Toronto Lynx was a Canadian

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

team based in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada. Founded in 1997, the team last played in the 2014 season of the

Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States, forming part of the United States soccer league system. The league will featu ...

(PDL), the fourth tier of the

American Soccer Pyramid The United States soccer league system is a series of professional and amateur association football, soccer leagues based, in whole or in part, in the United States. Although sometimes called the American soccer pyramid, teams and leagues are no ...

, in the Great Lakes Division of the Central Conference. The team played its home games at

Centennial Park Stadium Rob Ford Stadium (formerly Centennial Park Stadium) is a 2,200-seat stadium in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is primarily used for association football, soccer, track and field, Canadian football, football and occasionally for kabaddi. It is loca ...

, where they had played since 2003. The team's colours were white, gold and black. The team had a sister organization, the

Toronto Lady Lynx Toronto Lady Lynx was a Canadian women's soccer team, founded in 2005. The team was a member of the USL W-League, formerly the second tier of women’s soccer in the United States and Canada. The team played in the Great Lakes Division of the Cen ...

, who played in the women's

USL W-League USL W-League may refer to: * USL W League * USL W-League (1995–2015) The USL W-League was a North American amateur women's soccer developmental organization. The league was a semi-professional, open league, giving college players the oppor ...

, and also fielded a team in the USL's

Super-20 League USL Youth, formerly known as the Super Y League, is a youth association football, soccer league with teams from the United States and Canada. Founded in 1999, the league is affiliated with United States Soccer Federation, U.S. Soccer and used ...

, a league for players 17 to 20 years of age run under the

United Soccer Leagues United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...

umbrella. In 2015, the Lynx men's senior team was incorporated into

League1 Ontario League1 Ontario (L1ON) is a semi-professional men's soccer league in Ontario, Canada. The league is sanctioned by the Canadian Soccer Association and the Ontario Soccer Association. League1 Ontario consists of three tiers – League1 Premier ...

side Oakville Blue Devils. In late 2017, the teams merged completely under Oakville's umbrella.

History

A-League/USL First Division

The Toronto Lynx announced its expansion rights in

on June 24, 1996, and played their first

A-League A-League Men, also known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional soccer league in Australia and New Zealand and the highest level of the Australian soccer league system. Established in 2004 as the A-League by the ...

game in

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

, on April 12, 1997, falling 3–1 to the Jacksonville Cyclones. The Toronto Lynx set an A-League record of 10 consecutive wins during their first season in 1997. In 2000, the Lynx proceeded to the Eastern Conference Finals and only a 1–0 loss to the

Rochester Raging Rhinos Rochester Rhinos, formerly known as the Rochester Raging Rhinos, was an American association football, soccer team based in Rochester, New York, United States. The club won the 1999 U.S. Open Cup, marking the only time a non-Major League Soccer ...

kept the Lynx out of the A-League Championship game. Despite these temporary successes, over the years it spent in the A-League (later renamed USL-D1), the team fared relatively poorly on the field and ultimately failed to consistently draw crowds of more than about 2000 people.

Peter Pinizzotto Peter Pinizzotto is an Italian born Canadian soccer coach who serves as the head coach for Woodbridge Strikers in League1 Ontario. Pinizzotto is known for managing the Toronto Lynx, and is the longest-serving manager in the history of Toronto L ...

was the Toronto Lynx head coach from 1997 to 2003. The team made one playoff appearance under his reign. The next season he would be hired as assistant coach for rivals Montreal Impact. In September 2003, Duncan Wilde was appointed as the new Toronto Lynx head coach for the 2004 season bringing a new philosophy and vision for the club. Wilde also holds the position of Director of the Toronto Lynx Premier Soccer Academy and

Super Y-League USL Youth, formerly known as the Super Y League, is a youth soccer league with teams from the United States and Canada. Founded in 1999, the league is affiliated with U.S. Soccer and used to identify potential professional talent. USL Youth c ...

Program for accomplishing the mission of developing and inspiring youth soccer talent in the

Greater Toronto Area The Greater Toronto Area, commonly referred to as the GTA, includes the Toronto, City of Toronto and the regional municipality, regional municipalities of Regional Municipality of Durham, Durham, Regional Municipality of Halton, Halton, Regional ...

. After just one season, Wilde resigned from his head coaching position amidst rumours of owner interference in squad selection. During the 2005 season the team was managed by former Lynx goalkeeper Hubert Busby Jr., though Wilde returned as head coach for the 2006 season. In their debut season in the

Open Canada Cup The Open Canada Cup was an annual knock-out cup competition in Canadian Soccer. The competition was first held during the 1998 season as the CPSL League Cup. It was organized by the Canadian Soccer League (formerly the Canadian Professional ...

Wilde led the Lynx to the final of the tournament, but were defeated 2–0 by

Ottawa St. Anthony Italia The Ottawa St. Anthony Italia is an amateur soccer club based in Ottawa, Ontario. The club was founded in 1952 as the St. Anthony men's soccer team and played in a local league. In 1959, the team consolidated with another local team known as "I ...

. During their time in the A-League and USL First Division, the Lynx were noted for developing a number of notable players, but failed to retain most of them for long, leading to poor results in the league standings. On October 10, 2006, the Lynx announced they were voluntarily relegating themselves two levels, to the

USL Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States, forming part of the United States soccer league system. The league will featu ...

. The reasons for this were never fully revealed, but it was most likely due to their low attendance (the lowest in the USL 1st Division at that time) and the fact that

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

expansion franchise

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matc ...

would be arriving to the city the next season.United Soccer Leagues (USL)

USL Premier Development League

Toronto's first year in the PDL was a difficult one; they lost their opening game 3–0 to

West Michigan Edge West Michigan Edge was an American association football, soccer team based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1995, the team played in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, unt ...

, and didn't pick up their first win until the fifth game of the season, a 2–0 defeat away at the

Indiana Invaders The Indiana Invaders was an American soccer team based in South Bend, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1998, the team played in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Great Lakes Divisio ...

. The Lynx's main problem was inconsistency, especially away from home, where they suffered several difficult defeats, including a 4–0 thrashing at the hands of

Michigan Bucks Flint City Bucks is an American soccer team based in Flint, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1995, the team plays in USL League Two. The club was founded in 1995 as the Mid-Michigan Bucks, playing in Saginaw, and began playing in 1996. In ...

, and a 3–1 defeat to

Cleveland Internationals Cleveland Internationals was an American soccer team based in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Founded in 2004, the team played in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Great Lakes Divisio ...

in early August. Their home form was generally much better, and they enjoyed several excellent results, notably a comprehensive 5–0 win over

that included a two–goal haul for

Murphy Wiredu Murphy Wiredu (born January 15, 1985) is a Canadian former football (soccer), soccer player who played in the USL Premier Development League, Canadian Soccer League, and the S.League. Career He first played soccer at Monsignor Johnson Catholic Hi ...

, and a 5–1 revenge win over Cleveland in which Wiredu scored another brace. An unexpected 3–1 victory over divisional champs Michigan on the final day of the season ended the year brightly; they finished in fourth place, just six points off a playoff spot. The prolific

was the Lynx's top scorer, with 10 goals. Toronto built on their 2007 form with a generally better season in 2008. They overpowered Fort Wayne Fever 4–1 in their opening fixture in front of over 1,200 fans, and enjoyed a scintillating run of form throughout the month of June, picking up five wins two ties in nine games, including a breathless 3–2 win over

in which they scored twice in the last two minutes, and a strong 1–0 win over the eventual divisional champions,

. Despite a pair of impressive back-to-back 4–0 wins over

and Cincinnati Kings in the run-in—the last of which saw all four goals being scored by Daniel Revivo—Toronto's final day defeat to Michigan left them in third place in the Great Lakes division, squeaking into the playoffs on 'games won' ahead of

Des Moines Menace Des Moines Menace is an American soccer team based in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1994, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the United States soccer league system. The Menace have had sustained success in USL Lea ...

, but needing to negotiate a preliminary 'Divisional Round' play-in game against

. Unfortunately for the Lynx, Cleveland scored a late winner to take the game 2–1, sending the Ontarians home early. Daniel Revivo was Toronto's top scorer, with nine goals on the season, while Welshman Lloyd Grist contributed four assists.

Club data

*All-time leading goal scorer:

Nikola Vignjevic Nikola () is a given name which, like Nicholas, is a version of the Greek ''Nikolaos'' (Νικόλαος) and it means "the winner of the people". It is common as a masculine given name in the South Slavic countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulg ...

(29) *All-time games played: David Diplacido, (206) *All-time assists:

(24) *All-time clean sheets:

Theo Zagar Theodosis Zagar (born November 2, 1974) is a Canadian former goalkeeper, who had a notable tenure with the Toronto Lynx of the USL First Division, and played indoor soccer in the National Professional Soccer League. Playing career Before Zag ...

(30.5)

Players

Notable former players

''This list of notable former players comprises players who went on to play professional soccer after playing for the team in the Premier Development League, or those who previously played professionally before joining the team.'' * Andres Arango * Robbie Aristodemo * Adrian Butters * Anthony Bahadur * Darren Baxter * Lloyd Barker * Chris Broadfoot * Nikola Budalić *

Dwayne De Rosario Dwayne Anthony De Rosario OOnt (born May 15, 1978) is a Canadian former professional soccer player, who played as a forward or as an attacking midfielder. A versatile attacker, he played for the Toronto Lynx, FSV Zwickau and Richmond Kic ...

* David Diplacido * Jamie Dodds * Charles Gbeke * Ali Gerba * Atiba Hutchinson * Kevin Jeffrey * John Jonke * Milan Kojic *

Tom Kouzmanis Thomas Kouzmanis (born 22 April 1973) is a Canadian former soccer player who played at both professional and international levels. Kouzmanis played as both a midfielder and a striker. Career Club career Born in East York, Ontario, Kouzmanis s ...

* Joe Mattacchione *

Mikael McNamara Taylor Mikael McNamara (born December 4, 1987) is a Canadian association football, soccer player who plays for Oakville Blue Devils FC. Career Youth and amateur McNamara attended Iona Catholic Secondary School in his native city, Mississauga. H ...

* Cameron Medwin * Dwain Anderson * John Barry Nusum *

Pat Onstad Patrick Stewart Onstad (born January 13, 1968) is a Canadian former professional soccer goalkeeper who serves as the General Manager of the Houston Dynamo. During his career, Onstad played with a variety of clubs in Canada and the United State ...

* Dominic Oppong *

Matthew Palleschi Matthew Palleschi (born January 11, 1983) is a Canadian former soccer player who played as a midfielder and Forward (association football), forward Career College career Palleschi played at the College soccer in the United States, college le ...

Vince Petrasso Vince Petrasso (born April 11, 1987) is a former Canadian soccer player who played the USL Premier Development League, USL Second Division, and the Canadian Soccer League. Vince Petrasso also was part of Frosinone Calcio at the time Serie C maki ...

* Chris Pozniak *

Marco Reda Marco Reda (born June 22, 1977) is a Canadian former association football, soccer player who began his professional career in the USL A-League with the Toronto Lynx where he developed his skills as a solid defender. This led to his transfer to Eur ...

* Adrian Serioux * Paul Stalteri * Rick Titus * Nikola Vignjević * R Jay Vieira *

Mauricio Vincello Mauricio Vincello (born August 19, 1977, in Salto, Buenos Aires, Argentina) is an Argentina, Argentine former Football (soccer), football defender. Playing career Vincello began his career in his native country in Argentina with the youth teams ...

* Chris Williams *

Sherif El-Masri Sherif El-Masri (born 5 February 1990) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a winger. Early and personal life He was born in Scarborough, Ontario to a Tunisian father and a Guyanese mother. His younger sister Mariam is also a ...

* Jordan Webb

Staff

* Duncan Wilde – academy director and head coach * Billy Steele – men's senior coach * Danny Stewart – women's senior coach * Glen McNamara – goalkeeper coach * Robert Gringmuth – medical coordinator * Frank Markus – team doctor

Year-by-year

International friendlies

*September 7, 1998 – Toronto Lynx 2,

Persepolis Persepolis (; ; ) was the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire (). It is situated in the plains of Marvdasht, encircled by the southern Zagros mountains, Fars province of Iran. It is one of the key Iranian cultural heritage sites and ...

0 (Iranian First Division champions), Persepolis fielded a reserve team *June 5, 1999 – Santa Clara 2 (Portuguese First Division), Toronto Lynx 1 *June 6, 2000 – Reggina (Italian

Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...

) 2, Toronto Lynx 0 *May 14, 2002 – Toronto Lynx 1,

1860 Munich , commonly known as TSV 1860 München (; ''sechzig'' locally ; lettered as ) or 1860 Munich, is a sports club based in Munich. The club's football team plays in the 3. Liga, the third tier of the German football pyramid. Their current home gr ...

0 ( German Bundesliga)

Head coaches

(1997–2003) * Duncan Wilde (2004) * Hubert Busby Jr. (2005) * Duncan Wilde (2006–2014)

Stadiums

;

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

(2003–2014) *

Varsity Stadium Varsity Stadium is an outdoor collegiate stadium located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located at the "Varsity Centre & Arena", a sports complex at the University of Toronto's St. George Campus. Athletic events have been hosted on the site ...

;

four games (2008–2009) *

Brian Timmis Stadium Brian Timmis Stadium was a soccer stadium in Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Cen ...

;

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which encompasses ...

one game (2008) * Edelweiss Park;

Bolton, Ontario Bolton ( 2021 population 26,795) is an unincorporated town and is the most populous community in the town of Caledon, Ontario, Canada, in the Regional Municipality of Peel. It is located beside the Humber River, approximately 50 kilometres nor ...

three games (2008–2009) * Hershey Centre;

Mississauga, Ontario Mississauga is a Canadian city in the province of Ontario. Situated on the north-western shore of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, it borders Toronto (Etobicoke) to the east, Brampton to the north, Milton to the northwest, ...

three games (2009–2010) * Barrie Community Sports Complex;

Barrie, Ontario Barrie is a city in Central Ontario, Canada, about north of Toronto. The city is within Simcoe County and located along the shores of Kempenfelt Bay. Although it is physically in the county, Barrie is politically independent. The city is par ...

one game (2009) * OSA Soccer Center;

Vaughan, Ontario Vaughan ( ) (2022 population 344,412) is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located in the Regional Municipality of York, just north of Toronto. Vaughan was the fastest-growing municipality in Canada between 1996 and 2006 with its population increa ...

one game (2011)

Average attendance

Attendance stats are calculated by averaging each team's self-reported home attendances from the historical match archive at
USLSoccer.com (archived 5 January 2010)
* 1997: 1,538 * 1998: 1,800 * 1999: 2,744 * 2000: 2,620 * 2001: 2,795 * 2002: 1,730 * 2003: 2,652 * 2004: 2,444 * 2005: 2,462 * 2006: 1,551 (USL First Division) * 2007: 1,198 (4th in PDL) * 2008: 1,018 * 2009: 500 * 2010: 427 * 2011: 194 * 2012: 106 * 2013: 143 * 2014: 225

References

External links

*

{{commons category, Toronto Lynx USL League Two teams Association football clubs established in 1996 Soccer clubs in Toronto Etobicoke United Soccer League teams based in Canada USL First Division teams 1996 establishments in Ontario 2017 disestablishments in Ontario Association football clubs disestablished in 2017