Playing for hometown Rhinos a perfect fit for Pilarski

Dave Sarachan and Ian Pilarski knew how it looked back in January.

Sarachan, the former Cornell soccer coach, chooses Cornell standout Pilarski.

Sarachan, the Brighton native, takes a kid who grew up in the next town over, Pittsford.

It’s all who you know, right?

Not necessarily.

”I have ties to the (Cornell) program so that’s why he was on our radar, but with all things being equal and him being a Cornell kid, it made sense to use the pick on him,” Sarachan, the 2003 MLS Coach of the Year, said Monday morning from Chicago.

”He’s a good kid, came up with good (grades) and he showed signs he can play at this level. He has the power and pace and technical ability; he just needs games and more experience in a faster environment.”

The Fire’s plan is for Pilarski, 22, to get that in Rochester.

The MLS team loaned the 1999 All-Greater Rochester Player of the Year to the Rhinos. It was done to help the Pittsford Sutherland graduate, a 3.3 GPA student, finish his degree in applied economics/management. He also is expected to get more playing time with the Rhinos, who open their A-League season Saturday at Frontier Field, than he would with Chicago, which plays here in a May 17 exhibition.

”He’s a strong player and has the ability to play the flank positions for us,” Rhinos coach Pat Ercoli said. “He has a good understanding of how we want him to play and we’ve been pleased so far.”

Pilarski doesn’t want charity.

He feels fortunate he was drafted. All he ever wanted was a chance to prove himself, which he knows he has to keep doing.

”I have to win my spot, just like any other guy, as opposed to it being handed to me,” he said.

Sarachan doesn’t want to see Pilarski on the bench all the time in Rochester, but he understands the situation.

”As a coach, I have to leave (playing time) up to Pat. He has to assess his team and its needs,” Sarachan said. “Ian has to win a position in Rochester. If he is there and it doesn’t work out, we have to reassess the situation.”

The past two summers were a great situation for Pilarski. He played for the Cape Cod Crusaders of the Premier Development League. The PDL allows players to retain college eligibility while playing in a professional environment. Cape Cod won the PDL championship both seasons and Pilarski led the team last summer with nine assists. Coincidentally, the Crusaders beat the Chicago Fire reserves in August’s title match.

”Great experience,” Pilarski said. So was last spring when he spent the semester studying in Spain.

Life will slow down a bit for Pilarski, a student of the game whose favorite player is David Beckham, after graduation in late May. He could be called back to the Fire occasionally to train, play in exhibitions or if it needs midfield depth.

Sarachan likes Pilarski’s crossing ability and thinks he also has a strong shot. The first Cornell player ever drafted by MLS and its first midfielder since 1986 to earn first-team, All-Ivy League honors, Pilarski was surprised he was drafted. He had met Sarachan briefly once before at a Cornell soccer alumni function.

But Big Red coach Bryan Scales kept Sarachan aware of Pilarski and the player did the rest, impressing Fire assistant Denis Hamlett at a InfoSport combine before the MLS draft.

”Great attitude, fitness and work rate,” Hamlett wrote in his evaluation. “Very good technical skills. Has confidence to take guys on 1 v. 1. Ability to attack and defend and read the game was excellent.”

Said Pilarski: “I thought I made a pretty good case for myself.’

He tried not to get too excited after he made the Fire’s 27-man travel roster for a preseason trip to Portugal.

”Think about making the team too much and you can get too wrapped up in it,” he said.

He is still spending about half of his time in Ithaca and said he’s “grateful the Rhinos are being flexible.” It still hasn’t hit him fully that Saturday he could be wearing a Rhinos uniform at Frontier, where he used to watch the team play as a teenager.

”You don’t really know how you feel until it happens,” he said. “But I’m getting excited.”

JDIVERON@DemocratandChronicle.com