June 11, 2006 USL Toronto Lynx vs Montreal Impact (from uslfans.com web site)
Lack Of Finishing Buries TO
by Rob Lynch, uslfans.com Match Reporter
11.June.2006
Toronto Lynx: 0, Montreal Impact: 1
Starting Lineups:
Toronto: Goddard, Titus, Arango (SUB: Palleschi, 87th), Williams, Bedenikovic (SUB: Dekker, 43rd), Aristodemo, Mattacchione (SUB: Baxter, 76th), Dodds, DiPlacido, Jeffrey (SUB: Neto, 69th), Pottinger (SUB: Shepherd, 78th).
Montreal: Weber, Gervais, Pizzolitto, Braz, Vincello, Roberto, Lyssand, Biello (SUB: Leduc, 86th), Ribeiro, Bailey (SUB: Fukasawa, 78th), Salles (SUB: Antoniuk, 67th).
(Centennial Park, Toronto) It was so close you could taste it. Despite the eventual grey skies and bitter unseasonably northern wind, the Lynx looked prime to register their first win of the season and at the expense of one of their most impassioned rivals, the neighboring Montreal Impact. Instead, the inability to put away numerous attacking opportunities and an unfair reliance on the aerial ability of GK Richard Goddard left them with nothing to show but another chalk mark in the L-column.
The only goal of the contest was registered on a picked up rebound by usual suspect Ze Roberto, Johnny-on-the-spot on a loose ball after a Ribiero free kick in the 82nd minute.
While Toronto almost doubled the visiting Impact in the shots category, quality over quantity was on order for Montreal, who brought the best out of rotated 'keeper Goddard, making no more than 3 game-saving stops over 90-minutes (including a magnificent turn over the crossbar on a Salles free kick in the 37th minute) and keeping his team alive. His counterpart at the other end, rarely seen Sutton understudy Andrew Weber, will walk away with the game win on a non-commanding and effortless showing.
Despite better pace from recently arrived strikers Kevin Jeffrey and Damien Pottinger, and tough attacking contributions from both DiPlacido and Dodds, the plan going forward into the attacking third has not yet arrived. (In fact, during the USL roundup last week on Fox Sports World Canada, the anchor crew gave the Lynx a smattering of derisive applause on their first non-loss of the 2006 season, the equally as frustrating match last week that ended scoreless versus Virginia Beach). 1 point in 8 games, 1 goal scored, 12 against. And to think, we used to lament the state of affairs with now long-buried franchises the Edmonton Aviators, the Calgary Storm, and the Connecticut Wolves (the last of which once went a whole season with only a single win in a 28 game season, versus the Lynx no less).
It cannot be stressed long or loud enough how badly Toronto needs to start finding the back of the net. This was an identical issue to what the Lynx experienced in their woeful 2001 season. Aristodemo's rookie season with the franchise, the level of expectation was high, but a cadre of unproven attacking 'talent' sunk their season before it was even half over. This time around, unquestionable USL bred talent is there, but finding the proper chemistry between Jeffrey, Pottinger, Shepherd, and Palleschi is of the utmost importance now. While their defense is working hard and adapting, the midfield is contributing both ways, the certain key lays in finding the back of the net…and a whole bunch of times at that. 3-games ago it wasn't quite time to start hitting the DefCon5 switch, but with their season closing in on being a third over already, it has to change now. A combination of ties on their upcoming 3-game road trip through Miami, Puerto Rico and Virginia Beach would be a start, if just to get some leverage in the Goals For stat. If the Toronto Lynx take care of the goals, the results will take care of themselves.
The Lynx next return home for an all-Canadian match up against the Vancouver Whitecaps on July the 5th.
Card Infractions: Toronto- Mattacchione (Yellow, 37th min). Montreal- Vincello (Yellow, 48th min), Ribiero (Yellow, 88th min).
[Opinion pieces written by fans do not represent the views of uslfans.com, but rather that of the writer.]
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