September 4, 2016 USL Toronto FC II--Toronto FC II vs Charlotte Independence (by Rocket Robin)

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Result and details of the Sunday September 4, 2016 USL game between Toronto FC II and Charlotte Independence played at the Ontario Soccer Centre at 4:00pm.

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

...................1 Clint Irwin
32 Wesley Charpie (cpt)...65 Marko Maletic...13 Clement Simonin...58 Anthony Osorio
11 Mo Babouli...48 Raheem Edwards...Martin Davis...37 Adam Bouchard...36 Brian James
...............51 Ricardo John...22 Jordan Hamilton

Subs:...80 Angelo Cavalluzzo (gk)...49 Martin Davis (mid)...56 Malik Johnson (mid)...64 Shaan Hundal (fwd)
...44 Triston Hodge (def)...47 Rocco Romeo (def)...38 Kota Sakurai (mid)
team officials:...head coach Jason Bent

Charlotte Independence (all white, blue names and numbers)

.....................1 Cody Mizell
2 Jack Metcalf...17 Joseph Greenspan...15 Alec Bartlett...4 Patrick Slogic
5 Paul Clowes...11 David Estrada...7 Yann Ekra...23 Alex Martinez
............10 Jorge Herrera...9 Brian Brown

Subs:...26 Kyle Renfro (gk)...13 Austin Yearwood (def)...14 Lewis Hilton (mid)...20 Aly Hassan (fwd)
21 Asa Kryst (fwd)...24 Norrberto Ochoa (fwd)...31 David Spies (mid)
team officials:...head coach Mike Jeffries

Game officials:...referee David Barrie...referee's assistants Peter Pendli and Sean Hornsby
...fourth official Pierre Acouri...(teal shirts, black shorts and socks)

1st Half:...game starts 4:13pm. TFC defends north end of this hot afternoon with a bright sun in the west and a breeze from the south.
10 sec...CI Herrera 25 yard shot down middle is wide left of net.
3 min...CI Brown 25 yard shot from far right is into short side webbing of net.
4 min...CI Estrada cross from 20 yards near right end line has ball knocked for cornerkick.
5 min...Ind Patrick Slogic GOAL...Ind Jorge Herrera cornerkick from left has goalie Clint Irwin swat ball upwards while standing on goalline in middle of goal and as an Ind player swings at the bouncing ball, Slogic charges forward and blasts 2 yarder into top left side of net above diving goalie who was now in back of net. Irwin needs the trainer for an eye injury as he dove on Slogic's knee on follow through as Slogic piled into net.
7 min...CI Brown runs in alone to left to beat goalie to ball stepping around him on dive at 15 yards on left then rushes shot under defensive pressure from 5 yards into outside webbing of net.
9 min...TFC Babouli cornerkick from right has TFC John in crowd of players leap and head 8 yarder over bar.
12 min...CI Brown cross from 25 yards on far left has TFC James kick away from 12 yards.
13 min...CI Herrera 30 yard freekick from far left has TFC Bouchard head ball away for fast break out.
13 min...CI YELLOW card...Herrera earns it for push over of TFC James at CI 35 yard line.
14 min...TFC Babouli 40 yard freekick from right bends away for CI throw-in on left.
17 min...CI Metcalf low cross ffrom 25 yards on right has defender at 10 yards kick away.
17 min...CI Brown taps across to CI Ekra who shoots 22 yard shot wide left.
19 min...TFC Charpie rush up right and bends cross from 25 yards across box unplayed and rolls out left side.
20 min...CI Martinez bends 25 yard shot down middle that flying goalie stops near right post.
21 min...TFC John is injured at CI 22 yard line and needs trainer. The players sneak in a water break.
23 min...CI Slogic cross from 28 yards on left has charging CI Estrada heads ball from 7 yards and goalie palms ball over net.
24 min...CI Herrera cornerkick from right has CI Slogic head ball down but play is whistled down in box.
25 min...CI defenders make clearance inside box and goalie kicks away back pass.
29 min...TFC Babouli 33 yard freekick from right has defender flick header from box wide left for cornerkick.
29 min...TFC Babouli cornerkick from left has TFC John leap on defender to head ball down at 7 yards but attempt stopped.
32 min...CI Martinez and CI Clowes on give and go has Martinez chip 25 yard shot down middle well over net.
33 min...CI Greenspan gets back to clear and TFC Hamilton on edge of box just forwarded rolling pass from TFC Babouli.
34 min...TFC Edwards 25 yard blast down middle has flying goalie pusah ball wide right of post.
34 min...TFC Babouli cornerkick from right falls to TFC Hamilton but defender pokes ball away at 15 yards for throw-in.
36 min...TFC John can't win Penalty kick on bump runninbg into right side of box.
37 min...CI Brown can't win Penalty kick on run into right side of box.
38 min...Ind Alex Martinez GOAL...Ind Paul Clowes jumps for partial clearance on edge of box between two TFC defenders and head ball backwards away from goal to Martinez at 25 yards. Martinez steps up middle and gets by defenders with Ind David Estrada stopping ball at 17 yards and Martinez stumbles forward on partial trip by TFC Marko Maletic but recovers to shoot low 8 yarder from right side of net past sprawling goalie at 6 yards into left side of net.
40 min...CI Brown lands on TFC Bouchard when pulled over. Referee gets teams to play on but Bouchard is injured.
42 min...CI Ekra blasts 22 yarder between players well over net after recovering ball that CI Brown was checked off.
44 min...CI Estrada bends cross from 25 yards on left has goalie catch on bounce ahead of charging CI Martinez at 8 yards.
46 min...CI goalie catches TFC Charpie 25 yard cross into box.
49 min...half ends 5:02pm.

Halftime Entertainment: six little boys play musical soccer ball with one less ball than the number of players in the center circle. The game played out like musical chairs. All the contestants are given a tote bag when eliminated. The biggest kid won.

2nd Half:...starts 5:19pm.
halftime subs:...TFC Sakurai replaces Bouchard.
.................TFC Hodge replaces Maletic.
45 min...CI Ekra taps pass to CI Herrera who shoots 28 yard roller that diving goalie smothers on left.
47 min...TFC John pops 12 yard header on cross from right down middle well over net.
52 min...Ind Davie Estrada GOAL...Ind Yann Ekra passes low and forward from 40 yards up middle that deflects off defender and charging Estrada picks up at 25 yards and chips 20 yarder over leaping goalie at 8 yards and ball drops into left side of net.
53 min...TFC Babouli threads offside pass to TFC Hamilton at 10 yards.
56 min...CI defender makes clearance at 6 yards of low cross from right.
57 min...TFC Brian James GOAL...TFC Mo Babouli taps James short pass to Ind 40 yard line to start him on run down left wing cutting towards middle and blasts 25 yard shot into top left corner of net over flying goalie Cody Mizell.
61 min...TFC Simonin shot from 22 yards in middle is blocked and TFC Hamilton gets deflection on left at 15 yards but is checked off ball.
62 min...TFC sub...Romeo replaces Simonin.
63 min...CI Herrera cornerkick from right has leaping CI Greenspan head ball across box from 12 yards and CI Estrada whiffs on midair 5 yard kick on left post.
64 min...CI Brown and TFC Hodge are injured in ball they both jumped for at TFC 40 yard line.
.........CI YELLOW card...Brown earns it on last play.
65 min...CI goalie is out to 15 yards to pick up header before TFC John can get to it.
67 min...CI Brown is checked off ball on left side of box after a lot of dribbling by him.
68 min...CI sub...Hilton replaces Ekra.
.........CI sub...Hassan replaces Brown.
.........CI sub...Ochoa replaces Estrada.
69 min...TFC Edwards recovers deflected ball to TFC John who taps ball back to him and Edwards takes 15 yard shot down middle that's wide left of net.
71 min...CI Herrera has 15 yard shot blocked and defender clears.
72 min...CI YELLOW card...Clowes earns it for pulling down TFC Edwards on run at CI 45 yard line.
72 min...CI Greenspan gets foot in at 7 yards to clear low TFC cross from right.
73 min...TFC Edwards low 22 yard shot from right has goalie dive to smother on right post.
74 min...CI Herrera cornerkick from right is over players in box. CI Hasssan flicks header over bar from 5 yards when ball is eventually crossed in from left.
74 min...TFC Hundal replaces John.
77 min...CI Herrera cornerkick from right has defenders clear.
80 min...TFC Hundal long run down right and is eventually cleared inside CI box on right.
82 min...CI Martinez rush on right and cross to CI Hassan but is checked off ball at 15 yards in middle.
83 min...CI Martinez cross from right has TFC Charpie on left head ball back to goalie from 6 yards.
84 min...TFC sub...Johnson replaces Edwards.
84 min...CI Clowes is injured just before a sub is made at the CI 45 yard line.
85 min...CI sub...Yearwood replaces injured Clowes before play resumes.
86 min...CI Metcalf shot from 20 yards and TFC Romeo head away at 6 yards.
87 min...Ind Aly Hassan GOAL...Ind Lewis Hilton rolls ball up middle between TFC defenders Rocco Romeo and Triston Hodge at 22 yards and Hassan steps between them at 18 yards for ball and shoots 15 yarder that deflects off sliding goalie at 12 yards into right side of open net.
88 min...CI sub...Kryst replaces Martinez.
90 min...CI YELLOW card...Slogic earns it for not giving 10 yards on a cornerkick.
90 min...TFC Babouli cornerkick from right has TFC Johnson eventually take 20 yard shot from right that goalie leaps to catch.
92 min...Ind Norberto Ochoa GOAL...Ind Aly Hassan hooks ball away from TFC Kota Sakurai from ground after Ochoa had been knocked over and he taps pass over to Ochoa at 20 yards on left who steps towards middle and shoots low 15 yarder between two defenders and sliding goalie into left side of net.
93 min...game ends.

Final Score:.....Toronto FC II.......1.......Charlotte Independence........5.......

Attendance was only about 200 people on this hot day with a bright sun in the west and a breeze from the south. It was a holiday weekend and TFC II were officially eliminated from any post season chances in last week's game and the competition wasn't FC Montreal that drew 1251 but this was hard to believe and was by far the smallest crowd of the year.

This is one of the few times this season that TFC II has not been competitive. Recovering Toronto FC (MLS) goalie Clint Irwin did not look good again today, his second start, and I would not rush him back to replace Alex Bono who started the year playing for TFC II and is very competent.

Charlotte subbed three of their forwards at 68 minutes probably to give them a rest from a tough schedule and didn't miss a beat as the subs scored the last two goals.

The small crowd included some TFC II players I recognized. Midfielder Chris Mannella who is usually captain, Skylar Thomas who is next most often captain, and defender Mitchell Taintor who was Red carded in last week's game. Taintor answered me that he is suspended for five games for the fight he had and that will mean the end of this season and the start of next year. Toronto FC (MLS) player Jonathan Osorio was also there watching his brother Anthony play defence. He waved hello and I didn't recognize him with sunglasses and a new haircut until I asked another fan he waved to who he exactly he was (well how did Clark Kent live in Metropolis all those years without being recognized with just street clothes and a pair of glasses?)

Today's captain was defender Wesley Charpie who was the best of their backline and got in some good runs up the wing.

Forward Shaan Hundal signed a pro contract earlier this week to great fanfare but was finally subbed in at 74 minutes to replace Ricardo John who scored two goals last week but didn't do much this game.

Also a surprise starter (well I thought so) was TFC (MLS) forward Jordan Hamilton. He received some threaded passes from fellow MLS teammate Mo Babouli (who has played midfielder and wing since being returned to TFC II) but was then often outrun and checked off the ball but defenders. TFC were idle this week.

TFC II halftime subs midfielder Kota Sakurai and defender Rocco Romeo are regulars for TFC Academy which happened to be playing across town at KIA Training Centre that afternoon in League 1 Ontario play. Those players found out today that there is a huge difference in talent in USL play.

Charlotte really is an 'independent' USL team with an affiliation with MLS Colorado Rapids but the three players listed as Rapids players were not in today's game. Defender Joel Johnson was also missing as he's away for WCQ for the Liberian national team.

Referee David Barrie gave out four Yellow cards that I counted—all to the Independence in a game that was end to end action but with Charlotte having the upper hand.

Best non-scoring chances were at 7 minutes when Ind Brian Brown ran in alone down to the left and dribbled by the sprawling goalie who dove at 15 yards and then rushed his shot under defenders pressure from 5 yards into the outside webbing of the net. Two minutes later TFC Mo Babouli's cornerkick from the right had TFC Ricardo John in crowd of players jump and headed an 8 yarder over the bar. 23 minutes had Ind Patrick Slogic cross from 28 yards on the left and the charging Ind David Estrada from 7 yards headed the ball that the goalie palmed over the net. 34 minutes had TFC Raheem Edwards take a 25 yard blast down the middle that the flying goalie pushed wide right of the post. 63 minutes had Ind Jorge Herera's cornerkick from the right that Ind Joseph Greenspan headed the ball across the box from 12 yards and Ind Estrada whiffed on a midair kick from 5 yards on the left post. 69 minutes had TFC Raheem Edwards recover a deflected ball and tap to TFC John who tapped back to Edwards who took a 15 yard shot down the middle just wide left of net. 74 minutes had Ind Jorge Herrera's cornerkick from the right fly over players in box and Ind Aly Hassan eventually flicked a header over the bar from 5 yards when the ball was eventually crossed in from the left.

The loss for TFC II is their fifth in a row and drops their record in 28 games to 6 wins, 17 losses, 5 ties for 23 points. They are tied for twelfth place in the fourteen team Eastern Conference with Pittsburgh Riverhounds but have played two more games.

Charlotte improves their record to 13 wins, 7 losses, 6 ties for 45 points in 26 games. Today's game vaults them into third place breaking out of a tie with Charleston Battery and hopping over both Rochester Rhinos and Richmond Kickers. All these teams have clinched playoff berths but the incentive is to finish top four to be able to host the first round of the playoffs.

TFC II has two more games to play and their last home game is next Sunday at 7:30pm against Orlando City B who hold the eighth and last place playoff spot and can still be caught by a few teams.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca

Toronto FC II starters