Baby steps
Coach looks for small gains near end of troubled season
By IAN BUSBY -- Calgary Sun
Since the former Calgary Storm left for its six-game road trip in early July, the team has endured a complete facelift.
Gone are the three Jamaican players brought in to solidify the front end.
British striker Ian Dawes was sent home.
And a trio of developmental players are working themselves into the lineup.
The squad also plays under a new banner -- Team Calgary -- after majority owner Michael Vandale turned the Storm over to the United Soccer Leagues on July 3.
Tonight marks the city's first look at the newly named A-League squad as it faces the Cincinnati Riverhawks (6:30 p.m. at Foothills Athletic Park).
Calgary coach Tommy Wheeldon believes his players have coped well with all the recent distractions.
"Massive," Wheeldon said about the problems. "But the lads have gone on and done well under difficult circumstances.
"Some of these guys are students ... so it's been difficult for them off the pitch."
Calgary went 0-5-1 on its road trip, scoring just three times during the stretch. The team's record is 4-15-3 heading into tonight.
While that puts Calgary last in the Pacific division, Wheeldon can see a positive with only six games left in the season.
"Our target was five wins before the season started," he said. "We've got six games to get that.
"I know it's been difficult but I still want to win. As long as it's an improvement over last year, we're going in the right direction."
Scoring, which became a problem for Calgary early in the campaign, is still a weak point. Wheeldon added striker Chris Clark of Vancouver to the roster for Calgary's recent three-game swing through Vancouver, Seattle and Portland. The team, however, doesn't have the money to bring Clark to Calgary.
