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Result of the Wednesday May 4th, 2011 Nutrilite Canadian Championship semi-final game between Toronto FC and FC Edmonton played at BMO Field in Toronto at 8:00pm.

Toronto FC (all red, black shoulders and sleeves, white names and numbers)

........................24 Stefan Frei
27 Richard Eckersley...20 Ty Harden...12 Adrian Cann...25 Danleigh Borman
........19 Mikael Yourassowsky...6 Julian de Guzman...23 Jacob Peterson
........21 Alan Gordon...22 Tony Tchani...7 Joao Plata

Subs:...30 Milos Kocic (gk)...16 Oscar Cordon (mid)...18 Nick Soolsman (fwd)...26 Matt Gold (mid)...29 Maicon Santos (fwd)...31 Dicoy Williams (def) ...33 Javier Martina (fwd)
head coach Aron Winter

FC Edmonton (all white, blue names and numbers)

Subs:...25 Jaswinder Gill (gk)...4 Alex Surprenant (def)...8 John Jonke (def)...11 Paul Craig (fwd)...15 Shawn Chin (mid)...16 Eddy Sidra (mid)... 17 Mutanda Kwesele (fwd)
head coach Harry Sinkgraven...assistant coach Dave Randall

Game officials:...referee Mauricio Navarro...referee's assistants Hector Vergara and Bedik Charchafian...fourth official Justin Tasev... (yellow shirts, black shorts and socks)

1st Half:...game starts 8:09pm...TFC defend north end on this cool night with the sun having just set before the game starts and a wind from the north.
6 min...TFC Borman cross from 20 yards on left has TFC Gordon head 10 yard shot wide left of net.
8 min...Edm Porter low cross from 15 yards on right is through TFC box unplayed.
9 min...TFC Gordon low cross from 10 yards on left has sliding Edm Hamilton block then get up and concede cornerkick when he kicks ball over end line.
9 min...TFC Peterson cornerkick from left has goalie punch ball away in crowd of players and defender clear.
10 min...TFC from 55 yards sends in ball that hits feet of TFC Gordon on edge of box and Edm goalie dives forward to smother ball at 7 yards.
12 min...TFC Plata pass from 30 yards in middle over right to TFC Peterson at 18 yards whose low cross from right has defender deflect for another defender to clear from box.
13 min...TFC Eckersley charges forward to rescue ball on right line but low cross is cleared by defender.
13 min...TFC Borman 35 yard freekick from right is cleared by nearest defender.
14 min...TFC Plata eludes check on left and cross has TFC Gordon from 22 yards get foot out tip ball well wide right of net.
15 min...TFC Borman rush to ball on left and sends 20 yard cross into box and TFC Peterson blasts ball well over net from 10 yards.
18 min...TFC Gordon taps pass in middle to TFC Plata whose low 25 yard shot is saved by diving goalie on left post.
20 min...TFC Alan Gordon GOAL...TFC Tony Tchani runs up middle and passes from center at 45 yards to TFC Joao Plata on left who runs upfield and cuts along 25 yard line and chips ball over players to right for Gordon in open for 12 yard shot into top of right corner of net beyond goalie Lance Parker out at 3 yards to cut down angle.
23 min...Edm Lam 40 yard freekick has defender pop up header at 20 yards and another defender slides to tip ball for cornerkick.
24 min...Edm player's cornerkick from left is over head of players in box. Edm Hamilton crosses back from right and ball lands on top of net.
25 min...TFC Peterson cornerkick from left has leaping TFC Harden head down at 4 yards on right and defender clears.
26 min...TFC Tchani injured on Edm Hamilton sliding tackle at TFC 50 yards. Edm players move ball down right wing and 25 yard cross has TFC goalie catch ball on right in crowd of players.
28 min...TFC Peterson cross from 25 yards on right has flying Edm Hamilton twist header through box.
31 min...TFC Borman pokes ball away for Edm Antoniuk conceding cornerkick to prevent 15 yard shot up the middle.
32 min...Edm Hamilton pops 10 yard header over net after Edm cornerkick from left.
33 min...TFC Eckersley rush on right and cross from near right end line is high and is across face of goal wide left.
34 min...Edm Yamada rushes up right and rolls cross from that TFC Harden steps in front of Edm Antoniuk to stop ball and clear in TFC box.
34 min...Edm Porter injured near center line.
37 min...Edm Porter 25 yard freekick from left end line is low and blocked near post. Partial clearance is shot back into box from 22 yards wide left for goalkick.
39 min...Edm Lam 40 yard freekick from left has defenders head ball down and clear on edge of box.
40 min...TFC Tchani cross from 25 yards on right side has Edm Hamilton head ball out of box at 15 yards.
43 min...TFC Peterson 30 yard freekick from right is rolled forward and Edm Porter kicks ball out to prevent TFC Eckersley from making play.
43 min...TFC Peterson cornerkick from right has Edm Yamada as nearest player head ball away from box.
44 min...TFC Plata chips 30 yard cross from left that Edm Hamilton stops and clears.
46 min...half ends 8:55pm.

Halftime Entertainment:...There wasn't anything tonight.

2nd Half:...starts 9:11pm. It's now dark.
45 min...Edm Saler 35 yard freekick from right is deflected in player wall and played around in box but offside call is made.
46 min...Edm Smith 18 yard shot from left end line is into outside webbing of net.
47 min...Edm Lam cross from 35 yards is over head of charging Edm Smith at 6 yards who is guarded by TFC Eckersley.
49 min...TFC Borman charges to ball while being tugged by defender and gets away 20 yard shot from left that's caught by goalie.
50 min...TFC goalie smothers low weak shot on goal line up middle by Edm Porter from 25 yards.
50 min...Edm Smith 35 yard shot down middle is well wide right of net.
51 min...Edm Yamada run on right and from 25 yards crosses through box that is behind charging Edm Antoniuk.
53 min...Edm Rago 40 yard loft from right into box that TFC Harden heads away from 15 yards.
55 min...TFC Peterson 25 yard shot from right has TFC Tchani slide at 7 yards and defender with foot in concedes cornerkick.
55 min...TFC Peterson cornerkick from right has TFC Tchani head down at 7 yards in crowd of players and Edm Smith clears out left side of box.
57 min...TFC Peterson turns and fires 20 yard roller up middle that diving goalie stops.
57 min...Edm Saler pops up chip from 25 yards on left and TFC de Guzman concedes cornerkick when Edm Yamada charges into box at 10 yards on left.
58 min...Edm player's cornerkick from left has TFC Tchani clear ball from box at 3 yards from left post with kick that pops ball up. Edm player passes to Lam but then his chip is blocked on edge of box.
58 min...TFC YELLOW card...Yourassowsky earns it while on groud for swipe tackle on Edm Hamilton who gets away kick from 22 yards down middle that goalie catches on left.
59 min...Edm Yamada 25 yard freekick down middle is caught by goalie on left side of net.
61 min...Edm Saler throw-in from left has defender clear ball from box with kick.
61 min...Edm sub...Craig replaces Smith.
63 min...TFC Gordon is injured at Edm 35 yards after popping up header.
64 min...TFC sub...Santos replaces injured Gordon before play resumes.
65 min...Edm Yamada clears ball off TFC Santos at 25 yards and deflection flies just wide right of Edm net.
66 min...Edm has play whistled down in box on push in TFC box with players jumping for ball sent in from cross on left.
67 min...TFC Plata gets pass at 25 yards and rolls ball forward for charging TFC Yourassowsky who gets away shot at 7 yards stopped point blank by sliding goalie on left. TFC Borman gets ball on left edge of box and passes around goalie. TFC Plata receives that pass and his 12 yard shot is blocked by sliding defender and cleared.
68 min...Edm player's low shot up middle has goalie block 25 yard shot through crowd of players but pops up rebound that has defender clear.
69 min...TFC de Guzman is injured at TFC 45 yards leaping for header.
71 min...TFC sub...Soolsma replaces Tchani (before play resumes) who'd reinjured his ankle.
72 min...Edm Yamada bends 20 yard shot from right is caught by goalie.
72 min...TFC sub...Gold replaces de Guzman who'd already left game with leg injury.
72 min...Edm sub...Kwesele replaces Porter.
75 min...TFC Soolsma long run cutting to center and has ball poked off him before he can get away 18 yard shot. TFC Plata shot from 18 yards has diving goalie push ball wide left of post for cornerkick.
76 min...TFC Peterson cornerkick from left is high and to right and TFC Yourassowsky chases ball down on right and partial clearance is sent back into box from 25 yards on right and caught by goalie.
83 min...TFC Eckersley wins cornerkick after good efforts have ball checked away.
83 min...TFC Peterson cornerkick from right is high and headed away on left by defender.
84 min...Edm sub...Chin replaces Antoniuk.
88 min...TFC Soolsma cuts in 25 yard roller up middle that deflects off defender on edge of box and is saved by goalie.
89 min...TFC Plata rush down left and crosses from left edge of box that defender pops up over to right edge of box. TFC Soolsma 18 yard shot has diving goalie stop on right post and TFC Peterson takes point blank 7 yard shot along right end line that requires another point blank save and he holds onto ball.
91 min...Edm Yamada weak 25 yard roller up middle is picked up by goalie.
91 min...Edm Lam 30 yard roller up middle is well wide left of net.
92 min...TFC Santos run to 15 yards and shot popped up by sliding defender and two players head ball heading ball out of box.
92 min...TFC goalie dives out to grab ball off Edm Kwesele at 5 yards who'd pushed ball too far forward on run into left side of box.
93 min...game ends 9:59pm.

Final Score:.....Toronto FC......1..........FC Edmonton...........0........

Attendance was announced as 17937. There were a lot of empty seats for this midweek game and I'm sure many ticket holders didn't show up. This game would be hard to 'sell' as the result was never really in doubt because TFC already held a 3-0 lead from their game in Edmonton last Wednesday. Edmonton would have had to win by four goals which wasn't likely to happen for this second tier USL league team. Edmonton had crippled themselves by having Shaun Saiko given a direct Red card for a two footed sliding challenge on TFC Oscar Cordon and then goalie Rein Baart taking a poor clearance kick and setting
up a 2-0 rush resulting in the TFC third goal. Announcements were made in both English and French tonight.

TFC coaching staff elected to play with much of their first team for the cohesion of letting the team get to know each other after their revolving lineup. They had been beaten 3-0 on the weekend in their MLS league game in Seattle and were said to need the confidence. Using them there was always the risk of injury and Tony Tchani was hurt at 26 minutes although he continued to play well into the second half. Alan Gordon was injured at 63 minutes and was subbed off as was Julian de Guzman at 71 minutes. Fans will await who plays for TFC in their next league game on Saturday against Houston Dynamo.

FC Edmonton looked satisfied not to lose by anything more than 1-0 and didn't press for a goal. After losing to TFC last week, they played their first NASL league home game and lost 5-0 to Montreal Impact. That was like a 3-0 game until 84 minutes when their goalie and a forward were both shown direct Red cards. Maybe losing this game by a respectable score to this higher calibre MLS league team can be used as a confidence booster in future for this first year team.

TFC forward Joao Plata was given his first start this year. He was the faster player on the field. He was the final player chosen in the MLS draft this Spring. Although he had a great combine (a series of exhibition games before the draft) MLS teams avoided him because of his 5'3" size.

TFC starters

Edmonton starters

TFC Julian de Guzman breaks up this pass.

TFC Joao Plata rushes with ball.

TFC Joao Plata chases after ball passed back to goalie.

Edmonton players defend against freekick.

Second half kickoff with FCE Daniel Antoniuk (22).

Edmonton players set up a freekick.

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