May 15, 2005 USL Toronto Lynx vs Montreal Impact (from a.league.com)

Lynx Sink In Home Opener

by Rob Lynch, a-league.com Match Reporter
15.May.2005
Toronto Lynx: 0, Montreal Impact: 1

Starting Line Ups:
Toronto: Theo Zagar, Rick Titus, Josue Mayard, Rumba Munthali, Jeremie Piette, David DiPlacido, Jamie Dodds, Sean Fraser (SUB: Dave Simpson, 75th min), Niels Dekker (SUB: Alain Njima, 55th min), Conrad Smith, Ali Gerba.

Montreal: Greg Sutton, Gabriel Gervais, Nevio Pizzolitto (SUB: Adrian Cann, 35th min), Mauricio Vincello, Lars Lyssand, Patrick Leduc, Mesut Mert (SUB: Masahiro Fukasawa, 61st min), Mauro Biello, Eduardo Sebrango, Kevin Wilson (SUB: Sita-Taty Matondo, 82nd min).

(Centennial Park Stadium, Toronto) Bolstered on by an impressive showing from the travelling faithful, the visiting Montreal Impact iced the Toronto Lynx 1-0 on an opportunistic finish by Kevin Wilson in the 49th minute.

The play had begun with an aggressive strike on the Lynx net by Impact war- horse Biello, who showed much of the ball on his left flank attack, giving Toronto GK Zagar full opportunity to turn the shot aside. Instead of turning it over the bar or knocking it out of play however, the ball rolled directly in the path of approaching Kevin Wilson who blasted it home for the away win.

“We’re happy of course with the shutout” stated Montreal Assistant Coach Peter Pinnizotto afterwards, “and with five road games played so far and no defeats, we’re very satisfied.”

Added Head Coach Nick DeSantis, “We dictated the play of the game from minute one. We played very disciplined, used the space of this small playing field to our advantage, and stuck with the game plan for the full ninety minutes.”

For his role in the goal and eventual win, Biello said “we did exactly what we had planned to, which was attack up the flanks and just put in a solid defensive performance.”

While Montreal took the field with focus (and a large number of key players out on the injured list, most notably terror-striker Freddie Commodore), Toronto’s plan seemed a complicated and disjointed affair. Although they offered a couple of quality moments on the offense (newcomer Smith showed a game of impressive pace and insight, while mystery-player-of-the-night Njima made the most of his role as a sub with flash and confidence), their overall showing was drab with an unnerving feeling of unfamiliarity with one another. Passes were inconsistent, quality control of attacking opportunities was scarce, and any sense of overall vision only appeared in brief glimpses.

Fullback Piette, however, seems to be settling into his central role, and one of 2004’s fan faves, Jamie Dodds, showed up with a gritty fierce intensity.

In the visitor’s end, recent signee Lars Lyssand put in a hammer-and-tongs performance (the same which made him such an important member of now-defunct Syracuse), going toe to toe with Dodds all night and offering much in the way of two-way play; he may turn out to be the most quiet and important of offseason transfers for the 2005 campaign.

With some well-founded rumors flying in the Toronto camp of two highly rated returning midfielders, as well as Faria, Mattachione and Arango coming off the inured list things could go from troubled yet energetic, to promising and wholly creative.

The Lynx next play again at home to the visiting Puerto Rico Islanders on May the 28th.

Card Infractions: Montreal- Gervais (YELLOW, 66th min). Toronto- Gerba (YELLOW, 33rd), Mayard (RED, 92nd min).

[Opinion pieces written by fans do not represent the views of uslfans.com, but rather that of the writer.]

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