April 25, 2017 League 1 Ontario--Match Preview: Vaughan Azzurri v Durham United FA (from League 1 Ontario website)
Match Preview: Vaughan Azzurri v Durham United FA 04/25/2017, 8:45pm EDT By League1 Ontario staff With only three days before the League1 Ontario 2017 season kicks off, anticipation is at an all-time high for what the season ahead will hold - the fourth season in the lifetime of this standards-based, pro-am, Ontario senior league. The off-season has brought a number of changes, with two new clubs coming into the league from Ottawa, a venerable name added to the women's division in Toronto Blizzard, and an exciting young women's team out of Unionville that looks stacked with junior national team players. These are only a few of the storylines in the league, and there are so many more... The weekend of April 28 - 30 is all about the men's division, with the women starting up on the weekend of May 5 - 7, so stick with us as we sequentially preview the match-ups and the teams that will do battle over our opening two weekends! Our League1 Ontario 2016 Men's Division Champions will begin their title defence against east division powerhouse side Durham United FA in the L1O Kickoff 2017 Men's Marquee Event. McNaughton Turf will be the site for the early season clash between these two, with Vaughan Soccer Club expecting a big crowd of members and supporters to support the Azzurri on Saturday April 29 at 3 p.m. Both teams had very strong 2016 campaigns, with Vaughan obviously being the top side in the entire league following their double trophy season - defeating Woodbridge Strikers in the L1 Cup before toppling west division champs FC London 4-2 to take the title. The Azzurri came close to making it a triple title season, but fell to a strong Quebec champions CS Mont Royal Outremont in the 2016 edition of the Inter-Provincial Cup. With a record of 11 wins, eight losses and three draws, Durham United FA finished up on 36 points from 22 matches in 2016 - good for fourth in the east division, and eighth overall. But the numbers don't tell the full story of Durham in 2016. The east GTA giants were in outstanding form for the first half of the season, posting only one loss and two draws and presenting a strong title bid. However a mid-late season drop in focus led to a disastrous late season collapse, with the team registering only one win from their final string of seven matches. Although Durham has pulled the toughest draw possible to start the season in a fixture versus the current champions, it remains to be seen if the undisputed talent in the Durham side has coupled with a mental strength built from the ashes of their 2016 dreams. If so, a win against the current champs would be a powerful tonic. Will Durham United FA be able to turn the tables, and a large crowd, against the Azzurri in the official L1O Kickoff 2017 Men's Marquee Event? On the coaching end, both Vaughan and Durham have opted for stability. And why not? Vaughan's Carmine Isacco has been recognized as the Coach Of The Year for both 2015 and 2016, and his achievements with the team, as the head coach at York University, and even the occasional role with national programs, are well documented. Durham's Sanford Carabin has also built an outstanding and dynamic squad that, despite its struggles for consistency in the latter part of the season, is a genuine title challenger. Further, nearly ten players have moved on from the team to professional ranks in the last two years, with former players now plying their trade in pro leagues from Jamaica to Australia. The team has gone from strength to strength since the inaugural 2014 season. Both coaches will have questions to answer in the season ahead though. Can Carabin fix Durham's consistency to ensure his black and yellow clad charges are there in the late season playoff run? Can Isacco deal with a post-championship slump, which has affected every previous League1 champion? In any event, both coaches have added impressive recruits to their ranks, and Durham and Vaughan carry very promising depth into their clash this weekend. "We've got Joe Zupo returning from Tasmania after a year in which he won league and cup and he was voted top CB for his division," said Carabin. "He brings leadership and composure to our back line." "We've added Dwayne Ewart, an exciting young prospect and an ex-Canadian Youth U20 international, that is ready to take a major leap forward in his development playing in a system that highlights his technical and tactical skill sets," he continued. "Eddie Lay broke into the squad early on last year and never looked back," he added, "becoming a League1 Allstar and now looking to feature regularly as a box-to-box midfielder with ambitions to move beyond League1 in future years." "Bruce Cullen is already a League1 All-Star and is very motivated to continue to improve on his game, no doubt looking to impact games on both offense and defense and follow in the footsteps of other DUFA players that have moved on to the professional game full-time." "And then there is Jumbo Iyowuna," concluded Carabin. "He was a League1 All-Star last season with Windsor, has now finished school, and will be looking to turn his efforts to becoming the top striker in League1 and showcasing his abilities to clubs in the USA and beyond." Carabin's side has a few other features as well, with powerful midfield options including Kashiff De Jonge, Stefan Lamanna, Jonathan Parolini, Taylor Lord and Joseph Roccasalva. Two other recruits on the roster also catch the eye. Centre back Cameron Brooks has been brought over from Woodbridge after anchoring the league-wide best defence at Strikers for the past two years. Finally, another former Woodbridge player, attacker Vince Sasso, has also been added into the fold. Sasso brings true high level experience following a stint in Germany with FCA Darmstadt, and having recently completed a tenure with Drury University in the NCAA. Vaughan's Isacco is looking to some of his standout performers from last season to bring the same quality back to the table and lead in 2017. Forward Jashua Mills returns to the side, along with Jarek Whiteman - both players were regular starters and demonstrated their ability to play anywhere across the front three - or even in central midfield in the case of Mills - either scoring goals or setting them up. Whiteman had 14 goals in 18 appearances over 2016 - the most of any player in the Azzurri - while Mills logged three goals in 12 appearances, a statistic that belies the key role he holds in the team. Isacco also identified the versatile Jarred Phillips as a key element. Phillips was clearly one of Isacco's first names on the game sheet in 2016 as he logged 1,387 minutes - the second highest in the team - over 17 appearances. Perhaps the most intriguing name is a new recruit to the Azzurri, but certainly not to the league. Chris Mannella has been signed up for central midfield duty after being released from Toronto FC's first team in the off-season. Mannella has already won the League1 title, leading the TFC III team that won the inaugural 2014 title and Inter-Provincial Cup, but his experience since in the MLS and USL - not to mention winning the 2016 Canadian Championship with Toronto FC - will add a whole other level of class to the Azzurri side. On the occasion of the season opener at their home ground, and in turn the gala-day atmosphere of the Official L1O 2017 Kickoff Men's Marquee Event, this clash between these two immensely talented and proven teams is a mouthwatering contest. Durham will want to make a point at the outset of this season, while Vaughan will need to ensure they have retained the momentum built up from an incredible double-winning season in which they lost only one match. Have they the stomach to do it again? If you can't make it out to the match, watch the Livestream live on League1 Ontario or follow the minute-by-minute account on League1 Ontario's Live Match twitter account. Either way, be sure to surf to League1Ontario.com afterwards for full match video, match recap, and post-match interviews with the coaches!
back to 2017 League 1 Ontario Men's index
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