Result of the Saturday May 28th, 2005 USL game between Toronto Lynx and Puerto Rico Islanders played at Centennial Stadium in Etobicoke at 7:30pm.
Toronto Lynx (yellow socks and shirts, black shorts, names and numbers, white trim)
...................................22 Theo Zagar
.............23 Jeremie Piette...2 Rick Titus (cpt)...26 Abraham Francois
8 Rumba Munthali...9 David DiPlacido...16 Niels Dekker...13 Jamie Dodds
..............10 Conrad Smith...15 David Simpson...14 Sita-Taty Matondo
Subs:...1 Richard Goddard (gk)...3 Carl Fletcher (def)...11 Sean Fraser (mid)...21 Robin Hart (def)...24 Huffman Eja-Tabe (mid)
team officials:...Hubert Busby Jr...assistant coach Lyndon Hooper...goalkeeper coach Paolo Silva...medical co-ordinator Dr Robert Gringmuth...equipment manager Tony Flammia
Puerto Rico Islanders (all royal blue, white names and numbers)
................................1 Daniel Kennedy
..............4 Marco Velez...5 Christopher Gores (cpt)...3 Luis Fernando Zuleta
8 Raphel Ortiz...15 Petter Villegas...17 Noah Delgado...19 Johanes Maliza...6 Alexis Rivera
......................10 Marcio Sales De Alencar...23 Corey Woolfolk
Subs:...22 Rene Bezares (gk)...7 Isaac Nieves (mid)...9 Drew McAthy (fwd)...11 Edivaldo Juninho Da Silva (mid)...20 Alejandro Gonzalez...21 Michael Mourelo (def)
team officials:...head coach Hugo Maradona...assistant coach Toribio Rojas...general manager Eric Labrador
Game officials:...referee Jonathan Lavergue...referee's assistants Amato Deluca and Justin Tasev...fourth official Joe Fletcher (all black uniforms)
1st Half:...game starts 7:41pm...Lynx defend north end on this mild night with the sun in the north west.
30 sec...PR Salles 30 yard freekick blasted well wide high and left of net.
2 min...Lynx Munthali blasts midair shot on partial clearance well over net from 20 yards.
5 min...Lynx Simpson long run on left but ball stripped away by defender just inside box.
8 min...Lynx Dodds freekick near left corner flag is headed away.
9 min...Lynx Piette holds off two forwards and knocked over by PR Salles who rolls cross from inside box but goalie dives out for save.
10 min...Lynx Piette rolls ball from right through box but two Lynx players miss connecting.
10 min...Lynx cornerkick from left is partially cleared and Lynx player and defender get foot to ball at same time and ball pops up and over end line.
13 min...Lynx DiPlacido 18 yard shot in crowd of players is wide left of top corner when ball headed down to him.
14 min...Lynx Munthali knocked down on edge of PR box.
15 min...Lynx Dodds freekick from 20 yards on right is lofted in and PR defender leaps to head ball away.
15 min...Lynx player's cornerkick is partially cleared on left and Lynx player's shot is tipped for Lynx players but three players are called offside.
18 min...Islanders Corey Woolfolk GOAL...PRI Johanes Maliza chips ball forward through defenders for charging Woolfolk to tip header from 10 yards over charging goalie Theo Zagar.
20 min...PR Delgado running along 25 yard line crossfield from left stops and sends shot wide left.
22 min...Lynx DiPlacido 20 yard shot through crowd just wide left of net.
22 min...Lynx Conrad Smith GOAL...Lynx Sita-Taty Matondo on left in box rolls ball through box and Smith takes low 8 yard shot to right corner of net past goalie Daniel Kennedy.
23 min...Lynx Titus runs back to catch forward on breakaway. Rivera recovers ball...
24 min...Islanders Marcio Salles De Alencar GOAL...PRI Alexis Rivera crosses from near left sideline and Salles gets away bicycle kick from 12 yards into left corner of net. This was a world class goal!
26 min...PR Salles receives long throw-in down left sideline, Lynx Piette stops him, PR Salles still has ball and his shot is blocked by another defender.
28 min...PR Ortiz 15 yard cross from right has ball drift over net.
31 min...PR Delgado gets 25 yard shot over net.
33 min...PR player offside as ball spun to him.
34 min...Lynx Dodds shot freekick put through box and Lynx player misses header, PR defender clears and Lynx rebound from left end line crossed through box.
38 min...Lynx Smith rush behind defender and 20 yard low shot and goalie makes huge foot save to make stop.
39 min...Lynx Dodds 35 yard freekick from right has defender head away.
40 min...Lynx goalie rushes forward to catch 40 yard freekick.
41 min...Lynx YELLOW card...Matondo for knock down of PR Delgado at center line.
42 min...A PR player is knocked down inside the right side of box after being sent through ball. Referee Jonathan Lavergue signals for a Penalty kick. Jamie Dodds gets a Yellow card for complaining about call (he wasn't the guy who knocked over the PR player).
43 min...Islanders Marcia Salles De Alencar GOAL...Salles rolls penalty kick into low left corner of net freezing goalie in middle of net.
45 min...Lynx DiPlacido crosses from right of box is headed back to him by leaping defender.
46 min...half ends 8:27pm.
2nd Half:...starts 8:44pm...it's not dark yet but there is no sun.
halftime subs:...Lynx Hart replaces Dekker.
..................Lynx Eja-Tabe replaces Piette.
45 min 30 sec...PR Salles rush on left and 20 yard shot has goalie make save covering angle on chest high shot.
48 min...PR Salles injured at Lynx 30 yard line.
50 min...PR Delgado cornerkick from left is headed away by defender on right side of box.
53 min...Lynx Simpson run on left wins cornerkick as PR defender kicks ball behind end line.
54 min...Lynx David Simpson GOAL...Lynx Jamie Dodds takes cornerkick from left. Simpson leaps in crowd of players in box and heads ball in from 5 yards on right to left side of net.
55 min...Lynx Smith 30 yard blast is well over net.
56 min...Lynx goalie steals ball off PR Salles who's in alone on left when ball deflects to him in open behind defenders.
58 min...Lynx Smith injured when hit from behind when jumping for ball but only wins 40 yard freekick.
59 min...PR Maliza 30 yard blast is well wide right and high of net.
61 min...Lynx Dodds cornerkick from left is into box but partiallly cleared on header. Lynx Eja-Tabe passes through defense and PR goalie dives forward and beats Lynx Simpson to ball on left post.
64 min...PR Woolfolk in middle as he found himself in open has 18 yard shot stopped by sprawling goalie.
66 min...Lynx DiPlacido earns freekick as he's pulled down after long run up middle.
67 min...Lynx Jamie Dodds GOAL...Lynx Dodds 22 yard freekick up middle is curled over wall of both Lynx and PRI players standing 12 yards out and is into top right corner of net beyond flying goalie.
68 min...PR Sallles header from 8 yards that goalie flies to get hand on.
70 min...Lynx YELLOW card...Eja-Tabe for knock down on PR Delgado injuring him just outside center circle.
72 min...Lynx Eja-Tabe pulled down on extreme left of box near end line after good run.
72 min...Lynx freekick is headed away and starts PR fast break.
73 min...Lynx DiPlacido cuts in low roller from 20 yards wide left.
74 min...Lynx Simpson charges through two defenders passing ball to each other and goalie slides out to make point blank save from 12 yards.
76 min...PR sub...Da Silva replaces Villegas.
.............Lynx sub...Fraser replaces Smith.
77 min...PR Velez long kick from 60 yards caught by Lynx goalie near edge of box.
78 min...Lynx Dodds 35 yard freekick has players leap to head ball and it's knocked out of box.
79 min...PR Salles low 22 yard shot deflects off a defender's foot wide right for a cornerkick.
80 min...PR cornerkick has ball deflect around in box and PR player has ball hit his hand.
80 min...PR YELLOW card...Delgado kicks ball into net after whistle.
81 min...PR sub...McAthy replaces Mourelo.
82 min...PR Da Silva cornerkick from right has PR Salles charges up and kick 6 yarder just wide right of post.
84 min...PR Ortiz runs down right and cuts back and 20 yard roller smothered easily by goalie.
84 min...PR sub...Gonzalez replaces Ortiz.
86 min...Lynx Fraser beats PR Gores to ball on left and 18 yard shot from left is saved point blank by goalie who has come out to cut down angle.
87 min...Lynx goalie charges out to catch bouncer on through ball.
89 min...Lynx Eja-Tabe can't get away shot in PR box when surrounded by defenders.
90 min...Lynx David Simpson GOAL...Lynx Jamie Dodds freekick from 22 yards near left edge of box is over heads of leaping players but falls to charging Simpson on right who boots low 6 yarder to left corner of net.
91 min...Islanders Edivaldo Juninho Da Silva GOAL...Da Silva blasts in 10 yarder after Lynx goalie had made great hand save on shot from left as Islanders players had charged down field immediately after play restarted. The defenders had left Da Silva following up play in clear to kick that rebound.
93 min... game ends 9:33pm.
Final Score:.......Toronto Lynx............4..............Puerto Rico Islanders..........4............
Attendance wasn't announced but was given as 1275. The crowd looked in size the same as the 900 fans who were at the Lady Lynx game last week. There had been rain earlier in the day but skies were bright sun at the beginning of the game.
The Lynx strategy tonight was to use three forwards to maximize their offense. Conrad Smith, David Simpson and Sita-Taty Matondo (newly acquired from Montreal Impact) got their chances but it left the Lynx short at the back and suseptable to counterattacks. It made the game exciting with rush after rush from both teams.
Some of the Islanders players especially the forwards were tall men. This year's team has got ex-Rochester players Corey Woolfolk and Noah Delgado as starters tonight. Every Islanders goal started a rush of players to salute coach Hugo Maradona. Like all the Maradona brothers I've seen like Diego and Raul ('Lalo') they are about 5ft 6in and it looked funny to see the coach to jump into the players arms.
Jamie Dodds was allowed to take all the cornerkicks and close-in freekicks and did quite a good job. David Simpson got to show off his speed and tonight proves he can put the ball in the net which was something I noticed he couldn't do when I saw his CPSL play last year with the Hamilton Thunder. Abraham Francois was playing his first game since being traded from the Montreal Impact along with Matondo for Ali Gerba. Despite this 2 for 1 swap, the Islanders still had more substitutes than the Lynx. Injuries and suspensions continue to reduce the Lynx players available on a game by game basis.
Despite the four goals, it is hard to fault Lynx goalie Theo Zagar who had to be sharp to keep his team in the game when a rush would be broken up and the Islanders counterattack or a clearance attempt would deflect back over the defenders and find an Islanders player all alone. He made some diving saves to steal the ball off the feet of Islanders players. Islanders goalie Daniel Kennedy came out to cut the angle and make two crucial saves in the second half.
Lynx now haven't won in their eight games played this year. This was the first of their 'must' win games as the Rogers Cable guys kept saying. I think the worst element was the crowd for only their second home game of the year was so low. This was a weekend game and the weather turned out to be perfect. This has to be a cumulative effect for years of missing the playoffs. The feeling of looking at the standings and feeling 'same old, same old' has crept into the fans mindset. Too bad as this was a very exciting game. This may not be the best strategy for winning games because teams like Montreal Impact would have eaten them alive.
The evening featured three national anthems as besides the US and Canadian anthem being sung, the Puerto Rican one was played. The teams bring their own flags so the one on the visitor's flagpole was twice the size of the Canadian one. Next time this team is in town maybe the Lynx can borrow the oversized Canadian one from the nearby Molson's brewery. It was Fiesta Latino night tonight and with just a tango dancing pair before the game and Ecuadorian folk dancers at halftime and the kickoff by Miss Hispanola it was pretty low key.
Next Lynx game is this Tuesday at 11:00am against Rochester Raging Rhinos for their annual School Day theme. This is one short term way of boosting attendance but I'll be interested in seeing what their next 'night' game next Saturday at 7:30pm against Portland Timbers brings about in numbers of fans.
Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
.
.