June 6, 2016 PDL Toronto FC Academy--Toronto FC Academy vs Derby City Rovers (by Rocket Robin)

...................... .......

Result and details of the USL PDL game between TFC Academy and Derby City Rovers played Monday June 6, 2016 at The KIA Training Centre in Downsview at 4:00pm.

Toronto FC II (all red, white numbers)

..................1 Darrin MacLeod
7 Steven Furlano (cpt)...4 Nikola Stakic...6 Thomas Mickoski...17 Andrew Dias
21 Matt Srbely...8 Nicholas Osorio...16 Kota Sakurai...3 Leonard Sohn
.............11 Richie Ennin...24 Reshon Phillip

Subs:...12 Phil DiBennardo (gk)...18 Marko Maletic (def)...5 Klaidi Cela (def)...20 Marko Mandekic (mid)
...15 Cyrus Rollocks (mid)...25 Mike Marcantognini...19 Ethan Beckford (fwd)
team officials:...head coach Sturart Neely

Derby City Rovers (all black, white numbers)

.................30 Stuart Ford
13 Daltyn Knutson...5 Myles Norville...4 Jordan Bates...12 Michael Lobbo
17 Ben Mendoza...27 Yudai Tashiro...23 Sam Stockton...9 Matias Pyysalo
............7 Aleksi Pahkasalo...16 Aladdin El Fares

Subs:...8 Hezekiah Weiss (mid)...22 Cory Thomas (fwd)
team officials:...head coach Lee Chalmers

Game officials:...referee Adam Kanji...referee's assistants Natalie Ford and Marvin Algas
...fourth official Ricky Wu...(yellow shirts, black shorts and socks)

1st Half:...game starts 4:08pm...TFCA defends north end on this warm, partly cloudy late afternoon with a strong gusty wind from the west.
1 min...DCR Pahkasalo cornerkick from right is a short pass play and is cleared.
2 min...TFC player's cross from left end line dies in wind and defender clears.
4 min...TFC Furlano passes forward on right from 30 yards to charging TFC Phillip who takes 10 yard shot into right outside webbing of net.
5 min...DCR Lobbo bashes over TFC Furlano, injurying him at TFC 40 yard line.
7 min...DCR Pahkasalo 40 yard freekick from right hits head in two man wall and is cleared.
12 min...TFC Furlano cross from 25 yards over to TFC Sohn but defender intercepts at 10 yards.
13 min...DCR Pyysalo cornerkick from right dies in the wind and DCR Knutson is checked off the ball.
14 min...DCR player's 25 yard freekick hits the outside webbing on the right side of the net.
16 min...TFC Osorio is given forward pass on the right and his low cross is cleared at 6 yards.
17 min...TFC Furlano threads ball from 60 yards through to charging TFC Phillip who shoots 20 yarder in middle that goalie flies left to clear.
18 min...TFC Phillip cornerkick from left is tipped for another cornerkick.
19 min...TFC Phillip cornerkick from left lands on top of net.
20 min...DCR goalie is called for picking up a backpass of indirect freekick is called.
20 min...TFC player's tapped freekick from 20 yards has TFC Ennin shot into charging DCR players.
22 min...DCR Pahkasalo 35 yard shot from right is well over net.
23 min...DCR Norville cross from 30 yards on far right drifts behind net.
25 min...TFC Dias low cross from 22 yards on left has defender clear.
26 min...TFC Phillip is checked on left side of box.
27 min...TFC Sohn cornerkick from right has TFC player get high foot but can't knock ball down on left side of net..
29 min...DCR Pahkasalo pass to DCR El Fares on right has TFC Srbely pull him down.
30 min...DCR Pahkasalo 25 yard freekick from right has defender pop up header and two more DCR tries have defenders block.
32 min...DCR Stockton at 30 yards in middle rolls pass betweeen defenders for DCR El Fares who shoots 20 yarder over net.
35 min...DCR Pahkasalo shoot 8 yarder through 6 yard box from left. TFC goalie makes stop of shot on right post.
37 min...TFC Srbely 30 yard freeekick down middle chips and goalie has easy catch at 5 yards on left post.
41 min...TFC Furlano short pass from right to TFC Ennin who has 20 yard shot tipped high and wide left of net.
42 min...TFC Srbely cocrnerkick from left has defender on left head away.
45 min...DCR Taashiro makes sliding tackle that injures TFC Sakurai at DCR 35 yard line.
46 min...DCR Aleksi Pahkasalo GOAL...DCR Yudai Tashiro finishes DCR pressure with 10 yard shot that hits right post past goalie Darrin MacLeod and deflects out to left for Pahkasalo to shoot low 8 yarder to right side of empty net.
46 min...half ends 4:54pm.

Halftime...the DCR players stay outside, conserving their strength? TFCA subs stay outside warming up while the starters go inside.

2nd Half:...starts 5:10pm.
halftime sub:...DCR Weiss replaces Lobbo.
46 min...DCR goalie rushes forward to beat TFC Osorio to pick up ball at 8 yards.
48 min...TFC Ennin is injured at DCR 22 yards on right.
51 min...TFC Srbely cornerkick from left is only partially cleared. TFC Sohn ends up crossing from 15 yards on left that drifts over net.
53 min...DCR Weiss long throw-in from 25 yard line on right bounces unplayed to goalie.
54 min...TFC Sohn 25 yard low freekick from far right bounces to goalie.
55 min...TFC Furlano chips long ball from 60 yards on right has goalie charge to edge of box to beat TFC Ennin to catch bouncer.
57 min...DCR Pahkasalo 50 yard freekick from right has DCR player rescue ball on end line but TFC players check him off ball and start fast break.
58 min...TFC Srbely cornerkick from left has ball partially cleared. TFC Ennin blasts 18 yarder through players that goalie bats forward. TFC Ennin rebound shot from 15 yards is blasted well over net.
59 min...TFC Sohn 28 yard shot is well over net.
60 min...DCR sub...Thomas replaces El Fares.
60 min...TFC goalie is out to 20 yards to head ball away from charging DCR Weiss.
61 min...TFC Dias rush to end line and cross from 15 yards has goalie swat over bar.
62 min...TFC Srbely cornerkick from left is too high for TFC Osorio at 5 yards on right post.
63 min...TFC Srbely 30 yard freekick from right is well over net.
64 min...TFC sub...Rollocks replaces Dias.
.........TFC sub...Mandekic replacces Mickoski.
.........TFC sub...Marcantognini replaces Sakurai.
.........TFC sub...Maletic replaces Ennin.
71 min...TFC player blasts 25 yarder over back fence and onto roof of KIA Centre!
72 min...TFC Furlano cross from 20 yards on right end line lands on top of net.
73 min...TFC sub...Beckford replaces Stakic.
74 min...DCR Thomas leads rush but rolls ball across end line on right.
75 min...TFC Sohn cornerkick from right is low and defender clears on right side of box.
77 min...DCR Weiss low cross from right is knocked around in box. DCR Mendoza ends with cross from 22 yards on far right dcrifts high and wide left of net.
78 min...TFCA Cyrus Rollocks GOAL...TFCA Ethan Beckford on rush down middle to 12 yards and he taps over pass to Rollocks who rolls 10 yarder under sliding goalie Stuart Ford at 3 yards to right side of net.
80 min...TFC goalie slides out to beat DCR Weiss to through ball at 20 yards.
81 min...TFC Rollocks pops up header at 12 yards on left well over net on cross from 20 yards on far right.
81 min...TFC sub...Cela replaces Phillip.
82 min...TFC Osorio haas shot from 15 yards stopped.
83 min...TFC YELLOW card...Srbely earns it for pulling down DCR player breaking out at TFC 30 yard line.
85 min...DCR Thomas cross from 25 yards on left is saved by DCR Weiss on left on end line and low cross from 10 yards is caught by goalie.
86 min...TFC player scuffs 10 yard shot up middle from cross from right and is caught by goalie.
87 min...TFC Rollocks shoots 12 yarder from left into outside webbing of net but play is called offside.
89 min...DCR Pahkasalo 20 yard freekick is rolled through player wall and diving goalie saves on right post.
90 min...TFC Srbely shot from 15 yards hits defender for cornerkick on right.
91 min...TFC Srbely cornerkick is low and defenders clear.
91 min...DCR YELLOW card...Weiss earns it fo kicking ball away to prevent a quick TFC freekick.
92 min...TFC Srbely 45 yard freekick down middle has defender kick ball clear at 12 yards.
93 min...DCR Knutson 60 yard freekick down middle has goalie catch on bounce wide right of net.
93 min...game ends 5:58pm.

Final Score:.....Toronto FC Academy.......1.....Derby City Rovers........1........

Attendance started off slow but picked up to about 35 on this late afternoon game with the expected storm holding off until about 30 minutes after the game ended.

Referee Adam Kanji gave out only one Yellow card to each team that I remember on a game that had some hard checks.

The cross field wind was a factor in this game with balls drifting out of play with about three landing on top of the net and more drifting behind it and had crosses die. One TFCA player's shot was over the net, the back netting fence, and landing on the roof of the KIA Training Centre.

Best non-scoring chances were at 17 minutes when TFCA Steven Furlano threaded a ball from 60 yards through to a charging TFCA Reshon Phillip who shot a 20 yarder down the middle that the goalie flew to the left to push wide for a cornerkick. 32 minutes had DCR Sam Stockton at 30 yards in middle roll a pass between defenders for DCR Aladdin El Fares who shot a 20 yarder just over the bar. 35 minutes had DCR have about three close chances with DCR Aleksi Pahkasalo shooting an 8 yard shot across the 6 yard box and the goalie then stopped a shot on the right post. 58 minutes had TFCA Matt Srbely take a cornerkick from the left that had the ball partially cleared and TFCA Richie Ennin blasted an 18 yarder through players that the goalie batted forward and Ennin's rebound from 15 yards was blasted well over the net. 89 minutes had DCR Pahkasalo roll a 20 yard freekick through the player wall that the diving goalie saved on the right post.

DCR had only two subs on the bench but made the first two subs of the game at halftime and 60 minutes. I'm somewhat surprised that they did not appear to fade at the end of the game and had just as many chance of scoring the winner as TFCA.

TFCA made four subs (eventually bringing in all of their six allowed) at 64 minutes including Rollocks and Beckford, the two players who were involved in the play 14 minutes later for the tying goal. I asked a DCR official whether they'd have any more players by Wednesday's game. He didn't sound too promising stating the team has some internationals that can't get visas to come into Canada from the USA. They also have a game at the end of the week against K-W United (Kitchener, Ontario). Of course K-W played with only one sub in the opening game of the season against TFCA and won 7-0. Looking at prior linescores on the PDL website, it does not appear TFCA has a depleted roster on roadtrips to the USA. Besides today, TFCA played DCR in Louisville on May 27th, losing 3-0. Staying in Ontario until Friday means the DCR players miss the memorial/funeral for their most famous citizen, Muhammad Ali.

Derby City Rovers which started in the PDL as River City Rovers in 2011 before the name change to Derby City in 2014 play in Louisville Kentucky. An official from the team said they are NOT related to Louisville City of the USL (started in 2015, which plays against TFC II). Both teams have a Fleur-de-lis logo but that is the emblem of their city's French monarchy heritage. 'Derby City'? The Kentucky Derby horse race!

TFCA's record improves to 1 win, 3 losses, 1 tie for 4 points and seventh of eighth in the Great Lakes Division. DCR improve to 2 wins, 0 losses, 1 tie for 7 points and third place.

TFCA's next game is Wednesday at 4:00pm at the KIA Centre against Derby City again.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca

Toronto FC Academy starters