The Rochester Raging Rhinos announced today their 2008 regular season schedule.

The 30-game slate includes several noteworthy storylines including a late-July home-and-home series against the rival Montreal Impact.

The Rhinos begin their 13th season on Friday, May 2nd in Charleston, SC, as they take on the two-time A-League champion Charleston Battery at Blackbaud Stadium.

Rochester will face the Battery twice in Charleston and once at PAETEC Park this season.

The Battery finished 10th in the United Soccer Leagues First Division in 2007 and narrowly missed the postseason.

The Rhinos' season opener kicks off a five-game road trip that includes a three-game West Coast swing. After tackling the Minnesota Thunder at James Griffin Stadium on Sunday, May 4th, the Rhinos will travel to Portland on Thursday, May 8th, Vancouver on Saturday, May 10th and finish up in Seattle on Wednesday, May 14th. Rochester's only other trip to the Pacific Time Zone is on Friday, July 18th, when it travels to face the Seattle Sounders at Qwest Field.

Rochester opens its 2008 home slate at PAETEC Park on Saturday, May 17th against the Charleston Battery. The Rhinos hit the road once again to play their sixth road game of the season on Saturday May 24th at Wake Med Soccer Park against the rival Carolina RailHawks.

Rochester opens June with a four-game homestand that starts on Sunday, June 1st with a match against the Portland Timbers. The Rhinos then host Miami on Saturday, June 7th before playing their first nationally televised match of the season on Friday, June 13th. The Rhinos will welcome the 2006 USL-1 champion Vancouver Whitecaps to PAETEC Park on that night for an 8:00 p.m. match that will be televised on the Fox Soccer Channel. The Rhinos close out their four-game homestand with a June 20th match against rival Carolina.

The Rhinos' July schedule features a three-game homestand and a home-and-home series with the Montreal Impact on July 25th and 27th. The July 25th matchup with the rival Impact will be Rochester's third game at PAETEC Park televised on FSC. The team's second FSC game will be played at PAETEC Park on Friday, July 11th versus Seattle. All Rhinos games televised on FSC are scheduled to kick off at 8:00 p.m.

After wrapping up July in Montreal on the 27th, Rochester rings in August on the road as they face the 2007 USL-1 runner-up Atlanta Silverbacks at RE/MAX Greater Atlanta Stadium on August 3rd. After making their first trip to Puerto Rico to take on the Islanders on August 8th, the Rhinos return home for three against Puerto Rico, Minnesota and Atlanta on August 10th, 16th and 23rd, respectively. Rochester completes another home-and-home series, this time with Atlanta, on August 30th at RE/MAX Greater Atlanta Stadium .

September brings with it two rival games and one final nationally televised game from PAETEC Park. Rochester opens the month in Montreal with a Wednesday, September 3rd match against the Impact at Saputo Stadium, a place where the Rhinos have failed to win during the regular season since June 14, 1998. After a Saturday, September 6th game against Portland at PAETEC Park, the Rhinos will close out their regular season home slate against Puerto Rico on Friday, September 12th.

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Reference:

http://www.rhinossoccer.com/news/article.php?id=727