A-League Game of Sunday May 24th, 1998.
Here are the results of the A-League game between the Toronto Lynx and the Worcester Wildfire played Varsity Stadium in Toronto at 4:00pm.
Toronto Lynx (black socks, shorts, and shirts, white numbers and names, yellow stripes on sleeves and shoulders)
............................................1 Hubert Busby
5 Ralph Golen...3 Franco Spadafina...17 Daryl Holmes...16 Rick Titus
6 Nikola Vignjevic...9 Elvis Thomas...8 Brian Ashton...13 Kevin Holness
..........................15 Terry St Louis...........11 Giuseppe Lanotte
Subs:...14 Dragan Ianosev (def)...25 Tony Donia (def)...18 Luca Centorione (mid)...
19 David DiPlacido (mid)...21 Phil Ionadi (mid)...23 Phil Caporrella (str)
Worcester Wildfire (white socks, shorts, and shirts, red left arm and shirt stripe, black numbers)
.........................................1 Anthony Latronica
15 Greg Lalas...19 Patrick Mulcahy...18 Gary Crompton...5 Chaka Daley
16 Joenal Castma...3 Justin Ceccarelli...6 Joe Bradley...11 Paul Kelly
...........................14 John Kerr............9 Tony McPeak
Subs:...0 Bill Lawler (gk)...20 Stuart Susten (def)...12 Brendan Sullivan (mid).
Officials:...Referee Manuel Oriana...linesmen Al Perriera and Russ Hepworth...4th official Zoran Kristo. Touquoise uniforms.
Game kicks off at 4:13pm on this warm sunny day.
1st half (Lynx defend North goal)
3rd min...Lynx freekick on edge of box from right side headed but Wildfire goalie tips it wide, no corner kick as flag was up for foul.
9 min...Lynx St Louis burst through box but ball saved.
10 min...Wildfire YELLOW card...Daley for grabbing Lynx St Louis shoulder.
12 min...Wildfire goalie comes out to edge of box to catch lobbed shot from center beating head of Lynx St Louis.
15 min...Lynx Golen threads ball through to St Louis who dekes guy and is pulled down to right of net. Penalty shot called.
16 min...Lynx GOAL on Spadafina penalty kick...He blasts shot to center of net, goalie slides to right.
20 min...Wildfire goalie catches ball in box on freekick ahead of Lynx forwards.
21 min...Lynx goalie catches Wildfire Kelly 35 yard arching freekick.
24 min...Lynx goalie catches Wildfire Crompton header from 15 yards.
26 min...Wildfire YELLOW card...Crompton for slamming into Lynx Holmes who'd beaten him to header near center circle.
26 min...Lynx St Louis blasts 20 yard shot over bar.
28 min...Wildfire goalie catches Lynx Thomas cross from 30 yards along line.
31 min...Lynx YELLOW card...Thomas for tackle on Wildfire Kerr at midfield.
33 min...Lynx goalie catches cross just in front of Wildfire McPeak waiting by left post.
34 min...Wildfire Kelly injured near midfield.
38 min...Lynx St Louis gets weak shot from edge of box in traffic and goalie smothers it.
39 min...Lynx St Louis gets hard 30 yard shot that goalie blocks and gathers rebound.
40 min...Lynx YELLOW card...Holmes for busting up freekick as Wildfire Kerr pops up freekick 25 yards out to head high and at waist level McPeak blasts shot but blocked by Holmes.
40 min...Wildfire try same play and this time McPeak lofts shot over bar.
41 min...Wildfire YELLOW card...Bradley for knocking down either Spadafina or Ashton near sideline.
Halftime score:...Toronto Lynx....1.....Worcester Wildfire 0....
1st half summary shots.........5............................2........
..............................saves........1............................3.......
..............................fouls..........7............................14......
..............................offsides.....0............................0.......
..............................corners......0............................2.......
2nd Half: starts at 5:19pm.
48 min...Wildfire YELLOW card...Crompton gets his 2nd yellow for pulling down Lynx Thomas on edge of box on breakaway on right outside corner of box. I'd say he was five feet inside box.
49 min...Lynx GOAL...Thomas gets short header stepping through defence as (Assist) Vignjevic curls freekick into box.
52 min...Wildfire GOAL...Kelly on 30 yard freekick gets shot into left corner of net beyond diving goalie as low bullet shot goes around wall.
55 min...Lynx sub...Caporrella replaces Lanotte.
56 min...Lynx GOAL...Vignjevic from 15 yards right of goal puts it in top left corner beyond diving goalie. (assist Ashton). This should be a goal of the year candidate.
57 min...Lynx Caporrella point blank shot hits sprawling goalie and deflects over bar.
60 min...Lynx Holness makes great 30 yard run on left, pass to Lynx St Louis who passes it to Lynx Thomas on right but he kicks it wide left.
62 min...Wildfire Castma sideswipes Lynx Holness on edge of Wildfire box for freekick.
64 min...Lynx St Louis beats goalie to ball on left corner of box, he runs to line and his cross is behind Lynx Caporrella who turns and fires but defender blocks it.
64 min...Wildfire YELLOW card...Lalas for pulling down Lynx St Louis along goalline left of post. Penalty shot called.
65 min...Lynx GOAL on Spadafina penalty kick...shot to top left corner of net, goalie moves right.
66 min...Wildfire sub...Susten replaces Daley.
70 min...Wildfire Kerr gets corner from left side that Lynx Thomas heads almost into own net. Kerr now from right side takes corner that is headed around in box about five times before being cleared.
72 min...Lynx Thomas pulled down on edge of box.
73 min...Lynx Vignjevic bends 20 yard freekick just over bar.
74 min...Lynx goalie out jumps Wildfire forward on cross.
74 min...Lynx sub...DiPlacido replaces St Louis.
75 min...Wildfire Kelly freekick from 25 yards is low and into wall.
76 min...Lynx Titus heads ball away from own goalie in box.
77 min...Lynx Caporrella gets through ball and lobs 25 yard shot just over net beyond charging goalie.
78 min...Lynx Vignjevic curls 10 yard shot from left over net.
79 min...Lynx YELLOW card...Spadafina for tackle on left of box.
85 min...Lynx goalie catches hard 25 yard shot by Wildfire Kelly as crowd of players trying offside trap.
85 min...Lynx sub...Ionadi replaces Thomas.
87 min...Lynx Ionadi shanks 20 yard shot wide left.
88 min...Lynx Caporrella gets 25 yard shot tipped over net. Resulting corner results in a goalmouth scramble.
90 min...Lynx goalie catches lobbed shot with three Wildfire players waiting for header.
Final Score...........Toronto Lynx........4.........Worcester Wildfire.........1....
Lynx had only score three goals in their first five games of the year so I thought there'd be a problem without last year's strikers. The only blooper was that the programs weren't ready yet but should be available next year.
Attendance was announced as 2513. This should be their largest crowd ever. There were hundreds of minor league players in attendance. Many of them were on the sunny East stand that wasn't used at all last year. The kids near me were about twelve and couldn't sit still stomping on the long benches to get to the concession stands or rush up closer to the field whenever they thought the team mascot, The Lynxster, would throw a soccer ball into the stands.
The game was kicked off by a special ovation for the four remaining members of the 1954 Hungarian World Cup team. Their names are Nandor Hidegkuti, captain Ferenc Puskas, right back Jeno Buzansky, and goalie Gyula Grosics. Four survivors out of twenty members who'd be between 55 and 65 in age by now doesn't say much for mortality of soccer players.
They were coaches of a special celebrity game at 2:30pm with the Hungarian Selects against the Croatian Selects. Croatia won 1-0 in this special two 25 minute half game. Rosters were not announced but the Hungarians looked better near the end as they had almost a full team of subs and their second half team looked fresher. Doubtful that any of these players were from the CPSL league but more likely a seniors team.
Rocket Robin
robing@clo.com
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