May 19, 2006 CSL Serbian White Eagles vs Italia Shooters (by Rocket Robin)

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Result of the Friday May 19, 2006 CSL league game between Serbian White Eagles and Italia Shooters played at Centennial Stadium in Etobicoke at 7:30pm. This was the first game of the newly named Canadian Soccer League (or the season opener if you trace this league back to the CPSL league).

Serbian White Eagles (all white, black numbers and names)

............................23 Dusan Belic (cpt)
7 Mario Ostojic...4 Mark Jankovic...6 Mirko Medic...3 Goran Vlaski
17 Marko Janjicek...10 Bozo Milic...20 Milan Janjicek...21 Alex Braletic
...................11 Gabriel Pop...9 Sasa Viceknez

Subs:...2 Sinisa Ninkovic (def)...12 Sasa Kosanovic (mid)...15 Milos Scepanovic (mid)...16 Dragisa Klisara (def)...19 Nikola Miodrag (def)...23 Miodrag Bodanovic (gk)...24 Mihajlo Bacanin (fwd)
team officials:...head coach Dragoslav Sekularac...assistant coach Stevan Mojsilovic...manager Bora Mijovic...team trainder Miomir Eskic

Italia Shooters (all blue, white numbers)

...............................00 Camilo Benzi
17 Raj Takhar...2 Angelo Pollastone...6 Franco Ruscetta...11 Fitzroy Christey
23 Aundrae Rollins...5 Stalin Cardenas...13 Frank Bruno...19 Desi Humphrey
.....................16 Evan Milward...18 Bill Androutsis

Subs:...01 Pablo Alvardo (gk)...4 Jorge Molina (def)...8 Chris Turner (def)...10 Joey Todaro (fwd)...20 Rob Black (--)...14 Joe Rini (mid)...21 Luca Forno (fwd)
team officials:...head coach Carmine Isacco...assistant coach John Pacione...manager Ruben Toro...team trainer Hieu Quach...equipment manager Elio Scarcello...medical Scott Howitt SPC

Game officials:...referee Joe Fletcher...referee's assistants Justin Tasev and Geoff Gamble...fourth official Justin Bogolowski

1st Half:...game starts 7:38pm...SWE defend north end on this drizzly evening with the game played on a slippery field.
30 sec...SWE YELLOW card...Janosevic for tackle on IS Cardenas at center circle.
3 min...SWE Viciknez 25 yard freekick balst from left is low and just wide right.
6 min...SWE Viciknez low 20 yard shot down middle after cross from right is just wide right.
7 min...IS Androutsis through ball rushes 22 yard kick low to goalie who's 5 yards off his line downing down the angle.
12 min...IS Humphrey passes from left to IS Milward who works to center but bends ball well wide right from 12 yards.
13 min...White Eagles Gabriel Pop GOAL...IS defender pops up ball in box on clearance kick, Pop takes midair shot on its way down and blasts it low to right corner of net beyond goalie Camilo Benzi.
15 min...IS Humphrey 25 yard freekick from left is headed up but defenders clear ball from box.
17 min...IS goalie dives forward to smother through ball ahead of SWE Viciknez.
20 min...SWE Viciknez cornerkick from left is booted around just outside edge of box.
22 min...SWE Viciknez 30 yard freekick from right has leaping goalie catch.
22 min...IS Milward 20 yard low shot from right has diving goalie stop.
23 min...White Eagles Alex Braletic GOAL...When two IS defenders miss SWE Sasa Viciknez pushing ball between them on forward pass and Braletic steps to ball and stops and sends 12 yard low shot into middle of net over sprawling goalie.
29 min...IS Rollins 25 yard rebound shot is blasted well over net wide right.
30 min...White Eagles Sasa Viciknez GOAL...SWE Viciknez gets ball on edge of IS box and he stops and cuts 15 yard shot into short side of net between post and goalie.
33 min...SWE Janjicek stops and takes 20 yard blast that leaping goalie palms over net.
34 min...SWE Viciknez 28 yard freekick bent well over net.
36 min...SWE Viciknez 25 yard shot from right is over net after SWE Milic is knocked down from behind. Milic is injured.
38 min...IS Bruno 25 yard shot into SWE box on freekick has flag from referee's assistant for offside.
40 min...SWE player's dangerous kick over own net to prevent through ball to IS player.
41 min...IS Androutsis freekick from left has IS Ruscetta head down ball but defender clears.
42 min...SWE player on left crosses over box has leaping goalie catch.
43 min...SWE YELLOW card...Viciknez for check near center line.
45 min...IS Humphrey cornerkick from right has IS Ruscetta shot blocked.
47 min...half ends 8:25pm.
There's now a harder rain falling on this slippery field and sliding tackles are quite common.

2nd Half:...starts 8:39pm.
halftime subs:...IS Molina replaces Takhar.
......................IS Black replaces Androutsis.
......................IS Todaro replaces Rollins.
48 min...SWE Viciknez sliding shot in box as he slips and 5 yard shot is wide left.
50 min...SWE Viciknez cornerkick from right, IS goalie can't catch. SWE Braletic spins 10 yard shot that's well over net.
51 min...IS Black 25 yard freekick from right is curled through box but unplayable.
55 min...Italia Shooters Joe Todaro GOAL...Todaro at SWE 20 yards turns and chips ball over goalie Dusan Belic into left corner of net.
59 min...IS goalie gets hand to ball to stop SWE cross.
60 min...SWE player's freekick from 25 yards rolls right through box.
61 min...SWE sub...Ninkovic replaces Janjicek.
62 min...SWE Pop injured to right of IS box.
63 min...SWE Pop 30 yard freekick has goalie leap to left to palm ball (already wide right left) out of play.
64 min...SWE Viciknez cross through box and SWE Medic 12 yard has goalie block.
65 min...SWE Milic has 18 yard shot through box hit left post.
66 min...IS YELLOW card...goalie picks up card for dissent running to center circle after whistle.
69 min...SWE Pop 30 yard shot deflects off defender and pops up for goalie to catch in box.
73 min...IS sub...Forno replaces Milward.
74 min...Italia Shooters Stalin Cardenas GOAL...Cardenas runs into box and gets charging header from 10 yards into right side of net on IS Jorge Molina's cross on rush down right wing.
75 min...SWE sub...Bacanin replaces Janosevic.
77 min...SWE Pop 30 yard freekick from right is bent over net.
77 min...IS Black 30 yard shot from left is over net.
80 min...SWE Braletic kicks 15 yard shot over net although SWE player had been injured with ball to head in own end.
81 min...SWE Braletic pops 12 yard shot from left over net wide left on sideways volley.
83 min...IS players blast three shots from edge of box that defenders and goalie are able to block.
85 min...SWE Pop stops and fires 12 yard shot over net after SWE Bacanin runs down left wing and IS Molina has hand ball in box not called.
87 min...IS player passes ball through middle too far and SWE goalie gathers up.
89 min...IS Forno 20 yard freekick from extreme right is over players in box.
90 min...SWE Pop cross from right drifts over box...signal for 4 minutes of extra time.
92 min...IS Humphrey chips cross from right has defender head ball over end line.
93 min...IS player's cornerkick from left has ball curl wide right of net.
93 min...SWE sub...Scepanovic replaces Pop.
96 min...game ends 9:30pm.

Final Score:.......Serbian White Eagles..............3..............Italia Shooters...........2..............

Attendance was estimated at 1200 people (the Lynx would have counted this at 1900). The weather was miserable with a drizzle starting at game time and then a hard downpour for the second half. I think everyone knew it would rain tonight and it looked like everyone was covered by an umbrella. Many in the crowd sang through the whole game and some lit flares. The CSL execs were upset by that and may insist on enforcing a ban on fireworks.

The full colour game sheet that they gave out to fans reminded people that it has been more than 30 years that White Eagles have been absent from the Canadian soccer scene. This was the largest attendance I can remember for any game between any two CPSL/CSL teams. Last year we could watch Gabriel Pop play for Oakville Blue Devils in front of a crowd of 120 and Alex Braletic play for North York Astros in front of 80. Now put them on this team and they draw a crowd like this. What a fantastic start! I will wait to see how much attendance drops off for their next games (weighing novelty dropping off vs nicer weather). This team's following might overflow the stands of some of the smaller parks I've been to. I've noticed that the White Eagles vs Toronto Croatia games are scheduled for the end of the season and both at Birchmount Stadium.

It looked like after the first half that White Eagles would win in a blow out but halftime subs of forwards Joe Todaro, Rob Black and defender Jorge Molina turned the game around and the Shooters could have tied it. White Eagles could have put it away but Bozo Milic hit the post on an 18 yard shot through the box at 65 minutes and then again at 85 minutes when referee Joe Fletcher missed a handball call in the box and allowed a play-on and Gabriel Pop all alone in box fires a 12 yard shot over net. Next game for both these teams is next Sunday when the have rematch at The Soccer Centre in Vaughan.

Something else about the game at Centennial Stadium is a whole tower of lights wasn't operating. It made the south end midfield on the west side somewhat dark (hey all the better to make the flares lit up look even brighter). Let's hope the City will fix this before any more night games.

Phil Ionadi was watching the game in his new role as head coach of the Oakville Blue Devils (last year's head coach Duncan Wilde is now coach of the USL Toronto Lynx). He's had to retire as a player after more knee surgery last year. He said he's had a history of knee operations since he was twenty.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca

White Eagles starters

Shooters starters

Big crowd for the season opener

back to CSL menu

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