You pay for experience and the Rhinos are the Yankees of the A-League. They can afford to pay for it."

The average age of Rochester's lineup is 28, but the Rhinos have five starters in their 30s and just two under 25 (goalie Scott Vallow and forward Kirk Wilson). Milwaukee's oldest starter is French midfielder Philippe Godoy, 30. It started eight players who were 25 or younger in Sunday's 2-1 overtime win at Richmond, including ex-Rhinos forward Steve Butcher (23) and defender Destin Makumbu, who is 19.

"We'll have to match their hard work and intensity and hopefully our experience will pull us through," said Rhinos midfielder Lenin Steenkamp.

Milwaukee won the league title in 1997 -- the only season two-time champion and two-time runner-up Rochester has failed to reach the championship game -- beating a Carolina team that featured Rhinos defender Scott Schweitzer. But Milwaukee has few players left from that club.

It is led by Digital Takawira, 29, a speedy forward from Zimbabwe. Last year's league MVP, he has 13 goals and 5 assists but is scoreless in four playoff games. He was a two-time MLS All-Star with Kansas City. Butcher, a reserve with the Rhinos, was traded to Milwaukee in late July and has flourished. He has 8 goals and 2 assists in 14 games.

"Our style is definitely different. It's kind of the opposite of Rochester," Butcher said. "We definitely go forward. We'd rather win 5-4 than 1-0."