Lynx Enter 2004 with Quiet Confidence
April 14, 2004
(Lino Terra, Ontario Soccer Web) - The Toronto Lynx held their annual news conference last week and the mood was definitely one of optimism. The team has undergone a complete overhaul from head coach down the keeper in preparation for the 2004 A-league season. Their opening game is Saturday April 17, in Puerto Rico against the expansion Islanders.
Over the summer, the Lynx named Duncan Wilde as the second head coach in the team's 8 year history. Wilde is a head coach of the CPSL Hamilton Thunder club and runs the Premier Soccer Academy out of Toronto. The pro club and the academy will now be run under one banner and will include four Y-League squads as well as the A-League team.
A lot of new faces will be in the lineup as only six players return from last year's team that finished last in the Northeast division with a 11-13-4 record. Gone from the defence are starters Mauricio Vincello and Jan Veenhof, replaced by Canadian U20 international Andres Arango and former English 1st Division player Lewis Blois.
Three long time members of the Lynx midfield, Brian Ashton, Robbie Aristodemo and Niki Vignevic have moved on. Kris O’Neil, Igor Prostran and Woodbridge Soccer Club alum Marin Pusek will try to fill their shoes.
Toronto's horrible offensive performance in 2003 necessitated an overhaul up front. Gone are Sebastian Barclay and Ryan Lucas, and in are Ali Gerba and Bermuda international John Barry Nusum. You may remember Gerba under his previous moniker, Ali Ngon. Ali was the team's leading scoring last year before being traded to Montreal late in the season.
The big change for 2004 is in goal. Rich Goddard and Bryheem Hancock will try to fill the shoes of departing captain and MVP Theo Zagar. The best goaltender in the history of the Lynx has joined rival Rochester.
Returning players Tyler Hughes, Joe Mattachione, David DiPlacido and Shawn Faria should help make the midfield the strength of this team. Faria, a Mississauga native, has been named team captain.
Adrian Serioux and Josue Mayard return as well to solidify the fullback position.
An air of confidence filled the conference room at the Travelodge, and with only 4 playoff spots up for grabs for the 9 eastern conference teams, confidence is something this team will need. The Lynx will try to sneak into one of these spots, but to do so they would have to jump over at least one very good A-League club. The eastern conference boasts the defending champs - Charleston Battery, along with three perennial powers - Rochester, Montreal and Virginia Beach.
The organization seems to have turned the corner, as the club now boasts an impressive coaching staff, new sponsors and grand visions of new stadiums. Rumblings were heard about the Lynx possibly even making money this year and about plans for a new venue in the next two years, even if the CSA/Argonauts stadium plans fall through.
If you have ever thought of giving the Lynx a shot at part of your entertainment dollar, this may be the year. Sure, they still play in Etobicoke's Centennial Stadium, which is woefully inadequate for professional soccer, but a packed house, regardless of venue, always provides an electric atmosphere. Who knows, in 3 or 4 years, the Lynx may be defending A-League champions and playing in a brand new stadium in front of 5,000-10,000 fans, and you will be able to say 'I knew them when...'.
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