UNIONDALE, N.Y. The Long Island Rough Riders had hopes of going deep in the USL League Two playoffs.
They fell short of their goal.
They might have been disappointed in dropping a 2-0 first-round loss at the Western Mass Pioneers, but head coach Chris Megaloudis was hardly dismayed.
Megaloudis was encouraged by how much the team grew during the season.
“We fell short in the first round. But overall, I think it was a really good season, because we had a little bit of a younger team this year,” he said. “But it was great. When you look back on the season, some of the highs were really high.”
The Rough Riders boss enjoyed this season immensely.
“This was probably the most fun we’ve had in a very long time,” he said. “Not taking anything away from last year, because last year was amazing with a great group of guys. You saw growth because there’s quite a few players that went on to play at the next level, which we’re happy about. This felt a little bit different, only because the players in the beginning struggled. As the season went on, that feeling of them pushing and coming and bonding and playing great soccer was a lot of fun to see by the staff. You can’t be more proud.”
Long Island (9-2-1, 28 points) finished second to FC Motown STA (11-0-1, 34) in the Metropolitan Division.
“The expectations always obviously are to go as far as you can,” Megaloudis said. “We make realistic expectations for ourselves as a staff. When the guys come in, they’ve been there before, in the finals. We’ve been there in the finals three years ago. So, to have that
expectation should always be there. I don’t think that that’s too far out of sight. But we take things game by game and little by little.
“In the beginning of the season, we had somewhat of a different team. The guys were getting to know each other. It was a little difficult, because we had a few leaders on the older side, like the more experienced side last year. It was tough. We were getting a feel for them. They were getting a feel for each other. Somewhere around right before the middle of the season, everything changed. Everything changed where players stood out.”
Several did, including Justin McLean, who took on the captain’s responsibilities. McLean, an Atlanta, Ga. native, will play at North Carolina State this fall performing for Georgia State.
“He’s a guy who you probably wouldn’t be your first guess as who would be a captain, but he did such a good job for us,” Megaloudis said. “He was great. I think from there, everything was able to run the way we knew we could run.
“We knew that the team had a lot of talent, a lot of potential. There was a spell of games, like six or seven games unbeaten, that really pushed us to get into the playoffs, where that leadership from him and a few other guys was huge.”
It certainly didn’t hurt that forward Jack Stainrod, finished the regular season with a league-best 11 goals in as many matches. Stainrod, who hails from Barnsley, England, will be a senior at Dalton State University this upcoming season.
“The most impressive thing was he was able to score, on average, one goal a game,” Megaloudis said. “But after Justin took over that leadership role, we had other people score goals too, which is great. It was a great thing to see just not just rely on Jack because he’s an amazing striker, knows how to find the net. But then there were numerous players getting involved in the scoring sheet, creating chances.”
Megaloudis said that the team’s most memorable match was a 4-2 home victory over the talented Hudson Valley Hammers on June 29. Midfielder Londell Wheeler (Long Island University; Glen Cove, N.Y.) struck for a brace, and Jakob Friedman (Monmouth University, Nesconset, N.Y.) and McLean also found the net.
“We scored four of the most amazing goals you could see in a game,” he said. We created a lot of chances. That spell of games was huge for us.”
There were plenty of other contributors as well.
Goalkeeper Eryk Dymora (Monmouth University; Clifton, N.J.), who was considered a vital performance during the 2023 campaign, was injured during training.
In his place was Ethan Wood, a Syosset, N.Y. native who plays at the University of Michigan. Wood
“I think he did a phenomenal job in goal,” Megaloudis said. That really played a huge part in our success because taking on that role is not easy.”
The backline conceded 14 goals in a dozen matches.
There were other players who enjoyed outstanding seasons. That included the backline of Nakai Antoine (North Carolina State; Baldwin, N.Y.), Dino Feratovic (San Diego State University; Birmingham, England) and Cianole Nguepissi (Iona University, New York, N.Y.).
“They were just amazing back there,” Megaloudis said.
And that’s not to forget midfielder Kyle Smith (Stony Brook University; Holbrook, N.Y.) and forwards Jakob Woznicki (Hofstra; Bristol, Conn.) and Drew Lovelace (North Carolina State; Holly Springs, N.C.), among others.
“I really could go down the list and mention everybody’s name,” Megaloudis said.
The Rough Riders’ quest for the USL League Two crown ended with a 2-0 defeat to the Western Mass Pioneers in Ludlow, Mass. on July 9.
“Western Mass had a very good game. It was one of those games that they did everything right,” Megaloudis said. “One game doesn’t say anything about the team. They showed a lot of character in that game and a lot of fight. So very, very proud of them.”
Megaloudis hoped that many of the younger players would return to the squad for 2026.
“If I had to make the assumption of whether these guys would want to come back, and whether we welcome them back, by far the answer is yes, because I think they really came together,” he said. “It was just so much fun to have them gel the way that they did. Couldn’t ask for more. So, we welcome all of those players back, being that now that they have a year of experience. Next year, they can take that level of experience and bring it into the following year.
“The level of growth for me outweighs the wins and losses. You want to win every single game, and you want to get to the final, and you want to win the final. But when you really take a look back and you see the level of performance of these players had, they will use that level of confidence and experience into the college season. You’re going to see one or two or three players push themselves to the next level. That number could easily be five or six.”
The Rough Riders will return to action next May in USL League Two.
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