The RailHawks’ defense has undoubtedly been the team’s strength during the last two seasons, and this year shouldn’t be any different.

While a number of new faces have been introduced to the roster, the core of last season’s backline returns in tact with Brad Rusin, Kupono Low and Devon McKenney. The trio helped spur the RailHawks to last season’s NASL Conference title and run to the championship series. Having played parts of the last two seasons together, their familiarity is among their biggest assets.

“We know each other’s strengths. Brad’s good in the air and Devon’s a good one-on-one defender,” said Kupono Low, now in his fifth season with the RailHawks. “We know each other’s strengths from playing together. So we hold each other to a high standard. Defensively, we’re out to get a shutout and we always think we can.”

The RailHawks may not always keep a clean sheet,  but they’ve done so in nearly half of every game Martin Rennie has coached. In 60 league matches the last two seasons, Carolina has 25 shutouts.

That number will no doubt rise in 2011.

Low’s leadership and tenacity on the left side, McKenney matching it on the right, and the 6-foot-4 Rusin’s presence is the middle makes for a formidable backline. Add in the addition of central defender John Krause and Brad Knighton in goal, and the RailHawks will be a tough nut to crack.

Krause played in Puerto Rico for three seasons (2007-09). There, he in 73 matches and scored eight goals. He also helped Puerto Rico win the 2008 USL-1 Commissioner’s Cup and led them to back-to-back appearances in the CONCACAF Champions League.

“Devon, Brad and Kupono have been here before,” Rennie said. “They understand how we work, how we like to play. Krause adds a lot. He’s strong, he has pace, he’s physical, he communicates, he’s good on the ball and will help us build out of the back. That is really a big thing for me, and Krause brings that to us.”

Rusin, in his third professional season out of UCLA, will wear the captain’s armband for Carolina in 2011. After his summer transfer to Denmark fell through last year, Rusin returned to the RailHawks and was a rock in the back. He played in all six playoff games and scored the first goal of his professional career in the second leg of the semifinals against Montreal, a tally that spurred the RailHawks onto the championship series.

McKenney returned to the RailHawks late in 2010 and appeared in seven matches (including the playoffs). With McKenney at right back, Carolina went 2-2-3, with a 0.57 goals against average and three shutouts. He was also with the club in 2009, when he appeared in 15 matches and was a vital part of a defense that posted 17 shutouts and a 0.63 goals against average.

Low is the lone player remaining from the RailHawks inaugural season in 2007. His consistency and longevity place him at the top of the club’s record books in appearances (103), starts (96), minutes (8,845) and assists (nine), and he’s second in goals (11) and points (31).

New to the backline are a pair of young central defenders: Cory Miller and Kyle Schmid.

Miller was an all-conference centerback on Olivet Nazarene University’s 2009 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference championship team and led them into the NAIA national tournament – both program firsts.

Schmid has trained with MLS outfits Seattle and New York, but 2011 will be his first full professional season. During his senior season at UC Irvine in 2008, Schmidled the Anteaters to their best season in school history, when they went 15-2-6, won the Big West Conference championship and reached the third round of the NCAA tournament. Schmid appeared in all 23 matches that season and helped the Anteaters’ defense post a 0.99 goals against average

“Cory and Kyle are young guys we think have got loads of potential,” Rennie said. “They’re big strong, athletic, and they have a physical presence that’s necessary to become good centerbacks. We need to work on them with positioning, timing and communicating, but that’s what we like to do.”

While the defenders are charged with warding off opposing attacks, Rusin notes that the defense doesn’t start in the back.

“It’s not just the back four,” Rusin said. “It’s everyone, starting with whoever’s up top and through the midfield, back to us and the goalkeeper. Everyone communicating with each other, staying tight and building our offense off of our defense. Martin stresses being compact, having good shape, winning the ball and playing out of that. … But we’re going to be good together in the back.”