August 26, 2018 League 1 Ontario--Toronto FC III vs North Mississauga Panthers game review (by Rocket Robin)

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Result and details of the Sunday August 26, 2018 League 1 Ontario game between Toronto FC III and North Mississauga SC
played at the BMO Training Ground in Downsview at 1:00pm.

Toronto FC III (all red, white numbers)

.........................1 Michael De Leo
2 Afram Gorgees (cpt)...3 Elijah Le...4 Sal Mazzaferro...5 Kaeson Trench
7 Javier George...6 Mehdi Essoussi...8 Luke Singh...11 Colin Gander
................13 Kunle Dada-Luke...9 Zakaria Abdi

Subs:...12 Spencer King (gk)...10 Kembo Kibato...14 Brayden Borutski...15 Osaze De Rosario
...16 Jaytin Pabla...17 Ryan Robinson
team officials:...team head coach Danny Dichio...assistant coaches Angelo Cavalluzzo and Gianni Cimini...manager Daniel Marozzo
...equipment amanger Spencer Ure...therapist Samra Habtom

North Mississauga Panthers (all white, black numbers)

.........................30 Spyro Stergiotis (cpt)
6 Jesse Bibby...4 Jaroslaw Radzinski...8 Marius Pop...14 Daniel Whyte
.........11 Jordan Prescod...5 Mohammed Habibzi...7 Chris Simm
..........2 Sundin Esperance...9 Tristan Watson...10 Lee-Victor Massunda

Subs:...1 Gereon Bayer (gk)...3 Jong Won Jung...12 Jordan Davis-Ewan...13 Damelle Nicolson
...15 James Nathan...17 Morad Al-Muhandes...18 Mason Carter
team officials:...team head coach Sam Medeiros...manager Martine Elueteri...equipment manager Patrick Guirguis
...therapist Katie Bartley

Game officials:...referee Marko Ristic...referee's assistants Brain Novgradic ad Roshan Mendonco
...fourth official Scott Bowman...(all black uniforms)

First Half:...game starts 1:01pm...TFC defends north end on this hot and humid afternoon. It had rained overnight.
There was a crossfield wind from the west and a bright sun in the south when it broke through the clouds.
1 min...NMP Watson 10 yrd shot from right end line wins cornerkick.
2 min...NMP Esperance cornerkick from right wins another cornerkick.
2 min...NMP Esperance high cornerkick from right has goalie bobble catch but defender clears.
3 min...NMP Watson slides to take 15 yard shot that goalie picks up roller. TFCMazzaferro was hurt in collision.
5 min...TFC Luke Singh GOAL...TFC Kunle Dada-Luke run on right and sends in low cross from 20 yard line and Singh charging
forward blasts low shot up the middle into low right corner of net past diving goalie Spyro Stergiotis.
6 min...TFC Zakaria Abdi GOAL...TFC Afram Gorgees sends in low cross from 20 yards on right that finds Abdi at 10 yards
and his low shot is into right corner of net.
9 min...NMP Jordan Prescod GOAL...NMP Lee-Victor Massunda sends high cornerkick from right that falls in middle of box
at about 6 yards. A TFC defender has his clearance hit Prescod at about 10 yards and deflect up and into the center
of the net just under the bar over goalie Michael De Leo.
10 min...TFC player's low cross has diving goalie make save on TFC Gorgees from 15 yards.
12 min...NMP Esperance is injured on tackle at TFC 45 yard line.
13 min...NMP Bibby 40 yard freekick from right is caught by goalie.
14 min...TFC Dada-Luke rush up right and low cross into box has defender clear.
16 min...TFC Sinngh run down left but pushes ball over ennd line trying to beat defender.
17 min...TFC goalie is out to 15 yard line to beat NMP Massunda to through all pass.
19 min...TFC George back heel pass to start TFC Gorgees on run down right from 50 yards. Gorgees low cross
from 15 yard line to TFCAbdi on left who has time to settle ball down and shoots 12 yarder over net.
20 min...NMP Esperance 40 yard freekick from right has TFC goalie step forward in crowd of players to make catch.
22 min...NMP YELLO card...Whyte earns it on delayed call when TFC Gorgees called for foul when on ground.
23 min...NMP Esperance cornerkick from right has goalie fly forward to punch away. NMP player's recross from right
has goalie catch at 6 yards.
24 min...TFC Gorgees cross from right end line has goalie fly forward to catch ahead of charging TFC Essoussi at 3 yards.
25 min...a water break is called.
27 min...play resumes.
31 min...TFC Essoussi is rolled back short pass and 25 yard blast is high left of net.
33 min...TFC Zakaria Abdi GOAL...TFC Afram Gorgees runs down right and low cross finds charging Abdi near right post
shoot 5 yarder forward into the right side of net.
36 min...NMP goalie Spyro Stergiotis earns a Yellow card and has referee Marko Ristic call a Penalty kick for him
tripping TFC Kunle Dada-Luke who was also getting jostled from behind by a defender.
37 min...TFC Kunle Dada-Luke blasts Penalty kick low to left and diving goalie Spyro Stergiotis saves ball near
the post.
38 min...TFC Dada-Luke rush on left and rolls 20 yarder wide right.
39 min...TFC Essoussi rolls cross to TFC Dada-Luke but sliding NMP Pop gives up cornerkick at 15 yards.
40 min...TFC Gorgees cornerkick from right is short to TFC Essoussi and his cross to left is headed away for fast break.
44 min...NMP Watson cross from 12 yards deflects off TFC Mazzaferro for cornerkick on right.
45 min...NMP Esperance high cornerkick from right is headed away by NMP Prescod and NMP Esperance's recross is flagged offside.
47 min...game ends 1:47pm.

Second Half:...starts 2:06pm.
47 min...TFC Singh 40 yard line in middle passes left and to left for TFC Gander and who crosses from 15 yards and goalie
catches on near post.
48 min...TFC Esperance cross from right end line is caught by goalie flying forward.
49 min...NMP Massunda pass to NMP Prescod run down left and low pass for NMP Watson but goalie dives forward to catch.
50 min...NMP sub...Nicholson replaces Radzinski.
52 min...TFC Kunle Dada-Luke GOAL...TFC Afram Gorgees 28 yard freekick from far right is rolled to center and Dada-Luke
blasts a 22 yarder up the middle straight ahead into the top of the net.
53 min...TFC sub...Robinson replaces George.
54 min...TFC Essoussi cornerkick from right is upfield and wasted as Gorgees can't get ball into box.
57 min...NMP Esperance cornerkick from left is low and TFC Robinson on left clearss ball.
57 min...NMP Esperance long throw-in from left has defender pop away in 6 yards box with header.
60 min...TFC Abdi rolls through ball pass up middle from 30 yards too far forward for TFC Robinson and goalie picks
up at 15 yards.
62 min...TFC Gander rush up left and cross to TFC Abdi who shoots in low 8 yarder up middle but play is called offside.
63 min...NMP sub...Davis-Ewan replaces Watson.
64 min...TFC Mazzaferro gets foot in on NMP Nicolson to prevent his shot from 10 yards after long run up middle.
65 min...NMP Esperance cornerkick from right is kicked around and NMP Prescod wins cornerkick on deflection.
66 min...NMP Esperance cornerkick from right is over to TFC Singh who takes ball in the balls and goalie dives out on left
but also misses and another defender clears.
67 min...TFC sub...De Rosario replaces Dada-Luke.
.........TFC sub...Pabla replaces Gorgees.
68 min...TFC YELLOW card...Essoussi earns it for tackle just outside TFC box.
68 min...NMP Esperance 20 yard low freekick from right on edge of box deflects off two man wall and goalie traps near right post.
69 min...TFC sub...Borutskie replaces Singh.
71 min...TFC Gander run on left and low cross has goalie dive forward to smother in front of charging TFC De Rosario
at 6 yards in middle.
72 min...a water break is called.
74 min...play resumes.
75 min...NMP Esperance high cross from left end line from 20 yards has goalie catch.
76 min...NMP Esperance has high recross and ball is cleared in middle of box.
77 min...TFC Gander makes great sliding tackle on NMP Habibzi on run to right edge of box.
77 min...NMOP sub...Carter replaces Prescod.
78 min...NMP player heads and 18 yard shgto that's blocked. NMP Massunda blasts the rebound well over the net but it's been
deflected for a cornerkick.
78 min...NMP Esperance low cornerkick from right has NMP Simm whiff on kick at 20 yards then NMP Davis-Ewan blasts low 25 yarder
up middle but well wide left.
79 min...TFC Essoussi centers pass from left to TFC De Rosario who shoots low 18 yarder that TFC Abdi tips at 10 yards
but goalie smothers.
80 min...NMP Esperance is tapped back pass and his 20 yard blast from left is well over net.
81 min...NMP sub...Al-Muhandes replaces Bibby.
82 min...TFC goalie is out of box to pop up header to clear away from NMP player.
83 min...NMP Esperance cornerkick from left has NMP Whyte shoot 20 yarder over net.
85 min...NMP Esperance takes long throw-in from left that's knocked around in box and finally cleared.
87 min...TFC YELLOW card...Pabla earns it for tackle on an NMP player at NMP 40 yard line injurying him.
88 min...NMP Al-Muhandes rolls 20 yard shot between players that goalie smothers.
89 min...NMP Davis-Ewan blasts shot that's saved. NMP Simm's rebound is deflected from left to right side of box.
92 min...TFC De Rosario rolls ball back from 8 yards while surrounded and TFC Essoussi shoots 15 yarder up middle wide right.
92 min...TFC YELLOW card...Le earns it for foul at NMP 40 yard line on delayed call.
93 min...TFC De Rosario nods 28 yard header forward and goalie picks up on bounce.
94 min...game ends 2:54pm.

Final Score:....Toronto FC III......4........North Mississauga Panthers SC........1........

Attendance was about 50 on this hot and humid afternoon with a bright sun in the south. It had rained overnight
which didn't really effect the field turf. There was a relieving crossfield wind from the west. A water break
was scheduled for each half which was a wise decision.

The game started in a flurry with NMP starting the first five minutes strong then TFC scored two goals almost
identically one minute apart...hmm can't be instant replay because this is live and the players are different.
The NMP goal at 9 minutes which was scored by a clearance off an NMP player settled the game down. TFC scored
one more before the half on a very similar play to their first two goals—must like low crosses from the right
side or they were exploiting a weakness that they'd found. NMP had two good chances to close at 66 minutes
when NMP Sundin Esperance took a cornerkick from the right that had TFC Luke Singh (hmm 'take the ball
in the balls', ouch) and goalie Michael De Leo dove out for it on the left but missed and fortunately for them
a defender was able to clear. Two minutes later Esperance took a low 20 yard freekick from the right that
deflected off the two man wall and the goalie was able to trap the ball on the near post.

NMP goalie Spyro Stergiotis made a world class penalty save at 37 minutes to keep them in the game. Shot taker
Kunle Dada-Luke has received playing time on TFC's USL team. Even allowing four goals today, Stergiotis holds
a respectable 1.72 GAA in ten games played and the defence as a whole has only allowed 23 goals in 13 games.

Osaze De Rosario was put in as a sub for TFC 67 minutes but unlike last week's game where I wrote it was like
his birthday because the other players were setting him up to score in his debut L1O game, today he was treated
as a regular player and I saw him surrounded by defenders at 6 yards and pass back to Mehdi Essousi to let
him have a clear 15 yard shot. His father Dwayne was marooned at The Hangar on the other side of the parking
lot at The Allstate Soccer Show as it was his scheduled time to sign autographs.

This was the first week where assistant coach Benoit Cheyrou wasn't on the TFC bench after leaving the team
as he has returned to France to take a position in his home country.

This is the last home game of TFC III in the League 1 Ontario. They were a founding team in the league's first
year which started with ten teams for 2014. When I was talking to head coach Danny Dichio after the game
I went all the way back to the TFC Academy's first game in 2008 in the CSL with head coach Jason Bent
(now an assistant with the main team), only goal of the game scored by Adrian Pena, and teenage starter
Ashtone Morgan in their victory over previous year champions Toronto Croatia down at Lamport Stadium
(their home at the time). Relistening to an interview I had with Jordan Hamilton after a TFC II game,
I realized that his brother Jarrett Hamilton was in that line-up too.

After the game I went to the north end of the field and said "Good luck in your new league" to as many
TFC players as I could. Dichio says I could come watch their games.

The win moves TFC III up to first place with a 10 wins, 2 losses, 3 ties for 33 points record. They have
scored a league high 48 goals this season.

North Mississauga's record falls to 3 wins, 6 losses, 4 ties for 13 points. They are in a tie for eleventh
place with Masters FA who earned a tie the night before. Alliance United holds the last playoff spot
with 18 points after a big away win on Saturday afternoon in Ottawa against OSUF. Both NMP and Alliance
have three games to go.

I was expecting undefeated Sigma FC to flip back over TFC a few hours later but they were stunned
by Woodbridge 3-0 who played down a man for the entire second half. The problem is TFC only has one game
left (against Vaughan Azzurri—still to be rescheduled) and only hold a one point lead over Sigma who have
three games to play.

TFC had a midweek tie with Alliance United 4-4 haunted by Steven Furlano's late tying goal (he is a former
TFC III captain and had some games with TFC II). The L1O website only shows players who saw game action
so I thought their bench had only one sub but Dichio said it was his choice not to bring in their really
young players. That was the game they needed all three points for the remote chance of finishing first.

TFC must have made the decision to resign from this league at the beginning of this season as their schedule
has had them play rare midweek games so they can finish their commitments. Last year there were more
walkover games and I could understand why they'd want to leave. This year they've had only one 10-0 win
(against Windsor TFC) and even in that game five of the goals were scored in the last 20 minutes. The move
does make sense in that every MLS team has youth teams in the USSDA-- even the Canadian MLS teams.
They will play a September to April season and when the weather gets cold they will install their dome
as they've done in previous seasons for their main team.

There is no L1O trophy/shield for finishing first from what I've heard and TFC are passing on the playoffs
so they can immediately start the USSDA season. Their first weekend will involve playing the
'Columbus Crew teams' at the U-15, U-17, U-19 level (TFC III is officially their U-19 team but with them
being involved in so many tournaments lately in the GTA and Mexico today's team had blended in ten 2001s
and eight 2000s. Last weekend they had three 2002s and two 2003s including Kobe Franklin who became
the youngest player to ever score in L1O taking over the record from Adonijah Reid of ANB Futbol who went
on to be drafted by FC Dallas of MLS and currently plays for USL Ottawa Fury because Dallas doesn't have
a USL team.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
twitter @RocketRobin01

Toronto FC III starters