Here are the results of the friendly game between the national soccer teams of Canada and Iran played Sunday August 17, 1997 at Varsity Stadium in Toronto Canada at 3:00pm.

Canada (red socks, shorts, and shirts, white trim, black numbers)

.............................................18 Paul Dolan
3 Iain Fraser....13 Mark Watson....4 Jason DeVos....5 Carl Fletcher
12 Mauro Biello....6 Nick DeSantis....14 Geoff Aunger (cpt)....7 Tom Kouzmanis
...........................9 Garret Kusch..............10 Eddy Berdusco

Subs:...2 Jeff Clarke (def)...8 Rob Arristodemo (mid)...15 Paul Stalteri (fwd)...22 Pat Onstad (gk).....
Team officials:...Coach Bob Lenarduzzi, Assistant Coach Alan Errington.

Iran (all white, red numbers)

..............................................1 Ahmad-Reza Abedzadeh
4 Mohammad Khakpour....5 Afshin Peyrovani....15 Ali-Akbart Ostad-Asadi....25 Mehrdad Minavand
17 Mehdi Mahdavi-Kia....7 Farhad Majidi....8 Esmail Halali....6 Karim Bagheri
.....................10 Ali-Asghar Modir-Roosta......11 Khodada Azizi

Subs:....2 Mohammad Taghavi...3 Yahya Goalmohammadi...9 Hahem Heydari...12 Ali Mosavi...14 Mohsen Garoosi...16 Mohammad Navazi...18 Sohrab Bakhtiarzadeh...19 Hamed Kavianpour...20 Mehdi Pashazadeh...22 Nima Nakissa.....
Team Officials:...Coach Mohammad Mayeli-Kohan, Assistant Coach Taghi Jahanpour.

Officials:...Referee Esfandiar Baharmast (Denver CO USA), Referee Assistants Russell Hepworth (St Catharines Ont Canada) and Eric Roy (Longueil Que Canada), 4th Jose Farias (Dartmouth NS Canada).

1st Half (Canada defends North end in 1st half, game starts at 3:22pm because of announced delay for the overflow crowd).
6 min...Canada Kouzmanis takes 25 yard shot that drifts over crossbar.
7 min...Canada gets long 35 yard shot caught by goalie.
10 min...Canada goalie comes out to check Iran forward and get rebound out of box.
11 min...Canada goalie catches cross.
12 min...Iran Mahdavi-Kia shoots across box wide left from 25 yards.
15 min...Iran Modir-Roosta passes back to Iran Majidi who's shot is stopped low by diving goalie. Canada Fletcher badly beaten on this play.
17 min...Canada goalie makes another good save.
22 min...Canada YELLOW card...Aunger for hip check on Bagheri at centre.
24 min...Canada goalie stops shot with foot save point blank after defender's giveaway. Iran Majidi boots rebound over net from 15 yards.
25 min...Iran Mahdavi-Kia header caught by goalie.
26 min...Iran Minavand header over net.
27 min...Canada goalie stops Iran Peyrovani shot on left post after Iran Mahdavi-Kia corner kick from right corner.
28 min...Iran Minavand injured near midfield and is on sideline for about one minute of gametime.
36 min...Iran YELLOW card....Peyrovani for complaining or clutching in Iran end.
39 min...Canada YELLOW card...Watson for knocking down Iran player preventing a breakout.
40 min...Canada goalie stops point blank shot from Iran Peyrovani for corner.
42 min...Iran forward gets header wide with goalie covering post.
44 min...Iran Mahdavi-Kia draws handball on Canada Aunger as both just inside box while crossing. His arm was where it should be in a running motion but it did hit him on the bounce as he skidded and Mahdavia-Kia got away cross.
45 min...Iran GOAL...Bagheri scores on Penalty kick. Low shot to left corner of net while goalie slides right.

2nd Half:
Canada subs...Stalteri replaces Kouzmanis.
.......................Arristodemo replaces Biello.
48 min...Canada Stalteri from tough right angle almost catches goalie off line.
50 min...Iran Mahdavi-Kia slides 15 yard shot that goalie stops.
53 min...Canada sub...Clarke replaces Fletcher.
53 min...Canada Watson header is palmed over goal by goalie.
58 min...Iran Modir-Roosta "stretchered" off for one minute. Iran Azizi freekick over wall from 20 yards caught under bar.
60 min...Iran YELLOW card...Mahdavi-Kia for knocking down Canada Aunger.
62 min...Iran Ostad-Asadi gets away 40 yard shot that bounces to goalie.
63 min...Iran Mahdavi-Kia rolls shot from right wide of left post from 15 yards.
The weather conditions change as it begins to drizzle. It had been overcast the whole game.
65 min...Canada goalie stops low cross.
68 min...Canada goalie slides out for through ball.
69 min...Iran goalie crashes knees with Canada Berdusco and both players injured.
70 min...Iran Minavand injured in corner.
77 min...Canada defenders clear corner from their box.
78 min...Canada Berdusco shot deflected and rolls to goalie.
79 min...Canada Berdusco shot wide.
80 min...Iran sub...Heydari replaces Modir-Roosta.
The light rain stopped.
81 min...Canada YELLOW card...DeSantis for preventing breakout.
83 min...Iran sub...Navazi replaces Halali who's just been injured.
85 min...Canada goalie covers low weak shot.
86 min...Iran shot from 25 yards is wide right.
88 min...Canada seven guys are caught offside on freekick offside trap.
89 min...Canada goalie stops cross.
90 min...Canada can't put ball in net with last effort.

Final Score:...........Canada......(0) 0..................Iran..........(1) 1.........

Canada mostly used it's North American players as the more famous players in Europe were allowed to stay with their teams. The Iran team were without their superstar Ali Daei who was not brought over because he'd told the coach how to run the team. The Iran coach was the only person who drew a mixture of boos during the introduction. During the game the fans started to boo Jason DeVos everytime he got the ball.

The Canadians were just hanging in in the first half thanks to goalie Paul Dolan. The 2nd half when they changed to a 4-3-3 set up they looked better and the game was very even after that. The Canadians didn't have many substitutes dressed but Iran had ten but with the game being so close looked afraid to bring any in until two were used in the last 10 minutes. Canada used eight starters that they haven't used as starters before as the local media announced and this will be very valuable for this Fall run for World Cup 98.

Attendance was announced as 15325. The crowd was mostly made up of Iranian supporters but the organizers must have known that when they first announced Toronto as the game site. I feel the organizers shouldn't have played Iranian folkmusic over the PA system at halftime instead use the usual Lynx stadium rock jock-jam songs. I came with my friend Rick (from my fan days of the old CSL League North York Rockets) and we watched with some guy from Nigeria who was impressed with Dolan. Being in the last row '25' wasn't bad at all because I could stand without getting in anyone's way.

Admission to the game allowed people to stay and see the A-League game between Toronto Lynx and Worcester Wildfire. The Lynx players Paul Dolan, Tom Kouzmanis and Paul Stalteri did not play in that game (only American Alexi Lalas would do that kind of thing!). It was announced that it was Lynx player Peyvand Mossavat's birthday and he was born in Tehran Iran and would be a starter but the crowd quickly dwindled to 2500 by the start of that game and down to 1500 by intermission as the Iran fans joined a crowd outside the stadium cheering the departure of the team in a bus.

Rocket Robin
robing@clo.com

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