May 12, 2003 Toronto Lynx story in Metro News
Sports
Lynx ready to prowl
The Toronto Lynx soccer club will be happy to sink their claws into their rivals, the Rochester Raging Rhinos, in familiar surroundings when the two teams meet in Toronto this Sunday for the Lynx home opener.
The Toronto squad is off to a 1-3 start after taking their first game of the season against the Puerto Rico Islanders, only to get trampled by the Rhinos 4-0 in their next start, followed by losses to Richmond and Virginia Beach.
But with three tough games behind them, the Lynx are aiming to reverse their fortunes, starting with some much-needed improvements in the back field.
"Right now, where my work is being spent is defensively," head coach Duncan Wilde says. "We’ve got a very, very young team out there, and we’ve only kept seven players from last season. When we have possession of the ball, we’re as good as anything I’ve seen so far.
"The problem," he adds, "is that they’re all so enthusiastic to go forward and attack that we’re a little bit naïve defensively, and we keep getting counter-attacked, and that’s where we’re giving up our goals."
Wilde points to the stellar play of former Bermuda national team striker John Barry Nusum, who scored a goal against the Richmond Kickers last Thursday, as a key to the Lynx success on the attack, but stresses that a poor overall record thus far in no way reflects the efforts of new Lynx goalkeeper Bryheem Hancock.
"He’s started all four games, and it’s no reflection on Bryheem that we lost the last three, because he’s played absolutely standout. He’s going to be someone the supporters are really going to enjoy watching this year."
While the head coach tries to find a defensive strategy that works for his team, he also has to find a way to overcome some strong competition from other teams that have also seen significant personnel changes since the 2003 season.
"From what I’ve seen, it’s very even," he says of the challenge posed by his team’s rivals. "I’m fully expecting Montreal (Impact) and Rochester to be right up there. I did expect Charleston (Battery) would be the main competitor, but they’ve had an uncertain start."
The Lynx opener starts at 4 p.m. at Centennial Park Stadium in Etobicoke.
Chris Atchison/Metro Toronto
Lynx home schedule
Sun., May 16 Rochester 4 p.m.
Sat., May 29 Montreal 6 p.m.
Sun., June 6 Puerto Rico 6 p.m.
Wed., June 9 Puerto Rico 11 a.m.
Sun., June 13 Atlanta 6 p.m.
Tue., June 15 Virginia Beach 7:30 p.m.
Thu., July 8 Charleston 7:30 p.m.
Wed., July 14 Richmond noon
Sun., July 18 Calgary 6 p.m.
Mon., Aug. 2 Virginia Beach 6 p.m.
Sat., Aug. 7 Vancouver 7:30 p.m.
Fri. Aug. 13 Syracuse 8 p.m.
Sat., Aug. 21 Richmond 7:30 p.m.
Thu. Aug. 26 Edmonton 7:30 p.m.
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