August 9, 2014 League 1 Ontario--Masters FA vs Woodbridge Strikers (by Rocket Robin)

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Result and details of the Saturday August 9, 2014 League 1 Ontario game between Masters FA and Woodbridge Strikers played at L'Amoreaux Park in Scarborough at 9:00pm.

Masters FA (white socks, shorts, and numbers, black shirts)

......................00 Shane Lopez
2 D'eo-Daniel Nash...4 Michael Themelis...16 Farzan Mirzazadeh...5 Kamden Holder...15 Michael Bershov
...........30 Alexander Dimitriu...20 Alexander Flores...12 Marcus Malcom
.................7 Leshorn Woods-Henry...11 Franck Koue

Subs:...99 Mark Kamstra (gk)...3 Tyrell Reyne...8 Adrian Applewaithe...9 Simone Orlandi...13 Jude Alanwoko
...14 Renato Ribadeneira...19 Sam Gardner...17 Emile Saimovici.
team officials:...team head coach Andrey Savelev...managers Jimmy Kamstra and Stephen Blackburn...assistant coach Junior Groves

Woodbridge Strikers (blue socks, shorts, and numbers, white shirts)

....................................1 Eugenio Garro
2 Hilton McPherson...4 Kasra Dehdezi...16 Andrew Derayeh...5 Franco Lo Presti (cpt)
7 Nicholas Chiarot...17 Mario Kovacevic...21 Christian Cavallini...14 Stephen Almeida
..............11 Viktor Anastasov...22 Julian Uccello

Subs:...12 Nicholas Bettancourt (gk)...9 Michael Holder...13 Jesse Andoh...15 Philip Balke...18 Hayden Clark...19 Adam LoFranco
team officials:...team head coach Peter Pinizzotto...assistant coaches Kevin Hilfold and Sam Medeiros...managers Erick Mokri and John Scarlato

Suspended player: Oscar Cordon

Game officials:...referee Pierre Acouri...referee's assistants Tim Wong and Milenko Cimbur...fourth official Brian Butler
...(yellow shirts, black shorts and socks)

1st Half:...game starts 9:00pm...Masters defends north end...as I was behind the scoreboard, all times are converted from my wristwatch.
1 min...MFA Flores cornerkick from right has play whistled down in box.
3 min...WS Almeida low 30 yard shot from left between players bounces to goalie.
4 min...WS Almeida 35 yard freekick from left bends for goalie to catch in center of net with players all on right.
7 min...WS Almeida cornerkick from left has defender head ball away.
8 min...WS Almeida cornerkick from right has WS Dehdezi head ball wide left from 8 yards.
10 min...WS Almeida 20 yard freekiuck from right end line has diving MFA player head ball away.
11 min...WS Dehdezi makes huge poke check on MFA Koue alone on edge of WS box.
12 min...MFA Themelis 35 yard freekick from right deflects for cornerkick.
12 min...MFA players work out short cornerkick from left but cross attempt into box is blocked.
15 min...Strikers Viktor Anastasov GOAL...WS Stephen Almeida feeds pass down middle and Anastasov shoots 15 yarder into net.
16 min...Strikers Julian Uccello GOAL...WS Mario Kovacevic sends long bouncing pass up middle and Uccello chips 25 yard shot over goalie Shane Lopez at 18 yards and retreating MA defender Farzan Mirzazadeh misses connecting on bicycle kick on line to keep it out.
18 min...MFA Mirzazadeh gets back to give up cornerkick checking WS Anastasov off long run on left.
19 min...Strikers Viktor Anastasov GOAL...WS Julian Uccello cross from 30 yards near right sideline has Anastasov head 10 yarder from left unchallenged into right side of net.
20 min...WS Uccello can't win Penalty kick when MFA Nash trips him up just inside box.
20 min...WS Almeida cornerkick from left has nearest MFA Themelis as nearest defender head ball through box.
21 min...MFA Dimitriu low cross from 25 yards on right has goalie dive forward to push ball away. MFA Holder blasts 25 yard partial clearance up middle that defender blocks on edge of box.
26 min...WS Uccello 35 yard freekick from right has MFA Mirzazadeh head away.
27 min...WS Almeida cross from 20 yards on left end line is over players in box.
30 min...MFA Themelis 35 yard freekick from right has MFA Flores shoot wide left up middle from 22 yards.
32 min...WS players work play on right has play whistled down in box.
33 min...MFA Koue blasts 40 yard shot well over net.
34 min...WS Almeida bends in 35 yarder from left between players and goalie smothers.
35 min...WS Kovacevic rolls 35 yard pass up middle through players and goalie picks up.
37 min...MFA Holder is rolled pass to center and 25 yard blast down middle hits top of bar.
39 min...WS Uccello freekick from right from 22 yards is blasted well over net.
43 min...WS McPherson 60 yard freekick from right is caught over head by goalie.
45 min...MFA YELLOW card...Dimitriu earns it for retaliating by pushing over WS player after that player tripped him on right sideline at MFA 30 yard line.
45 min...half ends 9:45pm.

2nd Half:...starts 10:04pm.
halftime sub:...WS Andoh replaces Dehdezi.
46 min...MFA Flores is injured at WS 40 yard line.
49 min...WS Uccello blasts 15 yard shot from right into outside webbing of net.
50 min...MFA Themelis 30 yard shot down middle is high and wide right of post.
50 min...MFSA goalie smothers ball just step ahead of charging WS Anastasov at 12 yards on right.
52 min...WS Almeida cornerkick from left is caught by goalie in crowd of players.
54 min...MFA Flores is injured at MFA 45 yard line.
55 min...MFA sub...Alanwoko replaces still injured Flores.
57 min...MFA Themelis low 28 yard shot from right is well wide left of net.
58 min...WS YELLOW card...McPherson earns it for sliding tackle on MFA player injurying him.
58 min...MFA Themelis 25 yard freekick from right has defender head ball away.
59 min...WS sub...Holder replaces Anastasov.
60 min...WS Almeida 30 yard freekick from left is low and MFA Themelis boots away on left.
61 min...MFA sub...Saimovici replaces Woods-Henry.
63 min...MFA YELLOW card...Mirzazadeh earns it for tackle on WS player at 25 yard line.
64 min...Strikers Mario Kovacevic GOAL...WS Julian Uccello 30 yard freekick from right has Kovacevic in crowd of players head in 6 yarder to left side of net.
65 min...WS sub...LoFranco replaces Cavallini.
69 min...WS McPherson cross from 22 yards on right drifts behind net.
71 min...MFA sub...Ribadeneira replaces Mirzazadeh.
72 min...MFA Alanwoko is centered ball and 25 yard shot is high and wide right.
73 min...MFA Ribadeneira 45 yard freekick down middle has goalie bat down then grab.
74 min...MFA YELLOW card...Koue earns it for sliding tackle on WS McPherson.
75 min...WS sub...Clark replaces Derayeh.
76 min...WS McPherson 60 yard freekick from right has ball cleared out left side of box.
79 min...MFA Koue 22 yard freekick from left dips over net.
80 min...WS sub...Bettancourt replaces Garro in goal.
81 min...MFA Malcom cross from 25 yards is cleared.
82 min...MFA Bershov blasts 15 yard shot from left is wide right after good dribbling through defenders.
83 min...MFA sub...Orlandi replaces Dimitriu.
83 min...WS Uccello cornerkick from right has WS Holder heads 8 yarder just over bar.
86 min...MFA Malcom long run on left hand cross from 25 yards near end line and MFA Koue can't quite twist header from 7 yards in middle.
88 min...MFA sub...Gardner replaces Themelis.
89 min...WS Chiarot takes quick 28 yard low shot up middle after making interception on wide left.
93 min...WS YELLOW card...Uccello earns it for tackle at MFA 30 yard line.
93 min...game ends 10:52pm.

Final Score:.....Masters FA.........0.......Woodbridge Strikers.....4....

Attendance was around 40 with another 10 watching for free from the overhanging stands of the baseball bleachers.

Three goals in four minutes broke this game open. I didn't think of it at the time but this was faster than the Germany vs Brazil World Cup semi-final game. There was almost another goal at 20 minutes but Julian Uccello couldn't win a Penalty kick call—as the Strikers bench complained "Just because it's 3-0 doesn't mean you shouldn't make the call".

Referee Pierre Acouri gave out five Yellow cards, three to Masters in a game that wasn't too rough although there were a few hard tackles.

Strikers goalies Eugenio Garro and Nicholas Bettancourt shared the shutout with Bettancourt entering the game at 80 minutes. Assistant coach Sam Medeiros answered me that it was Bettancourt's birthday. He had no saves to make.

The late start ensured that there were no children here. Before this game there was a friendly game between two teams of old Caribbean men with what looked like a 10 year old grandson. Their game played until 8:30pm while both League 1 Ontario teams warmed up in each end zone. Probably the late organizing of this league means that the prime time rental slots are already taken. There is talk that by league official Anthony Totera that this pitch is one of three being considered for the Cup Final in October. They better figure out a way to block the view from the chain link fence surrounding the field and the view from the baseball stands that are higher than the soccer stands if they expect any casual fan to pay to watch. I was distracted by the co-ed flag football game in the field beside this one as the frequent referee whistles of that game were confusing.

It is quite possible that I will see Luca Uccello tomorrow in the Toronto FC Academy game against Durham United. Julian Uccello confirmed that was one of his younger brothers on TFCA and another is a goaltender in their system.

Tonight's win moves the Strikers up to a tie for second place with a record of 6 wins, 1 tie, 3 losses with the sudden deletion for all teams of any games played against the expelled Internacional de Toronto. Masters record falls to 2 wins, 1 tie, 8 losses for 8th in the now 9 team league. (Previous leaders Toronto FC Academy has two of their wins disappear and spin back to 4th place—Sigma FC is in 1st).

Strikers head coach Peter Pinizzotto said before the game that his lineup will pretty much be the same in tonight's game and their Cup game on Monday night against Sigma FC. Looks like even less reason to change it now after tonight's decisive victory.

DJ/announcer for the night was Pat Montalto [corrected as my first report I mixed him up with Mike Di Matteo] who has come over from the CSL within the last two weeks from Brampton City United to take a managerial position with Masters.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca

Masters FA starters