International Friendly of Monday May 18, 1998.

Here are the results of the International Friendly game between the National Teams of Canada and Macedonia played at Varsity Stadium in Toronto at 3:00pm.

These comments were embellished by watching the tape of the game from Rogers Cable Community Channel broadcast five days later.

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

...............................................1 Pat Onstad
2 Jeff Clarke...5 Jason DeVos...16 Anthony Menezes...3 Richard Hastings...4 Carl Fletcher
..........8 Jason Bent...12 Robbie Arristodemo...14 Brad Parker
....................13 Niall Thompson........7 Paul Stalteri

Subs:...18 Jim Larkin (gk)...6 Chris Franks (def)...15 Ante Jazic (mid)...9 Davide Xausa (str)...10 Dwayne de Rosario (str)...17 Steve Kindel (str)

Macedonia (all white, red numbers and shoulder stripes)

.............................................18 Gogo Jovcev
4 Ljupco Markovski...5 Sasa Igor Nikolovski...3 Mitko Stojkovski...15 Igor Gjuzelov
8 Toni Micevski...14 Dzevdet Sainovski...16 Srdjan Zaharievski...11 Artim Sakiri
.......................10 Viktor Trenevski............9 Gorgi Hristov

Subs:...1 Petar Atanovski...13 Goran Lazarevski...17 Vlatko Gosev...6 Ljubodrag Milosevic...2 Dragan Veselinovski...7 Memedi Nadzmedin...12 Milan Stojanovski

Officials:...Referee Jose Farias, Referee Assistants Russell Hepworth and Hector Vergara...4th Official Johnny Jerome

Game kicks off at 3:24pm to let the walk up crowd get to their seats. (I thought the ticket taking was extremely slow when I was outside). Sunny and warm day.

1st Half:...(Canada defends South end)...3:24pm to 4:10pm.
4 min...Can Clarke takes quick throw in from right sideline, and finds Can Thompson in box beats defender and Mac goalie comes out for through ball and Thompson slides into him jarring ball loose but defender Markovski clears for corner. Mac goalie injured on play.
6 min...CANADA GOAL...Thompson gets head to corner kick from right side of field by Hastings and from 3 yards from right post, redirects it into left corner of net.
7 min...Mac Nikolovski gets 30 yard shot well over net.
7 min...Mac 25 yard free kick headed out by Can defender.
8 min...Micevski takes corner from left side but headed clear by Can defender.
9 min...Can Fletcher heads shot off line that eluded goalie. Mac player gets sharp angled shot away from left side about 15 yards from goal, Fletcher prevents easy tap-in header from Mac forward waiting on right post. Fletcher was running full tilt back towards goal marking his man.
11 min...Can Clarke injured near midfield as he crashes with Veselinovski.
14 min...Mac Gjuzelov injured near sideline.
17 min...Mac Sakiri crosses from near right touch line but ball bounces through box.
17 min...Can Arristodemo chips ball over Mac defender spring Can Stalteri from 35 yards who dekes goalie on right edge of the box but can't get by 3 defenders and shot from sharp right angle is blocked by defender.
17 min...Can corner booted around inside box.
18 min...Can DeVos long throw-in from left sideline top Can Thompson from 8 yards whose header to right side of net deflects off head of Mac defender who tries to flick it over net but directs it to left post tipped wide of by diving Mac goalie.
19 min...Mac Hristov lobs ball well wide left of net from right side of box after jumping Can goalie misses ball trying to head it 2 yards outside box. Two Can players were waiting for it.
23 min...Mac Sakiri turns and fires shot from right side of box but Can DeVos blocks and Can goalie picks up ball.
26 min...Mac Trenevski receives through ball on edge of box from Nikolovski who threaded it from 30 yards and rushes weak shot as two Can defenders squeeze him out rolls right to Can goalie.
29 min...Mac quick freekick finds Sakiri just outside left side of box and he rolls shot wide right of goal.
33 min...Can Arristodemo takes 40 yard run up midfield deking one sliding Mac player but weak 25 yard shot rolls to Mac goalie.
34 min...Mac Sakiri receives quick throw-in and crosses from right side into box where Mac Micevski has shot blocked by Can DeVos.
36 min...Can goalie catches high cross from left side 20 yards out from Mac Sakiri.
37 min...Mac goalie catches high cross from Can Hastings on left side about 35 yards out.
39 min...Mac sub...Nedzmedin replaces Sainovski.
42 min...Mac Sakiri crosses from left side but Mac Hristov can't get head to it.
43 min...Mac Micevski crosses from right side but Can goalie drifts wide to left of box to catch ball over his head.
43 min...Can Hastings snakes a 25 yard shot from left of goal that Mac goalie catches.
44 min...Mac Sakiri blasts shot well wide left of net from 35 yards.

2nd Half:...4:28pm to 5:15pm.
Halftime...Mac sub...Milosevic replaces Gjuzelov.
50 min...Can Stalteri and Clarke team up for a great 1-2 pass play from 35 yards out that ends with Clarke cross from 5 yards on right side of goal being headed away by Mac defender.
52 min...Mac sub...Stojanovski replaces Stojkovski.
54 min...Can sub...De Rosario replaces Thompson.
..............Can sub...Jazic replaces Clarke.
55 min...Can goalie catches through ball shot from 35 yards.
59 min...Can goalie catches off his chest as Mac Nikolovski cross on right touch line 7 yards away comes right to him.
60 min...Mac Stojanovski receives 15 yard chip through ball from Zaharievski on right side of box but lobs 7 yard shot as he'd held back by Can DeVos over goalie's hands and crossbar.
61 min...Can Hastings receives through ball 20 yards out but weak shot rolls right to Mac goalie. Today is Hastings 21st birthday.
62 min...Can sub...Franks replaces injured Hastings who'd pulled up lame.
64 min...Mac Sakiri arcing cross from 40 yards out caught by Can goalie.
65 min...Can goalie catches long 35 yard through ball on the bounce.
66 min...Can goalie catches shot from either Micevski or backpass from Can defender 10 yards out!
67 min...Mac Stojanovski whirls and boots over net from 10 yards as he tangles with Can defender.
68 min...Mac Lazarevski replaces Micevski.
70 min...Mac shot rolls wide left of net as Hristov about half a step from getting tap-in but Can Bent shadowing him.
72 min...Can goalie stops Mac Nikolovski shot in crowd from edge of box.
74 min...Can sub...Arristodemo replaces Kindell.
75 min...Mac Nikolovski heads high over bar after taking cross from left corner.
76 min...Mac Red card...Hristov for elbowing Can Fletcher near sideline far from play but right in front of linesman.
82 min...Mac Yellow card...Stojanovski for tackle from behind on Can Fletcher.
83 min...Can DeRosario taps pass back near edge of box and Stalteri blasts ball well over net on another 1-2 play started by Stalteri header.
84 min...Can goalie falls in crowd after throw in but play whistled down for push on defender.
86 min...Mac Yellow card...Markovski for refusing stretcher after being injured.
87 min...Mac goalie palms ball over bar after Can Kindell's shot from 15 yards deflected by defender to short left corner just under bar.

Final Score:.............Canada.........1.........Macedonia..........0.......

Attendance was announced as 8491. Only seats for the West stand were sold. The crowd was pro Macedonian but some big cheers for Canada occured too. I stayed for the Canada Under 20 match that started right after this game so I didn't get a feel of the street reaction except there was no horn honking on Bloor Street after the game.

The Macedonians looked like a veteran team (receding hairlines) while the Canadian team generally were from the Olympic team. The Canadian coach is Bruce Twamley who did coach the youth squad and Olympic team. He is serving as an interim coach until a permanent coach is chosen likely after the World Cup.

The red card to Macedonia took some of the pressure off the Canadian team for the last 14 minutes of the game. It was a sign of frustration to elbow a player from behind after he's passed off the ball.

I was quite pleased to see so many of Canada's young players. There were a few more veteran players that would have appeared but injuries and club commitments kept them away. Far better to have these young players learn something even if they lose then have the same old faces play this nothing game.

Rocket Robin
robing@clo.com

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