Orange Legionnaire

Silooy has a light moment with the Dutch Lion players before getting down to business in preparation for the Dutch Lions U.S. Open Cup debut against Rochester.

U.S. Open Cup Debutants Dutch Lions Look To Derail Rhinos From Further Open Cup Accolades
By Ryan Kozlowski

The Monday tune-up practice in preparation for Tuesday's showdown against the Rochester Rhinos went well for the Dutch Lions. The Dutch Lions final training session appeared to be very positive as the players were relaxed early on. Morale was up, despite the eight hour trip, and the Dutch Lions played the second half of practice at a higher level as intensity increased. Overall, many of the players were keen to get down to the business at hand. The Orange & Blue have one mindset, as the Dutch Lions look to upset a strong Rochester Rhinos side.

The man assigned to the task of giving the players the correct mindset knows all about pressure in big tournaments. Sonny Silooy has played at arguably the most pressure packed and fixating tournament stage worldwide, the UEFA Champions League.

The former Ajax player now has to take what he learned from that experience and give that to the Dutch Lions side. Coming into this game Silooy didn't want there to be overwhelming pressure on the Dutch Lions. As Silooy said "what do we have to lose," as the Dutch Lions are the underdogs in this one. One could compare the roles in this game to USA vs. England, as everyone expects the Rhinos to win in similiarity to how the English were favorites.

VIDEO: DUTCH LIONS PRACTICE SESSION IN ROCHESTER-


However, by no means is the pressure completely off the Lions, the management desires strong results in this tournament. But the pressure is less so for the Lions since no one will fault them if they fall against the Rochester Rhinos, who were semifinalists in this tournament the year prior.

The Rochester Rhinos will be a tough test as they're also currently in third place overall in Division II (USL-1/NASL) and have a storied history of success in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The Rochester Rhinos were the only non-MLS team to win the tournament since the MLS came to fruition in 1996.

Therefore, Silooy will look to employ some different tactics against the Rochester Rhinos:
"It may not be as high pressure as if we were playing in the PDL, where we would play a high line up at midfield. We will still press and take our chances, but maybe that line goes back 10 to 20 yards. It's still attacking but much more methodical."

Silooy has an idea of the Rhinos level and knows they'll be a good side, but won't know just how good until he plays them, so I would expect a close to the chest game early on from the Dutch Lions as they try to feel out the Rochester Rhinos.

The game takes place at 7:05 at Marina Auto Stadium in Rochester, New York. Check back here and on all the Dutch Lions platforms for more news, videos, pictures, and etc.