The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is proud to announce that the Rochester River DogZ (Rochester, NY) have joined the league as an expansion team. The club will compete in the Midwest Region.
“Rochester is a great soccer city with a great tradition in the American game,” NPSL Chairman Joe Barone commented. “We are very excited to see our league continue to grow in the Midwest and we are confident that the River DogZ will be a great success story.”
Home matches will take place at Boulter Field in Webster, NY. It features a grass playing surface along with full amenities like restrooms, a concession stand, press box, locker rooms, and a full sound system.
The River DogZ will be led by an ownership group of five individuals and Head Coach Matt Tantalo.
General Manager Marc Mandell, served in the Air Force as a military policeman during Operation Enduring Freedom. He has over 25 years of experience playing and coaching soccer. Markijan Lylak, who will serve as Vice President, is a career firefighter/EMT in Greece, NY. He has over 25 years of experience in soccer from playing to organizing teams.
President Kurt B. Odenbach is a transactional attorney in Rochester, NY. He is active in various charitable organizations in the Rochester community, serving as Corporate Secretary for Salty Dog Charities and Corporate Officer for the Committee of 25. Robert Raufeisen, who will serve as Equipment Manager, is a United States Air Force veteran. He has worked in the building industry for 30 years and has played soccer for over 40 years.
Nick Mojsovski, who will serve as Treasurer and Secretary, has over 30 years of experience playing and coaching soccer. He earned his M.B.A. from the Rochester Institute of Technology with a concentration in international business. Tantalo has coached Keuka College for 11 seasons, guiding them to an impressive 104-62-16 record and posting 10 winning seasons in his 11 years. He possesses both a USSF “B” license and a NSCAA National Diploma.
“Our passion for soccer and our business acumen will make us a model NPSL franchise,” Mandell added. “We will recruit top players to ensure that we will field a competitive team. By providing a top class game day experience, we will make Rochester a place fans and away teams look forward to visiting.”
Beginning with only one team in 2012, the organization grew to six teams, including two teams competing in the Men’s Open Premier Division, the top league in Rochester. Other teams included a Men’s Division 2 squad, two men’s Over 30 squads, and a Women’s Division 1 squad. Their philosophy will provide an avenue to recruit local youth players to further prepare them for collegiate competition and beyond.
“We were looking to take our team to the next level and the NPSL fits everything we were looking for,” Mandell concluded. “We like that the NPSL operates and is managed as a team-run league and the opportunities it provides us to run our club in a professional environment cost effectively.”
