...............

Result of the Friday July 4, 2008 CSL game between Toronto Croatia and Portugal FC played at The Hershey Centre in Mississauga at 8:00pm.

Toronto Croatia (blue socks, white shorts and numbers, red shirts)

..........................1 Roy Blanche
16 Halburto Harris...2 Sven Arapovic...3 Ante Brkic...6 Mario Kulis (cpt)
5 Jonatan Bustamante...19 David Kadoic...11 Mario Pupic...8 Hayden Fitzwilliam
..................9 Hugo Herrera...10 Tihomir Maletic

Subs:...12 Marko Culjak (gk)...7 Tomislav Ples...13 Kevin Correa...15 Dailbore Duspara...17 Joseph Pillip...18 Mario Beljo...22 Daniel Grbac
team officials:...head coach Miroslav Buljan...manager Tom Granic...trainer/physio Rachel Leroux and Pino Jazbec

Portugal FC (all white, green numbers)

.........................1 Mike Silva
4 Dustin Chung...3 Andre Stewart...5 Gianni Annisi...17 Ronald Nicholas
7 Selmir Sehic...22 Ilialson DaSilva...15 Kevin McIntosh...2 Emerson Fiti
...................9 Mike Diluca...10 Daniel Amaral (cpt)

Subs:...12 Ian Cummins (gk)...6 Yami Williams...14 Ahmed Mohamed...16 Michael Aigbokie...18 Uarlem Castro...19 Gustavo Serrano...21 Steve Pacheco
team officials:...head coach Jose Testas...assistant coach Jaime Carvalho...manager Tony Maia

1st Half:...game starts 8:10pm...TC defend north end on this warm evening. There is a north west and a breeze from the south. As there is no scoreboard, all times are converted from my wristwatch.
1 min...PFC DaSilva cross from right end line has PFC player head ball just over bar from 3 yards.
2 min...PFC Sehic cross from left is over players in box.
4 min...PFC DaSilva chips cross from 15 yards on right is wide left behind end line.
5 min...PFC Sehic injured at TC 30 yards near right sideline.
6 min...TC goalie picks up deflection off TC Fitzwilliams from 10 yards.
8 min...PFC Sehic 20 yard blast high left over net.
10 min...PFC DaSilva low 20 yard shot smothered by goalie.
11 min...TC Herrera cross from 20 yards on right is over players in box.
13 min...PFC Nicholas injured at PFC 220 yard line on left.
most of the action so far has been in the TC end.
15 min...PFC Diluca cornerkick from left has PFC Chung head over net in crowd of players from 5 yards.
21 min...PFC Sehic dekes defender and rolls ball from right to edge of box but defender clears.
24 min...TC Maletic 22 yard freekick from right is blocked in box by PFC player's head.
25 min...TC Maletic is injured in PFC box.
28 min...TC Bustamante 15 yard shot from left has leaping goalie slap forward from top right corner of net.
28 min...PFC YELLOW card...Stewart for hip check on TC Fitzwilliam at PFC 30 yards.
29 min...TC Pupic 30 yard freekick from left is headed away from edge of box.
30 min...TC Bustamante pokes 5 yard shot from middle after cross from right is headed down on left over to Bustamante.
34 min...TC player's 30 yard freekick from right is whistled down in box.
35 min...PFC player 65 yard kick from right bounces to goalie through crowd of players.
36 min...TC Brkic can't draw Penalty kick in PFC box, but on great TC pressure, he can't get away shot.
37 min...PFC Amaral 30 yard cross from left is caught by goalie.
38 min...PFC Amaral heads cross from left just wide right from 10 yards.
39 min...PFC YELLOW card...DaSilva for kicking ball on net after whistled for offside at 20 yards.
40 min...PFC YELLOW card...Chung for tripping TC Maletic at PFC 20 yards on left.
41 min...TC Pupic 22 yard freekick from left is bent just over bar.
41 min...PFC Sehic off balance one touch is well wide right from 20 yards on right.
43 min…Croatia Hugo Herrera GOAL…TC Halburto Harris crosses from 30 yards on right that has Herrera get at 15 yards. He held back and waited for goalie Mike Silva to charge out and dive and then chipped 12 yarder into top right corner of net over defenders on goal line.
44 min...PFC DaSilva gets pass and 20 yard blast is wide left.
44 min...PFC goalie catches 20 yard deflection backing into box.
45 min...TC Fitzwilliam leaps to break up PFC cross and heads back to goalie wide right of net.
47 min...PFC Sehic runs parallel to 25 yards from left sideline and shoots low blast to goalie.
47 min...half ends 8:57pm.

2nd Half:...starts 9:14pm...the sun is now setting and is no longer a factor.
Halftime sub:...PFC Castro replaces Stewart.
47 min...TC player is warned for diving in the PFC box.
48 min...TC player chips 15 yard ball just over bar.
49 min...PFC DaSilva rush and kicks 12 yard shot from right that's caught by goalie.
50 min...PFC DaSilva is injured at center line.
50 min...TC goalie wins freekick when he charges to edge of box and crashes with PFC player trying for header.
52 min...TC Harris 35 yard blast on rush on right bounces to goalie.
55 min...PFC Sehic long run on right but shot is blocked on edge of TC box.
59 min...TC YELLOW card...Pupic for bump on PFC McIntosh at TC 40 yards.
60 min...PFC Fiti 40 yard freekick blast is wide left of net.
61 min...TC Bustamante 30 yard freekick from right has TC Herrera at 10 yards on left is checked off ball.
62 min...TC Pupic cornerkick from left has play whistled down for TC player bumping PFC goalie.
63 min...PFC Fiti 30 yard freekick from right has shot blocked and cleared in box.
63 min...PFC sub...Aigbokie replaces Chung.
65 min...PFC Diluca cornerkick from left is over players in box and defender heads ball away. PFC player rolls ball back into box for goalie and no one challenges so goalie makes save unchallenged.
66 min...TC Fitzwilliam 40 yard shot from left is well wide left.
67 min...TC sub...Ples replaces Maletic.
68 min...PFC Diluca 25 yard shot from right is well wide right of net.
70 min...PFC McIntosh 30 yard blast is up middle and blocked by defender on edge of box.
71 min...PFC Nicholas 25 yard shot deflects off foot of PFC player and rolls wide left of net.
71 min...TC Kadoic 22 yard blast deflects off defender and bounces to goalie.
72 min...PFC Aigbokie cross from left is just over leaping PFC Diluca at 8 yards.
74 min...TC Pupic 30 yard chip pass to TC Ples who turns but can't get clear shot and blasts ball over the end fence.
77 min...PFC Fiti cornerkick from right has ball cleared by defender.
78 min...PFC Aigbokie 30 yard cross from left is wide right of net.
79 min...TC players whistled offside on edge of box after TC players freekick from 30 yards that's partially cleared.
80 min...PFC sub...Serrano replaces Nicholas who'd been injured on opposite sideline.
81 min...PFC Fiti 25 yard freekick on right edge of box htis chest in wall of players at 7 yards.
81 min...TC YELLOW card...Bustamante(?) for blocking PFC player's rush.
82 min...PFC Fiti 30 yard freekick blast on right is caught by goalie.
83 min...TC Bustamante 35 yard freekick tap to TC Harris but ball is checked off him at 25 yards.
85 min...TC Harris pass to TC Beljo in PFC box but Beljo dribbles but can't get away shot.
86 min...PFC Castro 25 yard freekick blast from left is high and wide right of net.
87 min...PFC sub...Mohamed replaces Sehic.
89 min...TC Pupic low 35 yard freekick blast up middle is smothered by goalie.
91 min...PFC Diluca has ball is tipped over to him from right and he one-times 12 yarder well over net.
92 min...TC Bustamante 30 yard blast is caught by goalie.
93 min...game ends 10:02pm.

Final Score:……..Toronto Croatia……..1……….Portugal FC……..0……….

Attendance was about 125 on this warm evening with the bright sun still out in the first half in the North West.

Portugal FC came out fast in the first half and kept Toronto Croatia trapped in their own end for the first 15 minutes. Both teams were caught on offside calls throughout the game. Most of the shots were from the edge of the box or blocked by defenders. Lots of free kicks and cornerkicks were whistled down for bumping in the box or caught without much trouble. Mike DiLuca almost got a tying goal in injury time but he one-timed a 12 yard shot just over the bar. Roy Blanche earned the shutout for Toronto Croatia.

This was the first time I’ve seen Portugal FC this year. They looked much better than last year when they were one of only two teams that didn’t make the playoffs. They didn’t give up and pressed right until the end whereas last year near the end of the season, a first half goal against seemed to deflate the team. This year three teams don’t make the playoffs but I expect they may all come from the weaker National Division. Tonight’s game leaves just London City that I haven’t seen yet in 2008.

I was talking to message board poster Kris Fernandes during the game about his trip to the Euros last month. After the game the question was raised about this league (most popular message board question about the CSL) “How much do you think these players get paid?” Just then an official from Toronto Croatia came by and answered. Trois-Rivieres Attak pays the best because the players are under contract with their parent team USL Montreal Impact. After that Toronto Croatia and Serbian White Eagles are the best. For Croatia the team budget for this year is $90,000. The incentives I caught were $250 for a road win, $75 for a tie, and $25 each practice. . There’s enough in the budget to have signed a 28 year old player who plays in the 1st division Croatian league just in time to get in a few practices and a possibly a game before their showdown with Serbian White Eagles the end of next week. They are looking forward to the TFC Academy staying in the league as there’s a rumor that a high profile sponsor is coming in to sponsor the league and that means there would be more money for player budgets for every team. (It sounded like this would be one of the TFC sponsors not some smaller one like Locus and Inev????[can’t think of this year’s sponsor although I was staring at the spare balls tonight] who just supply the league soccer balls). From what I’ve heard over the years, some of the teams are amateur.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca


Toronto Croatia players pose for pre-game picture


Toronto Croatia starters


Portugal FC starters


Portugal FC cornerkick


Hayden Fitzwilliams ready to take freekick


Another Toronto Croatia freekick.

back to CSL menu

.

.