August 1, 2015 USL Pro--Toronto FC II vs Louisville City FC (by Rocket Robin)

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Result and details of the Saturday August 1, 2015 USL Pro game between Toronto FC II and Louisville City FC played at The Ontario Soccer Centre in Vaughan at 3:00pm.

Toronto FC II (all red, white names and numbers)

...................40 Quillan Roberts (cpt)
54 Gabriel Boakye...33 Skylar Thomas...37 Adam Bouchard...43 Mark Serjeant
39 Marcos Nunes...45 Luca Uccello...34 Manuel Aparicio...35 Edwin Rivas
..............31 Sal Bernal...41 Molham Babouli

Subs:...25 Alex Bono (gk)...22 Jordan Hamilton (fwd)...44 Mark Anthony Kaye (fwd)...58 Anthony Osorio (fwd)...59 Emeka Ononye
...63 Liam Fraser (mid)...64 Kevin Timachy (fwd)
team officials:...head coach Jason Bent

Louisville City FC (all white, purple names and numbers)

....................1 Scott Goodwin
2 Bryan Burke...5 Conor Shanosky...6 Tarek Morad...20 Enrique Montana
7 Kadeem Dacres...8 Juan Guzman...4 Aodhan Quinn...94 Charlie Adams
............9 Matt Fondy (cpt)...10 Magnus Rasmussen

Subs:...13 Greg Ranjitsingh (gk)...3 Adam West (def)...11 Niall McCabe (mid)...14 Ilija Ilic (fwd)...15 Sean Reynolds (def)
...16 Nathan Polak (fwd)...17 Kevin Cossette (mid)
team officials:...head coach James O'Connor

Game officials:...referee Alexis Vaughan...referee's assistants Chantal Boudreau and Sharon Welsby...fourth official Justin Tasev
...(teal shirts, black shorts and socks)

1st Half:...game starts 3:13pm...TFC II defends south end on this hot afternoon with a bright sun in the south west. There's a wind from the west.
2 min...LC Fondy and Rasmussen work out a give and go just inside TFC box and LC Quinn crosses shot from 8 yards that LC Fondy shoots 7 yarder down middle over open net.
3 min...LC Burke 25 yard cross from near right end line has goalie charge forward and catch ball in crowd of plsyers.
6 min...TFC Babouli 28 yard freekick from right is bounced into box but ball cleared.
7 min...TFC Rivas 30 yard cross from left has TFC Babouli slide but not fully connect on 12 yard shot up middle.
10 min...LC Montana cross from 25 yards on left has LC Dacres head 15 yarder down middle that goalie catches.
11 min...TFC Uccello gets cross from right and gets away shot from 12 yards down middle as he falls that sliding goalie blocks and defenders clear.
12 min...LC Fondy taps ball back on rush to left endline but no LC players are close enough to play ball and it's cleared.
15 min...LC Dacres chips pass to LC Fondy open on right and rush in and low 18 yard shot has diving goalie push ball wide left.
16 min...LC Montana cornerkick from left is over players in box and play is whistled down in box.
17 min...LC Dacres and TFC Bouchard is injured in collision jumping for ball at TFC 20 yards on right. TFC Bouchard is down longer.
19 min...TFC Nunes run on right and cross attempt deflects off defender for cornerkick.
20 min...TFC II Molham Babouli GOAL...Babouli takes low cornerkick from right that's over to middle but outside box. TFC Luca Uccello shoots 25 yarder down middle that defender blocks at 15 yards. Another defender chips cross from 18 yards to beat TFC player to ball and ball is over to Babouli behind defenders and he runs towards goal from 22 yards on right and shoots 8 yarder from right into left side of net over goalie at 5 yards.
23 min...LC Burke rolls centering pass and LC Dacres shoots low 20 yarder behind defender and smothered by goalie near left post.
24 min...TFC Babouli 40 yard freekick from right has TFC Bouchard leap to head ball across box at 10 yards but flag is raised.
26 min...LC Burke rolls pass from center line forward to LC Dacres for rush up right and he sends low cross from 22 yards and LC Rasmussen shanks 12 yard kick wide left.
29 min...TFC Boakye gets second cross attempt from 25 yards on far right is caught by goalie.
31 min...TFC Babouli taps pass in middle over to TFC Nunes who has 22 yard shot from right is batted away by sliding goalie.
32 min...LC YELLOW card...Quinn earns if for tackle at LC 30 yard sideline.
32 min...TFC Babouli freekick from 40 yards on right is caught by goalie when it hangs up in wind.
33 min...TFC Babouli 12 yard shot on far right is blocked by goalie at 7 yards.
35 min...LC Burke cross from 25 yards on far right is caught by goalie.
37 min...LC Burke cross from right has TFC Rivas make key header to clear at 15 yards.
37 min...TFC Babouli 25 yard freekick down middle hits player wall.
39 min...TFC Nunes ends TFC rush with midair 15 yard shot from right is high and wide right of net.
40 min...LC Burke cross from 22 yards on right has defender head ball wide left.
40 min...LC Montana cornerkick from left has defender heads away.
42 min...LC Dacres in crowd of plaeyrs in middle turns and fires 20 yarder high and wide left.
44 min...TFC Rivas partially whiffs on open 18 yard shot after ball tipped over across box to left.
46 min...half ends 3:59pm.

Halftime Entertainment: there's a 3 on 3 mini-game of soccer tennis between 8 to 10 year olds.

2nd Half:...starts 4:17pm and it's still sunny.
halftime sub:...LC sub...McCabe replaces Adams.
................LC sub...Cossette replaces Montana.
46 min...TFC Bernal intercepts LC goalie's clearance and blasts 25 yard shot that goalie swats up and wide left of net.
46 min...TFC player's cornerkick from left is cleared from box.
48 min...LC Fondy rush to 18 yards but is caught by defenders so runs towards center and cuts 20 yard shot down middle well over net.
49 min...LC Burke cross from 28 yards on right has LC Fondy head 12 yarder that's caught by goalie.
51 min...TFC Nunes cross from right is over box and tips off TFC Rivas chest and over end line.
53 min...LC Cossette cross over box from left and LC Mccabe 22 yard shot from extreme right is well over net.
54 min...LC McCabe rolls 18 yard shot from right that goalie picks up.
57 min...Louisville Kadeem Dacres GOAL...LC Magnus Rasmussen at 25 yards in middle rolls pass forward to LC Matt Fondy who has ball poked away at 15 yards by one of three defenders covering him and Dacres shoots low 20 yarder into right corner of net past diving goalie Quillan Roberts.
58 min...LC sub...Ilic replaces Rasmussen.
60 min...LC Burke rush on right and crosses from 25 yards. LC Fondy rolls 15 yarder wide right as he's bumped over.
61 min...TFC sub...Hamilton replaces Rivas.
63 min...TFC Boakye sliding tackle pokes ball on left away from LC Dacres. LC Dacres then bumps over TFC Boakye on his run for clearance injurying him.
65 min...LC Dacres cuts to middle from 45 yard on rush on run and blasts low 23 yard shot that diving goalie pushes ball wide right of post.
66 min...LC Cossette cornerkick from right has defender head ball at 6 yards for another cornerkick.
66 min...LC Cossette cornerkick from right has LC Shanosky head 6 yarder from left that goalie palms over net.
66 min...Louisville Niall McCabe GOAL...LC Kevin Cossette cornerkick from right has goalie get hand to it at 3 yards near left post to swat ball forward. An LC player blasts an 8 yard shot off the bar and the ball bounces just out of box where McCabe blasts low shot from 18 yards through the crowd of players and into the right side of net with the goalie diving to try to make save at 15 yards in front of those players.
66 min...TFC YELLOW card...goalie Roberts earns it for chasing after the referee outside the box to complain about the play.
67 min...LC Dacres is squeezed between players on run on left but play is whistled down at 22 yards for TFC freekick.
67 min...TFC sub...Fraser replaces Uccello.
72 min...Louisville Bryan Burke GOAL...Burke rushes from 45 yard line on right and survives TFC Sal Bernal's trip attempt at 40 yards then his follow up poke check from behind and Burke squeezes between TFC Mark Serjeant and Adam Bouchard on edge of box and shoots 8 yarder from right that sliding goalie gets arm on but ball squeezes between arm and body into right side of net.
72 min...LC sub...Polak replaces Fondy.
74 min...LC Ilic is injured at LC 50 yard line.
74 min...LC McCabe passes forward from 60 yards up left and LC Cossette charges in from 35 yards and his cross from 30 yards is caught by goalie.
75 min...TFC sub...Kaye replaces Serjeant.
77 min...LC Ilic can't win Penalty kick as ball taken off him just inside box with four guys around him. TFC wins freekick.
79 min...LC Dacres rolls pass up middle but TFC Thomas gets foot in to stop LC Polak getting shot at 8 yards.
80 min...TFC Jordan Hamilton GOAL...TFC Sal Bernal crosses from 15 yards on left and Hamilton gets head to at 8 yards up middle past defender and ball bounces at 4 yards and goalie Scott Goodwin misplays and deflects it into left side of own net.
81 min...TFC Aparicio 25 yard shot up middle is wide right of net.
83 min...TFC sub...Timachy replaces Bernal.
83 min...TFC Babouli 40 yard freekick from left has goalie punch away at 6 yards on right in crowd of players.
84 min...LC Dacres 35 yard cross from right is high and caught by goalie.
85 min...LC sub...Reynolds replaces Dacres.
86 min...TFC Aparicio chips 22 yarder into box but goalie catches on bounce as TFC Hamilton is held back by offside worry.
87 min...TFC sub...Osorio replaces Aparicio.
90 min...TFC Babouli 40 yard freekick from right has LC Ilic clear as closest player on edge of box.
93 min...TFC Babouli 30 yard freekick down middle is chip too far ahead of charging players and wide left although offside flag was up.
94 min...game ends 5:06pm.

Final Score:.........Toronto FC II..........2...........Louisville City FC............3.......

Attendance wasn't announced but it was sparce. The USL website updated it to 303. The weather was hot and sunny (time of the game means the fans don't stare into the sun). Newscasts said there would be thunderstorms but the cloud that passed by dropped about 30 seconds of rain and that was it the entire game. There was a cross wind from the west that wouldn't favour either team.

303 fans? It is a holiday weekend in Ontario but this is only half the crowd of previous league games. No supporter groups turned up except one Red Patch Boys flag in the top right corner of the stands. The MLS team is on the road and doesn't play until tonight.

Referee Alexis Vaughan gave out three Yellow cards (two to Louisville) in a game that was more wide open than close checking. Louisville had a complaint about the first TFC goal because an assistant referee raised her flag but Vaughan ordered her to put it back down. Instant replays which I saw after I got home showed it was a Louisville defender who cleared the ball across the field finding Babouli behind the defenders so it wasn't offside although a few players saw the flag and stopped; not chasing Babouli.

Jordan Hamilton didn't get into the game until 61 minutes and rarely touched the ball except on the goal. From being on the MLS roster to starting for TFC II to now coming on as a sub, his stock must be falling. Molham Babouli has stepped into the starting forward roll. He takes the corners and freekicks. Another forward I thought may not even be with the team anymore is Stefan Vukovic who I saw at halftime in the crowd but he said he was recovering from an injury. I've been watching him from TFC Academy days in the CSL.

The winning Louisville goal came on their third cornerkick from the same side within one minute although it could be said that they had more chances throughout the game. Official stats who a 17 to 9 edge in shots at goal.

While I was compiling the roster for Louisville I came across midfielder Kevin Cossette from Montreal. His history dates back to playing in the CSL in 2009 and 2010 for Trois-Riveres Attak, a pre FC Montreal farm team of the Montreal Impact. He then left to attend University of Laval and played four years there. I made sure I said hello after the game. TFC player hurried back to the dressing room unlike other games where they mingled with the fans giving autographs and posing for selfies.

Louisville wins their sixth game in a row today. They have an affiliation with Orlando City FC who when they jumped to MLS left much of their USL roster behind that then moved to Louisville Kentucky. About all that remains is the team colour purple which today was restricted to names and numbers on a white uniform, and a few of their coaches. They have a fleur-de-lys symbol expressing their French heritage. I expect they will be completely indie next year because on the Orlando City podcast I listen to, I've heard the club will form their own USL team and play closer to Orlando much the same as TFC II does. Louisville will host their parent team later this month for a special game.

The loss drops TFC II's record to 4 wins, 10 losses, 3 ties for tenth place at the moment (although they may get passed this weekend) while Louisville improves to 11 wins, 3 losses, 5 ties for second place out of twelve teams in the East.

Next game for TFC II is next Saturday night here at the Ontario Soccer Centre at 8:00pm against Pittsburgh Riverhounds. This is a game I'll miss as the MLS club will be finishing up their game against Kansas City which won't finish until 6:00pm in downtown Toronto.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca

Toronto FC II starters