Result of the Saturday July 16, 2005 USL game between Toronto Lynx and Seattle Sounders played at Centennial Stadium at 7:30pm.
Toronto Lynx (white socks and shirts, black shorts, names and numbers)
.............................22 Theo Zagar
8 Rumba Muntali...5 Nigel Henry...6 Andrea Arnango...2 Rick Titus
13 Jamie Dodds...9 David DiPlacido...20 Robbie Aristodemo...14 Sita-Taty Matondo
................11 Sean Fraser...10 Charles Gbeke
Subs:...1 Richard Goddard (gk)...4 Joe Mattacchione (def/mid)...12 Wyn Belotte (fwd)...19 Said Ali (fwd)...21 Robin Hart (def)...24 Huffman Eja-Tabe (mid)...26 Abraham Francois (def)
team officials:...head coach Hubert Busby Jr...assistant coach Lyndon Hooper...goalkeeper coach Poalo Silva...medical co-ordinator Dr Robert Gringmuth...equipment manager Tony Flammia
Seattle Sounders (all green with green names, white numbers and shoulders)
...............................23 Preston Burpo (cpt)
8 Billy Sleeth...6 Ryan Edwards...26 Taylor Graham...17 Zach Scott
5 CJ Klaas...13 Andrew Gregor...15 Kevin Sakuda...21 Ben Somoza
................19 Welton Melo...18 Roger Levesque
Subs:...1 James Ward (gk)...7 Brent Whitfield (mid)...12 Gabe Sturm (def)...20 Jake Sagare (mid)
team officials:...head coach Brian Schmetzer...assistant coaches Jim Gabriel and Bernardo Ruiz...goalkeeper coach Chuck Granade...general manager Adrian Hanauer
Game officials:...referee D Scali...referee's assistants Denise Robinson and Michael Lambert...fourth official Sylviu Petrescu...(all black uniforms)
1st Half:...game starts 7:38pm...Lynx defend south end on this hot humid overcast evening played on a wet field.
2 min...Lynx Aristodemo 40 yard blast batted down under bar by goalie who picks it up unchallenged.
3 min...Lynx Dodds on right side blasts 25 yard shot into right outside webbing of net.
4 min...Lynx DiPlacido 35 yard blast deflects off back of head of Lynx Gbeke and is wide left.
5 min...SS Gregor rush into left side of box but defender catches him before he can get away a shot.
7 min...Lynx Aristodemo 35 yard freekick from left is into right side of box but headed away.
8 min...Lynx Munthali 45 yard shot from right has leaping goalie knock ball up and SS Graham head behind end line.
8 min..Lynx player's cornerkick from right has SS Graham head away.
10 min...Lynx Fraser gets cross in middle, runs around defender and hit cross bar on hard shot.
10 min...Lynx Dodds freekick from 30 yards is caught by goalie.
11 min...SS Welton run on left and 20 yard shot is knocked down by flying goalie.
12 min...SS Somoza long throw-in from left bounces for goalie.
16 min...Lynx Fraser rush in middle and pushes ball wide right but defender intercepts pass.
17 min...Lynx Henry intercepts ball to SS Welton on pass into Lynx box.
18 min...SS Levesque eludes sliding defender on right but Levesque rolls cross across box that SS Welton can't get to.
19 min...SS goalie kicks bouncing ball away when Lynx Fraser charges past defenders as they all converge on edge of the box.
20 min...Lynx Charles Gbeke GOAL...Lynx Jamie Dodds on end line eludes defender and rolls cross to Gbeke who turns and rolls 6 yarder through crowd of players past goalie who's on his knees to center of net.
22 min...Lynx YELLOW card...Matondo for knocking down SS Scott outside center circle injuring him.
25 min...Lynx Titus 45 yard chip has Lynx Fraser leaping header on left from 20 yards that slipping goalie stops.
28 min...Lynx Fraser 15 yard shot from right in box hits crossbar and drops over net.
29 min...SS Welton 15 yard shot stopped point blank by Lynx Henry.
30 min...Lynx Gbeke shot from 12 yards is blocked by goalie.
31 min...Lynx Gbeke rolls ball in box and Lynx Fraser trips over goalie at 5 yards not getting a shot.
33 min...Lynx goalie runs to edge of box to punch out cross.
35 min...Lynx Dodds heads away cross in Lynx box.
35 min...Lynx Matondo 35 yard blast is well over net.
37 min...Lynx Fraser gets pass on edge of box and cuts 20 yard shot well wide right of net.
39 min...Lynx Titus cross to middle from left and Lynx Dodds 30 yard blast is palmed over bar by leaping goalie.
39 min...Lynx Dodds cornerkick from right has ball knocked down from left but SS player clears.
40 min...SS Gregor 35 yard freekick from right has Lynx player head away in box.
42 min...Lynx Fraser takes ball from defender but two other SS defenders stop him on edge of box.
43 min...SS Klaas 30 yard cross shot from right is caught on left post by goalie.
45 min...Lynx Fraser bypasses three SS players and passes to Lynx player whose 20 yard shot is palmed over bar by goalie.
46 min...Lynx Dodds cornerkick from right and Lynx Henry heads 5 yarder that goalie palmed over bar.
47 min...Lynx Dodds cornerkick from right has ball bounce and Lynx Gbeke misses header from 5 yards.
47 min...half ends 8:25pm.
Lynx have outshot the Sounders 11 to 2.
The halftime entertainment includes the usual mini-games but there's no special "Carib Fest" acts like other years.
2nd Half:...starts 8:42pm.
halftime subs:...SS Whitfield replaces Somoza.
...............SS Sagare replaces Sleeth.
45 min...SS Whitfield long throw-in from left has ball bounce into box but no shot on net.
47 min...SS Klaas 25 yard cross wide left of net on roller.
49 min...SS Scott long throw-in from left is cleared than Scott crosses from left is also cleared by defenders.
50 min...Lynx Matondo rush on left and rolls cross through box. Lynx Fraser runs to right to get 15 yard shot that's blocked by goalie on right post.
51 min...Lynx goalie kicks out through ball to clear.
52 min...Lynx Fraser shot through middle deflects off defender and bounces to diving goalie.
53 min...SS Welton 20 yard blast caught by goalie.
54 min...Lynx Gbeke pops up 5 yard header that goalie catches just under bar.
54 min...Lynx Aristodemo 30 yard blast deflects off defender for cornerkick.
55 min...Lynx sub...Ali for Matondo.
55 min...Lynx Dodds cornerkick from right has SS players clear.
58 min...Lynx Dodds cross from right has whistle blown as Lynx Ali chests ball down.
59 min...SS Gregor 35 yard freekick from right has play whistled down with ball in left of box.
61 min...Lynx DiPlacido bounces cross from right has Lynx Dodds push ball to goalie from 15 yards.
63 min...Lynx goalie and Lynx Arango almost mess up on edge of box but recover.
63 min...SS Whitfield tips through ball over net from 20 yards.
64 min...Lynx Dodds 25 yard blast as he gets to through ball is well over net.
65 min...Lynx Dodds cornerkick from left has Lynx Arango pop 12 yard header well over net.
66 min...SS Gregor 40 yard freekick from right has player head ball out of box.
68 min...Lynx Jamie Dodds flicks through ball and Lynx Said Ali gets tripped up by Sounders CJ Klaas in box. Klaas draws YELLOW card from referee who awards penalty kick.
68 min...Lynx Nigel Henry rolls weak Penalty kick to right center of net and goalie Preston Burpo dives to stop it then crawls to grab it preventing any rebound attempt.
69 min...SS player slips on edge of Lynx box on run to through ball.
71 min...Lynx sub...Belotte replaces Gbeke.
76 min...SS Gregor 30 yard chips over players has goalie charge out to catch.
77 min...SS sub...Sturm replaces Gregor.
78 min...Lynx Belotte pushes down defender to get to through ball and play whistled down.
79 min...Lynx Wyn Belotte GOAL...Belotte from 20 yards on right holds off defender and runs to center and cuts 8 yard shot into left side of net.
79 min...Lynx YELLOW card...Belotte for pulling off his shirt celebrating goal and then pumping his fist on the sideline to the cheering crowd.
80 min...SS Klaas 40 yard shot is well over net.
81 min...Lynx sub...Mattacchione replaces Fraser.
82 min...SS Klaas cornerkick from left has SS player head 7 yarder that's caugh by goalie.
83 min...Lynx Ali 25 yard roller from right is picked up by goalie.
83 min...Lynx goalie flubs up kick and SS Sturm recovers and races into box but charging Lynx Arango catches him and prevents shot.
84 min...SS YELLOW card...Levesque for swatting ball with his hand on edge of SS box.
85 min...Lynx freekick from 22 yards is tapped over for Lynx Mattacchione to blast 22 yarder but it's low and blocked by defender in box.
88 min...SS Klaas 35 yard freekick up middle and SS player on left heads ball wdie left from 8 yards.
90 min...SS Klaas 35 yard freekick from left has leaping SS Levesque head ball wide left from 12 yards.
91 min...Lynx Ali 30 yard shot is well wide right.
93 min...Welton Melo GOAL...Welton on left from 15 yards after getting to ball and takes shot through defender and into short left side of net behind Theo Zagar.
93 min...game ends 9:31pm.
Final Score:............Toronto Lynx..........2.................Seattle Sounders.................1..............
Attendance was announced as 1811. The rain before game time probably cut down the walk up crowd but many fans arrived just at the beginning of the game when the sky cleared. (I'd say eventually 1500 were here).
The Lynx win their first home game of the year. They have never played a home game against Seattle before. The team actually dominated the game both offensively with great shots on target and defensively with great clearances by the defenders and saves by Theo Zagar. The Lynx had a 2-1 margin in shots on goal. The Sounders team appeared to have trouble finding their footing on the wet field and slipped quite often at the beginning of the game and that included goalie Preston Burpo. Belotte came on at the 71 minute mark to replace Charles Gbeke and after showed his power by pushing over a defender to get a through ball although the play was whistled down but one minute later was able to hold off a defender and score his goal. He immediately earned a Yellow card for pulling his shirt off and punching his fist in the air to the cheering fans.
The Lynx played like the old days when they'd have so many chances that they'd score eventually. This year they've barely had enough chances in some games to expect anything of a percentage to score. My only surprise is why Nigel Henry was chosen to take the Penalty kick as he was one of the few players not to take a penalty kick when the Lynx played an exhibition game against Dungannon Swifts of Northern Ireland last Monday that was settled in a Penalty kick contest to break their tie. Otherwise Nigel Henry was great with timely clearing headers past Sounder forwards as were individual efforts by other defenders like returning player Andres Arango who covered for goalie Theo Zagar's one error of the evening when Zagar flubbed a goal kick at 83 minutes and the ball was recovered to Gabe Sturm at 30 yards and he raced into box but charging Arango caught up and on a sliding tackle that was 'all ball' stripped Sturm that he couldn't even think to dive. Rick Titus was a defender that controlled the sidelines and was able to send in crosses and kick the ball up the sidelines. Joe Mattacchione also came into the game at the 81 minute mark for the first league game in months after a long injury. Charles Gbeke isn't very fast but he's strong and made some good pass offs to speedy Sean Fraser and they both got some shots in.
Seattle Sounders were softened up by playing Rochester Raging Rhinos to a hard fought tie the night before. It was a good strategy for the Lynx to catch the Sounders right from the beginning of the game setting the tone for much of the game. The Sounders radio guys admitted on air that Seattle usually starts off slowly on the road. Welton was the most dangerous player for the Sounders on this night.
Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
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