September 17, 2017 League 1 Ontario--Toronto FC III vs Oakville Blue Devils (by Rocket Robin)

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Result and details of the Sunday September 17, 2017 League 1 Ontario game between
Toronto FC III and Oakville Blue Devils played at KIA Training Centre at 1:00pm.

Toronto FC III (all red, white numbers)

..............1 Gianluca Catalano
.......15 Steven Furlano...14 Noble Okello (cpt)...2 Afram Gorgees
13 Luca Petrasso...16 Josh Moreira...10 Matthew Srbely...20 Daniel DaSilva...6 Jordan Faria...23 Riley Ferrazzo
.................9 Cyrus Rollocks

Subs:...12 Sebastian Sgarbossa (gk)...3 Jacob Maurutto-Robinson...7 Steffan Yeates...8 Christopher Castillo
...11 Armando Caracciolo...17 Zakarai Abdi...18 Olakunla Dada-Luke
team officials:...team head coach Danny Dichio...assistant coach Gianni Cimini and Laurent Guyot
...equipment manager Kevin Murphy...therapist Fabian Casal

Oakville Blue Devils (white socks and shirts, navy shorts and numbers)

................27 Matt George
........18 Christian Young...6 Victor Gallo...22 Al James
23 Anthony Novak...20 Hitesh Joshi...14 Mikeal Taylor McNamara (cpt)...16 Khody Ellis
........15 Anthony Doran...9 Filipe Vilela...13 Mathew Santos

Subs:...26 Adrian Becic (gk)...10 Baden Culver...19 Gurjol Uppal...3 Shamar Wright
...8 Judah Hernandez...25 Stephen Ademolu...24 Christian Kusiewicz
team officials:...team head coach Duncan Wilde...assistant coaches Blly Steele, Brett Mosen, and Glenn McNamara
...manager Kim Ashton

Game officials:...referee Hasane Rifai...referee's assistants Arthur Korbiel and Joey Filipic
...fourth official Jonathan Atkinson...(all black uniforms)

First Half:...game starts 1:02pm...TFC defends north end on this hot and humid after with a bright sun in the south
and a surprising lack of wind for this ex-airport site.
5 min...TFC Afram Gorgees is called for a hand ball on a long bouncer into box while trying to stop
OBD Mathew Santos from connecting on shot. Referee Hassane Rifai calls for a Penalty kick.
6 min...OBD Filipe Vilela GOAL...Vilela sends low blast down the middle. Goalie Gianluca Catalano
dives to left and ball deflects off his foot and pops up into center roof of net.
9 min...TFC Furlano cross from 40 yards has TFC DaSilva crash with defender preventing his shot at 12 yards.
11 min...TFC Faria 35 yard freekick from slight left has goalie fly left and push ball wide of post.
12 min...TFC Petrasso cornerkick from left has TFC Okello leap and head ball wide right and ball is cleared.
14 min...TFC Petrasso centers ball to TFC Moreira and low 15 yard shot is stopped by defender at 8 yards.
16 min...OBD Gallo 55 yard freekick from left has leaping OBD player head 18 yarder that pops over to goalie.
17 min...TFC Petrasso 45 yard freekick in center is chip has defender clear near edge of box on right.
18 min...TFC Cyrus Rollocks GOAL...TFC Josh Moreira at 50 yards rolls through ball pass to Rollocks
on slight left who runs in from 35 yards and rolls ball from 20 yards under sliding goalie Matt George
at 15 yards into right side of net.
21 min...TFC Daniel DaSilva GOAL...DaSilva receives short centering pass from TFC Steven Furlano
and recovers off defender to take 15 yard roller into left corner of net.
22 min...a water break is called.
26 min...game restarts.
25 min...TFC Petrasso chip cross from right wins cornerkick on TFC shot that deflects off defender.
26 min...TFC Ferrazzo cornerkick from left has goalie charge out to catch between crowd of players.
27 min...OBD Young needs trainer on injury at OBD 28 yard line.
28 min...OBD sub...Uppal replaces Young.
29 min...OBD Vilela wins cornerkick on blocked cross.
29 min...OBD McNamara cornerkick from right is cleared for fast break out.
32 min...OBD McNamara 45 yard freekick is over goalie at 8 yards but over bar just behind net.
33 min...TFC Uppal 45 yard chip from left is caught by goalie at 12 yards.
35 min...TFC DaSilva cross near right cornerflag blasts 22 yarder up middle that goalie palms over bar.
36 min...TFC Ferrazzo cornerkick from left is cleared in box.
38 min...OBD Gallo 45 yard chip over player is easy catch for goalie.
The sprinklers start for the real grass field beside us that they smell like poop.
39 min...OBD McNamara 22 yard shot deflects off player and rolls to prone goalie.
40 min...OBD Ellis receives head injury at TFC 50 yard line.
41 min...TFC Faria recovers deflecton and blasts shot tha goalie tips wide.
42 min...TFC Petrasso low cornerkick from right has TFC DaSilva send low 20 yarder up middle that's smothered
by goalie.
43 min...TFC Rollocks spins around sliding defender. TFC Faria has shot blocked at 18 yard line.
45 min...OBD Santos blast from 25 yards deflects off defender wide left tha goalie can't prevent rolling out
for cornerkick.
46 min...OBD McNamara cornerkick from right is cleared for fast break out.
47 min...OBD James shot hits OBD Vilela in face at 15 yards.
48 min...OBD McNamara is injured at OBD 25 yard line.
49 min...TFC Moreira 30 yard shot deflects off OBD Novak and flies back to goalie who is injured on play.
49 min...half ends 1:51pm. Subbed off OBD Young limps back to the dressing room with an ice pack
on his right thigh.

2nd Half:...starts 2:07pm.
halftime subs:...OBD Ademolu replaces Doran.
.................OBD Becic replaces injured George in goal.
47 min...OBD Joshi blasts shot off left post from 15 yards after Ademolu passed him the ball.
50 min...OBD Santos cornerkick from right has OBD McNamara and OBD Vilela head ball in on 1-2 but offside flag was up.
51 mn...TFC Ferrazzo is injured at TFC 35 yard line breaking up on 1 on 2 rush.
52 min...OBD Joshi cornerkick from right is cleared from box.
53 min...OBD McNamara 25 yard freekick from left is touched over to OBD Santos who chips 20 yarder just missing
top right corner.
54 min...OBD Joshi rush on right cuts to middle and passes but stopped.
55 min...OBD Santos cross from 28 yards on right is cleared on left.
56 min...TFC Cyrus Rollocks GOAL...Rollocks receives through ball pass from TFC Daniel DaSilva
on right running by defender at 28 yards and rolls 18 yarder past sliding goalie Adrian Becic
at 10 yards into left corner of net.
58 min...TFC Petrasso 30 yard freekick in middle is just wide right of post.
59 min...OBD YELLOW card...Vilela earns it for dissent at TFC 40 yard line when TFC Rollocks
is awarded freekick.
60 min...TFC Faria bends 25 yard shot from left is just high and wide right.
61 min...OBD Ellis low 22 yard shot from right just misses left post.
62 min...TFC sub...Dada-Luke replaces Faria.
62 min...the players dash for a water break when TFC Rollocks is treated for an injury at the
OBD 45 yard line.
64 min...play resumes.
65 min...TFC goalie dives to rigtht for loose ball in 6 yard box but does enough to push away from
OBD Vilela from getting shot.
67 min...OBD Gallo chips 35 yarder from left and OBD Novak heads 18 yarder down middle that goalie catches.
68 min...an official water break is called.
70 min...play resumes.
71 min...TFC DaSilva rush on right from 40 yard line and rolls 20 yard shot that hits outside of right post.
72 min...OBD Santos 40 yard cross from right has OBD Novak leap and head 15 yarder that deflects off defender
for cornerkick.
73 min...OBD McNamara cornerkick from left has defender on left head away.
74 min...OBD McNamara cornerkick 55 yard freekick from right is headed away on edge of box.
75 min...TFC Dada-Luke run to left end lijhne and cuts back and wins cornerkick on deflection.
75 min...TFC sub...Maurutto-Robinson replaces Petrasso.
76 min...OBD Ellis pops up ball to get past defender on edge of box and goalie makes catch at 7 yards.
79 min...TFC Ferrazzo rush on left and pass to TFC Rollocks who takes 12 yard low shot that sliding goalie stops.
TFC Rollocks is injured on play and rolls back onto field. TFC Da Silva is also injured upfield at OBD 35 yard line.
83 min...TFC sub...Abdi replaces Rollocks.
.........TFC sub...Yeates replaces DaSilva.
.........OBD sub...Culver replaces Uppal.
85 min...OBD Ellis at 8 yards on right can't control high cross from left and deflects for goalkick.
86 min...OBD Stephen Ademolu GOAL...OBD Filipe Vilera cross from 20 yards on left has Ademolu
make flying header from 7 yards in middle into right side of net.
87 min...TFC defenders clear for cornerkick on OBD 3 on 2 rush to edge of TFC box.
87 min...OBD McNamara cornerkick from right is short and wasted as not crossed into box.
88 min...TFC player's cornerkick from right is cleared in box.
89 min...TFC Ferrazzo head high clearance away from OBD Ellis at 15 yards in middle.
90 min...OBD James is injured at center line.
92 min...TFC YELLOW card...Srbely earns it for kicking ball away after freekick is awarded to OBD player.
93 min...OBD (TFC Noble Okello own goal) GOAL...OBD Mikeal Taylor McNamara takes 50 yard freekick
from slight right that has TFC player head away just inside edge of box on right. OBD Braden Culver
recovers at 28 yards on right and chips ball high into box. OBD Stephen Ademolu outjumps TFC Afram Gorgees
to ball at 15 yards on right and heads towards goal and retreating Okello heads 8 yarder in middle over
flying goalie at 2 yards into left corner of own net.
95 min...OBD Vilela is injured at OBD 45 yard line.
96 min...TFC Furlano 25 yard shot from right is into outside webbing of net.
98 min...OBD McNamara freekick from center line on right is headed away on edge of box.
98 min...game ends.

Final Score:....Toronto FC III....3...Oakville Blue Devils....3....

Attendance was about 50 on this hot, humid and sunny day. The referee 
arranged a water break in each half. It looked like two in the second 
half but one was not official as players just ran to the sidelines 
as the trainer was working on the injured TFC Cyrus Rollocks six 
minutes earlier.

This game got rough in spots. There were a lot of injuries. There was 
a time at 79 minutes when two TFC players were injured about 40 yards 
apart on a continuation of a play downfield. Cyrus Rollocks was injured 
(second time today) after taking a shot deep in the OBD end and 
Daniel DaSilva was hurt earlier at the OBD 35 yard line. Rollocks 
rolled back onto the field of play from the end line so he couldn't 
be ignored. Therapist Fabian Casal treated DaSilva first as the closest 
player but they both ended up being subbed out.

I only counted one Yellow card to each team but I saw the league website 
lists three to each team. I'm not that out of touch when I stand at the 
fourth official's bench so I can only think that most of the remaining 
cards were given out for a post game dust-up as the teams were leaving 
the field. I usually come onto the field to ask the goalscorers to fill 
in the assists for me. Both team have to go through one door and down 
a corridor before reaching their dressing rooms. I heard second-hand 
about a challenge by a TFC player against an OBD player to meet in the 
parking lot for a fight.  Officials on OBD ended up holding their players 
back to let TFC leave first.

OBD had the strange situation of Saturday their two strikers faced off 
with Felipe Viela of George Brown College playing against Mathew Santos 
of Sheridan College.

TFC had signed three players to pro contracts earlier this week who have 
been TFC III mainstays from the start of the year. Defenders 
Julian Dunn-Johnson (actually now 11 games for TFC II) and Rocco Romeo 
both played 90 minutes for TFC II (USL) last night. Third player was 
Noble Okello who stayed with his team for today but had the own goal.

I spoke to OBD Stephen Ademolu before the game. I had noticed his name 
listed last week in a game report on the L1O website. He had played most 
of the season for Windsor TFC Stars and I thought he had finally become 
frustrated with those five hour drives by car pool to the GTA with maybe 
only nine or eleven teammates for these late season games. He said 
he actually lives in Windsor so now playing for Oakville he will have 
five hour drives for both away games AND home games. I suspect this 
is more of a chance for him to play for a winner. OBD manager Kim Ashton 
answered me that there was a roster freeze on September 1 but Ademolu 
was still on the OBD roster from last year but didn't play for them 
because of injury. She said they reminded him of this fact when Windsor 
was in Oakville August 20. Yikes the L1O website lists an 11-0 OBD win 
against a 13 man team. Age 34 after a career in Europe, five national 
team appearances for Canada's senior team, second division US teams, 
and years with Windsor in CPSL and L1O. Now was the time!

I was only inside the KIA complex after the game to fill in some assists 
(thanks guys!) that I didn't get a chance to ask outside because 
of the dust-up.

I spoke after the game to Oakville goalie Matt George who had to be 
subbed out with a calf injury at halftime. We straightened up some 
dates. It was he who left Woodbridge Strikers before the season 
started to play for Oakville. His reasoning is he lives a lot nearer 
to Oakville. Well after the time he left Quillan Roberts signed for 
Woodbridge. (I was going to get a shock at news about Roberts tonight 
at the Woodbridge game!).

While on my way out through the main doors while the game commentator 
was using my notebook as a focus for his camera before filming 
an interview with OBD head coach Duncan Wilde, a bus arrived. 
I thought it might be for the OBD players and some of their fans 
milling about but it was the Toronto FC II players getting out. 
No charter jets for USL games in Pennsylvania! This is more the 
life of non MLS soccer players. TFC II had lost 2-1 to Harrisburg 
City Islanders and the players didn't look too happy. That was their 
last road game of the year and they finish their season with three 
home games.

The result improves TFC's record to 11 wins, 4 losses, 3 ties 
for 36 points and moves them up to third place in the Western 
Conference one point ahead of FC London who lost last night. 
Their 62 goals for is the most in the league.

Oakville improves to 16 wins, 2 losses, 1 tie for 49 points. This 
was their first tie of the year and they hold on to first place 
in the West with four games to go and are six points ahead 
of second place Sigma FC who have one game in hand. Duncan Wilde 
said to the interviewer that today was expected as the toughest 
of the OBD remaining schedule.

I did a re-count of my attendance and realized that this game was 
my fiftieth League 1 Ontario game of the season. Now the bad news 
from asking an L1O official is it appears the championship final 
will be held Sunday October 15 at Ontario Soccer Centre. 
The problem with that day is the Toronto FC MLS final home game 
of the regular season is the same day against Montreal Impact 
which should cut into attendance and bothers me for all the work 
I've done covering this league.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
twitter  RocketRobin01

Toronto FC III starters