CARY -- Halfway through their USSF schedule, the Carolina RailHawks get a rare respite from the road. Starting tonight, the NASL Conference's second-place team gets four consecutive home games at WakeMed Soccer Park.
Heading into the 7 p.m. matchup against the Rochester Rhinos (8-5-6), the RailHawks (6-3-6) have played only six league games at home this season, the fewest of any NASL Conference team.
"When we saw the schedule, we knew it was a hard schedule, and we knew that if we were in a good position coming out of the first half of the season with all the away games, we'd be fine for the second half," coach Martin Rennie said. "We probably exceeded expectations on the road, and it's important for us to get the same type of focus we had earlier and to just continue working on finishing and movement in the final third, as well as possessions."
In July alone, the team flew to Puerto Rico, Montreal and Rochester within a week.
"From a team stance, it'll definitely be helpful, and we'll have our fans behind us," RailHawks goalkeeper Eric Reed said. "It's hard traveling with planes, hotels, different food every couple of days. At home, we'll definitely have the fan factor and the home field pride, and it's been hard without a consistent home schedule."
Defender and team captain Mark Schulte agreed, saying the hardest part about playing away is being far from home and not being able to feed off fan support.
"Being back means a little boost of energy, and the product we put out in the beginning of the season at home wasn't as good as we wanted and wasn't up to our standards, so we're excited to put together some time to play at home and make the game more beautiful by having strong offense throughout," Schulte said.
As for the team's 15 remaining games - 10 home and five away - the players are looking to finish strong and continue the performance they have shown on the road.
"We expect a fight from every team in the league, and we never underestimate anyone," forward David Paladini said. "In the beginning, it was harder for us, but now, we've developed team chemistry and bonded, and that definitely helps.
"Things have been working well, but there are always things you can work on, like crossing and finishing. We're working hard and getting better every day."
