April 28, 2017 League 1 Ontario--Match Preview: Toronto FC III vs FC London (from League 1 Ontario website)
Match Preview: TFC III v FC London 04/28/2017, 9:00am 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 (and a special women's kickoff event on May 13 in London, ON), so stick with us as we sequentially preview the match-ups and the teams that will do battle over our opening two weekends! Two of the top teams from the 2016 men's west division will meet to begin the L1O Kickoff 2017 Matchday Three slate, as Toronto FC III host FC London. TFC utilize their Kia Training Grounds at Downsview for the fourth year running, and on Sunday April 30 (1 p.m.) the tension should be cranked up in anticipation of this heavyweight bout. FC London was a powerhouse in 2016, winning the men's west division and coming within a hair's breadth of winning the title after a tight 4-2 loss went the way of east division champs Vaughan Azzurri. With a record of 14 wins, two draws and six losses, FC London were a tough side to topple. TFC III did manage it, however. FC London will be eager to banish the memory of a 9-1 loss they suffered in this fixture at TFC last season. TFC III ultimately finished in third position in the 2016 men's west division, cresting at 38 points and a record of 12 wins, eight losses and two draws. With only two wins from their first eight matches in 2016, the club will be hoping for a better start from the Junior Reds in 2017. However, with only two losses in their remaining 14 matches in 2016 the club will at least feel it's only the manner in which the team starts the season that needs to be fixed. This should be an absolute barnstormer of a match to get the west division off to a flying start. Only the very brave would dare predict the result. The benches of both TFC III and FC London will look somewhat different this season with brand new coaching staff on both sides. FC London's Mario Despotovic was a revelation to the southerners last season, bringing a highly evolved method of periodized training from his native Croatia that gave the team top end tactical understanding and a relatively injury-free season. But London will again be able to call on a highly qualified Croatian coach in Dom Kosic, who comes into London from the esteemed Dynamo Zagreb academy just as Despotovic goes back to said academy to coach the club's U19 group. Despotovic will still have a role with London however, working in an overarching technical advisor role that should serve to ensure continuum of the style FC London players became used to and thrived under in 2016. At TFC III as well there has been change on the technical end, with former first team player Danny Dichio now taking the reins of the club's third team in place of Stuart Neely, who led the Junior Reds in the previous two seasons. This change of staff echoes a change of identity for TFC, as the former name of Toronto FC Academy as the League1 Ontario team has been adjusted to TFC III - reflecting a hierarchy in the matrix of professional levels at the club. As such, supporters should see a slightly older set of players in the team to complement the primarily U19 focus the club has prioritized in recent seasons. Finally, it remains to be seen if TFC III will adopt the 3-5-2 system that is employed with the club's first team, but with TFC II already modeling the same system as the MLS side it would be a natural evolution to see TFC III utilize it in League1. When it comes down to players, the list of quality individuals between these two teams is endless. FC London will have both the League1 Ontario Golden Boot winner Elvir Gigolaj and one of the two best keepers in the league in Anthony Sokalaski returning to the fold. Gigolaj spent time with FC Edmonton in the NASL and a short period with Hertha Berlin in Germany, before joining FC London and becoming their go-to central forward. At the other end of the pitch, Sokalaski's safe hands spoke for themselves with a league-leading nine clean sheets over the season. Unsurprisingly, both players were selected to the League1 Ontario 2016 All-Star list. Between those two highlighted players on the pitch will be midfielder Sandro Rajkovic, who team manager Dave De Benedictis has spoken highly of. "Rajkovic was in Croatia for two stints, 2008 to 2011," said De Benedictis. "He played for HNSK Moslavina in the Croatian second division and was a starter at the age 19 (at the time one of youngest starters in league)." "He even played in the quarter finals of the Croatian Cup against the famous Hajduk Split club." "In 2010 he spent six months in Germany with Alemania Aachen U23s, whose first team was 2nd Bundesliga," he added. Most recently, Rajkovic was in the AUS division of USports soccer, playing for Cape Breton University from 2011-2016. There he helped guide the team to finish second and third in the country at nationals, and was selected four times to the Conference First Team (AUS), three times national first team (CIS), a Cape Breton Mens Soccer MVP and the Male Athlete of the Year. He will be a valuable addition to the London midfield. In fact, from front to back FC London has a strong spine of players to rely upon, and with returnees like Mike Marcoccia, Stephen Al-Sayed, Tom Coxon, Mohammed Nafar and more - the Southern Ontario side should be feeling well settled beginning the season. As one can expect from the league's MLS representative, Toronto FC have a star-studded array of talent assembled for their TFC III side. League1 Ontario's Young Player of the Year 2016, Kota Sakurai, stands out from the pack after an outstanding first season in the league, and his energy and creativity will have grown in leaps and bounds in the off-season. As well, the team's top five point-getters from 2016 are still involved in 2017, and coach Dichio will be hoping the likes of Ethan Bekford (11 goals in 12 matches), Dante Campbell (8 goals in 18 matches), Glenn Muenkat (6 goals in 18 matches) and Armando Caricciolo (5 goals in 19 games) will pick up where they left off. Campbell is also a current Canadian U20, while returning keeper Gianluca Catalano has been a regular backstop for the Canada U17 team in 2016 and 2017. In turn, two of the 2016 team's most regular players - Marko Mandekic (1403 minutes over 18 matches) and Jacob Maurutto Robinson (1060 minutes over 16 matches) - are also back for 2017. Finally, the team will also surely benefit from the return of a previous captain, as Steven Furlano will look to continue the strong form that he exhibited in the 2015 League1 season. As part of a top tier professional club, TFC III's off-season has been a bit different from most, with the team travelling to play in some exceptionally high-level tournaments this spring. At the recent Dallas Cup in the U.S., TFC III made a strong impression after a 1-1 draw with Bundesliga Eintracht Frankfurt and a 2-1 win over Red Bulls Brasil before playing Mexican side Tigres in their final match. At the prestigious Viareggio Cup in Tuscany, Italy in March the team was also a top performer against high-level European competition. The team drew Italian side Maceratese 3-3, drew 1-1 with Juventus before ultimately losing their final group stage match 4-2 to Dukla Prague. With a large number of homegrown players moved through the club to professional contracts in recent years, TFC III will as usual be a team to keep close tabs on in 2017 to see how the talent the Reds are fostering for the future develops. After an incredible inaugural 2014 season in the league, when TFC III won the title and the Inter-Provincial Cup, will the young prospects be able to harness their ability from day one and win the title once again?
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