Interview with Toronto Lynx head coach Duncan Wilde conducted Sunday July 15, 2007 after the Lynx last home game after their game against Fort Wayne Fever.
RR-OK so this is the final home game of the year and the Toronto Lynx did win this game 1-0 to finish their season. They've still got a chance to finish .500 and here's Duncan Wilde of the Lynx, the coach of the Lynx, and what do you think of the season overall, the new calibre of the league, and the way things went?
DW-It's very different Robin for sure! It's difficult to get started because you're using all NCAA players from the universities and they can't all get out at the same time so it takes you as usual, six, seven games to put your strongest line-ups together. Yeah but the league is quite a good calibre. Michigan Bucks are quite a good quality and Chicago Fire play a great game-a lot of young players in their program-like ours. We went head to head with them which was good. But a slow start for us just trying to get accustomed to the league and the changes from USL Division 1, but all and all, quite pleased with the talent pool we've got and the players coming through for the next two or three years look very promising.
RR-Now where these players are for the next two or three years-they're in your Youth program. So now this academy that's building the players through inside of like-USL draft-how that used to work. (This) is like an in-house program. So you can watch the kids closer is that how it works?
DW-Yeah. We've got a big pool of players which includes good talent in our U20 program. We had a great win yesterday; Four-nil over Cincinnati and we're one game out of a playoff spot with our Under 20s and that's really the core of next year's PDL team and so, our U17s are strong. They're defending champions of the Mid-West Super Y League. They're undefeated this season again. Just won their last two games 5-0, 6-0. So I thing the talents' there with our 17, 18, 19, 20 year olds is very strong.
RR-OK well good luck--For the last game of the year and hope to see you next year.
Epilogue...Toronto won their final game of the year 3-1 against the first place Michigan Bucks. They finish with a .500 record of 6-6-4. Only two of seven teams in the division make the playoffs so a record of .750 is needed for post season play next year.
Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
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