Result of the pre-season exhibition game between the A-League Toronto Lynx and the Hamilton Thunder of the CPSL played Saturday March 23rd, 2002 at Lamport Stadium in Toronto at 5:00pm.
Toronto Lynx (gray Umbro sweatshirts, black socks and shorts although some of the players wore trackpants).
Telling the players apart was difficult because there were no numbers on their uniforms although some of them had a one inch tall number on their shorts.
I recognized Brian Ashton pushed back playing more defence this game, Adrian Serioux was in the backline too.
Joe Mattachione was in the game and Robbie Aristodemo playing for the 1st half and spending the 2nd half jogging up and down the stairs of the stadium which would give him a lock on selling ice cream bars in the stands if there's no vendors. :)
Elvis Thomas was in the front line and Aaron Benjamin and Caswain Mason got some time in.
Bobby Randhawa played in the second half.
The goalies I didn't recognize.
Hamilton Thunder (black socks and shorts, red shirts with black sleeves and white numbers)
I didn't recognize anybody initially on this CPSL 2002 expansion team and wondered if they had any CPSL experienced players and Dave Benning of CPSL's Vaughan Sun Devils said Willie Giumarra and brothers Myles and Matthew O'Connor. The core of the team is made up with players from owner Italo Ferrari's team from (Dixie).
1st Half:...Game started at 5:16pm on this extremely cold late afternoon with a strong wind from the North. The Lynx defended the South goal.
I don't want to take my glove off to write any notes so nothing gets written until I think to dictate into my microrecorder.
20 min...Thunder GOAL #32 Giumarra...Willie Giumarra scores on a 25 yard freekick that ducks under the bar into the right side of the net. This was their first shot on net.
22 min...Lynx GOAL #21 (not KristianGrzetic but someone who looked like Aaron Benjamin or Caswain Mason)...xxxxxxx rolls in 12 yard shot through a crowd of players into the right corner of the net beyond the goalie.
31min...Lynx Aristodemo pushed through ball to Thunder goalie after give and go. Goalie makes point blank save from five yards.
32 min...Thunder GOAL #32 Giumarra...Willie Giumarra runs down right wing, cuts across field from about 20 yards and cuts low shot that diving goalie can't stop from squeezing just inside right post.
40 min...Lynx Elvis Thomas(?) picks up ball in goalmouth scramble and lofts 10 yard shot over net.
44 min...half ends at 6:00pm.
2nd Half: starts 6:16pm...the Thunder have to now defend the south goal and clearances were held up in the wind and blown right back to them. Lynx have difficulty getting away freekicks and corners as the wind starts rolling the ball across the artificial turf before they're ready to kick it.
47 min...Thunder #19 gets away on break at center line but defender catches up to him.
...Thunder #8 good run down left wing but Lynx Serioux heads away his cross into box.
...Thunder #12 cornerkick from left side but Lynx goalie jumps and catches it over his head.
53 min...Thunder #33 fed ball through to #5 but he pushes ball wide right that goalie runs out to pick up ball.
54 min...Thunder goalie caught bouncer into the box from far right.
.....Thunder freekick from far right that crosses into box but Serioux heads it out to start Lynx fast break eventually forcing Thunder goalie to push 20 yard shot wide right.
...Lynx resulting cornerkick from right bounces through box and bounces over left end line.
71 min...Thunder #8 sprung wide left by Giumarra but crosses along end line and goalie easily covers up as there's no pressure.
...Lynx break into Thunder box defender blocks shot attempt.
...Lynx 25 yard shot just misses top corner of net.
...Thunder goalie comes out and takes ball off the feet of Lynx Bobby Randhawa just receiving ball inside box. The goalie then throws the ball to the sideline and crumples over with an injury.
...Thunder #12 dekes player on left and sends cross in about head high but noone can get to ball.
...Lynx freekick is just tapped wide right by Lynx defender running into box.
...Lynx freekick from edge of 18 yard box. Player has to keep replacing ball. Rekick as Thunder players broke wall too soon. Ball deflects off defender in wall shot by Elvis Thomas(?) and deflects out for corner kick.
87 min...Lynx Mason cornerkick from right ball deflects wide left.
87 min...Lynx player redirects corner from left, just low and wide left of post by two yards.
88 min...Lynx player shanks shot from 15 yards with all the time in world well over net.
90 min...game ends 7:01pm.
Final Score:.......Toronto Lynx.........1..........Hamilton Thunder........2........
The weather conditions had a big effect on this game but of course both teams had to play in it! What a great start for Hamilton as one of the new teams in the CPSL league for 2002. Willie Giumarra did a lot of onfield coaching and setting guys up for shots. No better player at taking freekicks as he showed on his goal.
The Lynx only started their camp earlier in the week. They didn't have the forwards who could put away the shots in the box. Last pre-season they were beating CPSL teams quite handily but that may have given them a sense that they had no scoring problems until the A-League season started and they couldn't score at all in contrast to the pre-season backheelers they were putting away against minor league teams last year. Better to find out they have goalscoring problems early so they have time to work on them.
The game was originally scheduled for Hamilton's Ivor Wynne stadium but was changed on Tuesday to this location because there was no water working in the stadium (?)
Hamilton's element of surprise may disappear as I saw coaches/owners from three other CPSL looking things over.
Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
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