“It means a lot playing there, especially for the hometown kids,” Rothrock said of the Starfire, a field where he estimates he’s played over 200 games since his days as an academy kid. “It’s like a European field – a smaller stadium where the fans are right down your neck.
“You can hear the game, the touches of the ball, what players are saying,” added Rothrock, who Coach Schmetzer recently called “clearly more than just a cool local-kid story” in his squad. “The intimacy of the place is real.”
It was his combination of humility, patience, hard-work – and his performances in the Open Cup – that saw Rothrock steadily climb the team’s depth chart. “Early in the season, when I wasn’t playing, I worked on the small things,” he said. “I waited for some lucky breaks, which will come your way if you keep knocking on the door.
“I like to play off my teammates. You have to learn their tendencies and the kinds of runs they make,” said Rothrock, a tireless worker with the kind of guts and technique to nutmeg veteran opponents or take on whoever might square him up the flank. “For a prospect like me, a late bloomer, there’s only a few options to fit into a roster – so you have to know why you bring value and to show it.
“You have to circle the months of the calendar when there’s fixture congestion and a lot of Cup games,” added Rothrock. “That’s when your chances will come and you have to be ready.”
Fan to Fringes to Fan Favorite
Rothrock has proven himself to be a man for the big occasion this year, though it’s taken a long road and a lot of twists to get the chance to prove it. The Open Cup, where everything is on the line every time, seems to suit him right down to the ground.
“I love the Open Cup and I would love to have this year topped off with a trophy. We haven’t had one here in a little while,” he said of the club that started life with four Open Cup titles between 2009 and 2014 – and who now aim to become the first MLS side to make it five. “It’s about time and the way we look at it we’re two wins away from lifting that trophy again.”
“I also love playing in the big games,” said this unique player who’s never shied away from putting it all on the line. “Those pressurized moments can bring out the best in you. Semifinals and Finals are when you really get tested. I’ve had some success so far in moments like that.”
Fontela is editor-in-chief of usopencup.com. Follow him at@jonahfontela on X/Twitter.
