May 8, 2016 League 1 Ontario--Toronto Skillz FC vs North Toronto Nitros (by Rocket Robin)

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Result and details of the League 1 Ontario game between Toronto Skillz FC and North Toronto Nitros played Sunday May 8, 2016 at Birchmount Stadium at 6:00pm.

Toronto Skillz FC (red socks and shirts, black shorts, white numbers)

..................1 Khedar Caesar-Thompson
2 Jeremy Nand...23 Thanujan Jeyathilaka...17 Nicolas Goddard (cpt)...24 Drai Gordon
27 Christopher Lozanovski...8 Ryan Reid...14 Michael Jahshan...19 Andrew Gordon
............16 Mahmoud Mirsadeghi...11 Mario Ramalho

Subs:...0 Viktor Lyczywek (gk)...7 Seerat Ali-Sultan...12 Juwan Shalland-Rhodes...28 Jaspreet Bhatti...29 Liam Cox
team officials:...team head coach Leslie Fitzpatrick...managers Douglas Angelo and Jake Doodnath...assistant coach Isiaka Onibudo ...therapist Brian Mak

North Toronto Nitros (green socks and shirts, black shorts and numbers)

..................1 Mark Rogal
17 Myles Abreo...16 Carl De Abreo (cpt)...6 Jayden Doyle...5 David Colleli
........8 Harry Michelis...10 Niba MacDonald...13 Nikolay Saveliev
.......11 Russel Rodrigues...7 Felix Ngah...9 Abdallah Elchanti

Subs:...12 Stefan Dusciuc (gk)...2 Devon Bowyer...3 Koosha Nazemi...4 Lukas MacNaughton...14 Callum Fleming
...19 Anthony Sousa...22 Yousef Helmy
team officials:...team head coach Herrmann Andre Kingue Mouyeme...manager Gary Fleming...assistant coach Ilya Orlov

Game officials:...referee Brian Butler...referee's assistants Joseph D'Onofrio and Jason Vaillancourt
....fourth official Joey Filipic...(teal shirts, black shorts and socks)

1st Half:...game starts 6:04pm. Skillz defends north end on this cool evening with the sun in the north west although it is mainly cloudy.
50 sec...TS Jeyathilaka gets back to clear ball at 3 yards after an NTN player on rush on right rounds the goalie and rolls the ball from 10 yards towards net from extreme angle.
1 min...NTN Elchanti 30 yard blast of partial clearance after cornerkick from right hits bar.
6 min...Skillz Ramalho duel with defender on left but he pushes ball over endline for goalkick.
10 min...Skillz Andrew Gordon blocks NTN defender's clearance and runs on left to endline and cuts towards goal and goalie stops 12 yards shot.
11 min...NTN Elchanti cornerkick from left wins another cornerkick on defender's clearance.
12 min...NTN Elchanti cornerkick from left is whistled down in box.
14 min...NTN Saveliev then NTN Ngah have inbox shots blocked by defenders. Skillz Nand is injured blocking shot at 8 yards and needs trainer.
17 min...NTN Doyle is injured in crash with Skillz player as he's jumping for header at NTN 30 yard line.
18 min...NTN Elchanti feeds through ball pass from centerline to 40 yards on left. NTN Saveliev runs into 15 yards on left and goalie catches his shot at 6 yards.
19 min...NTN Doyle 30yard shot from left drifts off target.
20 min...NTN Doyle cross from 35 yards on left has Skillz Goddard chest ball back to goalie to prevent NTN player from close shot.
21 min...NTN Elchanti receives chipped pass and 8 yard shot is tipped wide left but play is called offside.
25 min...NTN Elchanti rush on right has defender block his 15 yard shot.
26 min...Skillz Nand 45 yard freekick from right is caught at 6 yards by leaping goalie.
27 min...NTN Ngah on run on right has 10 yard shot blocked by defender.
28 min...Skillz goalie dives right to catch flicked header from 7 yards after NTN cross from right.
31 min...NTN Doyle passes ball forward and wins cornerkick.
31 min...NTN Nikolay Saveliev GOAL...NTN Jayden Doyle takes low cornerkick from left that has Saveliev charge forward left of post and flick foot ball over two defenders on left post and drop into right side of net.
33 min...Skillz Andrew Gordon blasts 40 yard freekick down middle that's stopped and cleared.
34 min...NTN Doyle charges on break on left and rolls cross into box near 10 yards and charging NTN Rodrigues blasts shot that goalie blocks. Another NTN player follows up with a 22 yard blast well over net.
35 min...Skillz goalie charges out to 20 yards to blast away through ball pass.
37 min...NTN Elchanti cornerkick from left has goalie catch ball in crowd of players.
39 min...NTN player spins and takes 22 yard midair kick wide left of net.
41 min...NTN Saveliev leaps to flick header wide left from 8 yards on cross from right.
43 min...NTN Doyle cross from 30 yards on left has charging NTN Saveliev headball wide left from 7 yards on right.
44 min...NTN goalie charges to 12 yards to beat Skillz Andrew Gordon to chipped cross from left.
45 min...NTN Abreo falls down at Skillz 25 yard line on right with head injury.
47 min...half ends 6:51pm.

2nd Half:...starts 7:07pm.
halftime sub:...Skillz Shalland-Rhodes replaces Mirsadeghi.
45 min...Skillz Ramalho 40 yard freekick from right is headed away just inside box.
46 min...NTN Saveliev cornerkick from right has someone pop up a header and a defender clears from the box.
47 min...NTN YELLOW card...Elchanti earns it for high check kick at Skillz 30 yard line.
48 min...NTN Saveliev cornerkick from right has forward not able to turn header at 6 yards.
50 min...Skillz Ramalho cornerkick from lef thas ball fly through box with both teams missing headers.
51 min...NTN goaliecatches cross from 25 yards sent in from far right.
51 min...NTN Saveliev 35 yard freekick from right has Skillz Goddard head away in crowd of players at 6 yards and chip of partial clearance catches NTN players offside.
53 min...NTN Ngah cross from20 yards on far right has goalie catch.
54 min...NTN sub...Nazemi replaces Abreo.
55 min...NTN Rodrigues cross from right is through box and cleared.
55 min...Skillz Ramalho 25 yard shot from left is over net.
56 min...NTN Saveliev 35 yard freekick from right has NTN player tip 3 yarder on ground that goalie stops but play was called offside.
57 min...Skillz Lozanovski 25 yard freekick from near right sideline has goalie catch on right post.
58 min...NTN Doyle cross is low and over diving goalie but ball bounces through box.
59 min...NTN sub...Sousa replaces Ngah.
60 min...NTN Saveliev cornerkick from right has defender flick header from right through box.
61 min...NTN YELLOW card...Nazemi earns it for tackle on Skillz Andrew Gordon near left cornerflag.
62 min...Skillz Ramalho 22 yard freekick from left is cleared from box.
62 min...NTN Sousa chips ball forward from 25 yards but goalie beats an NTN forward to catch just inside box.
63 min...NTN Anthony Sousa takes quick shot from 20 yards that hits hand of Skillz defender Drai Gordon just inside box. Referee Brian Butler awards NTN a Penalty kick.
.........Skillz YELLOW card...Drai Gordon earns it for his part in the play.
64 min...NTN Niba MacDonald GOAL...MacDonald shoots Penalty kick low to right corner of net as goalie Khedar Caesar-Thompson dives left.
65 min...Skillz Ramalho 35 yard freekick from left has goalie catch over head under no pressure.
67 min...Skillz Ramalho 30 yard freekick from left has defenders clear ball from box.
68 min...Skillz sub...Cox replaces Nand.
70 min...NTN sub...Bowyer replaces Doyle.
71 min...Skillz Rahalho 30 yard freekick from left has NTN Nazemi head ball away for cornerkick.
71 min...Skillz Rahalho cornerkick from left has Skillz Jeyathilaka head 8 yarder from right wide right of net.
73 min...Skillz Rahalho 40 yard freekick blast down middle is over net.
75 min...NTN sub...MacNaughton replaces Michelis.
.........Skillz sub...Ali-Sultan replaces Ramalho.
76 min...NTN Anthony Sousa GOAL...Sigma Nicholas Goddard pops up header at 12 yards and Sousa gets to loose ball in middle and rolls 8 yarder past sprawling goalie to center of net.
77 min...Skillz goalie races right to grab bouncer of cross from left.
78 min...Skillz Reid rushes for ball at 15 yards and low shot is blocked point blank by goalie.
78 min...Skillz Jahshan cross from right is cleared from from box.
81 min...NTN sub...Fleming replaces Elchanti.
81 min...NTN MacNaughton low freekick from 22 yards on far left is deflected through box but unplayed.
82 min...NTN MacNaughton ends NTN pressure with 25 yard shot over net.
82 min...Skillz YELLOW card...Goddard earns it for handball at Skillz 25 yards breaking up a 2 on 1 pass.
83 min...NTN Sousa low 28 yard shot freekick is just wide left of post.
84 min...Skillz Jahshan steps forward and blasts 25 yarder up middle high and wide right of goal.
85 min...Skillz Lozanovski at Skillz 35 yard line away from play with is down with a leg injury.
87 min...Skillz Reid 35 yard freekick has defender head away.
88 min...NTN Nazemi 40 yard cross from right has NTN MacNaughton head 10 yarder wide left of net.
89 min...NTN goalie has to step forward to clear short header sent back back to him.
90 min...NTN Nazemi rush ddown right and 30 yard cross has NTN Fleming not fully connect on 10 yard kick and ball bounces for goalie to pick up.
93 min...game ends 7:55pm.

Final Score:.....Toronto Skillz FC......0.....North Toronto Nitros........3.......

Attendance eventually climbed to about 100 maybe slowed down by the isolated showers throughout the city including a few drops just before game time.

The game finished before dark but those who wore parkas like me were grateful as the temperatures dropped quickly—geez it's May already!

Referee Brian Butler gave out four Yellow cards (all in the second half and two to each team). A few injuries on sloppy challenges rather than anything vicious. Both Skillz Yellows were for hand balls.

Both teams were flagged often for offsides.

This is only the second League 1 Ontario ever for each of these new teams. Both teams play in the Eastern Conference and lost their first games. Nitros looked the better team by far in the first half with Skillz players rarely getting within 30 yards of the NTN goal. Skillz improved in the second half but were forced to open up and left themselves subject to NTN counterattacks. Nitros looked much better than when I saw them play last week against Vaughan Azzurri. They were often able to break up Skillz rushes with blocks and pass interceptions just outside their box.

Best non-scoring chances were at 1 minute when NTN Abdallah Elchanti received a partial clearance after an NTN cornerkick and blasted a 30 yard shot from the right that hit the bar. 18 minutes had Elchanti feed a through ball pass from the center line over to NTN Nikolay Saveliev at 40 yards on the left and he raced in to 15 yards and the goalie caught his shot at 6 yards. 34 minutes had NTN Jayden Doyle charge in on a break on the left and rolled a cross into the center of the box where NTN Russell Rodrigues blasted a shot from 10 yards that the goalie blocked. 78 minutes had Skillz Ryan Reid rush for a ball at 15 yards and his low shot was blocked point blank by the goalie.

Mark Rogal earned the shutout for the Nitros with a few key stops especially in the second half.

The only player I recognized on the Skillz team was their captain/defender Nicholas Goddard who I watched play for Durham United in 2014 and Masters' Saints last year. (even back to Milltown FC of CSL in 2010). Midfielder Andrew Gordon was recently on the Canada U-20 team (well at least their ID camp).

I hadn't been to Birchmount Stadium in a few years. Aluminum seats including two extra stands mean that about 1200 could sit inside. Field turf still looks fairly new.

"Birchmount Stadium—home of the Robbie" was rapped in the #1 hit song 'One Week' by the Barenaked Ladies in 1998. The Robbie is the world's largest annual charitable youth tournament. And you thought only Drake drops Toronto place names!

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca

Toronto Skillz FC starters