June 12th, 1997
Toronto's Best Kept Secret
The Lynx are hot -- but few seem to notice or care.

by Paul Hendren

(Toronto, June 8, 1997) With an A-League record seven consecutive wins, including a 4-1 thrashing of the Jacksonville Cyclones on a glorious Sunday evening , one might conclude that the vast soccer community of Southern Ontario would embrace their highly entertaining home team. The fledgling Lynx , who are nine games into their rookie campaign , have impressed with their explosive style but few local soccer pedants have taken notice or appear to care. During the pre game warm up Jacksonville head coach Dennis Viollet was seen shaking his head in disbelief while staring up at the empty stands of Varsity Stadium. Toronto's attendance has dropped from a paltry 1,400 for their inaugural home game to what appeared to be several hundred for their encounter with Jacksonville. (the official party line is just over 1,000). Even Jacksonville , who sport an embarrassing 2-11 record have been able to draw on average over 2,700 to their home games. To add to the Lynx woes the press box at Varsity Stadium has been void of any members of the local main stream print and electronic media and to complicate matters it appears that one of Southern Ontario's popular radio shows , that historically has been a supporter of domestic soccer, is boycotting Toronto's fledgling A-League team.

Sunday's game was another positive demonstration to repute soccer critics' thoughts that the great game is usually a dull low scoring affair. The night before Jacksonville's meeting with Toronto they were involved in a nine goal extravaganza in Rochester that resulted in a narrow victory for the home team. Toronto created several good scoring chances in the opening stages of the first half and their relentless pressure resulted in a goal by Phil Caporella at the 16th minute. Caporella was able to complete an overhead kick into an empty Cyclone net after his striking partner Darren Tilley forced the ball loose from a very shaky Johnny Walker in the Cyclones' goal. At the 40th minute Toronto increased their lead to 2-0 when Elvis Thomas was able to convert a pass from Canadian International Tom Kouzmanis. It was Thomas' fourth goal of the season.

Toronto continued to dominate in the second half and the Cyclones were unable to penetrate a very steady Lynx defence led by transplanted New Zealander Daryl Holmes. The 30 year old Holmes has improved with every outing and his relentless work rate and hard nose style greatly compliments Toronto's brand of 'fire wagon soccer'. At the 57th minute Lynx midfielder Martin Dugas recovered a poor clearance and found the back of the net with a powerful shot that deflected off a Cyclone defender. The route was completed when Darren Tilley controlled the ball at the top of the penalty area and slotted a perfect pass to Tom Kouzmanis who was rushing in from his midfield position.

Oswaldo Ortiz put the visitors on the score sheet after he converted a brilliantly executed 'dummy' from team-mate John Morulanda.

Toronto, who now enjoy a 7-2 record are in first place one point ahead of rivals the Montreal Impact. The Lynx continue their home stand on Sunday June 15 when they host the Worcester Wildfire before embarking on a lengthy road trip with their first stop at Centre Claude Robillard in Montreal on Wednesday June 18. The June 15 home date has been dedicated as a Fathers Day game with two for one ticket promotions and free hot dogs.

The success of the Lynx on the field will leave club officials in a quandary when young standouts Paul Stalteri and Dwayne DeRosario return to the line up after representing Canada in the upcoming Under 20 World Championships in Malaysia.

Lynx President Enzo Iantorno stated that he will not stand in the way of any player wishing to further their careers by playing abroad and it is believed that during their first season Lynx officials are not requiring transfer payments from foreign clubs. Iantorno's unselfishness ,albeit commendable during a time of corruption in sport, is poorly timed given the Lynx need for an infusion of capital . Should the talented Stalteri and DeRosario turn heads in the well scouted tournament in Malaysia many top foreign clubs could potentially be offering top dollar for their services. It is already rumored that Swiss giants Grasshoppers of Zurich are very interested in the services of DeRosario.

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