USLsoccer: Lynx Close-Up Camp in NY
Lynx close up camp in New York
By Jason C. Mucher
HOUGHTON, N.Y. (April 13, 2002) - Heading into their weeklong training
camp at Houghton College, head coach Peter Pinizzotto and his Toronto Lynx had a
laundry list of goals on the "to do" list. Tops among them was finding ways to
improve offensive production. Though the six-year coach is pleased with his
team's progress in several areas, he's not ready to say 'mission accomplished'
as the team prepares to head home to Toronto.
After a 4-1 win over St.
Bonaventure University on Tuesday, the Lynx dropped a 2-0 decision to the
defending champion Rochester Rhinos on Thursday.
"I thought we played
very well in the first 45 minutes against Rochester," said Pinizzotto. "In the
second half we did well, but Rochester brought in 10 fresh players and we lost
midfielder Brian Ashton to injury. We had a little trouble keeping up with them
after that."
But it was the failure to create any true scoring chances
that stood out for the Lynx.
"We are still concentrating on being able
to execute on our chances. I told our guys on Friday that in the A-League you
only get one or two chances. If you can't get them in, you're in trouble," added
Pinizzotto. "We have to be able to create opportunities, get our forwards to be
able to play without the ball and make smarter runs,"
To try to spark
those chances, Pinizzotto has been experimenting with a 4-4-2 alignment as
compared to the Lynx' traditional 3-5-2 approach. "One thing we want is more
direct soccer, to move the ball much faster. We want to create more
opportunities as compared to last year, when we were too predictable," says
Pinizzotto.
Though his team has struggled to adjust to the new attacking
philosophy, Pinizzotto feels he has the players who can do it. "We have players
that can play a variety of systems. We are trying to get players who can play
and adjust to the system. And I think we have that in the 21 players in camp."
Pinizzotto will need to narrow that roster down to 17 or 18 by Tuesday.
"We still have to make a decision on three or four guys."
Lynx close up camp in New York
Trinidadian forward Kevin
Nelson is one that is fighting for a roster spot. He showed flashes of excellent
play in the scrimmages with St. Bonaventure and Rochester. Two others, Shawn
Faria and Nick Budalich, played well against St. Bonaventure, but were unable to
go against the Rhinos due to injury. A fourth player, Irasto Knights, could make
a difference, but he came to camp on Thursday and has been hobbled by an injury.
Draft pick James Kryger showed good form in goal against St. Bonaventure and
will get another look once he completes his degree at Cleveland State in May.
The midfield is set with co-captain Brian Ashton, Robbie Aristodemo,
David DiPlacido, and Nik Vignjevic, but the back may be the Lynx' strongest
group, with Adrian Serioux, Milan Kojic (who scored twice against St.
Bonaventure), Mauricio Vincello, and team captain Marco Reda, who is wrapping up
his season with the MISL's Cleveland Crunch. And Theo Zagar is strong in goal.
Despite the question marks that still surround this team's ability to
score goals, Pinizzotto and his players agree that the week in Houghton has been
a tremendous opportunity to build team unity. The team has been able to have two
training sessions a day, something they had never been able to do in Toronto.
It's also been a time to concentrate on soccer; Houghton's rural location offers
very few distractions.
"I've talked to the players about the week. Brian
Ashton said this is the best training camp he's had since he's been here. For
them and me it's been a great experience," says Pinizzotto.
"The players
feel like they are in soccer camp. The environment is great. Even away from
training, you have the team together as a group."
The Lynx close the
week with a scrimmage against Houghton College on Saturday.
Keeping that
unity is key as the team plays its first eight matches on the road, beginning
with the season opener Saturday, April 20 against Pittsburgh.
When
the Lynx return home against Charleston on June 9, they will be in a new home.
The team has switched from the 22,000-seat Varsity Stadium to the refurbished
4,000-seat Centennial Stadium.
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