Rochester Raging Rhinos (13-5-5, 44 points) at Riverhounds (11-8-4, 37 points)
Game info .: 7:35 p.m., Bethel Park Stadium
On the air: WBGG-AM (970)
Coaches: Pat Ercoli, Rochester; Ricardo Iribarren, Riverhounds
The skinny: The Riverhounds are in third place in the Northeast Division behind second-place Rochester. Montreal, which has the best record in the A-League, leads the division in which the top two teams advance to the playoffs. Rochester has defeated the Riverhounds in their past three meetings this season, outscoring them, 7-2. While the Riverhounds did not make any moves prior to Monday's roster freeze, Rochester did make some adjustments. The Raging Rhinos picked up midfielder Shaun Tsakiris and a player to be named later from the Syracuse Salty Dogs. In return, Syracuse now owns the rights to forward Jimmy Tanner, who had been inactive all season with Rochester. Tanner's brother, Tommy, is a player/assistant coach with Syracuse. Syracuse also dealt its leading scorer Gabe Valencia to Rochester for the remainder of the season and any postseason play. Valencia is on loan, so Syracuse retains the rights to him. Tonight's game is key to the Riverhounds playoff push. They only have five games remaining and trail a playoff spot by seven points. The Riverhounds have not played since their 2-0 loss to Montreal on Sunday. Rochester lost to the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer in the round of 16 in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, 2-1, on Wednesday.
Worth noting: Riverhounds midfielder Ricardo Villar was named to the A-League Team of the Week for a goal and an assist in a 3-2 victory over Syracuse. Iribarren, Villar and goalkeeper Randy Dedini were fined for their remarks on the officiating in the Riverhounds 2-0 loss to Montreal on Sunday. Iribarren was fined $200, while Villar and Dedini were fined $100.
