#1 is the key factor IMO. Fewer players will see the maximum benefit, but for those players it is a big improvement. It's possible and probably likely that the "4" players won't remain the same all season.
Something I didn't see covered, but Rochester is providing a house for the Revs players on loan. Just a small detail I thought was cool.
Another interesting tidbit. USL announced yesterday that they have changed the roster rules to allow each team to carry 5 "academy" players on the roster. These are pre-college, non-professional players. Read here. For the Revs, some key quotes: "MLS teams affiliated with USL PRO clubs will be able to use the academy player slots for their own academy players." "the player must either be from a club’s region, an affiliate youth team or from an MLS affiliate." Maybe a good chance for some of the Empire Soccer Club players to get some experience in a professional environment before college. It would be tough logistically because of the ages involved, but potentially a Revs Academy player could benefit too.
Some of you thought the Revs schedule was unbalanced (home vs away). Take a look at Rochester. First 5 games on the road, and 8 of first 11, then 11 of 13 at home. Code: Sat Apr 13 7:30 PM ET Rochester <#> at VSI Tampa Bay TBD Sun Apr 14 7:30 PM ET Rochester <#> at Orlando Florida Citrus Bowl Fri Apr 19 7:00 PM ET Rochester <#> at Charlotte Queens University Stadium Sat Apr 20 7:00 PM ET Rochester <#> at Richmond City Stadium Sat Apr 27 7:00 PM ET Rochester <#> at Harrisburg Skyline Sports Complex Sat May 4 7:05 PM ET Harrisburg at Rochester <#> Sahlen's Stadium Fri May 10 7:30 PM ET Rochester <#> at Wilmington Legion Stadium Sat May 18 7:05 PM ET Orlando at Rochester <#> Sahlen's Stadium Sat May 25 7:30 PM ET Rochester <#> at Charleston Blackbaud Stadium Fri May 31 7:35 PM ET Los Angeles at Rochester <#> Sahlen's Stadium Sat Jun 1 7:00 PM ET Rochester <#> at Pittsburgh Highmark Stadium Fri Jun 7 7:35 PM ET Montreal (MLS) at Rochester <#> Sahlen's Stadium Fri Jun 14 7:35 PM ET VSI Tampa Bay at Rochester <#> Sahlen's Stadium Sun Jun 16 4:05 PM ET Charleston at Rochester <#> Sahlen's Stadium Fri Jun 21 7:35 PM ET Antigua at Rochester <#> Sahlen's Stadium Sat Jun 29 7:05 PM ET Phoenix at Rochester <#> Sahlen's Stadium Thu Jul 4 7:00 PM ET Rochester <#> at Dayton Beavercreek High School Sat Jul 6 7:05 PM ET Charlotte at Rochester <#> Sahlen's Stadium Fri Jul 12 7:35 PM ET Richmond at Rochester <#> Sahlen's Stadium Fri Jul 19 7:35 PM ET Wilmington at Rochester <#> Sahlen's Stadium Sun Jul 21 TBD Rochester <#> at Montreal (MLS) TBD Sun Jul 28 4:05 PM ET Antigua at Rochester <#> Sahlen's Stadium Fri Aug 2 7:35 PM ET Dayton at Rochester <#> Sahlen's Stadium Fri Aug 9 7:35 PM ET Pittsburgh at Rochester <#> Sahlen's Stadium Fri Aug 16 10:30 PM ET Rochester <#> at Phoenix Sun Devil Soccer Stadium Sat Aug 17 11:00 PM ET Rochester <#> at Los Angeles Cal State Fullerton Titan Stadium
Who is this Los Angeles team they are playing? Phoenix is the only team even remotely close to them, and evereyone else is either in the Northeast and Southeast, plus Antigua. Must be some serious road trips, not to mention travel costs.
Probably not. Though it would be foolish to keep it at 4. Ideally you want 6 or so in Rochester to facilitate easy roster movement.
I was wondering if (and my apologies if this has been mentioned somewhere) The Rhinos have say in who they get? I.e. the Revs want to ship out young high potential kids, but the Rhinos may want more of an impact player, like Nyassi, who has proven that he can destroy lower-skill opponents and leagues despite his MLS failures.
The Rhinos do have a say. Apparently their coaches were involved somehow in Tuscon. The players sent will be mutually agreed upon.
Can't answer that question, however the average USL salary reported around the internet seems to be $20,000 to $30,000.
In regards to Revs players, no. Those salaries are paid by NE, so even if there was a salary cap in USL-Pro, our players wouldn't count toward it. They count toward out salary cap.
I wouldn't think there's anything formalized, but it only works if both teams have knowledge and respect for each other's needs. If the Revs send players there that the Rhinos aren't interested in, they'll just sit on the bench. OTOH, the Rhinos have to understand that the Revs need to get something out of this plan also.