A-League game of Saturday April 15th, 2000.
A-League Pre-Season Exhibition game between Toronto Lynx and Rochester Raging Rhinos played at Lamport Stadium in Toronto at 1:00pm.
Toronto Lynx (white socks and numbers, black shorts and shirts, yellow chevrons on shoulders and sleeves and sides of shorts).
......................................22 Theo Zagar
2 Marco Reda...6 Milan Kojic...14 Edgar Bartolomeu...3 Maricio Vincello
11 Lloyd Barker...8 Brian Ashton...7 Lyndon Hooper...19 David Diplacido
....................25 Francisco Dos Santos...20 Juan Arango
Subs:...29 Paulo Silva (gk)...15 Adrian Serioux (def)...21 Laryea Adjetey (mid)...18 Dejan Gluscevic (fwd)...9 Craig Jalis (fwd)...24 Chris Pozniak (mid)...5 Kevin Antonio (mid)...17 Lornzo Sibio (fwd).
head coach/GM Peter Pinizzotto, goaltending coach Paulo Silva, equipment manager Carl Titus, medical co-ordinator Dr R Gringmuth.
not dressed for Toronto: 1 Jim Larkin (gk)...9 Nikki Vignjevic (fwd)...10 Nebosja Vignjevic (fwd). the two brothers were still with their indoor team, Edmonton Drillers for the NPSL playoffs. Larkin was getting ready to practice with the Canadian Olympic team for their qualification tournament.
Rochester Raging Rhinos (black socks and shorts, white t-shirts with no numbers on the back)
..........................................1 Billy Andracki
11 Bill Sedgewick...21 Joe Merick...3 Andrew Restrepo...12 Mike Kirmse
15 Martin Nash...10 Yari Allnut...14 Glenn Benjamin...7 Nate Daligcon
........................26 Darren Tilley...18 Jimmy Glenn
Subs:...0 Scott Vallow (gk)...16 Steve Butcher (mid)...9 Onandi Lowe (fwd)...22 Gabriel Gervais (mid)...17 Dan Annan (mid)...27 Tim Hardy (def)...33 Ninno Adrijavic (def).
head coach Pat Ercoli.
Game officials:...referee Manual Orellano, referee's assistants Steve Mortimer and Mike Lambert, 4th official Michael Deluca.
1st half:...game starts 1:06pm...Lynx defend north goal with bright sun in the south west on this warm day for an April.
7 min...Lynx player takes 15 yard shot from sharp right that's caught by goalie.
10 min...Lynx goalie picks up 15 yard rolling shot.
12 min...Lynx Ashton from 25 yards shot sails just wide right of net.
19 min...RR YELLOW card...Restrepo (?) for pulling down Lynx Dos Santos 25 yards from RR net.
20 min...Lynx Arango freekick tipped over bar by leaping RR goalie on right corner of net.
22 min...Lynx Ashton 25 yard shot redirected over bar from 12 yards by Lynx Diplacido with foot waist high.
25 min...RR Nash 20 yard shot caught by goalie wide left of post.
32 min...Lynx Barker taps 7 yard shot over bar!
33 min...RR subs...Gervais replaces Benjamin.
................................Lowe replaces Glenn.
36 min...Lynx YELLOW card...Reda gets card for dissent.
43 min...RR Tilley 15 yard shot well over net after receiving cross from right.
44 min...Lynx Barker 15 yard shot just over bar.
half ends 1:52pm.
2nd half:...starts 2:05pm.
halftime subs...RR Vallow replaces Andracki in goal.
..........................Lynx Pozniak replaces Reda.
..........................Lynx Jalis replaces Diplacido.
..........................Lynx Antonio replaces ???.
51 min...RR Lowe rolls 15 yard shot to left post, saved by goalie.
53 min...RR GOAL (Kirmse given credit)...Lynx Hooper chests ball back to goalie but goalie was also making play for ball. On the astro turf the ball rolls back right into own net from 7 yards. Kirmse given credit as the last Rhino to touch ball.
59 min...RR subs...Benjamin replaces Merick.
................................Andrijavic replaces Lowe.
................................Annan replaces Sedgewick.
63 min...Lynx Bartolomeu pops 25 yard shot from left will over bar.
65 min...Lynx YELLOW card...Jalis for pushing incident on sideline and resulting dissent. It's dangerous near the sidelines at this stadium as the concrete stands come very close to the play area.
65 min...Lynx sub...Sibio replaces Ashton.
67 min...RR sub...Sedgewick (again) replaces Reda.
69 min...Lynx Vincello short 7 yard shot deflected off defender to RR goalie.
76 min...Lynx YELLOW card...Vincello for jumping too close to 25 yard RR freekick.
77 min...RR Benjamin freekick from right is caught by Lynx goalie.
81 min...Lynx YELLOW card... Bartolomeu for knocking RR player over 20 yards from goal on right.
87 min...RR Lowe jumps for cross from left but can't redirect header.
game ends 2:52pm.
Final Score:.........Toronto Lynx.........0...........Rochester Raging Rhinos...........1........
Attendance was about 200 people. There weren't many chances for either team. I thought the Lynx goalie stepped wide of his post at the 25 minute mark just so he could say he saved a shot from Canadian international Martin Nash.
I left as soon as the game was over to drive to a soccer trade show at the old Downsview Airport. I got an autograph and my photo taken with Canadian international Charmaine Hooper and fortunately someone else had already told her about her brother's own goal. Actually not much could be learned from playing on this artificial turf. On grass, this would never have rolled into the goal. The ball bounced out of bounds too fast. Play here or use the parking lot, it wouldn't make much difference.
The Rhinos wore t-shirts that had no numbers on the back. With only a small number on their chests and shorts, it made identifying them difficult. Also a pre-season game allows frequent substitutions so players who left earlier reappeared later and I lost track of who was out there.
The Lynx played these Eastern champions fairly evenly but they did that in last year's preseason games then lost all four regular season games. This year they are scheduled for six regular season meetings!
Rocket Robin
robing@clo.com
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