Wednesday June 5th, 1996
Here are more details of the "friendly" (43 fouls said Globe & Mail columnist Scott Colbourne!) played at Varsity Stadium in Toronto Wednesday June 5th, 1996 at 7:30pm.
Canada (red socks, red shorts, red&white shirts, black numbers)
......................................1 Craig Forrest
13 Mark Watson 25 Paul Fenwick 2 Frank Yallop (cpt) 4 Nick Dasovic
........14 Geoff Aunger 8 Lyndon Hooper 23 Carl Fletcher
........12 Carlo Corazzin 9 Alex Bunbury 10 Paul Peschisolido
subs 15 John Liniatis 16 Kevin Holness 18 Paul Dolan (GK) 21 Fernando
Aguiar
(also listed were: 5 Randy Samuel and 6 Colin Miller but they both are
injured).
interim coach Alan Errington, Team Manager Les Wilson
Costa Rica (white socks, white shorts, black&white narrow striped shirts, black numbers in white box)
.............................................1 Eric Lonnis
............................................20 Mauricio Montero (cpt)
......................13 Javier Delgado................4 Ronald Gonzalez
2 Vladimir Quesado 6 Wilmer Lopez 8 Mauricio Solice 14 Oscar Ramirez 16 Reymond Harris
................................11 Gilbert Solano 15 Javier Wanchope
subs 3 Mauricio Wright 5 Alexander Madrigal 7 Victor Badilla 9 Ronald Gomez 12 Pin Gomez 17 Austin Berry 18 A Rojas (GK) 19 Joaquin Guillen [22 Hermaidio Barrantes (GK) not eligible]
coach Badu Viera (Brazil); Head of Delegation Raul Chacon
Officials (all from Canada!!!) ref Jose Farias, linesmen Russ Hepworth & Eric Roy 4th Les Wilcox
game starts with a moment of silence for Bob Lenarduzzi who isn't coaching tonight as his father died earlier this week.
1st half
5 min Can Watson crosses from right, Peschisolido takes header and bounces
it, goalie tips it over net. Ref cards Peschisolido for contact!
22 min Can Bunbury gets weak kick on CR goalie low that rolls right to him.
23 min CR yellow card to Harris for trip on flying Peschisolido
29 min Can Corazzin on a 1 on 4 gets shot that goalie tips over net.
39 min CR Harris hurt by spinning kick by Peschisolido.
41 min CR corner kick almost connect as two CRs try diving headers
44 min Can 30 yard skyball in air comes down and Bunbury's foot connects
in the air but soft one to goalie.
Halftime Long serving referee Gord Arrowsmith gets award of achievement from Canadian Soccer Association's Terry Quinn (I know Gord would have called a better game than tonight's ref. He doesn't put up with all the diving that's going on here)
2nd Half
subs CR Ronald Gomez replaces Wanchope
..........CR Madrigal replaces Harris
47 min Can Forrest catches very easy cross.
49 min Can Peschisolido makes sideline run and cross to Bunbury who heads it
but looks like it was actually behind him.
50 min Can Bunbury heads it up;and goalie gets hand on it pushing it to
Corazzin scissors it over net.
58 min Can 2nd yellow to Peschisolido for studs up jab at Quesada as
Peschisolido falls and from ground tries to tangle up Q's feet but puts shoe
in stomach. Quesada immediately plays dead! It makes Pesch's 1st yellow
seem sillier. Pesch pulls off his shirt on the way off the field.
(sportsmanship?) This changes the momentum of the game.
60 min CR yellow to Solice for tackle from behind on Hooper.
63 min Can Corazzin turns CR defender inside out but Bunbury(?) misses
header.
66 min Can Fenwick heads back to Forrest preventing dangerous breakaway.
67 min Can yellow Fenwick for pushing Ramirez out of bounds then tossling
his hair. Short Ramirez with his crewcut did not appreciate that but the
fans of both countries started laughing
.
68 min CR yellow Ramirez for deliberate handball at midfield preventing
breakin.
71 min Can yellow to (?) for barrelling into Quesada who was hotdogging.
Having a man up let the CR's pass along their backfield at ease but they
weren't really going anywhere.
72 min CR subs Berry replaces Ramirez
...........................Badilla replaces Quesada
79 min CR either Solice or Ronald Gomez gets good 30 yard blasts that
Forrest makes diving catch to side.
80 min CR GOAL Ronald Gomez shakes off clutches of defender to run 5 yards
to about two yards outside box and blast shot that charging Forrest gets hand
on but carries on into net. With about three CR's charging in and two Can's
about even with them about Forrest's only play would have been to deflect it
right over net.
Ronald Gomez runs to sidelines and CR bench and is hugged by all players and
everyone on bench...nothing wrong with that but ref comes over and reminds
them the game's not over. The Australian Olympic team got a yellow card for
their celebrations last week.
81 min Can subs Holness replaces Hooper
.............................Limniatis replaces Bunbury
83 min CR shot well wide and over net.
85 min Can Corazzin gets good shot on short side directly at goalie.
88 min CR Pin Gomez (when did he come into game?) takes bad shot over net.
88.5 min CR yellow to Pin Gomez for kicking ball behind touch line after
whistle had blown. Forrest had come out to take free kick and slapped him on
back for doing that. Gomez immediately crumpled to the ground like he'd been
punched in the stomach. Forrest also gets yellow carded.
Final score: Canada 0 Costa Rica 1
(only suggestion I'd make is that Canada should have made their substitutions earlier. There were 10 tired guys taking on 11 with 4 fresh bodies substituted in the 2nd half).
Attendance was 3822 (Toronto Star). Having this game on Wednesday night cut into attendance as this game was supposed to be bookended by two marquis weekend games involving Greece but they were suspended by FIFA. Still Toronto was threatened with no WC qualifyers unless there was a big crowd. Just as I thought I'd seen the last national team game, the PA announcer teased us by saying the Canadian National team would be playing an exhibition game against the Portuguese Olympic team Sunday July 14th at 4pm at Varsity Stadium.
If anyone in the Toronto area wants to see this game (it was not on live television) you can see it at 2pm on Rogers Cable 10 this Sunday June 9th. Now c'mon local-yokels...the European games of Spain vs Bulgaria is in the morning and the Germany/Czech Rep and Portugal/Denmark game are both later in the afternoon and evening all on TSN so you can squeeze this one in too!!.
So now I'll go back to my reporting of the local CNSL league at my web page at http://www.clo.com/~robing
Rocket Robin