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Thu,
May 15, 2003 Syracuse rubs salt in Lynx's
wounds
By MIKE KOREEN, TORONTO SUN
The Toronto Lynx might want to think twice about repeating their school day promotion next season. If the Lynx can't perform any better than they did yesterday afternoon in front of 3,572 youngsters at Etobicoke Centennial Stadium, the kids would be better off in the classroom. In a horrible A-League soccer game, the Lynx (1-2) lost 1-0 against the expansion Syracuse Salty Dogs (2-0). "They (the Salty Dogs) weren't very good," said tireless Lynx midfielder Robbie Aristodemo, one of a handful of Toronto players who played with passion. "They were probably the worst team I've played in three years. They packed it in (on defence), just like Montreal did (in a 2-0 win over the Lynx on Saturday) and they countered and scored. Then, you're in trouble. Once you get down on this field, it's hard to get back." At least the Salty Dogs had an excuse for their boring style of play. They were missing Brazilian midfielder Adauto Neto (who is on a green card probationary period and cannot leave the United States) and former Major League Soccer midfielder Shaun Tsakiris (hamstring). Watching the struggling Lynx battle a short-handed expansion team at undersized Centennial had the same appeal as an algebra test. The small pitch makes ball control nearly impossible. Long balls accounted for almost all of the play. BORING GAMES "It was a fifth- or sixth-division English style game, just pumping the ball back and forth ... The past two games have been the most boring games I've ever played for the Lynx," Aristodemo said. "There's no possession. It's back and forth. It's not football. You might as well throw a rugby team out there and they could probably do the same job we did." Syracuse netted the winner in the 66th minute after Toronto's Nikki Vignjevic had the ball stripped in the Lynx penalty area. Lars Lyssand's low shot beat Lynx goalie Theo Zagar. A goal by Toronto's Ali Ngon in penalty time was waved off on an obvious offside. "I'm awfully disappointed," said Lynx general manager/coach Peter
Pinizzotto, whose team travels to Syracuse to play in the Salty
Dogs' inaugural home opener Saturday. "We lost to what I would say
is an average team." © 2003, CANOE, a division of Netgraphe Inc. All rights reserved. . . |