July 28, 2019 League 1 Ontario--Vaughan Azzurri vs Alliance United game report (by Rocket Robin)

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Result and details of the Sunday July 28, 2019 League 1 Ontario game between Vaughan Azzurri and Alliance United
played at North Maple Regional Park in Maple at 8:00pm.

Vaughan Azzurri (all navy, white numbers)

...............................12 Matt George
2 Jarred Phillips...17 Elias Roubos...4 Shiquan Lowe...20 Daniel Cramarosa
14 Jarek Whiteman...15 Alexander Zis...10 Jason Mills (cpt)...11 Massimo Ferrin...21 Federico Leal
...............................9 Maksym Kowal

Subs:...1 Ali Ghazanfari-Moghaddam (gk)...3 Joseph Amato...5 Raheem Rose...7 Jahsua Mills
...13 Andrew Gray...16 Edward Lay...22 Ryan Raposo
team officials:...team head coach Patric Gheisar...assistant coaches Anthony Vadon, Francesco Vescio, and Kasy Kiarash
manager Martine Eleuteri...therapist Anna Maria Carnovale

Alliance United (all white, black numbers)

.........................30 Praveen Ahilan
20 Jacob Maurutto-Robinson...2 Kenny Lioutas...5 David Colelli...7 Nirun Sivananthan
..........4 Nikola Stakic (cpt)...13 Farrell Francis...11 Anselmo Kim
.........17 Atchuthan Sivananthan...8 Nicholas Osorio...3 Chris Jacovou

Subs:...1 Chimdubem Onyeka (gk)...9 Kevin Da Silva...10 Rashad Grant...14 Artem Tesker
...Kossha Nazemi
team officials:...team head coach Ilya Orlov...assistant coaches Angelo Papafrangos, Denys Rylskyi and Julian Carr
...therapist Maksym Fedak and Roman Raschuk

Game officials:...referee Braeden Krampert...referee's assistants John Ross Scarcelli and Nivin Raizada
...fourth official Farzan Mirzazadeh

First Half:...game starts 8:00pm...VA defends south end on this still hot and humid evening. The sun is behind the clouds at last.
3 min...AU Maurutto-Robinson long throw-in from left has AU Stakic head from right and AU Jacovou head wide left
from 10 yards.
6 min...AU Nirun Sivananthan cornerkick from right has goalie catch in crowd of players.
6 min...VA Ferrin run to left end line and 12 yards blast has goalie palm over bar.
7 min...Vaughan Jarrek Whiteman GOAL...VA Massimo Ferrin sends in cornerkick from left into crowd
of players in box and Whiteman heads in 6 yarder into left corner of net behind goalie Praveen Ahilan.
12 min...AU Lioutas 30 yard freekick from right is blasts into player wall at 18 yards.
14 min...AU Francis bumps VA Zis off ball for goalkick without allowing cross on right end line.
15 min...VA Cramarosa cross from left over to VA Whiteman on right who crosses for VA Kowal to bicycle
kick 10 yarder up middle over net.
15 min...AU player blast from 20 yards deflects off defender for cornerkick.
16 min...Alliance Nikola Stakic wins Penalty kick when he's tripped after receiving short cornerkick
from the right and running into the top right corner of box.
17 min...Alliance Nikola Stakic GOAL...Stakic blasts Penalty kick roller into right corner of net
beyond diving goalie Matt George.
20 min...VA goalie has to clear ball out of bounds when AU Osorio threatens him.
21 min...VA defender clears AU play that had worked its way into right side of box.
24 min...AU Jacovou centers to AU Osorio who passes down to left wing for Jacovou but too far that goalie picks up.
26 min...VA Zis quick freekick from left from 28 yards has VA player cross just over VA Lowe trying for 6 yard header.
27 min...AU Atchuthan Sivananthan chips 33 yarder from right is through box unplayed and out left.
30 min...AU Stakic on right rolls pass forward to AU Osorio who sends long cross from 30 yards over box and out left side.
30 min...A water break is called.
32 min...VA Jason Mills runs into box on right but defender concedes cornerkick.
33 min...VA Cramarosa short cornerkick to VA Zis on right side end line but defender clears off Zis for goalkick.
35 min...AU Colelli 60 yard chip from left bounces to goalie.
38 min...AU Francis ends prolonged AU pressure with low 28 yard shot wide left of net.
39 min...AU goalie out to edge of box to catch ball.
39 min...Alliance Chris Jacovou GOAL...AU Anselmo Kim gets pass on left and crosses in from end line
through a bunch of players and Jacovou stops ball and blasts in 6 yarder on right forward into
right side of net.
47 min...VA Jason Mills eludes two sliding tackles in run from 70 yards up middle. Jason Mills passes forward
to VA Ferrin who runs to end line but cross has defenders clear.
48 min...AU goalie beats VA Phillips to grab ball on edge of box.
50 min...half ends 8:50pm.

Second Half:...starts 9:07pm...It has finally cooled off.
46 min...VA Ferrin one-touches cross from right he received at 10 yards on left high behind net.
47 min...AU Atchuthan Sivananthan long run up right and can't win Penalty kick on knock in box.
48 min...VA YELLOW card...Jason Mills earns it for dissent at VA 50 yard line.
50 min...Alliance Kenny Lioutas GOAL...Lioutas blasts 22 yard freekick from near top left corner
of box and it catches top right corner of net. Wow!
52 min...VA sub...Lay replaces Leal.
53 min...AU goalie smothers ball in crowd of box on right.
54 min...VA goalie is out of box to boot ball out before AU Atchuthan Sivananthan can get to it.
55 min...AU Lioutas 30 yard freekick from extreme right has AU Jacovou connect on scissor kick at 12 yards on left
and shoots well wide right.
57 min...VA YELLOW card...Whiteman earns it for body check on AU Francis as he clears ball at AU 45 yard line.
59 min...VA Ferrin cross from left end line has defender chest ball back to goalie in 6 yard box.
60 min...VA Whiteman 25 yard shot from right deflects off defender and goalie catches wide left of net.
62 min...AU Anselmo Kim earns a Yellow card for bumping a player at 50 yards.
..............VA Daniel Cramarosa earns a straight RED card for saying something to the referee
after pushing an AU player after the whistle for the last call.
63 min...AU sub...Nazemi replaces Kim.
.........VA sub...Raposo replaces Lay (already!).
66 min...AU Atchuthan Sivananthan rush up right and cross in from 10 yards has goalie dive down and swipe ball across box.
AU Jacovou blasts 8 yarder from left off bar with enough force to clear ball.
68 min...AU Lioutas 35 yard freekick from left is partially cleared and AU Osorio have low blast up middle that goalie flies
to push wide right.
69 min...AU Nirun Sivananthan cornerkick from right has goalie swat away. AU Osorio chips high 25 yarder that goalie
almost palms into own net wide left of net.
70 min...AU player's cornerkick from left has AU Stakic pop header from right side of box over to left and defender clears.
71 min...VA sub...Gray replaces Whiteman.
.........VA sub...Rose replaces Zis.
72 min...AU Nirun Sivananthan 60 yard run up left but pushes ball too far forward and goalie picks ball up and straight arms
Nirun Sivananthan.
74 min...A water break is called.
76 min...VA Ferrin cornerkick from left has defender flick header out right side on header in middle.
77 min...VA Gray long cross from 35 yards on right has VA Phillips jup and 6 yard shot from left is into side webbing of net.
AU Maurutto-Robinson is injured on play but he's out of bounds behind end line.
79 min...AU sub...Da Silva replaces injured Maurutto-Robinson.
80 min...AU sub...Tesker replaces Osorio.
81 min...AU Atchuthan Sivananthan taps pass for AU Jacovou to blast 28 yarder up middle that goalie catches under bar.
82 min...AU Atchuthan Sivananthan receives long punt up right from AU goalie and rushes continuing to cut in to middle.
AU Jacovou heads 15 yarder that bounces wide right on cornerkick from left.
83 min...VA YELLOW card...Phillips earns it for bump after whistle. He says "Bravo ref" and says "Thank you". Somewhat dangerous
after knowing what happened at 62 minutes.
84 min...AU Nazemi makes key stop giving up a cornerkick on right stopping a tap-in of a cross by two VA players waiting
on the left post.
85 min...VA sub...Jahsua Mills replaces Phillips.
86 min...AU Lioutas 30 yard freekick from right has AU player head 8 yarder over net.
87 min...AU sub...Grant replaces Jacovou.
88 min...VA Raposo cross from right has defender clear from 6 yard box.
91 min...VA Lowe pass downfield has VA Raposo low cross directly to goalie.
92 min...VA YELLOW card...Rose earns it for sliding tackle on AU Stakic at VA 35 yard line.
93 min...VA Ferrin 55 yard freekick is caught by goalie behind group of players.
94 min...AU Tesker steals ball off VA Jahsua Mills and cuts in on right end line and wins cornerkick.
95 min...Two AU players pin three VA players near VA cornerflag.
96 min...game ends 9:58pm.

Final Score:.....Vaughan Azzurri.........1........Alliance United.......3.........

Attendance was about 200 people (a large crowd for what Vaughan usually draws but this was
a clash of two of the league's best teams). There were enough places if everyone wanted
to sit down on the aluminum stands but folks spread out to stretch the length of the field.
Obviously if Vaughan retains the L1O championship this year, next year's Canadian Championships
home games will probably be held at Ontario Soccer Centre again. I also noticed there was
hardly any room for players to warm up before they were subbed in because of the fences being
so close to the end lines. Once it got dark mosquitos came out and fans were swatting at them.
I expect the players could outrun them.

Again this game was a battle for the top. Jim Brennan, head coach of York 9 FC, said at the post
game press conference yesterday that he wanted his players to get away from the game (in a rare
spot where there's a gap in the schedule for York) and there in the crowd were Morey Doner,
Steve Furlano (who played for Alliance last season), and back up goalie Colm Vance. I kidded Doner
that he was missing the last day of his hometown's Collingwood Elvis Festival. Also York assistant
coach Carmine Isacco (Vaughan head coach last year) was in the crowd (not disturbing the bench
of his old team). There were at least four of the Oakville Blue Devils players in the crowd who
had played earlier today against Toronto Skillz to grab first place. They must also have found
a way to get past the blockaded Eglinton Avenue like me to get up here. I expected they wanted
a tie so both teams would lose points but was told by a Vaughan official that OBD would want Alliance
to win even though it would give them first place because OBD squares off against Alliance in Oakville
their next game (no games next holiday weekend) and they can pass them with a win.

Referee Braeden Krampert gave out five Yellow cards (four for Vaughan) plus the Red and awarding
the Penalty kick in a rough, close checking game. He also scheduled a water break in each half
because it was still hot and humid this late in the evening. Best laugh was with the game out
of reach VA Jarred Phillips bumped a guy after Krampert blew his whistle and was given a card for
either that or the sarcastically saying “Bravo ref, thank you”.

I know for the last two weeks I've been saying “I just saw the goal-of-the-year tonight” but the
Kenny Lioutas freekick will at least make the finalists. That's just in L1O. Yesterdat I saw
some York 9 FC goals that will contend for CPL honours.

Alliance has scored a modest 23 goals in 13 games but it's their defence of only allowing 5 that
keeps them undefeated this late in the season. Praveen Ahilan has started in 12 or the 13 games
and made some key saves again tonight. He was certainly helped again by his backline
of Jacob Maurutto-Robinson, Kenny Lioutas, David Colelli, and Nirun Sivananthan who kept VA players
mostly outside the box and blocked quite a few shots. 'Ironman' Nikola Stakic has played 1170 minutes,
that's every minute of their games and most in the league. I'd consider him a defensive midfielder
(well tonight's game anyway) with 6 goals and 1 Yellow card so far this season. His distributing
the ball was perfect. I watched him for years in the TFC Academy system in particular
the TFC Academy team in the USL PDL league. That was (and now renamed USL Division Two) for
university/college players home for the summer. He was a student at University of Toronto.
Head coach of Alliance Ilya Orlov is also still HC of U of T so the fit is natural. This is only
the second year of Alliance which really is a uniting of youth clubs Markham Soccer Club,
Wexford Soccer Club (Scarborough) and University of Toronto.

Best non-scoring chances were at 6 minutes when VA Massimo Ferrin dribbled to the left end line
and blasted a 12 yarder that the goalie palmed over the bar which set up the cornerkick goal
on the next play. 15 minutes had VA Daniel Cramarosa cross from the left over to VA Jarrek Whiteman
on the right who crossed for VA Maksym Kowal to bicycle kick a 10 yarder up the middle but over the net.
26 minutes had VA Alexander Zis take a quick freekick from 28 yards on the left had a VA player cross
just over the head of VA Shiquan Lowe for a 6 yard header. 47 minutes had AU Atchuthan Sivananthan
make a long run up the right but couldn't win a Penalty kick on a knock in the box. 55 minutes
had AU Kenny Lioutas take a 30 yard freekick from the extreme right that had AU Chris Jacovou connect
on a scissor kick at 12 yards on the right but the shot was well wide right. 66 minutes had
Atchuthan Sivananthan rush up the right and cross in from 10 yards that with the goalie down but
able to swat the ball across the box and Jacovou blasted an 8 yarder from the left off the bar with
enough force to clear the ball from the box. 68 minutes had Lioutas take a 35 yard freekick from
the left which was partially cleared and AU Nicholas Osorio took a low blast up the middle that
the goalie flew to push the ball wide right of the post. The cornerkick which had AU Nirun Sivananthan
take from the right that the goalie swatted away and Osorio chipped a high 25 yarder that the goalie
almost palmed into his own net but it was wide left. 77 minutes had VA Andrew Gray send a long cross
from 35 yards on the right that had VA Jarred Phillips jump and take midair shot from the left into
the side webbing of the net. 81 minutes had Atchuthan Sivananthan tap a pass for Jacovou to blast
a 28 yarder up the middle that the goalie caught under the bar. 84 minutes had AU Koosha Nazemi make
a key stop on a cross from the right even though he gave up a cornerkick to prevent a tap-in by two
VA players waiting on the left post. Added time had two AU players successfully hold off three
VA players near the VA cornerflag to waste time for quite awhile.

I heard fans who were mostly parents and friends of the players (no young children this late at night)
cheering for their teams sure but also for just great plays like in first half added time when
VA Jason Mills eluded two sliding tackles on a run from 70 yards down the middle. Also AU Anselmo Kim
when he ran up our sideline and backheel passed to himself if that's possible and spun around
two checkers. And of course the Lioutis freekick goal had players in the stands wowing what
just happened.

The result slows down Vaughan to a record of 9 wins, 2 losses, 1 tie for 28 points in 12 games.
They are in third place.

Alliance moves into first place with 10 wins, 0 losses, 3 ties for 33 points in 13 games. Oakville
is in between these two teams with a record of 10 wins, 1 loss, 2 ties for 32 points in 13 games.

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This is the first time I've been to North Maple Regional Park. The complex was to open months earlier
and kept getting delayed and the games continued at MacNaughton as has been the L1O side's home since
the league started in 2014. That place had its problems with a busy highway in between the field
and the dressing rooms about 400 yards away in the community centre. The park this season has a broken
scoreboard. Wow their own home! It's actually only a few km up the road on Keele Street. This park
is huge. It's about a kilometre drive off Keele winding through parkland to get to the parking lot.
I was surprised that there were only two field turf fields built here. The one beside here was used
by some men's league where not all the players had matching uniforms. Both fields had separate
scoreboards. That game's referee blew a whistle which confused me once our L1O game started. The way
I heard it last year, this complex was to handle all the Vaughan soccer games all the way from youth
level so they wouldn't have to keep renting fields all over the city. Our field was the only one
with seats and there were only about 200 if everyone wanted to squash into a place on the aluminum
benches. Because the parking lot was about 200 yards away, I put up with the mosquitoes as my spray
was in my car. The dressing room/washroom was about 100 yards away, uphill!

Tonight was not the opening of the NMRP for the soccer club. I was told they had opened and played
a L1O game a few weeks ago. I'm not sure how I missed it as I was at MacNaughton on June 23rd then
after a long roadtrip they played two weeks a home game at Ontario Soccer Centre Indoor Field.
It may have been a L1O Women's game that brought the mayor and dignities out for an official opening.

Some of the delay I've been told multiple times was because the dressing rooms/washrooms weren't
ready and it was other agencies to blame by fussing over what they needed. There will be more
soccer fields built (so maybe Vaughan will be able to have all their youth teams here eventually).
There will be baseball diamonds built in the valley below. To the east and south it wasn't
farmers fields I saw but a deep valley of parkland. I was told that Golf Canada was also here
(blamed for part of the delay) and the entire valley could be turned into a golf course
IF Glen Abbey in Oakville is sold for condos although I've heard there's a good chance that
will be blocked so therefore this area will stay as a park. North of the fields can be seen
new houses however they are behind a hill and trees will grow to block them. Unlike Aurora's
Stewart Burnett Park there will be less chance of some home owner phoning the city to complain
about Mr D.J.'s loud music or the stadium lights being too bright. West is the driveway to Keele St
and the most likely place to build more soccer fields.

Was the delay because of features built into the building? I don't know about the change rooms
but the men's washroom was huge with 20 foot high ceilings with a sink/trough with four faucets
but only two toilets and one urinal (?!)

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
twitter @RocketRobin01

Vaughan Azzurri starters