September 8, 2018 League 1 Ontario--Sigma FC vs Alliance United game review (by Rocket Robin)

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Result and details of Saturday September 8, 2018 between Sigma FC and Alliance United
played at Hershey Centre in Mississauga at 4:00pm.

Sigma FC (blue socks and shirt, black shorts, white numbers)

........................1 Triston Henry
12 Francis Kwashie...2 Reggie Laryea...3 Dominic Samuel (cpt)
7 Kadell Thomas...20 Christian Samaniego...14 David Velastegui...21 Manssor Alfazy...5 Kyle Walton
...............19 Charlie Anagho-Ntamark...18 Tristan Borges

Subs:...31 Baj Maan (gk)...4 Jelani Smith...6 Manvir Brar...9 Daniel Jodah
...10 Justin Stoddart...15 Montther Mohsen...17 Shane Ricketts
team officials:...team head coaches (for today) John Zervos and Philip Opassinis...manager Perry Chadjiioannou
...equipment maanger Joseph Hanley...therapist Kiran Persad

Alliance United (all white, black numbers)

.................1 Mark Rogal
11 Russel Rodrigues...5 David Colelli...10 Jesse Assing (cpt)...3 Devon Bowyer
12 Vasyl Matvisshyn...13 Farrell Francis...15 Connor McFall...16 Djimi Guedei
............7 Nirunthan Sivananthan...9 Bogdan Poliakhov

Subs:...30 Triston Martino (gk)...4 Dante Lyte...14 Enrique Domingo Montrull...17 Tyler Da Corte
team officials:...team head coach Ilya Orlov...assistant coaches Denys Rylskyi, Julian Carr,
Richard Alexander, and Roman Rashchuk

Game officials:...referee Marko Ristic...referee's assistants Mike Stacey and Bradely Doubrough
...fourth official Marc Henoud...(yellow shirts, black shorts and socks)

First Half:...starts 4:03pm...Sigma defends south end on this windbreaker wearing weather with a hazy sun but
low hanging clouds.
2 min...AU McFall cornerkick from right is over player in box. AU Guedei crosses from 25yards on left.
AU Sivananthan heads ball down at 10 yards in middle but defenders clear ball.
4 min...Sigma Charlie Anagho-Ntamark GOAL...Sigma Tristan Borges recovers giveaway on AU side
of half and passes to Sigma Kadell Thomas who runs down right to near end line and rolls centering
pass to Anagho-Ntamark at 8 yards from right post. Goalie Mark Rogal slides to make point blank
save at 3 yards and the ball comes back to Anagho-Ntamark. The rebound shot from 8 yards is just
over prone goalie into left corner of net.
6 min...Sigma Velastegui low 25 yard shot up middle is stopped.
6 min...AU Duedei shot from 15 yards deflects off defender to goalie.
7 min...Sigma Charlie Anagho-Ntamark has ball at AU 20 yards in middle but is tangled with a defender
so rolls ball to Sigma David Velastegui who is tackled just inside box on left by a different defender.
Referee Marko Ristic awards Sigma a Penalty kick and gives AU Connor McFall for the tackle or arguing
the call.
8 min...Sigma David Velastegui GOAL...Velastegui stutter steps Penalty kick and shoots low into right
side of net with goalie diving left.
10 min...AU McFall 35 yard freekick from left has AU Assing flicks header from 10 yards off top of bar
in center of net.
14 min...AU Guedei on give and go play down left has him checked off ball near end line.
15 min...AU Guedei rolls 22 yarder around defender but it's an easy pick up for goalie.
17 min...AU McFall cornerkick from riht is over players in box.
20 min...AU goalie out to 30 yards to beat Sigma Thomas to through ball pass and chests ball away.
20 min...AU Poliankhov makes block and runs in from 30 yards and shoots low from 20 yards that goalie
on left smothers.
22 min...Sigma Charlie Anagho-Ntamark GOAL...Sigma Tristan Borges 30 yard freekick from right has
Anagho-Ntamark in crowd of players flick header from 10 yards in middle just under bar.
24 min...Sigma Samaniego gets key clearance from behind at 7 yards to prevent shot.
27 min...AU McFall 30 yard freekick from right just over leaping AU Sivananthan at 7 yards.
29 min...Sigma Alfazy is hurt on crushing bodycheck at Sigma 30 yard line.
31 min...Sigma Velastegui 30 yard freekick from slight left is blasted into head in player wall.
Sigma Walton makes low cross from left along end line from 20 yards has defender clear from left edge
of 6 yard box.
34 min...Sigma Velastegui cornerkick from right has Sigma Samaniego not able to turn header left of net.
35 min...AU Matviishyn bends cross after run down left to 25 yard line and goalie steps in front of AU Guedei
who was waking on the left to grab bouncer at 8 yards.
37 min...Sigma Velastegui recovers AU header and chips 40 yard shot from left that goalie catches.
37 min...AU Guedei can't win freekick call on check and ball rolls over Sigma end line.
38 min...AU Guedei can't connect fully on bicycle kick at 12 yards on AU Poliakhov cross from near
right cornerflag.
41 min...AU goalie makes save on Sigma Thomas who can't quite control at 8 yards after deking defender.
43 min...AU Pliakhov is injured when checked off ball at Sigma 30 yard line.
45 min...half ends 4:48pm.

Second Half:...starts 5:09pm...There'd been a delay as there was a problem with a large hole in the top
of the south end net.
48 min...AU Matviishyn cross from 25 yards on sharp right is caught by goalie on near post.
49 min...AU Sivananthan gets through ball pass and breaks down left and low 22 yards shot is smothered
by goalie and then Sivananthan falls over him appealing for a Penalty call.
50 min...AU McFall 35 yard freekick down middle is over players in box and goalie catches under bar.
54 min...Sigma Samuel gets back to hook ball off AU Poliakhov before he can get shot from 12 yard shot in box.
55 min...Sigma goalie runs to right edge of box on end line to smother ball ahead of AU Poliakhov.
55 min...AU sub...Lyte replaces Rodrigues.
.........AU sub...Da Corte replaces Guedei.
59 min...AU YELLOW card...Francis earns it for holding Sigma Borges at Sigma 45 yard line.
61 min...AU Polikhov can't get by sliding tackle to block his shot on edge of box on left. AU Francis recovers
ball and bends 20 yards shot well high and right of net.
62 min...Sigma Thomas is checked off ball on 1 on 3 into right side of box.
62 min...AU Sivananthan through ball pass up middle to fall forward to AU Da Corte and goalie picks up.
63 min...AU Lyte makes key stop on edge of 6 yard box in middle.
63 min...Sigma Thomas charges to ball and 15 yard shot on right is well over net.
64 min...Sigma sub...Brar replaces Samaniego.
65 min...Sigma Anagho-Ntamark can't beat AU Bowyer on attempts on right end line and pushes ball over end line.
67 min...AU sub...Domingo Montrull replaces Matviishyn.
69 min...Sigma Velastegui centers pass from left on run but overrun by both goalie and Sigma Walton and defender
clears at 12 yards.
70 min...AU McFall cornerkick from right has AU Francis not able to turn header in box and quick breakout results.
70 min...Sigma Thomas long run down right and bends 20 yard shot well high and left of top corner of net.
71 min...Sigma sub...Stoddart replaces Velastegui.
72 min...Sigma Thomas rolls pass back on right aand Sigma Borges shoots 20 yard roller that's picked up by goalie.
73 min...Sigma Borges and Sigma Anagho-Ntamark on pass rush up left and Anagho-Ntamark has 25 yard shot tipped wide
left by defender.
74 min...Sigma players work out short cornerkick from left but it's wasted as the ball is never crossed into the box.
75 min...Sigma Smauel wins another duel with AU Da Corte to keep him from getting shot in box.
76 min...Sigma sub...Ricketts replaces Borges.
.........Sigma sub...Mohsen replaces Walton.
77 min...AU Francis must draw a warning from the referee rather than a second Yellow card for tripping a player
at AU 45 yard line.
78 min...Sigma Anagho-Ntamark low 25 yard shot from far left has AU Bowyer gets foot in to make stop.
79 min...Sigma Mohsen low pass on left 40 yards is centered and Sigma Anagho-Ntamark at 15 yards who slides to get shot
that goalie sprawls to save at 6 yards.
80 min...Sigma Thomas wins cornerkick on left when he sends cross along end line that deflects off defender.
80 min...Sigma Alfazy cornerkick from left has Sigma Sanuel leap and pop 10 yard header in crowd of players over bar.
82 min...AU player's cornerkick from right has AU player not able to turn 8 yard header.
83 min...Sigma goalie outjumps AU Poliakhov to grab high ball into box at 10 yards.
83 min...Sigma Ricketts has 18 yard shot blocked by defender after cutting to middle.
85 min...AU YELLOW card...Poliakhov earns it for complaining 40 yards away from the ball.
87 min...AU Francis leaves game with injury and AU plays short the rest of the game.
87 min...Sigma Thomas run on left and low 22 yard shot is smothered by diving goalie on near post.
89 min...Sigma Mohsen long run down left wideline then along end line and rolls ball for Sigma Anagho-Ntamark but 10 yard
shot is blocked.
90 min...AU goalie runs out to edge of box to beat Sigma Ricketts and clear.
91 min...Sigma Samuel beats AU Domingo Montrull so he can't get away shot.
91 min...game ends 5:55pm.

Final Score:....Sigma FC......3.....Alliance United......0.......

The L1O website lists Sigma Borges as earning a Yellow card but I didn't notice it.

Attendance was about 50 on this windbreaker-wearing cool afternoon. Because of the overcast skies,
planes were flying very low overhead to descend to a runway at Pearson Airport. While a plane flew
by just as 'O Canada' was ending on the sound system so it was like a fly-by to make up for me being
too far away at last week's Airshow at the CNE, to have that repeated every three minutes was a bit
distracting...good thing this was not the LiveStream game of the week or the broadcaster would have
to shout.

This was a good recovery game for Sigma who lost their first game of the season two weeks ago 3-0
(their previous game) against Woodbridge Strikers despite being up a man for the entire second half.
Charlie Anagho-Ntamark (pronounced 'Da-Mark') scored two goals and goalie Triston Henry (who has
played every league minute this season) earned the shutout allowing only 7 goals in 14 league games.

This game was effectively over by the 22 minute mark. After the quick start I was expecting the score
might double or triple after that but it settled down to a lot of midfield play and few close-in chances.

Alliance had one key moment that could have turned the game around at least for a while. At 10 minutes
and the score only 2-0, AU Connor McFall took a 35 yard freekick from the left that had AU Jesse Assing
flick a header from 10 yards that hit the top of the bar.

With school back in, some team rosters have been seriously depleted. Alliance only had four subs
on their bench and one was a goalie. When they had an injury at 87 minutes and had no-one to bring on,
they just played short (five are allowed in this development league). Alliance have their three
leading goalscorers tied with five each. Only Nirunthan Sivananthan played today. I noticed
Steven Furlano (5 goals) was on the game sheet under 'suspended' and checked the L1O website—5 Yellow
cards and last one picked up in their last game against OSUF in Ottawa would be the reason for his absence.
Anthony Sousa (5 goals), Nikola Stakic, and Nicholas Osorio were also missing but are college age
and might be away the rest of the season. There were three 'first timers' on the roster (all U-20)
plus the backup goalie who had no previous L1O games. Few teams bother to check the 'import' box
(maybe they have none) but AU had Bogdan Poliakhov (1990) and Vasyl Matviishyn (2000) as non-Canadians.

Sigma FC over the years has been a team that is hurt the most by school returns. They've got out
to a 9-0-0 start then fizzled in the season and the playoffs and by the end of the season are down
to their high schoolers. This year they have more ex-college players probably hanging around for
a good playoff run and the chance to be spotted by this new Canada Premier League.

The win improves Sigma FC to a record of 11 wins, 1 loss, 2 ties for 35 points with two games to go.
They retake first place over Toronto FC III by two points. TFC III have one game to go but their
game against Vaughan Azzurri has never been rescheduled and they are involved in their commitments
to the USSDA league as 'Toronto FC U-18/19s'. Sometimes they're playing two games a weekend.
They are not scheduled to participate in the L1O playoffs. Vaughan have clinched a spot but placement
may be difficult but the playoff round just breaks teams into groups of four so it shouldn't matter.

The loss leaves Alliance United sitting on the edge of the playoffs with a record of 5 wins, 6 losses,
3 ties for 18 points. That is the playoff line right now. With other teams below them winning they
now hold on to that final spot (ninth because of TFC III) by just one point.

Two hours after this game ended the L1O game between North Mississauga and Oakville Blue Devils was
scheduled to start. This was a good time to ask around about the CPL league's 'Open Tryouts'.
I was really wanting to ask Sigma head coach Bobby Smymiotis, as he's given podcast interviews
on the start up of this league (and his brother is an important player agent), about this but
he wasn't here today. The consences between who I talked to today was that L1O players WILL NOT
be part of the thousand players who will be trying out as they've been scouted already. These tryouts
will be only one of five ways that are used to fill the teams. With the payroll budget wavering
higher and lower each week with each news leak and speculation there is a concern that a local player
may not choose to move to the other side of Canada to play but may opt-in if they can play for
a nearby team. York 9 and Hamilton Forge are the GTA area clubs...no-one this weekend new that
USL Ottawa Fury would NOT be joining the new league although they already have a full roster).

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
twitter RocketRobin01

Sigma FC starters