USLsoccer: Lynx Boosted by Activations

Lynx boosted by activations

TORONTO (April 24, 2002) - After dropping their season opener in Pittsburgh last week with a depleted roster, the Toronto Lynx announced Wednesday that midfielders Brian Ashton, Shawn Faria and sweeper/defender Joe Mattacchione will play this weekend. The Lynx play road games at Richmond (Friday, 7 p.m. ET) and Hampton Roads (Saturday, 7:30 p.m.) this weekend.

The road swing continues a season-opening grind for the Lynx, who play their first eight games of the season on the road.

Friday night’s game against Richmond will mark Faria’s much-anticipated A-League debut. The former University of Louisville had been sidelined by a hamstring injury.

"It was disappointing not being able to play in my first pro game," said Faria. "But it’s a long season and there is no point rushing back a minor injury so early in the season. It could just force me to miss more games. As a rookie, I want to get as many games as possible under my belt this season."

The return of Ashton, who will also assume duties as the club’s assistant captain for 2002, will provide some toughness and aggressiveness that was occasionally lacking in the 2-1 loss to the Riverhounds. Known for his trademark sliding tackles, Ashton knows the importance of this weekend’s games for the Lynx, who started just 2-9-1 en route to an ugly 7-16-3 2001 season.

"As a team, we set a goal of coming out of this eight game road trip at 4-4,” said Ashton. “Even though it’s early in the season, these next two games are very important for us and we are going to come out hard in both."

Toronto also activated Mattacchione from the injury list. The veteran defender will make his debut after missing the majority of the Toronto training camp with a nagging foot injury.

"It’s great to be back," said Mattacchione, who tied for second on the offense-challenged Lynx with three goals last season. "These next two games are big for us, and I’m just glad that I can once again do my part to help the team on the field.”

If Toronto is to improve on its 2001 mark, it will need consistent strong play from midfielders David Diplacido and 2001 A-League Rookie of the Year Robbie Aristedemo. After scoring the lone Toronto goal in last weekend’s season-opening loss, Diplacido was named to the A-League Team Of The Week today. It is the second time in his career that Diplacido has earned Team of the Week honors.

In additional club news, the Lynx announced their participation in the Canadian Active Lifestyle Festival.

The festival, set for April 26-28 at Toronto’s International Centre, is designed to help promote physical fitness and activity within the community. Lynx staff will be on hand throughout the festival to run the popular Speed Kick soccer activity and hand out an array of prizes.

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