LAST SEASON:
Regular season record: 10-2-16, 7th place in Western Conference and out of playoff contention
Record against active USL-1 teams: 6-2-13 (explanation)
RD's 2004 prediction: 10-7-11, 7th place in Eastern Conference and out of playoff contention
2004 was certainly not Toronto’s finest in professional soccer.  Their defense was atrocious, manned by inconsistent lineups and shaky goalkeeping.  Their locker room was a turnstile for “international” players than conjured up memories of watching the Rhinos play in 1996-1997 (or, minimally, more recent talent like Viktor Paco and Atanas Kirov).  But at least Ali Gerba kept scoring goals through the whole mess.

 

SEACREST, OUT:
M Darren Baxter (4+2=10); two Teams of the Week
F Charles Gbeke (5+1=11 . . . all as a sub)
F John Barry Nusum (4+0=8)
Nusum

 

BACK IN BLACK:
F Ali Gerba (15+4=34); three TOW
Gerba

 

FRESH MEAT:
Coach Hubert Busby, Jr. (former Lynx/Jamaica goalkeeper)
D Carl Fletcher from Atlanta
D Jeremie Piette from Vancouver
D Rick Titus from Charleston
M Niels Dekker from BVV Barendrecht (Netherlands)
M Huffman Eja-Tabe from Algonquin College
F Sean Fraser from Edmonton; Player of the Week
F Conrad Smith from Calgary; POW
F Winston Griffiths (2+5=9) from Vancouver
F Robin Hart from Edmonton
GK Theo Zagar (0.84 GAA, 9 SO) from Rochester
Griffiths

 

LOCAL HISTORY:
- Rochester is 19-4-9 against Toronto
- Rochester has lost just twice to Toronto at Frontier Field
- In 2004, Chris Carrieri and Corey Woolfolk combined for five goals and three assists against Toronto
- In 2004, Shaun Tsakiris has one yellow card and one red card against Toronto
- Brian Ashton is a very frightening-looking human being, regardless of whether or not he plays for Toronto or any other team in 2005

 

THE LOWDOWN:
Having Busby replacing Duncan Wilde could be a step in the right direction, as is the signing of the solid Griffiths.  The rest of the Lynx, however, leave much to be desired, as there is only so much Gerba can do by himself.  Unless Toronto's rash of new players work surprisingly well together, fans can expect more of the same.  Another team with some old faces (Titus, Fletcher), but there's a lot of new, young blood, as well (Smith, Fraser).  Look for Busby's guidance to shore up the Lynx defenses a bit, though the real problem will still be coming from the midfield and, unless the bulk of his off-season prayers have been answered, Mr. Zagar.  It's going to be a little scarier standing behind anybody other than Craig Demmin, innit Theo?

 

RD's 2005 prediction: 9-4-15; 7th place and out of playoff contention

Back to the 2005 preview