Executive Director Guy Bradbury of the OSA presents Public Relations Award to Chris Williams
Result of the Sunday September 10th, 2006 USL game between Toronto Lynx and Minnesota Thunder played at Centennial Stadium in Etobicoke at 6:00pm.
Toronto Lynx (black socks, shorts, names and numbers, neon green shirts)
...............................1 Richard Goddard
...........17 Chris Williams...6 Andres Arango...3 Rick Titus
20 Robbie Aristodemo...23 Gordon Chin...13 Jamie Dodds...9 David DiPlacido...27 Edgar Bartolomeu
....................15 Robbie Palleschi...8 Kevin Jeffrey
Subs:...2 Damien Pottinger (fwd)...4 Joe Mattacchione (def/mid)...7 Shawn Faria (mid)...12 Marko Bedenikovic (def/mid)...14 Cameron Medwin (mid)...16 Niels Dekker (mid)...21 Osni Neto (mid)
team officials:...head coach Duncan Wilde...assistant coaches Billy Steele, Joe Mattacchione, and Theo Zagar...team doctor Dr Frank Markus...medical co-ordinator Dr Robert Gringmuth...equipment manager Jim Healy.
Minnesota Thunder (all white, black names and numbers)
..............................23 Joe Warren
25 Brian Kallman...2 Brett Branan...13 Dustin Branan...5 Chad Dombrowski
11 Godfrey Tenoff...8 Nate Winkel...3 Freddy Juarez...7 Chris Brisson
...................16 Ansu Toure...19 Kiki Lara
Subs:...10 Nicholas Platter (mid/fwd)...15 Michael Wilson (def/mid)...Terry Alkvino (mid)
team official:...head coach Amos Magee
Game officials:...referee Carol-Anne Chenard...referee's assistants Amato Deluca and Denise Robinson...fourth official Steve DePiero
1st Half:...game starts 6:03pm...Lynx defend south end on this mild and sunny/overcast evening although the temperature was cooling fast.
3 min...Lynx Aristodemo 40 yard freekick from left has defender head ball away on edge of box.
4 min...Lynx Kevin Jeffrey GOAL...Thunder goalie Joe Warren errored when he threw a ball that Lynx Matt Palleschi chested down from 20 yards, and ball given to Lynx Jamie Dodds who took a short cross from right that Jeffrey made a 8 yard bicycle kick into top part of right side of net.
8 min...MT Kallman hacks Lynx Palleschi down on left edge of box near end line after Lynx Jeffrey had headed ball through to him.
9 min...Lynx (MT own goal) GOAL...Lynx Robbie Aristodemo taps freekick from left, Lynx Jamie Dodds blasts 7 yard shot that hits Thunder Dustin Branan in his side and ball deflects off him into top left of net.
11 min...MT Lara 40 yard freekick from left has MT Dustin Branan head 18 yarder just wide right of net.
12 min...Lynx Titus and MT Juarez start pushing match in front of Lynx bench at Lynx 35 yard line. Many players become involved.
13 min...MT YELLOW card...Ansu Toure for his part in the pushing match.
................Lynx YELLOW card...Rick Titus for his part in the pushing match.
................MT YELLOW card...Freddy Juarez for his part in the pushing match.
18 min...Lynx Palleschi 35 yard freekick from left is just over bar with goalie palming ball over net. Lynx Dodds tapped ball and Aristodemo stopped it for Palleschi.
19 min...Lynx Aristodemo cornerkick from right has goalie catch and throw ball out to start MT fast break.
23 min...Lynx Palleschi rush down left sideline when Lynx Jeffrey pushed ball, Palleschi cuts around MT Brett Branan and sharp angle 5 yard shot is into short left webbing of net.
25 min...Lynx goalie long throw to Lynx Bartolomeu who passes through ball to Lynx DiPlacido but he trips up and ball rolls to goalie on edge of box.
26 min...Lynx Williams pass from right has Lynx Dodds blast 20 yarder just over net.
28 min...Lynx Jeffrey rush on left and stops in center and 25 yard shot is just over net.
30 min...Lynx Jeffrey 20 yard cross from left has defender head ball away.
31 min...MT Dombrowski 25 yard shot is high and right of net for their first shot of the game. Lynx are ahead 6-1 in shots.
33 min...MT Lara 40 yard freekick from left has ball headed to right sideline.
33 min...MT Kallman high midair kick from 10 yards well over net.
34 min...MT Toure gets ball alone when Lynx goalie fans on shot but Lynx Arango slides to knock 6 yard shot away.
34 min...MT Winkel 20 yard low shot has diving goalie push wide left of net.
42 min...Lynx Kevin Jeffrey GOAL...Lynx Robbie Aristodemo fees ball up middle and Jeffrey has ball bounce off side of Thunder Dustin Branan at 22 yards and back to him wide right and 15 yard shot is low into left side of net over sprawling goalie.
45 min...Lynx Bartolomeu cross from left has goalie catch unpressured in box.
47 min...MT Lara cornerkick from right has ball bounce in box and MT Dombrowski head 3 yarder from left post off crossbar as he falls forward.
48 min...half ends 6:51pm.
2nd Half:...starts 7:06pm.
halftime subs:...Lynx Mattacchione replaces Aristodemo.
..............Lynx Neto replaces Chin.
..............Lynx Pottinger replaces Palleschi.
47 min...MT Lara 50 yard freekick from left has MT Dustin Branan head ball as he falls but ball on edge of box goes sideways.
49 min...MT Lara cross from 30 yards on left and goalie charges to catch.
49 min...Lynx goalie charges out to boot through ball away ahead of MT forwards.
50 min...MT Lara 40 yard freekick chip has Lynx defender head away on edge of box.
50 min...Lynx Pottinger on 3 on 2 break from centre blasts 20 yarder well over net.
51 min...Lynx Jeffrey has goalie outjump him on edge of box for ball and both go down shaken.
53 min...MT Juarez gets away with a hand ball call just outside MT box to break up rush (would have been his second Yellow card) when only a freekick is awarded.
54 min...Lynx Dodds 25 yard freekick from right has Lynx Jeffrey 10 yard shot deflected over net for freekick.
54 min...Lynx Dodds cornerkick from right is cleared from box.
55 min...Lynx sub...Bedenikovic replaces Bartolomeu.
57 min...Lynx Kevin Jeffrey GOAL...Lynx Jamie Dodds cornerkick from left has Jeffrey flick 6 yard header from middle of net into top right corner of net. (Jeffrey then earns a Yellow card from referee Carol Anne Chenard for pulling off his shirt).
57 min...Lynx Neto on 5 on 2 break from left doesn't pass but chips ball over net from 20 yards.
58 min...MT Lara 8 yard shot from left is wide right of net.
59 min...MT Toure rush on left rolls ball wide left from 10 yards.
60 min...MT Lara low 25 yard cross from left has MT Dombrowski lean into 7 yarder directly for goalie to catch.
61 min...MT Dombrowski and Lynx goalie crash when he catches just left of net.
62 min...Lynx sub...Medwin replaces DiPlacido.
63 min...MT Lara cornerkick from right is over players in box.
67 min...Lynx Jeffrey flicks ball past MT Brett Branan on run on right but then is bumped from behind on edge of box.
68 min...Lynx Neto fed ball up left wing and rushes in and has low 12 yard shot squeeze under sprawling goalie and deflect off left post for goalkick (no cornerkick awarded).
69 min...MT sub...Wilson replaces Brett Branan.
70 min...Lynx goalie punches away MT Dombrowski's cross from right.
71 min...MT Lara cross from left 20 yards has goalie catch.
72 min...Lynx Damien Pottinger GOAL...Lynx Jamie Dodds cornerkick from left has Pottinger flick in header from 4 yards just under bar.
73 min...MT Lara cross from 25 yards from left and MT Toure heads two yarder from right end line wide right.
77 min...Lynx Titus 40 yard blast over players is well over net.
79 min...MT Toure pokes ball to MT Brisson who one-touches 15 yarder trapped by sliding goalie at 6 yards.
80 min...MT Lara cornerkick from left has ball deflect off players. Ball is popped back into box for MT Dombrowski to send header from 5 yards wide left as he collides with goalie. Dombrowski is injured but returns to the game two minutes later.
83 min...Lynx Pottinger pushes ball too far ahead on rush on left and sliding defender pushes ball for cornerkick from 7 yards.
84 min...MT sub...Platter replaces Brisson.
85 min...MT Dombrowski blasts 20 yarder wide left.
86 min...MT Dombrowski taps pass to MT Toure who blasts 15 yarder well over net.
89 min...Lynx Dodds 10 yard shot deflected wide right by defender.
90 min...Lynx Dodds low cornerkick from right has Lynx Bedenkovic blast 20 yarder wide right on roller.
91 min...game ends 7:52pm.
Final Score:.....Toronto Lynx.......5.........Minnesota Thunder........0.......
Attendance was announced as 1078. I'd estimate there were at least 900 people here on this mild and sunny evening which got colder as the night wore on.
The Thunder had been worn down by playing Rochester Raging Rhinos last night to a close 1-0 loss. They only listed 14 players for this game including backup goalie Nicolas Platter as a midfielder/forward substitute. I had expected they might tire out as the game wore on but didn't expect the Lynx to get this dream start. Surprisingly the Thunder had enough chances to tie the game up but for their inaccurate shooting.
Richard Goddard earned the shutout for the Lynx and had to be sharp. There was no substitute goalie listed for the Lynx tonight.
Besides the goals, the other highlights were at 13 minutes when a pushing incident drew Yellow cards for Thunder's Ansu Toure and Freddy Juarez and the Lynx Rick Titus. At 18 minutes, Lynx Matt Palleschi took a 35 yard freekick from the left that had the goalie palm the ball just over the net. Palleschi had another chance at 23 minutes when he rushed down the left sideline when Kevin Jeffrey pushed him the ball and he cut around defender Brett Branan (brother of hard luck defender Dustin Branan) and his sharp angled 5 yard shot is into the short left webbing of net. At 26 minutes Lynx Chris Williams passed from the right and Lynx Jamie Dodds blasted a 20 yard shot just over the net. Chad Dombrowski had the first Thunder shot anywhere near the net at 31 minutes. At 34 minutes MT Toure got the ball in alone when Lync goalie Richard Goddard fanned on a clearance shot but Lynx Andres Arango slides to knock the 6 yard shot away. In injury time Thunder's Kiki Lara cornerkick from right has the ball bounce in the box and Dombrowski head 3 yarder from left post off the crossbar as he falls forward.
At halftime the Lynx took advantage of their full bench with subs of Joe Mattacchione, Osni Neto, and Damien Pottinger replacing Robbie Aristodemo, Gordon Chin, and Matt Palleschi.
In the second half, non scoring hilights were at 60 minutes when Lara's low 25 yard cross from left had Dombrowski lean into a 7 yard header that flew directly to Lynx goalie Goddard. Just two minutes earlier Dombrowski had an 8 yard shot from right left go wide right and one minute later Toure had a rush on the left and rolled a ball wide left from 10 yards during the Thunder's best flurry of the game. At 67 minutes, Jeffrey flicked a ball past Thunder defender Brett Branan on run on right but then he was bumped over from behind on edge of MT box but no call was given. One minute later Neto was fed a ball up the left wing and his rush ended in a low 12 yard shot that squeezed under the sprawling goalie and deflected off the left post and out of play. Goddard punched out Dombrowski's cross from the right into a crowd of players in the box then a minute caught a cross from Lara. A minute after the final Lynx goal, Lara again crossed this time from 25 yards on the left and Toure headed a two yarder from the right end line wide right. At 79 minutes Toure poked the ball to Thunder's Chris Brisson who one touches a 15 yarder that was trapped by sliding goalie Goddard at 6 yards. At 80 minutes on their last good chance, Lara's cornerkick from left had ball deflect off a few players. The ball was popped back into the box for Combrowski to send a header from 5 yards wide left as he collided with goalie and is injured.
Before the game, the 2006 Lynx player awards were given out as this was the season final. Winner of Public Relations Award this year was Chris Williams. Best Defensive Player was Andres Arango. Best Offensive Player was Jamie Dodds. Fan Favourite Award was Matt Palleschi. Most Valuable Player was Rick Titus. A silent auction was held to divy up game worn shirts of the Lynx players "third kit". I'm sure these were popular with its neon green colour. Could walk down the street in the dark wearing it and never be hit by a car!
The Lynx finish 10th out of 12 teams in the USL First Division. Once again, we can say they put in a good effort too late but we've been saying that for their last 17 games when they've only lost 3 games during that span. Some team press clippings had other teams fearing to play the hot Lynx if they'd made the playoffs. Only thing was it also stated the Lynx had only won 1 game on the road all season. Anyway today it just nice to enjoy the game. Minnesota end up finishing 12th.
The Lynx team now officially breaks up for the year although they do have a commitment to play in the CSL league's organized Open Canada Cup final against Ottawa St Anthony's Italia. I still don't have the details of when that game will be played but I'd expect next weekend because the amature opponents won't travel on a weeknight. Too bad it hadn't been decided as the mood of the Lynx fans was jubilent and they could have captured a few hundred of those fans if it turns out the game is played in the Toronto area.
This was the end of the 10th season for the Lynx. There is a promise that the team will be back in the USL next year. Whether they will play at Centennial Stadium or the downtown located new Varsity Stadium is still to be worked out. The team has heard the new MLS Toronto FC team will play home games Thursdays and Saturday's so they will not go head-to-head. Sunday games are great because most opponents in the last few months have been softened up by playing the Rochester team on either Friday or Saturday before getting into town.
Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
Executive Director Guy Bradbury of the OSA presents Public Relations Award to Chris Williams
Toronto Lynx Assistant Coach Billy Steele presents Best Defensive Player Award to Andres Arango
Toronto Lynx Head Coach Duncan Wilde presents Best Offensive Player Award to Jamie Dodds
Toronto Lynx season ticket holder (since first season in 1997) presents Fan Favourite Award to Matt Palleschi
although later in the press box we heard the actual presenter was someone else
Rob Lynch of USLfans.com presents Most Valuable Player to Rick Titus
View of the Toronto Ultras fan club members for one final Lynx game reunion
Minnesota Thunder starters
Toronto Lynx starters although Rick Titus must have still been on the sideline putting away his gifts
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