Roth: COO Pat Ercoli is Rhinos Chief of Optimism

Pat Ercoli couldn't take his eyes off the shimmering 3-foot tall silver trophy with giant swooping handles and bearing the letters USL.

He may be president and COO (Chief of Optimism) of the Rochester Rhinos, but the coach in Ercoli couldn't help but acknowledge what the Rhinos Bob Lilley and his L.A. Galaxy II counterpart Curt Onalfo are in store for Friday when their clubs meet in the United Soccer League's championship game at Sahlen's Stadium.

During nine years as Rhinos coach, Ercoli hoisted seven championship trophies of some variety.

"I can tell you one thing, I don't think our trophies were this big,'' Ercoli said. "I'm a little envious.''

Actually, Lilley and Onalfo are the ones who envy the ride that Ercoli experienced starting two decades ago as coach of the Rhinos. Back when an expansion pro soccer team, new stadium and a well-paid roster of talented veterans created the perfect storm to make Rochester "Soccertown, USA.''

In their first six seasons, the Rhinos captured three A-League championships and the prestigious U.S. Open Cup, the only team outside of Major League Soccer to do so. Fans stuffed Frontier Field to the beat of 10,000-plus per game. The leap to MLS was a given, as certain as a Doug Miller clutch goal.

Of course, the air left that ball a long time ago.

Theories on why attendance at Rhinos games dipped to an average of 5,570 this season, the continuation of a seven-year trend despite a dandy of a team that has lost just once in 30 starts (19-1-10), are as plentiful as yellow cards.

Fans feeling jilted over the MLS lie . . . Fans turned off by two years of negative publicity circa 2007-09 after the team's original ownership group left a trail of bad debt and defaulted loans . . . the new soccer-specific stadium, while still in view of Frontier Field, being built in a part of the city where dreams die, not start . . . the club's drop to third-division status.

No wonder it seems like the Rhinos will join the rhinoceros on the endangered species list. But hold off on the obit.

Despite it getting kicked around, pro soccer is alive in Rochester and the future's looking brighter, especially if Ercoli, Lilley and their tireless staffers can tackle two perceptions: They play soccer that is inferior to the second-division North American Soccer League and that their stadium isn't a place to have a good time

Truth is, the NASL getting second-division designation by U.S. Soccer around 2010 wasn't based on quality of play, it had more to do with franchise values and venues. On the field, a dozen USL teams defeated NASL teams in this year's Open Cup.

"There was a point where the choice had to be made in regards to being in second or third division and we chose to be loyal to our league and stay in the third division,'' said Ercoli, who returned to become the Rhinos' lead executive at the urging of owner Rob Clark. "Now we're being rewarded because that third division, the teams are actually stronger.''

As are the ties to MLS.

With eight of the USL's 24 teams owned by MLS teams and 20 overall having affiliations, the USL is becoming soccer's top farm system. If you're a young pro, or veteran, landing with a USL team is highly appealing. The league is also expanding to 29 teams next year, and has applied for second-division status – a move that will help with image if nothing else.

"Does it help? Certainly because sponsors don't want to hear 'third division,' '' said Ercoli, who will be working to expand the Rhinos' working agreement with the New England Revolution, owned by Patriots owner Bob Kraft.

When it comes to improving an image, that same effort will have to be applied to Sahlen's Stadium at 460 Oak St.

The city-owned facility bleeds $470,000 a year, still has myriad maintenance issues, and needs new turf and a scoreboard. But while it's true $40 million doesn't buy what it used to, it's a big-league caliber venue now that locker rooms and suites exist, and the surrounding streets and sidewalks replaced new. It's a place many first-time visitors sit up and say "This is Rochester?''

"Through the events we've had, the people come down and go, 'Wow, this is a beautiful stadium,' '' said Ercoli, whose Rhinos manage the stadium, booking high school and youth sporting events along with concerts to help pay bills. "I think slowly but surely people will come, they'll have a good experience, talk about it and things will turn around.''

The alternative is frightful.

Blue Cross Arena, Frontier Field and Sahlen's Stadium are home to the Rochester Americans, Red Wings and Rhinos, respectfully. Supporting our professional teams - these main tenants in publicly owned venues - is the same as supporting our city and Monroe County. Maybe turn off TV, put down the iPhone and cheer with a few thousand of your closest friends for a night?

"If you don't invest in your community, invest in the downtown area, the growth of our city isn't going to do well,'' Ercoli said. "We have to keep getting a lot of the people that maybe haven't been coming here to see the value in that. And guess what? If they don't have a soccer team here, you have an empty building and we've seen a lot of empty buildings in Rochester.''

The Rhinos play in the USL championship game Friday. A fourth league title is in sight just two years after missing the playoffs for the first time. Sounds like a pretty good opportunity to party like it's 1999.