August 25th, 1997
Lynx Letdown
Late season slump continues for Lynx.

by Paul Hendren

(Toronto , August 24 , 1997) With the A-League playoffs fast approaching two teams headed in different directions clashed at Toronto’s fabled Varsity Stadium in a battle for second place in the very competitive Northeast Division.

After turning heads with their ten game winning streak and battling Montreal for the division title the Toronto Lynx’ visions of grandeur have suffered setbacks both on and off the field. The sudden resignation of key personnel and the shocking trade of their leading sniper has left Toronto in a free fall down the A-League standings and in serious jeopardy of losing that all important home field advantage for the playoffs. That is home field advantage only on paper as more seagulls than paying customers have been attending Lynx games.

On the other hand the Long Island Roughriders , who were 1995 USISL champions, have surpassed their modest goals after their jump to the world of second division soccer. Prior to Sunday nights contest the Roughriders vaulted past Toronto and Rochester in the Northeast division and they must be considered a serious threat in the playoffs. Long Island has been on a role since July winning eight of ten games and their winning streak coincided with the signing of Nigerian born Ernst Inneh who has scored in all of the nine games that he has played. The Roughriders defensive prowess is led by goalkeeper Manuel Carou who has posted shutouts in his last five games. The teams success during the dog days of summer has left Roughriders General Manager Bill Manning proclaiming that: “As the playoffs approach , we are playing with as much creativity and confidence that the team exhibited in the team’s 1995 championship season.” The Riders have also enjoyed a banner year at the gate averaging 4,182 to their home games at Hofstra Stadium.

Sunday night’s contest was a classic match up between a team struggling to regain their winning form and a team trying to maintain their momentum into the playoffs. While walking down Bloor street towards the stadium I was approached by scalpers offering tickets at below cost so I knew I was in for an interesting evening. After looking down the Toronto roster I was astonished to find out that no fewer than four starters are nursing various ailments. Out of the lineup were Onstad (hip flexer) , Thomas (groin tear), St Louis (hamstring) and Kouzmanis (foot contusion).

Despite the watered down home team’s line up the 1,456 in attendance were treated to a brilliant display of attacking soccer during the opening ten minutes. There was a saved penalty by courageous Lynx netminder Joe Ciarvino in the first minute; a smashing long distance shot by Rough Rider David Price six minutes later to give the visitors the lead and an equally brilliant goal one minute later by Michele Gioia to tie the game. Such action led my colleague in the press box ,Alex Franco of Stadium Newspaper, to question why millions of dollars are spent on players in the Portuguese First Division where games often end scoreless.

As the game played out both teams found some rythum and at the 22nd minute the Lynx were awarded a penalty after Stalteri was offended in the box. Gioia converted for his second goal and you could hear his relatives in attendance chant his name in delight. Long Island adopted a physical style preferring to inflict pain into as many players wearing the purple and black as possible. The half time score line was 2 -1 for Toronto.

During my half time journey around sparsely filled Varsity I had the good fortune of interviewing two of Toronto’s most faithful and devoted supporters of professional soccer. Season ticket holders Matthew Luder and son Peter have been mainstays in the stands for years supporting such clubs as The Blizzard , Rockets and now the Lynx. The younger Luders even proudly announced that the last game he missed was back in 1987. Despite the writers well documented concerns about Toronto’s most recent professional soccer project the elder Luders declared that the Lynx and the A-League are: “the best thing to happen to Toronto” and he praised the local ownership for the opportunity they have given local players to display their talents.

As Junior and Senior Luders settled back into their seats for the second half they were treated to a roller coaster ride now known as Lynx soccer.

At the 49th minute Toronto increased their lead by two after Gioia completed his hat trick by neatly chipping the ball over a helpless Manual Carou in the Riders net.

With their two goal deficit Long Island tried desperately to beat the small statured Ciaravino by moving eight men up front and leaving their own goalkeeper Carou at the mercy of Toronto poachers Stalteri and Dugas. Time and time again Stalteri missed glorious opportunities by either putting the ball wide or over the wide open Roughrider goal. One could sense that the missed opportunities would come back to haunt a team notorious for losing games in the closing minutes.

With 21 minutes left in the game Roughrider Sai Leaniti scored from a perfect feed from Jim Ronney and at the 85th minute Long Island tied the score when Rooney was allowed to roam unmarked in front Toronto’s goal. Everyone in the local press corps covering the game as well as those few brave souls left in the stands, who braved heavy rain ,must have realized that their home team was up to their old tricks. With 20 seconds left in strange game Hector Wright sent the visitors home with an inspiring victory not to mention a valuable three points. After the game onlookers around me commented that the Lynx would be world beaters if games are only 80 minutes long.

With the Lynx losing three straight and demonstrating a penchant for collapsing when the going gets tough it does not offer their few supporters a great deal of hope for the post season. With Long Island most likely to be Toronto’s first round opponent in the playoffs superfans Matthew and Peter Luders should be making plans for next season. (That is if there is a next season)

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