July 10, 2013 PDL--Toronto Lynx vs Chicago Fire Premier (by Rocket Robin)

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Result and details of the Wednesday July 10, 2013 PDL game between Toronto Lynx and Chicago Fire Premier at Hershey Fields in Mississauga at 4:00pm

Toronto Lynx (all black, white numbers, yellow shoulders)

...................1 Matt Silva
4 Terence Smith...22 Henry Moody...2 Callum Home...3 Lloyd Grist
24 Anthony Novak...9 Leigh Veidman...18 David Muir...14 Taylor McNamara (cpt)
...............10 James Galvani...8 Alex Semenets

Subs:...26 Adam Janssen (gk)...6 Sebastien Arrangio (fwd)...11 Andrew Derayeh (def)...15 Bruce Cullen (mid)...16 Jamie Henderson (def)
...21 Matthew Osorio (mid)
team official:...head coach Duncan Wilde

Chicago Fire Premier (all red, white numbers)

...................40 Pierre Kikolski
74 Billy McGuiness...64 Dan Ekura...53 Eric Pothast...94 Patrick Doody
.......44 Bryan Cieslulka (cpt)...98 Sean Totsch...35 Brady Wahl
.......21 Felipe Cortez...80 Marco Gutierrez...70 David Selvaggi

Subs:...1 Charlie Lyon (gk)...18 Cameron Lindley (mid)...34 Jeff Farina (fwd)...43 James Myall (def)...83 Collin Fernandez (mid)
...88 Mauricio Pineda (def)...97 Alex Underwood (fwd)
team official:...head coach Larry Sunderland

Game officials:...referee Fabrizio Stasolla...referee's assistants John Williams and Miryam Jabali...no fourth official...(neon yellow shirts, black shorts and socks)

1st Half:...game starts 4:02pm...Lynx defend west end on this very hot and humid afternoon with a wind from the south.
2 min...Lynx Veidman long throw-in from left is headed back to him but he's whistled down when he knocks into defender in box.
4 min...Fire Selvaggi rush up left on give and go and low cross to box from 20 yards is caught by goalie in front of charging Fire Gutierrez at 10 yards.
7 min...Lynx Veidman low cross from 22 yards on right is cleared.
9 min...Fire Pothast 60 yard freekick from left is caught by goalie on bounce wide right of net.
10 min...Fire Gutierrez gets foot in and shoots wide from 8 yards.
11 min...Fire Cortez bounces 30 yard shot from left to goalie.
13 min...Fire Gutierrez 35 yard shot down middle is caught by goalie.
14 min...Fire Cortez low cross from 22 yards after rush on left is cleared by defender.
16 min...Lynx Galvani is injured at Fire 35 yards on left.
18 min...Lynx Grist heads ball away from Fire Cortez at 10 yards on cross sent in from 25 yards on left.
19 min...Lynx Muir tips centering pass up and 28 yard shot from right is just wide left.
19 min...Lynx sub...Arrangio replaces injured Galvani.
21 min...Lynx goalie leaps to catch cross from Fire Cieslulka from right ahead of Fire Gutierrez.
23 min...Lynx McNamara chips pass forward from 5 yards on right and Lynx Arrangio gets it at 25 yards and 20 yard shot is just wide right.
24 min...Fire Cortez bends 25 yarder around defender and goalie punches ball wide right. Fire player cross of ball from right has leaping Fire Gutierrez flick 10 yard header wide left.
26 min...Lynx Grist long run up left sideline and high cross is over box and over right end line.
27 min...Lynx player's cornerkick from right is whistled down in box.
28 min...Fire Doody high cross from left is caught by goalie.
28 min...Lynx Novak 30 yard shot down middle deflects off defender and flies to goalie.
29 min...Lynx Novak shot has Fire Wahl at 12 yards deflect on header back to goalie who wasn't expecting it and he pushes ball over bar for cornerkick.
31 min...Lynx Semenets dribbles down middle and cuts shot from left saved by sliding goalie's face for cornerkick.
32 min...Lynx goalie messes up clearance on 18 yard line and Fire Gutierrez rolls 20 yard shot up middle wide right of post.
34 min...Lynx McNamara tapped pass and chips 28 yarder too far forward in crowd and goalie grabs ball.
36 min...Fire Doody on left end line crosses over box and Fire McGuiness pops up header on right end line but ball flies out of play.
37 min...Fire Wahl rush on left and rolls centering pass back and Fire Cortez bends 22 yard shot is just high and wide right of top corner of net.
38 min...Lynx Grist charges to rescue ball on left end line and cross has Fire goalie catch on left post.
39 min...Lynx McNamara cross from 28 yards on left bounces through box unplayed.
40 min...Fire sub...Myall replaces McGuiness.
41 min...Fire Doody on left has first cross blocked by head of Lynx Moody and crosses rebound from left line into webbing of net.
43 min...Fire Wahl rush on left for pass has goalie charge to catch.
44 min...Lynx Veidman rolls 22 yarder for pass but defender clears.
45 min...Lynx McNamara cross from 30 yards on right has Lynx Arrangio slide and 10 yard shot is saved by sprawling goalie.
46 min...Lynx Muir chips 28 yard shot that bounces to goalie.
46 min...half ends 4:48pm.

Halftime has both teams stay out on their benches rather that return to the dressing rooms.

2nd Half:...starts 4:59pm.
halftime subs:...Fire Lindley replaces Cieslulka.
.............Fire Fernandez replaces Wahl.
45 min...Fire Cortez rolls ball from left through box and Fire Gutierrez trips trying to keep it in play on right end line.
49 min...Lynx Sebastien Arrangio GOAL...Lynx Alex Semenets on right pulls up and crosses into 6 yard box. Lynx Lloyd Grist ducks and nods 3 yard header on left off left post. Arrangio gets to rebound and taps 4 yard shot down middle into center of open net.
51 min...Lynx sub...Derayeh replaces Smith.
53 min...Fire Selvaggi rush down right and cross deflects off Lynx Home for cornerkick.
54 min...Fire Doody cornerkick from right has a Fire play pop up header twice and Fire Selvaggi 25 yard shot blocked by defender.
55 min...Fire Gutierrez tries to deke around Lynx Home and rolls ball forward for goalie to smother.
56 min...Fire RED card...Collin Fernandez earns a direct ejection from referee Fabrizio Stasolla for double-foot cleats-up tackle on Lynx Leigh Veidman injuring him at Lynx 35 yard line.
59 min...Lynx Grist cross from left 22 yards has defender clear ball on left side.
60 min...Fire David Selvaggi GOAL...Fire Marco Gutierrez cross from 28 yards on right finds Selvaggi who takes 22 yard shot that goalie Matt Silva flies up to get hand to at 12 yards but ball drops before its over bar and into net.
61 min...Lynx Novak 25 yard shot from right is wide left of net.
63 min...Fire sub...Pineda replaces Selvaggi.
65 min...Fire Totsch 60 yard freekick from left bounces wide right.
67 min...Fire Lindley 28 yard shot down middle deflects off defender for goalie top pick up.
69 min...Lynx Veidman long throw-in from left has goalie catch after Lynx player had jersey pulled.
71 min...Lynx Arrangio charges on left and cross from 25 yards has defender pop up ball and goalie catches.
71 min...Fire YELLOW card...Pineda earns it for grabbing Lynx Semenets on run.
72 min...Lynx Semenets floats in 30 yard freekick from left that goalie catches.
72 min...it starts to rain.
73 min...Fire Lindley intercepts Lynx Home for breakaway but taps pass to no one.
74 min...Lynx Veidman has ball stopped by goalie as he ran by him at 5 yards.
76 min...Lynx Semenets on left crosses 20 yarder over head of leaping Lynx Veidman at 7 yards up middle.
77 min...Lynx Semenets 25 yard shot up middle hits left post. Lynx Grist cross from left from 18 yards is caught by goalie.
78 min...Lynx Arrangio can't draw Penalty kick when pulled from behind.
78 min...Fire Ekura cross from right is caught by charging goalie on left.
80 min...Fire Doody cornerkick from right has Lynx Moody head ball away.
80 min...Lynx Derayeh cross from 25 yards on right has goalie catch in front of Lynx Veidman at 12 yards.
82 min...Lynx Semenets ran off ball after 40 yard run to edge of box.
84 min...Fire Doody cornerkick from right is cleared. Fire Lindley kicks up middle that defender clears.
84 min...Lynx Taylor McNamara GOAL...McNamara crosses shot from 28 yard on extreme right is over goalie but catches top left corner of net.
85 min...Fire sub...Underwood replaces Doody.
88 min...Lynx Cullen on rusn down left rolls ball into box and Lynx Semenets holds up and rolls 15 yard shot wide left of post.
89 min...Lynx sub...Henderson replaces Arrangio.
90 min...Fire Lindley cornerkick from left is low and cleared by Lynx McNamara.
91 min...Lynx Henderson is tapped pass and rolls 20 yard shot just wide left of post.
92 min...Fire Underwood short cross to Fire Gutierrez who shoots wide left on twisted shot. Fire Gutierrez is injured on play that would be goalkick. Fire play short the rest of the game.
95 min...game ends 5:49pm.

Final Score:......Toronto Lynx..........2.............Chicago Fire Premier............1..............

Attendance ended up at about 80 before the game ended. None of them were from the daycamps and summer schools that usually show up for this game (the location had been changed on short notice because of the flooding in Toronto). The number included about eight fans from Lynx junior teams playing a drum and singing the whole game. Strangest thing was to see Fire Patrick Doody get his feet tangled in a streamer as thick as a tumbleweed thrown or blown across the field.

The weather was hot and humid that the radio said would be 102F/39C. There was a cooling breeze from the south that made conditions more moderate. It even rained for a few minutes in the second half.

Best non-scoring chances were at 23 minutes when Lynx Taylor McNamara chipped a pass forward from 55 yards on right and Lynx Sebastien Arrangio got to the ball at 25 yards and his 20 yard shot was just wide right of net. 24 minutes had Fire Felipe Cortez bend a 25 yarder around defender and the goalie punched the ball wide right. A Fire player crossed back in had Fire Marco Gutieriez leap and flick a 10 yard header just wide left. 37 minutes had Fire Brady Wahl rush on the left and roll a centering pass back and Fire Felip Cortez bend a 22 yard shot just high wide right of top corner of net. 45 minutes had Lynx McNamara cross from 30 yards on right that the sliding Arrangio and his 10 yard shot was saved by the sprawling goalie. 77 minutes had Lynx Alex Semenets take a 25 yard shot up the middle that hit the left post. Lynx Lloyd Grist crossed the rebound from 18 yards on the left that was caught by the goalie. 88 minutes had Lynx Bruce Cullen on run down left roll the ball into the box and Lynx Alex Semenets hold up and roll a 16 yard shot wide left of post. Fire played two men down during second half injury time after Gutierrez was injured as they'd used their five subs.

Starting midfielder Anthony Novak and bench players--forward Sebastien Arrangio and midfielder Bruce Cullen had been called up from the U-20s. Regular Macca Wilde who was in street clothes was serving a Red card suspension.

This game was originally scheduled for 11:00am at Centennial Stadium. I had expected I might have traffic problems because Toronto is still recovering from the heavy rainfall 110mm in two hours Monday evening. I thought a five hour home blackout that night was enough suffering for me so I left very early for this game. I'd looked up the schedule last night to reconfirm the time. Pulled into the parking lot and things didn't look good as the lot was almost empty. There were some memos posted that the stadium was 'closed until further notice'. I went to the door of the office but the manager/groundskeeper was not there. I went into the stadium, ground looked fine. downstairs to the dressing rooms....ahh floor is wet but I've seen it 6 inches deep in previous years. A maintenance guy said it was 12 inches deep the previous day and it looked like a pumping machine was inside. OK now knowing the visitors are coming all the way from Chicago and the schedule only had two more weeks before the playoffs they'd probably play somewhere else--but where? Ontario Soccer Centre? Crescent School? I didn't know the Lynx phone number as it was on a cell phone that went through the wash and I never did reprogram that number. Drove to a mall and had the 411 operator check. Nope not in Toronto nor the 905 area code. Well back to the stadium to see if the manager was back. Then I saw two teen boys crossing the parking lot. One of them was from one of the Lynx junior teams. He had the number of the head coach so I phoned and got the new time and location. Plenty of time to kill so I visited my father in time for his lunch after all rather then late afternoon as I'd promised. Just made a lot of driving. Next worry is for the CSL for their Friday night game of Serbian White Eagles. Sure things looked back to normal today but there's another storm scheduled for Toronto overnight.

Lynx record improves to 5 wins, 5 ties, 2 ties--good for 3rd place. Fire record drops to 4 wins, 7 ties, 0 ties--good for 5th place. From what I've read, Lynx have to hold onto to this position to earn the last playoff spot to play a one-game away semi-final and the winner plays a one-game away final. Michigan and London hold the two spots above them.

Lynx next game is their home finale against Forest City London on Sunday at 4:00pm at Centennial Stadium (although the stadium is officially 'closed until further notice').

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca

Lynx starters