August 10, 2014 League 1 Ontario--Toronto FC Academy vs Durham United FC (by Rocket Robin)

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Result and details of the Sunday August 10, 2014 League 1 Ontario game between Toronto FC Academy and Durham United FC played at KIA Training Centre in Downsview at 1:00pm.

Toronto FC Academy (all white, black numbers)

.................12 Mark Rogal
4 Matteo Restrepo...13 Koosha Nazemi...6 Chris Mannella (cpt)...16 Tariqu Robertson
14 Anthony Osorio...21 Oladapo Afolayan...20 Luca Uccello...23 Marcos Andrew Nunes
............9 Molham Babouli...10 Dylan Sacramento

Subs:...22 Felippo Di Bernnardo (gk)...15 Jordah Daniel...17 Matt Stowell...18 Jordan Piccinin...25 Quante Abbott-Hill-Smith
team officials:...team head coach Micahel Stefano...assistant coach Nikita Komarov...managers Frank Russo and Paolo Ceccarelli

Durham United FC (all amber, black numbers and stripes on chests)

...................0 Eugene Alves (cpt)
13 Le Shaun Young...8 Nick Goddard...21 Hameez Farrell...3 Morey Doner
17 Joseph Roccasalva...15 Tristan Grant...18 Taylor Lord...10 Marintho Dumevski
...........9 David James...20 Le Rohne Young

Subs:...-- Benjamin Cowman (gk)...19 Colin Francis...16 Kyle Crighton...8 Davinder Johal...7 Jordon Hargrave...11 Shaq Aggard...14 Jordan Dover
team officials:...team head coach Tony La Ferrara...assistant coaches Sanford Carabin...managers Connor Schmitt and Corrado Roccasalva

Game officials:...referee Michael Stenbring...referee's assistants Sharon Welsby and Jessica Patton...fourth official David Barrie
...(all black uniforms)

1st Half:...game starts 1:05pm...TFCA defend north end.
3 min...TFCA Sacramento is just a step away of cross bouncing at 12 yards and instead DUFC goalie catches.
4 min...TFCA Osorio blasts 20 yarder down middle over net.
5 min...DUFC Le Shaun Young 50 yard freekick from right bounces wide left of net.
5 min...TFCA Nazemi suddenly leaves the field and goes back to the dressing room for a few minutes.
6 min...TFCA Restrepo cross from 22 yards on right is caught by goalie.
9 min...TFCA Babouli long rush on left and rolls 15 yard shot that diving goalie smothers.
14 min...DUFC Le Rohne Young long run on right and rolls 22 yarder that goalie picks up.
14 min...TFCA Uccello rolls centering cross from 18 yards and defender clears in box.
15 min...TFCA Babouli shakes off DUFC Lord and slides for ball and hits diving goalie who smothers ball at 10 yards.
16 min...TFCA Afolayan and DUFC player are both hurt in center circle. Afolayan needs treatment with what looks like a head injury.
18 min...DUFC Dumevski cross from left near cornerflag is over players in box.
19 min...DUFC Le Shaun Young shot from 18 yards on right is blocked by defender.
20 min...DUFC player's cornerkick from right has TFCA player head ball through box for throw-in.
21 min...TFCA sub...Abbott-Hill-Smith replaces injured Afolayan.
22 min...TFCA Osorio cornerkick from right has goalie catch.
25 min...TFCA Nunes flips over diving goalie who smothers ball at 10 yards on right.
28 min...TFCA Robertson 40 yard chip from left has goalie catch on bounce.
29 min...DUFC YELLOW card...Goddard earns it for tackle at DUFC 30 yard line.
29 min...TFCA Mannella 35 yard low freekick from left rolls to goalie.
31 min...TFCA Abbott-Hill-Smith rush to rescue ball on right end line and 20 yard shot is caught by goalie.
31 min...TFCA Uccello taps pass to left and TFCA Osorio blasts 20 yarder that flying goalie catches.
36 min...TFCA goalie catches high cross sent in from 25 yards on right.
37 min...TFCA Nunes has shot blocked.
38 min...TFCA Luca Uccello is tripped by sliding defender on right side of box. Referee Michael Stenbring calls a Penalty kick.
39 min...TFCA Molham Babouli GOAL...Babouli blasts low Penalty kick to right corner as goalie Eugene Alves crumples in center of net.
41 min...TFCA Anthony Osorio GOAL...Osorio turns around at 18 yards in middle and shoots roller into left side of open net as the goalie had fallen on right near edge of box partially blocking shot from the right.
43 min...TFCA Luca Uccello GOAL...Uccello is tapped a pass by TFCA Anthony Osorio at 20 yards in middle and rolls shot into left corner of net.
46 min...TFCA Molham Babouli GOAL...DUFC goalie Eugene Alves is on his knees on edge of box to punch ball forward. TFCA Anthony Osorio gives short pass over to Babouli who fires 18 yarder into the open net.
47 min...TFCA Sacramento cross from 18 yards on left has goalie fly right to catch.
47 min...half ends 1:52pm.

Halftime Entertainment:...there's a crossbar hitting contest between two fans drawn from the crowd.

2nd Half:...starts 2:11pm.
halftime subs:...DUFC Dover replaces Farrell.
.............DUFC Crighton replaces James.
48 min...DUFC Dover on 1 on 2 rush gets away 20 yard shot that goalie catches.
50 min...TFCA Dylan Sacramento GOAL...TFCA Tariq Robertson on left rolls centering cross that charging Sacramento puts foot forward and toe pokes ball from 7 yards under the goalie into center of net.
51 min...TFCA Osorio high cross from left has goalie catch.
51 min...TFCA Nunes 25 yard blast from right that goalie flies to save.
52 min...TFCA player's short cornerkick from right is worked out and TFCA Uccello blasts 25 yarder up middle that goalie sprawls to save.
53 min...TFCA Abbott-Hill-Smith cross after run on right has defender head out left of post.
54 min...TFCA Mannella low blast from 25 yards on left deflects wide right of post for cornerkick.
56 min...TFCA Quante Abbott-Hill-Smith GOAL...TFCA Dylan Sacramento cornerkick from right has leaping Abbott-Hill-Smith in crowd of players at 10 yards in middle head ball into lower left corner of net.
58 min...TFCA Osorio cross near 22 yards on left end line is over box.
59 min...DUFC Grant low 22 yard shot from left is well wide right.
60 min...DUFC Aggard replaces Roccasalva.
65 min...DUFC Taylor Lord GOAL...Lord works give and go with DUFC Shaquille Aggard from 30 yards on left and Lord finishes with low 18 yard shot past diving goalie Mark Rogal to right corner of net.
65 min...DUFC sub...Hargrave replaces Dumevski.
67 min...DUFC sub...Francis replaces Grant.
69 min...TFCA Osorio cornerkick from right has TFCA player rush into crowd of players and heads ball over net from 8 yards.
71 min...TFCA Nunes rushes up right and 25 yard shot is stopped.
71 min...TFCA Babouli taps pass forward past fallen defender and TFCA Sacramento blasts 20 yarder from right that flying goalie palms wide left.
72 min...TFCA sub...Piccinin replaces Babouli.
75 min...DUFC YELLOW card...Crighton earns it for sliding tackle on TFCA Piccinin at DUFC 35 yard line.
78 min...TFCA sub...Stowell replaces Robertson.
81 min...TFCA Uccello is passed ball forward but takes too long trying to get to other foot and defender blocks 15 yard shot.
82 min...TFCA Nunes is given through pass and 12 yard shot has flying goalie push ball wide left of post.
83 min...TFCA Uccello cornerkick from left is cleared from box.
84 min...TFCA Uccello clearance deflects off him at 10 yards and back to goalie.
85 min...TFCA Sacramento intercepts ball at 25 yards and quick chip has goalie palm ball that bounces wide right.
86 min...TFCA player's cornerkick from right is cleared from box. TFCA Stowell 40 yard ship from left has goalie catch at 12 yards on right.
87 min...DUFC Francis shoots 25 yarder over net when DUFC Aggard centers him ball from right.
88 min...TFCA Osorio cornerkick from right is short and he gets pass back and crosses from 25 yards on right that's caught by goalie.
90 min...TFCA Nunes rush on right and crosses to middle and TFCA Uccello can't quite turn ball on slide at 12 yards on left.
92 min...TFCA Marcos Andres Nunes GOAL...TFCA Luca Uccello rolls through ball pass from 45 yards on left to charging Nunes up middle on break and he shoots low 20 yard shot to left side of net.
93 min...TFCA Osorio on left blasts 25 yard shot over net.
93 min...game ends.

Final Score:...Toronto FC Academy.....7.....Durham United FC.....1....

Attendance was about 70 on this hot and humid afternoon with a bright sun in the south west. My sun hat blew off only three times on a day less windy than the last time I was on these former airport lands.

This game/game report has some deja-vu qualities with the League 1 game I saw last night between Masters FA and Woodbridge Strikers. Three goals within four minutes to put the game away in the first half ? Check! Only difference is TFCA kept going with another goal three minutes later whereas Strikers couldn't win a Penalty kick one minute after their third goal. Goal scored by a player named "Uccello"? Check! Today it was Luca Uccello who scored in that fury—last night it was his older brother Julian who scored for Strikers. Luca confirmed after the game that there's another brother who's a goalie for TFCA in one of their younger age groups.

Durham had played TFCA twice earlier this year, earning a 1-1 tie on a game on July 4th in Pickering and losing a 2-0 Cup game on July 23rd played in Oshawa (both DUFC home games). DUFC actually is doing well in Cup competition having clinched a spot in the semi-final with TFCA likely to earn the other spot in their group. The teams will then avoid each other until the final.

Referee Michael Stenbring gave out only two Yellow cards—both to DUFC players in a game that wasn't rough. TFCA Oladapo Afolayan was injured at 16 minutes in a collision with a DUFC player in the center circle that injured both of them. Afolayan was taken to the dressing room—he looked like he may have been knocked out. Certainly unexpected, TFCA played short for 5 minutes before subbing in Quante Abbott-Hill-Smith.

DUFC goalie Eugene Alves was voted Player of the Week just two weeks ago. Today he was left on his own too often on TFCA breakaways. DUFC have gradually gone to very tall defenders from the last month that I noticed but they were left behind on TFCA rushes. The game was delayed five minutes from its scheduled time for the late lineup submitted by DUFC and I can see three switches between starters and reserves penned in.

The win today for TFCA moves them up from 4th to 2nd place in the League with a record of 6 wins, 3 ties, 0 losses but three games in hand on first place Sigma FC who are three points ahead. TFCA were in 1st place at the beginning of the week but they 'lost' their two wins against the now expelled Internacional de Toronto franchise.

Another question involves leading scorer Molham Babouli who scored his 14th and 15th League/Cup goals in today's game. Or did he? If individual records are erased then Babouli loses something like five goals that he scored against Inter. He was awarded Player of the Week on a hat trick effort against Inter a few months ago. League Chairman Dino Rossi Jr was at today's game and answered me that the records will have to change but on the other hand if Babouli is considered for the MVP then all those goals will be considered. So Yes or No? Sounds like the League hasn't decided.

Having to claw their way back up the standings can be used as inspiration for TFCA. Head coach Michael Stefano said some of their best players were away the last two weeks in their USL Pro affiliate Wilmington while the rest of the team is only aged 16 or 17 so the team can't get much younger. This was to answer my question about whether getting their own franchise in USL Pro in Canada (to avoid what happened to goalie Quillan Roberts who had to return back across the border to be considered the 3rd goalie for Toronto FC of the MLS—now he'll probably sit with no games to play).

Anthony Osorio is a younger brother of Toronto FC MLS player Jonathan Osorio. He's the one I just saw on "All For One-episode 9" on Friday night as returning home for Christmas after playing in Uruguay.

DUFC stays in 6th place with a record of 2 wins, 4 ties, and 4 losses so they really have no chance of winning the League (remember there are no playoffs).

The crowd was small but there was a contest at halftime where two fans kicked from the Penalty spot to try to deliberately hit the crossbar and win a prize of TFC MLS tickets.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca

Toronto FC Academy starters