June 27, 2018 USL Toronto FC II--Toronto FC II vs FC Cincinnati game review (by Rocket Robin)

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Result and details of the Wednesday June 27, 2018 USL game between Toronto FC II and FC Cincinnati
played at Lamport Stadium in Toronto at 7:00pm.

Toronto FC II (all red, white names and numbers)

....................30 Borja Angoitia
.....52 Julian Dunn-Johnson...49 Robert Boskovic...38 Kyle Bjornethun
48 Dante Campbell...27 Liam Fraser (cpt)...45 Luca Uccello...56 Malik Johnson...37 Gideon Waja
...........22 Jordan Hamilton...20 Ayo Akinola

Subs:...90 Rimi Olatunji (gk)...42 Steffan Yeates (mid)...54 Ryan Telfer (mid)...55 Aidan Daniels (mid)
...59 Noble Okello-Ayo (mid)...61 Rocco Romeo (def)...64 Shaan Hundal (fwd)
team officials:...head coach Michael Rabasca

FC Cincinnati (white socks, shorts and shirts, orange shoulders, navy names and numbers)

.....................1 Evan Newton
2 Matt Bahner...29 Patrick Barrett...21 Dekel Keinan (cpt)...23 Blake Smith
........7 Russell Cicerone...16 Richie Ryan...13 Michael Lahoud
........5 Nazmi Albadawi...10 Emery Welshman...45 Emmanuel Ledesma

Subs:...18 Spencer Richey (gk)...3 Forrest Lasso (def)...11 Danni Konig (fwd)...19 Corben Bone (mid)
...20 Jimmy McLaughlin (mid)...32 Justin Hoyte (def)...92 Daniel Haber (fwd)
team officials:...head coach Alan Koch

Game officials:...referee Fabrizio Stasolla...referee's assistants Melissa Sneddon and Peter Pendli
...fourth official David Barrie (yellow shirts, black shorts and socks)

First Half:...game starts 7:07pm...TFC defends south end on this overcast evening with rain spitting just at the start.
40 sec...FCC goalie is out to 25 yards on right to beat TFC Hamilton to ball.
1 min...A TFC throw-in is called back for throwing from the wrong coloured sideline.
4 min...FCC Ledesma cross from 25 yards on far left and FCC player on right heads ball to center and FCC Welshman has 15 yard
shot hit head of defender.
5 min...FCC Albadawi has 20 yard shot from left blocked.
6 min...FCC Nazmi Albadawi GOAL...FCC Emmanuel Ledesma pushes TFC Dante Campbell aside near left end line and sends
low 15 yard centering pass to middle where Albadawi blasts low 8 yard shot forward past sprawling goalie Borja Angoitia.
8 min...TFC Uccello rolls forward pass over end line on left as no TFC player run for it.
9 min...TFC Uccello blasts 30 yard shot up middle well over net.
10 min...FCC defender pokes ball away from behind on TFC Hamilton before he can get away 20 yard shot.
12 min...FCC Welshman dribbles up field but carries it over end line on right when defender challenges him.
12 min...TFC Fraser is tapped back pass and his 25 yard shot down middle is high wide left of net.
15 min...TFC goalie slides to smother ball at 12 yards ahead of FCC Welshman.
16 min...TFC Campbell rolls cross from right into box but defender stops and clears.
18 min...FCC Lahoud has another great clearance of cross into FCC box.
20 min...FCC players have two shots blocked and FCC Bahner cross from 25 yards on far right is caught by goalie.
20 min...TFC Johnson rolls 25 yard shot from left is through players wide left.
22 min...TFC Akinola receives cross over players from left and 18 yard shot one-touch from right is into webbing outside of net.
23 min...FCC Ledesma has 28 yard shot up middle is tipped for cornerkick.
24 min...FCC player's cornerkick from right has TFC Hamilton as nearest player head away on left post.
27 min...TFC Ayo Akinola GOAL...TFC Dante Campbell crosses from 22 yards on right that has leaping Akinola near left post
head 5 yarder forward just under bar past goalie Evan Newton.
29 min...FCC Albadawi taps pass from center and FCC Ledesma blasts 15 yard shot from left that goalie sprawls to bat down
and defender clears.
31 min...FCC Albadawi wins freekick on sliding tackle at 28 yards.
31 min...FCC Albadawi 28 yard freekick up middle hits head in wall but play is whistled down.
33 min...TFC Bjornethun 30 yard freekick from right is chip that is whistled down in box.
34 min...FCC Albadawi cross from left has TFC Boskovic head ball away.
37 min...FCC Emery Welshman GOAL...FCC Nazmi Albadawi runs downfield to get to long freekick and stops ball at 5 yard line
in midair on right and cuts around TFC Robert Boskovic and rolls centering pass for charging Welshman to shoot low 12 yarder
into right side of net.
38 min...FCC Ledesma cross from 25 yards on left is batted down and caught by goalie.
39 min...FCC Emmanuel Ledesma GOAL...FCC Emery Welshman dribbles upfield from center line and sends low cross from right
to Ledesma who blasts 20 yard shot from left over leaping goalie at 6 yards and into right corner of net.
42 min...TFC Boskovic slides to give up cornerkick while blocking shot.
43 min...FCC Albadawi cornerkick from right has defender in crowd in box at 12 yards head away.
44 min...TFC YELLOW card...Bjornethun earns it for sliding tackle.
47 min...half ends 7:54pm.

Halftime Entertainment: There's an Antony's Espresso Machine giveaway to the loudest TFC II fan.

Second Half:...starts 8:10pm...there's still no rain.
halftime sub:...TFC Telfer replaces Bjornethun.
45 min...FCC Ledesma run down left and cross is over players in box.
46 min...FCC Bahnet chips ball from 35 yard line down right and FCC Welshman jumps to knock down but bounces it to goalie.
47 min...TFC Telfer low 18 yard shot from left has goalie stop and clear at 6 yards.
48 min...FCC Ryan is injured at FCC 40 yard line.
49 min...FCC Ledesma cross from 25 yards on far left is over box.
50 min...FCC Albadawi pass forward to FCC Cicerone who shoots 25 yarder just over top right corner of goal.
52 min...TFC Uccello receives pass with back to net then falls backwards and defender 10 yards away clears.
54 min...TFC Johnson rush up middle and 30 yard shot is over net, back fence, and into parking lot.
56 min...TFC Dunn-Johnson rolls pass to TFC Johnson who then rolls pass from 30 yards upfield on right to no one.
59 min...FCC Albadawi rolls pass from 30 yards but FCC Welshman can't control at 15 yards and ball rolls to goalie.
60 min...FCC Ryan catches up to TFC Uccello to slide from behind and prevent shot. Ryan is injured and needs trainer
for a leg injury.
63 min...FCC Bone replaces Ryan who is still injured and was helped off the field by two staff.
64 min...TFC defenders are able to clear FCC ball passes in box.
67 min...TFC Telfer rush down left and cross into box is knocked around and defener clears off TFC Akinola face deflects
for goalkick.
69 min...TFC Robert Boskovic GOAL...TFC Ryan Telfer takes 22 yard freekick from right edge of box and TFC Boskovic leaps
in front of crowd of players in middle of box and heads 6 yarder into left side of net.
70 min...TFC sub...Yeates replaces Waja.
70 min...TFC Akinola rush down left to end line and cross into box has defender boot away.
71 min...TFC Telfer cross fro left is over players in box.
72 min...FCC sub...Konig replaces Welshman.
74 min...TFC Jordan Hamilton...TFC Steven Yeates near left edge of box sends in low cross and Hamilton connects
after one bounce on scissor kick from 12 yards into top right side of net.
76 min...TFC Telfer low cross from left end line is smothered by goalie near left post.
76 min...TFC Campbell cross from right end line is over box.
77 min...TFC sub...Hundal replaces Akinola.
78 min...TFC Campbell 35 yard chip from right has goalie catch in 6 yard box.
79 min...TFC Johnson is triple bumped by players running into box and ball is cleared.
81 min...TFC Uccello 30 yard freekick from left has goalie catch wide right of net.
82 min...FCC sub...McLaughlin replaces Cicerone.
83 min...TFC Campbell rush to end line on right and wins cornerkick on low pass deflection.
83 min...TFC Telfer cornerkick from right has defender flick ball over box.
84 min...TFC Telfer cornerkick from right has defender clear.
85 min...TFC Telfer 25 yard freekick from top right of box has goalie sprawl and push ball wide right of net.
85 min...TFC Telfer cornerkick from right has TFC Hamilton flying backwards head 10 yarder off the left post.
86 min...TFC YELLOW card...Campbell earns it for foot up challenge spearing leg of FCC Ledesma at FCC 25 yard line.
88 min...FCC Ledesman 30 yard freekick from slight left has TFC Hamilton head pop up which is cleared from box.
90 min...TFC defender heads away FCC cross into box.
91 min...TFC Yeates receives pass and has shot blocked.
91 min...TFC Hundal taps centering pass from 12 yards on left but defender stops and clears ball.
93 min...TFC Campbell wins freekick when tripped from behind in own box.
94 min...TFC Yeates wins freekick.
94 min...TFC Telfer 33 yard freekick from left has TFC Dunn-Johnson head 10 yarder in crowd of players well over net.
95 min...TFC Dunn-Johnson heads ball back to goalie top stop FCC Ledesma getting to it at 20 yards.
95 min...game ends 9:00pm.

Final Score:...Toronto FC II........3........FC Cincinnati......3.......

Attendance was not announced but was listed on the USL website as 288. This game was played at Lamport Stadium
after being rescheduled from BMO Field within the last few weeks—it's only a few blocks north of the MLS
stadium anyway. The stadium field has had new field turf installed and a few rugby games played on it.
I found the lines on the field somewhat confusing—there were less than football hashmarks and no numbers but
there were multi coloured lines marking boundaries for rugby,” soccer, and field hockey. At the one minute
mark a throw-in was called back as it must have been taken at the wrong coloured line—and that was
on the home team. There was no netting erected like I remember for a period of time years ago but not one
ball carried over the fence and onto King Street. One went over the south fence and bounced around
in the parking lot.

Should I use the excuse that a pre-game rain scared all the downtown fans away? It had long stopped and only
the seats were wet. Last season's game against FC Cincinnati at Ontario Soccer Centre had 1119 and that was
a pouring rain. It's possible tonight that up to a quarter of the fans were cheering the visitors including
friends and relatives of Emery Welshman who was born in Mississauga and was drafted by TFC and played
a few games for them in 2013. He is now a Guyanese international getting to play because of his parents'
nationality.

Man of the Match (who is always a TFC II player) and winner of an espresso machine was Jordan Hamilton.
Hamilton answered after the game that “this stadium is very nostalgic for me because as a ten year old boy
I watched my brother play for the Academy...and then eventually I played my first game for the senior Academy
here back in the CSL days so it feels good to be back at Lamport”.

TFC II were aided by the return of three players who had moved up to fill injury spots for the MLS team.
Ryan Telfer was a halftime sub and had some good runs up the wing, corner kicks and crosses and was even
allowed to take a freekick that aided the comeback. Liam Fraser (tonight's captain) was back in the midfield
and dropped to defence when needed (he really has taken on the Michael Bradley role). Jordan Hamilton
seemed to awaken in the second half with the goal and then an 85 minute chance when Telfer's cornerkick
from the right had him leaning backwards to head a 10 yarder off the left post. New head coach
Michael Rabasca answered me that bringing back the MLS guys has really helped, many of them have played
USL on their way up. “Showing the pathway is great for them”.

On the other hand, last week's TFC game against NYCFC, Jonathan Osorio was the only Canadian starter.

18 year old midfielder Steffan Yeates came in at 70 minutes to play in his third USL game and had the assist
on Hamilton's goal. He played with TFC III on the weekend and I was told he was on his way
to University of Connecticut (along with five USL appearance goalie Gianluca Catalano). Tonight's 17 year old
backup goalie Rimi Olatunji is scheduled to leave for Providence College. Nice farewells!

This was the third game in charge for Rabasca. He said after the game “I feel our team is good enough...and they
needed to be reminded at halftime...they weren't playing with confidence, nor aggression, nor courage that we expect”.
“We were the better team tonight”.

Rabasca also said they were pushing to win and that's a reason he brought on attacker Shaan Hundal at 77 minutes.
I would say from 65 minutes onward it was all one-way TFC traffic.

TFC II's record improves to 0 wins, 12 losses, 3 ties and they are still in sixteenth place. FC Cincinnati improves
to 9 wins, 3 losses, 4 ties for 31 points and remain in first place (which makes tonight's result
all the more impressive).

FC Cincinnati have been fast-tracked to start play in MLS Eastern Conference next season jumping ahead of Nashville
and Miami. They will need to have a lot stronger roster to survive. They are stronger than last year but look like
they were put together from a fire sale of 'on hiatus' NASL rosters. Emery Welshman played for Puerto Rico last year,
Emmanuel Ledesma was with New York Cosmos, and Richie Ryan played for Ottawa Fury in 2014 and 2015 then two more
NASL teams the last two years.

In other USL news, Tulsa Roughnecks won their first game in sixteen matches this year tonight and that leaves TFC II
as the only winless team. As Tulsa is in the Western Conference they won't be seeing each other. Ottawa Fury won their
series against AS Blainville with two 1-0 scores and advance in the Canadian Championships to face Toronto FC (the MLS
team that is) for the Voyageurs Cup and another chance in the CONCACAF club competition. As the Voyageurs Cup requires
three starting Canadian players, it wouldn't surprise me if Hamilton, Telfer, and Fraser end up back with the main team.
Fraser can't get lost as the name of the street running along Lamport's west stands is 'Fraser Avenue'.

TFC II don't have too long to wait for their next game. That's Sunday July 1st . It will be back at BMO Field one hour
after the TFC vs New York Red Bulls game ends when they play Charleston Battery.

My personal Canada Day project...Let's get the USL website to correct Robert Boskovic's listing to nationality--Canadian...He was
born in Mississauga. Can't be more Canadian than being born July 1st. Yep I sent an e-mail today!

Toronto FC II starters