Impact Soccer

Written By: Aris Ohanessian



Pat Ercoli will be replaced as the head coach of the Rochester Raging Rhinos, displacing the long-time servant for the 2005 season.
Ercoli is the only man ever to coach the Rhinos in the team's nine-year history, but Rochester has made the A-League's Final since 2001. Despite a career record of 154-77-18 and four titles (three league and one U.S. Open Cup), Ercoli has seemingly become a victim of his team's successes and high expectations.


Part-owner of the Rhinos Steve Donner said last week that the team had not "come to conclusion on what Pat's role will be. He is still under contract, so I don't think it'd be fair to comment on any of that." Known for his somewhat defensive tactics, the 43 year-old coach played three seasons for the Rochester Lancers in the North American Soccer League in the late 1970's.

Rochester television station WHEC-TV said Ercoli is expected to be at a press conference on Tuesday regarding his departure, and he may continue with the club in some capacity. Ercoli will be paid through April unless he takes another job. Reported replacements for Ercoli are former Rhino player and Syracuse General Manager Tommy Tanner and Kansas City Wizards assistant Brian Bliss, who is a Rochester native. Current Rhinos GM Chris Economides will choose the new coach along with Donner and majority owner Frank DuRoss.

Rochester remains a strong MLS expansion possibility in the coming years, but DuRoss and Donner have seemingly continued to blanch at the costs of America's top flight. The opening of PacTec Park, still expected to take place in this upcoming season, can only help the club's chances of improving both on the financial ledger and any expansion hopes.



http://www.ussocceruk.com/news/?CatType ... entId=1967

Ercoli ducks news briefing

Status of Rhinos' coach in air; owners wait for word



Ercoli's record
Pat Ercoli is the only coach in the Rochester Rhinos' history:



Jeff DiVeronica
Staff writer

(November 3, 2004) — The Rochester Rhinos hoped to announce plans for their future on Tuesday, but it instead turned into one of the most embarrassing days in the soccer team's nine-year history.

The Rhinos had called a news conference to announce that Pat Ercoli would no longer be their head coach, and that Ercoli was deciding if he wanted to stay within the organization in a front-office role.

But a few hours before the 1:30 p.m. announcement, Ercoli phoned team owners to say he couldn't be there. A news release issued Monday night had said he would attend.

"We're all stunned," said Rhinos Chief Executive Officer Steve Donner, flanked by co-owners Frank DuRoss and Chris Economides. "Without him being here we didn't feel we should go ahead with the press conference."

Donner would not comment on why the team couldn't announce if Ercoli, the only coach in team history, had indeed been officially relieved of his coaching duties. Donner said cancellation of the news conference did not involve a legal issue. But the team later released a statement that said the team was awaiting a written statement from "Mr. Ercoli's attorney" that may not arrive "before the middle of next week."

"The bottom line is there are issues we're mulling over that need to be resolved," Ercoli said by phone.

Donner said that the situation was a bizarre turn of events, but added, "We're not the first team to cancel a press conference."

Economides said he, Donner and Ercoli agreed Monday that Ercoli would attend Tuesday's announcement. But Ercoli apparently changed his mind.

"Why would I want to be at a press conference when they might be moving in a different direction (and getting a new head coach)?" Ercoli asked.

When asked if he had agreed to attend, Ercoli said: "There were discussions on whether that was the right thing to do. It's a touchy situation. I don't want to get into a 'he said, she said.'"

The Rhinos' owners have left Ercoli's future up in the air since September, after Rochester was ousted in the first-round of the A-League playoffs by Montreal.

A faint chance for the Rhinos to become a Major League Soccer franchise — if America's top league moved one of its struggling clubs here, ownership could have made it seem that MLS dictated Ercoli's firing — may have played a role in delaying an immediate decision.

Ercoli is a Toronto native who was a standout for the Rochester Lancers of the old North American Soccer League from 1978 to 1980.

The 2004 Rhinos slumped over the second half of the season, including a 1-6-2 stretch late, and finished 15-10-3. They barely made the playoffs and it was their first 10-loss season and opening-round playoff exit since 1997 — not something a team with one of the league's highest payrolls expects.

It didn't sit well with owners or fans who saw Rochester reach seven championship matches (winning four) in the franchise's first six seasons. Although Ercoli's career mark is 154-77-18 (24-11-6 playoffs), some fans have felt the Rhinos underachieved the past few seasons, even though they were just a win away from reaching the league title game in 2002 and 2003.

Many players didn't like Ercoli's poker-face style of providing little feedback to players on why they weren't getting playing time.

"Most guys prefer you be up-front," said Yuri Lavrynenko, the former Gates Chili High and Indiana University star midfielder who was released by Rochester during the 2004 season and went on to play for league champion Montreal. "You might not like the decision, but you want to be told the truth."

Part of the reason popular players such as Doug Miller, in his first Rhinos stint from 1996 to 1999, midfielder Tommy Tanner and defender Scott Schweitzer (1998-2003) left the organization were because of conflicts with Ercoli.

Considering Rochester's strong attendance, ability to pay players top A-League salaries and a new stadium on the horizon — $23 million PAETEC Park is expected to open late next season or by 2006 — the Rhinos' head coaching position should be a hot job.

Economides already has spoken briefly to Tanner, a former Rhinos team captain, and Webster native and Kansas City Wizards assistant Brian Bliss, about the position. But he said no offers have been made.

Bob Lilley, a two-time A-League Coach of the Year with Hershey (Pa.) and Montreal, isn't a candidate because he was just named the new coach in Vancouver (A-League).

Team owners will be in Tampa, Fla., the rest of the week for league meetings and a resolution may not be forthcoming for at least a week.

In a statement released by the Rhinos later in the day, the team said "we are currently awaiting the statement from Mr. Ercoli's attorney, but have been advised that it is unlikely to arrive before the middle of next week."