September 18, 2018 League 1 Ontario--Vaughan Azzurri vs Toronto FC III game review (by Rocket Robin)

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Result and details of the Tuesday September 18, 2018 League 1 Ontario game between Vaughan Azzurri and Toronto FC III
played at the Ontario Soccer Centre in Vaughan at 9:00pm.

Vaughan Azzurri (all navy, white numbers)

.....................1 Matt George
2 Devante Walker...5 Justin Springer...4 Alain Sargeant...20 Daniel Cramarossa
17 Massimo Mirabelli...6 Matthew Arnone...13 Zachary Drake...8 Dylan Sacramento...15 Austin Ricci
....................19 Mario Kovacevic (cpt)

Subs:...12 Shyon Gaeeni (gk)...7 Jashua Mills...10 Lucas Puntillo...11 Brandon Mills
...16 Edward Lay...23 Siquan Lowe
team officials:...team head coach Carmine Isacco...assistant coach Francesco Vescio and Wayne Mills
...managers Tony De Palma and Dylan Carreiro...therapist Estaban Clavijo

Toronto FC III (white socks and shirts, blue shorts, red numbers)

.......................1 Eleias Himaras
2 Tysen Phillips...4 Brayden Borutskie...5 Kaeson Trench (cpt)...3 Themi Antonoglou
7 Tom Akinola...10 Moises Corona...6 Javier George...8 Jahari Lawrence...11 Mike Washington
.......................9 Osaze De Rosario

Subs:...12 Mike De Leo (gk)...13 Rohan Goulbourne...14 Malik Henry...15 Elijah Le
...16 Sal Mazzaferro
team officials:...team head coach Danny Dichio...assistant coach Angelo Cavalluzzo
...manager's Daniel Marrozzo and Tania Pedron...therapist Samra Habtom

*suspended list: TFC III Mehdi Essoussi

Game officials:...referee Marc Henoud...referee's assistants Twayne Anderson and Nick Vagenis
...fourth official Robert Reid...(watermelon shirts, black shorts and socks)

First Half:...starts 9:00pm...VA defends north end on this cool night with the wind gusting from the north.
1 min...VA Walker cross from 25 yards on far right is cleared from box.
3 min...VA player rushes into left side of box but is checked off ball.
4 min...VA Arnone chips cross from 40 yards over players heads but charging VA Ricci heads in 10 yarder on left
to top right corner of net but is flagged offside.
5 min...TFC Corona rolls 22 yaarder up middle that diving goalie pushes wide left of post.
6 min...TFC Corona corcnerkick from left has TFC De Rosario at 8 yards on left head ball wide right.
8 min...VA Sacramento is checked off ball on right side of box.
10 min...VA Kovacevic fights way to lefft end nline but 12 yard cross/shot is caught by goalie on near post.
11 min...VA Ricci low 20 yard shot between players is saved by sprawling goalie on left side of net.
12 min...VA YELLOW card...Sacramento earns it for something.
18 min...VA Massimo Mirabelli GOAL...VA Devante Walker chips pass from 25 yard line on right over
to VA Austin Ricci on left and his low 22 yard shot is saved by sprawling TFC goalie Eleias Himaras
at 5 yards but he let's out rebound. VA Dylan Sacramento gets to ball and shoots 7 yarder that's
saved by prone goalie and ball rebounds over to right and Mirabelli sends 7 yard shot into short
side of open net.
22 min...VA Sacramento 25 yard freekick from right has TFC Henry heads away for cornerkick.
23 min...VA Sacramento cornerkick from right has defender clear.
24 min...VA Springer makes key clearance of TFC player's cross from right in middle of box.
25 min...VA Springer makes another clearance of low cross by TFC Antonoglou.
26 min...VA Sacramento is just a step behind getting to high through ball at 15 yards down middle.
29 min...VA Sacramento cornerkick from right is over players in box. The ball is crossed in from
the left and the goalie boots away to start fast break out.
30 min...VA Mirabelli 20 yard blasts tips off defender for cornerkick.
31 min...VA Sacramento cornerkick from left is headed through box from left and cleared.
31 min...VA Ricci is checked off ball on right side of TFC box.
33 min...TFC Akinola makes short pass to TFC De Rosario who chips defender at 25 yards and Akinola
with through ball shoots 18 yarder just wide right.
34 min...TFC Antonoglou cross from 30 yards on left is caught by goalie diving forward to catch
in front of TFC player at 10 yards.
35 min...VA Kovacevic takes quick freekick roller from 28 yards and wins cornerkick on deflection.
36 min...VA Sacramento cornerkick from right has defender head ball out of box.
36 min...VA player's cross from right is into box and goalie swats away instead of catching.
37 min...I notice the VA bench players are warming up.
39 min...VA Ricci 30 yard blasts up middle is over players and well over net.
45 min...VA Arnone ends VA pressure with 25 yard blasts up middle which flying goalie pushes wide left
of top corner of net.
......VA Mirabelli was injured earlier on the play and needs trainer.
46 min...VA Dylan Sacramento GOAL...Sacramento takes high cornerkick from left that goalie gets
upraised arm to on line but ball is pushed into top right corner of net.
47 min...half ends 9:47 min without a restart after the goal.

Both teams stay on their benches at halftime rather than return to the dressing room although now
it's colder and windier.

Second Half:...starts 10:00pm.
Halftime sub:...VA Brandon Mills replaces injured Mirabelli.
46 min...VA Kovacevic uses fancy footwaor but is checked off ball in the TFC box before he gets shot.
47 min...VA Kovacevic chips 22 yarder from right is over goalie to left but a VA player is blocked from taking a shot.
50 min...the TFC bench players are now warming up.
51 min...VA Sacramento and VA Kovacevic on give and go is into right side of box.
52 min...TFC Corona is given through ball and gets ball deflect over sliding goalie just inside box. A defender blocks
Corona recovery and the goalie is back to pick up ball on his overrun.
52 min...VA Ricci blasts 20 yarder well wide and high after run to middle.
53 min...TFC sub...Henry replaces Washington.
53 min...VA Kovacevic is checked off ball just inside TFC box before he can get shot.
54 min...TFC Henry low cross into box from right has retreating VA Springer concede cornerkick.
54 min...TFC Corona cornerkick from right has nearest defender clear.
56 min...VA Zachary Drake GOAL...VA Dylan Sacramento cornerkick from right is rolled along end line
and VA Mario Kovacevic just inside box taps pass back to Sacramento who sends in high cross from
top right corner of edge of box and charging Drake heads 6 yarder down middle into right corner
of net on bounce.
59 min...TFC De Rosario overruns ball on through ball pass and is whistled down when he grabs VA player
on edge of box.
61 min...TFC sub...Goulbourne replaces Akinola.
61 min...TFC Antonoglou cross from 25 yards on left for TFC De Rosario who heads 10 yarder that flying
goalie pushes wide right of goal.
62 min...VA Cramarossa makes key header to clear ball in box of TFC Antonoglou cross from left.
65 min...VA sub...Jashua Mills replaces Kovacevic.
66 min...VA Jashua Mills GOAL...VA player at 35 yards on left passes high and ball is over upraised
leg of defender on edge of box and bounces to VA Brandon Mills at 15 yards inside right side of box
and he chips pass along 6 yard box and charging Jashua Mills blasts 7 yard midair shot between
goalie's raised arms just under bar on left side.
68 min...TFC Corona 20 yard shot from slight right hits right post. TFC De Rosario gets to ball and
his 15 yard shot is just wide left.
69 min...VA sub...Lowe replaces Walker.
.........TFC sub...Mazzaferro replaces Antonoglou.
70 min...VA Dylan Sacramento GOAL...VA Alain Sargeant on right sideline just inside TFC side
of half rolls centering pass forward to VA Austin Ricci who runs upfield cutting to middle
and rolls pass forward from 25 yard line and Sacramento cutting over from left receives ball
on edge of box and rolls 15 yarder down middle past sliding goalie at 6 yards into left
corner of net.
72 min...TFC sub...Le replaces Corona.
73 min...VA Ricci tips ball midair over over defender and blasts 20 yarder just wide left.
73 min...VA sub...Lay replaces Drake.
74 min...TFC Henry on fast break down right has retreating defending tip away.
75 min...VA Sacramento cornerkick from right has VA Arnone pop header in crowd of players wide
left of net from 12 yards.
75 min...VA sub...Puntillo replaces Sacramento.
78 min...VA YELLOW card...Cramarossa earns it for bumping over TFC Lawrence at TFC 35 yard line.
(I thought it was given to Brandon Mills but twitter says it was Cramarossa)
79 min...VA Ricci intercepts back pass at 35 yards and passes to VA Brandon Mills on right when
another defender falls. Brandon Mills blast from 15 yards on right is saved by sprawling goalie.
81 min...TFC De Rosario blasts 30 yard shot up middle just wide left of net. The flew for it and hurt
his arm on landing.
82 min...VA Austin Ricci GOAL...TFC Brayden Borutskie stops pass sent in from left sideline
at 22 yard line and his immediate clearance is blocked by Ricci who steps behind him and dribbles
in from top left corner of box and rolls 12 yarder past goalie sliding at 6 yards into right
corner of net.
84 min...VA goalie picks up through ball pass at 12 yards on right.
85 min...TFC YELLOW card...Lawrence earns it for injurying VA Arnone at TFC 30 yard line.
86 min...VA goalie is out to 22 yards to clear ball before TFC Henry get get to it.
86 min...TFC goalie beats VA Ricci to through ball pass to grab ball at 12 yards.
89 min...VA YELLOW card...Ricci earns it for pulling over TFC player after holding off most
of TFC defenders running to end line on right.
91 min...VA Arnone is injured behing pushed over at VA 40 yard line.
93 min...game ends 10:48pm.

Final Score:.....Vaughan Azzurri.......6........Toronto FC III.......0.......

Attendance was about 30 on this cool night. This game had been rescheduled twice from it's
original date of July 22 because both teams played an L1O League Cup semi-final game that
weekend (which by both of them winning caused them to meet in the final—a 2-1 win for Vaughan)
then again on August 14. The game couldn't start before 9pm as there was a youth academy
practising until 8pm.

I expected this game wouldn't be played or be a forfeit but TFC III head coach Danny Dichio
answered me after the game that the league would have fined them $5000 for not playing their
last fixture in L1O! While that's not a problem to owner's MLSE with their budgets for
designated players and TAM allocations, it's a deterrence. The league can now asterisk
the 'cancelled' game between Windsor TFC and OSUF (Ottawa) from the weekend that was supposed
to be played in the GTA area to cut down in travel costs but because neither team will make
the playoffs it will never be played.

L1O commissioner Dino Rossi showed up in shirt sleeves. He'd be the guy to ask about whether
L1O players were pre-scouted by CanPrem League or are in the free for all tryouts but he left
before the game was over...probably from the cold weather.

Not to say it wasn't a crowded weekend the last days for TFC Academy teams as they travelled
to Ohio to have their U-19s, U17's and U15's play their equivalents Columbus Crew Academy
on Saturday and then Cleveland International Academy on Sunday. Dichio answered me that the
team then got in very late coming home.

Tonight's lineup wasn't really the TFC III equals Toronto FC U-19s that played most of the
season but a mixture of mostly 2001s and a few 2002s with the only 2000—defender Kaeson Trench
being the captain. Their team has grown younger as the season has gone on but I still
recognized just less than half their roster.

I did recognize Osaze De Rosario (2001) who played as the lone forward. Tom Akinola (2001)
was on the wing. He is the younger brother of Ayo Akinola (2000) a frequent TFC II player
with a few appearances on the MLS team. As Ayo's bio says he moved to Brampton at age 5,
I'll assume Tom was also born in Detroit USA.

TFC III is haunted in L1O by GTA area teams with former Academy players on their roster like
Dylan Sacramento and his two goals tonight. He scored the first ever L1O goal back
on May 30, 2014 when TFCA tied Vaughan 1-1 on the same field as tonight. (Thanks Wikipedia,
I forgot I was at that game!).

Vaughan has been building their roster with veterans in the last months replacing those
who returned to school so there aren't those Vaughan vs York University weekend roster
dilemmas of past years.

I wrote a few weeks ago that I hadn't attended a game where I'd seen a goal scored directly
from a cornerkick since Diego Maradona was in Toronto playing for Toronto Italia for a special
exhibition game on September 3, 1996. Now I saw one earlier this month in a USL game
when Cristian Portilla of Ottawa Fury scored one over goalie Borja Angoitia of TFC II.

Massimo Mirabelli who played for FC Edmonton in 2013 and 2014 and has had a stint with
Vaughan before in 2016 scored the opening goal tonight. He was injured near the end
of the first half and was off the field at the time of the corner kick goal. Brandon Mills
replaced him at the beginning of the second half.

Zachary Drake born in Ottawa and playing for USL Las Vegas Lights earlier this year and
running his own soccer school also scored. Three goals in three games! These guys must
be tuning up for the CPL tryouts a few weeks from now.

Jashua Mills—efficient! Comes on to field at 65 minutes, scores one minute later on a pass
from brother Brandon Mills. Another brother Jason Mills was playing here until the end
of July but is now with Seneca College Sting. Their father Wayne Mills is an assistant
coach with Vaughan.

Forward Jarek Whiteman who was injured at the 11 minute mark in last week's game against
Sigma is expected back in two weeks according to manager Tony De Palma.

First Touch Football tweeted that Vaughan defenders Alain Sargeant and Justin Springer
are St Kitts & Nevis internationals and may play against Canada in the CONCACAF Nations
League qualifiers in November.

Matt George was goalie for Vaughan. There wasn't much doubt that Vaughan would win but
a shutout wasn't assured. At 5 minutes Moises Corona rolled a 22 yarder up the middle
that he had to dive and push wide left of the post. 52 minutes had Corona given a through
ball and he has the ball deflect over the sliding goallie just inside the box. A defender
blocked Corona's recovery as he'd overrun the ball and George was able to pick it up.
61 minutes had De Rosario head a 10 yarder that George flew over to push wide right
of the goal. 68 minutes had Corona take a 20 yard shot from the slight that hit the
right post. De Rosario eventually got to the ball after a knock around and shot just
wide left from 15 yards.

The result improves Vaughan's record to 9 wins, 5 losses, 1 tie for 28 points for
a share of fifth place. They have one more game to play this weekend in Brampton
against Pro Stars. They can move up on Woodbridge Strikers who also have 28 points
but have finished their schedule. The higher the team's position, the more playoff
games it hosts when the teams are split into groups of four for a three game, three
week tourney with group winners making the final for the L1O Championship and a berth
in the 2019 Voyageurs Cup.

TFC III finish their season at 10 wins, 3 losses, 3 ties for 33 points and fourth place.
They will not be taking part in the playoffs with their USSDA commitments and aren't
expected to be back in League 1 Ontario next year. One of the reasons they joined
an American league was to get higher competition but looking at their record: U16/17
are 5-0-0 with GF/GA 19-6 and U15s 4-0-1 (tie) with GF/GA 24-1 even with these
exhausting bus trips. Only their U18/19s are struggling with 1-3-1 and GF/GA 6-7.
I can see that they don't learn much when they can beat Ontario teams of the same age
group 8-0 week after week but L1O offered them a chance to play 'men' which has
it's advantage for competition.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
twitter @RocketRobin01

Vaughan Azzurri starters