August 25, 2019 League 1 Ontario--North Mississauga Panthers SC vs Alliance United FC (game report by Rocket Robin)

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Result and details of the Sunday August 25, 2019 League 1 Ontario game between North Mississauga Panthers SC vs Alliance United
played at Paramount Fine Foods Centre #1 at 2:30pm. This is the first game of their two game Quarter Final playoff series.

North Mississauga Panthers SC (all red uniforms, white numbers)

...................1 Jared Maloney (cpt)
2 Abi Madaraka...4 Ivica Sunjka...6 Navid Rahman...12 Jamie Scott
3 Sundin Esperance...8 Adam Boafo...11 Adel Rahman...7 Darren Gertiesingh
...........19 Jordan Prescod...13 Nicola Russo

Subs:...0 Chester Ashby (gk)...5 Luke Rankin...9 Sebastian Lach...10 Lee-Victor Massunda
...14 Janlen Chambers...15 Nick Proctor...20 Moses Toe
team officials:...team head coach Aleks Balta...assistant coaches Justin Silveira and Patrick Guirguis
therapist Stefan Feszlzak

Alliance United (all white uniforms, black numbers)

.................1 Denys Rylskyi
17 Atchutghan Sivananthan...20 Jacob Maurutto-Robinson...2 Kenny Lioutas...5 David Colelli
8 Nicholas Osorio...4 Nikola Stakic (cpt)...13 Farrell Francis...7 Nirun Sivananthan
.............9 Kevin Da Silva...19 Koosha Nazemi

Subs:...30 Praveen Ahilan (gk)...3 Gabriel Milo...12 Chirstopher Donoso...16 Dieu Yuma
...14 Artem Tesker
team officials:...team head coach Ilya Orlov...assistant coach Angelo Papatrangos
...therapists Makisym Fedak and Roman Raschuk

Game officials:...referee Braeden Krampert...referee's assistants Robert Reid and Vasyl Dzikch
...fourth official Kuzan Weekes...(yellow shirts, black shorts and socks)

First Half:...game starts 2:31pm...NMP defends north end on this warm and sunny day. The portable scoreboard
can't be seen in the bright sun despite moving it away from the fourth official's tackle because the fourth offical
was blocking our view.
6 min...AU has been called offside twice already.
7 min...AU Francis sends through ball pass down right too far for AU Osorio and over end line.
10 min...AU Da Silva rush down right sideline and cross is chested down and cleared by NMP Scott.
11 min...NMP goalie catches two shots from over 40 yards on the bounce.
12 min...AU Atchuthan Sivananthan cross from 28 yards on right has defender head away from 12 yards. AU Nazemi
then blasts midair shot from 20 yards well high and wide right of net.
15 min...AU Osorio slides to shoot ball on top right corner as goalie dives out to save. The shot hit the goalie
but Osorio is injured.
16 min...AU player's throw-in has NMP players head around and clear and block two shots on edge of box.
16 min...NMP Gertiesingh receives clearance on left at 30 yards and runs to middle and rolls 22 yarder that
goalie smothers.
17 min...AU Francis juggles ball, spins, and blasts midair 28 yard shot from left well high and right.
19 min...NMP Gertiesingh rush up left and pushes pass forward to MMP Esperance who wins cornerkickc on sliding tackle.
20 min...NMP Navid Rahman short cornerkick from left wins another cornerkick.
21 min...NMP Esperance long throw-in from right has defender head away from box.
22 min...NMP Esperance 40 yard freekick from right has defender clear from box.
22 min...AU Lioutas retreats to head cross out for NMP cornerkick.
23 min...NMP player's cornerkick from left ends with goalkick with too-far through ball pass.
24 min...AU Maurutto-Robinson long throw-in from right has NMP Prescod head away up middle and AU Osorio blasts 18 yarder
down middle that's stopped.
26 min...AU Nicholas Osorio GOAL...AU Nirun Sivananthan rolls centering pass from 25 yard line
on left over to charging Osorio who blasts 22 yard roller from slight right that banks in off
the left post beyond diving goalie Jared Maloney.
33 min...AU Kevin Da Silva GOAL...AU Koosha Nazemi kick from 40 yards on left is centered
to AU Nicholas Osorio who bashes through players but taps ball over to Da Silva to get
a clear shot from 12 yards roofing it over goalie into top center of net.
35 min...NMP Esperance 40 yard freekick chip has NMP Sunjka get head to it in crowd of players but play is whistled down.
37 min...AU YELLOW card...Colelli earns it for knock over of NMP Esperance injurying him.
38 min...NMP Esperance 40 yard freekick from right is headed away just inside box.
38 min...AU Nazemi cross through box from left but no one is there. AU Atchuthan Sivananthan crosses back from right
but AU player can't connect on 8 yard scissor kick.
40 min...AU Nazemi pass over to AU Da Silva who holds on stepping right and finally 12 yard shot deflects off the sprawling goalie.
41 min...AU Stakic knocks down ball but can't connect on 6 yard shot on left post on cornerkick from right.
42 min...AU Lioutas cornerkick from left has goalie punch away on near post for another cornerkick.
42 min...AU Lioutas cornerkick from left is over players in box and cleared.
44 min...NMP Prescod back heel shot from 10 yards up middle is cleared by defender.
46 min...half ends 3:17pm.

Second Half:...starts 3:34pm.
halftime subs:...NMP Massunda replaces Prescod.
46 min...AU Atchuthan Sivananthan pass to AU Osorio in middle of box who can't get away shot. AU Athchuthan Sivananthan
is tapped shot and deflects ball of player wide right but goalkick is given.
47 min...NMP Russo gets to long pass at 20 yards live on right but one-touch shot well high and right.
48 min...AU Da Silva 30 yard shot down middle after receiving long pass and turn and deflects high off defender
and goalie runs wide right to prevent a cornerkick.
49 min...AU Athchuthan Sivananthan 45 yard chip from right finds AU Maurutto-Robinson alone but one-touch 15 yard shot
down middle is easily caught by goalie.
50 min...AU Nazemi threads through ball pass up middle for AU Osorio whose low 10 yard shot is saved point blank by goalie.
52 min...AU Lioutas chips 40 yard freekick for right that AU player heads 15 yarder down middle that's caught by goalie
under bar.
55 min...NMP sub...Lach replaces Gertiesingh.
56 min...AU Nirun Sivananthan cross from far left finds AU Atchuthan Sivananthan for shot that wins cornerkick on deflection.
57 min...AU Lioutas cornerkick from left has ball deflect off heads across box and wins goalkick on right.
58 min...AU Kevin Da Silva GOAL...AU Nicholas Osorio rolls a through ball pass up the middle
and Da Silva has time to place 15 yard roller into right corner of net beyond diving goalie.
59 min...AU sub...Yuma replaces Nazemi.
59 min...AU Atchuthan Sivanantham has 12 yard shot saved on short side by sprawling goalie. AU Da Silva blasts 15 yard shot
high and wide left.
60 min...NMP sub...Toe replaces Navid Rahman.
63 min...NMP sub...Chambers replaces Madaraka.
65 min...AU Lioutas heads away 15 yard shot from 8 yards in middle.
65 min...NMP Sebastian Lach GOAL...Lach while even with left post leaps to head 10 yarder
forward which hits defender Kenny Lioutas who is also jumping for the ball. The ball then
deflects back off Lach who is still in midair and drops into left side of net just inside
post and beyond reach of goalie Denys Rylskyi.
67 min...AU sub...Donoso replaces Osorio.
68 min...NMP Esperance cornerkick from left is cleared. NMP Toe chips in 30 yarder over to left side of box but goalie
punches it away at 10 yards then NMP players are called offside.
69 min...AU Lioutas 40 yard freekick from right has ball headed high but goalie catches on line although offside flag was
up anyway.
70 min...AU Colelli is hurt on edge of AU box.
72 min...NMP Esperance 35 yard freekick from right is low and first defender heads away.
73 min...NMP Massunda cross from 15 yards on left end line is just too high for players in 6 yard box.
74 min...AU Maurutto-Robinson makes key sliding poke to break up through ball pass to NMP Lach at 35 yard line.
76 min...AU Lioutas 30 yard freekick from right is cleared on left side of box.
78 min...AU Nirun Sivananthan cornerkick from right has nearest defender heads for cornerkick.
79 min...AU Nirun Sivananthan cornerkick from right is headed away in middle of box and AU Colelli blasts 25 yard shot
from left.
79 min...AU sub...Tesker replaces Da Silva.
80 min...NMP Esperance rush down left and low cross has NMP player shoot 8 yarder over net.
81 min...AU Maurutto-Robinson long throw-in from right is cleared for fast break.
83 min...NMP Esperance 40 yard freekick down middle has AU Lioutas head away on edge of box. NMP Boafo rolls 25 yard
shot between players just wide left of post.
85 min...NMP Esperance cross from 18 yards along left end line has defender head away on right post.
86 min...NMP Adel Rahman taps pass to NMP Esperance who runs to left end line and cross is caught by goalie on near post.
87 min...NMP Esperance gets upset as NMP Boafo sends pass up field to no one while Esperance was in the open.
88 min...NMP Esperance low cross from left has AU Lioutas stop in box.
88 min...NMP goalie out to 20 yards to beat AU Yuma to ball up middle.
91 min...AU Yuma and AU Tesker on short give and go has Yuma have 10 yard shot blocked on right.
91 min...NMP Esperance 40 yard freekick from left has NMP player pop 6 yard header that goalie catches on right post.
92 min...NMP Esperance long throw from right is heade away but NMP Adel Rahman gets shot from 22 yards on left just wide
right of post.
93 min...game ends 4:22pm.

Final Score:....North Mississauga Panthers SC........1.......Alliance United FC........3........

Attendance was about 80 on this warm afternoon with a bright sun in the south west and a wind
from the north which caused cleared balls to hang in the wind and drop against NMP
in the first half and AU in the second.

Alliance finished third of the sixteen teams in L1O and were playing North Mississauga who
finished sixth. Alliance in first place until they lost their first game of the season with
two games to go. North Mississauga needed a last weekend win to assure themselves they finished
in the top eight and make the playoffs.

Referee Braeden Krampert gave out only one Yellow card today and that was at 37 minutes
to AU David Colelli for knocking over NMP Sundin Esperance injurying him although Esperance
recovered and sent the 40 yard freekick just inside the box. Both teams had some attacks
thwarted by offside calls.

Alliance started the game dominating the game in possession and playing in the NMP end. I had
NMP not having a shot until 16 minutes. Alliance threatened to run away with this game
and as is put three away goals on the board. Giving NMP some hope was their goal at 65 minutes
and some chances at the end when the game opened up although they risk going behind three goals
again if AU had been able to capitalize on their chances.

I had been tipped off by one of the game officials today that Alliance has 15 players playing
pre season game with the University of Toronto so they have that to distract them. I took that
into consideration but it didn't seem to have an effect. Biggest difference was they used
Denys Rylskyi as goalie today rather than the usual starter Praveen Ahilan. Rylskyi had only
played one game this season but surprise that was on July 6th when he shut out
Unionville-Milliken SC 2-0. Ahilan has only allowed six goals in fourteen starts which was best
in the league. No L1O games are scheduled for the Labour Day weekend so there'd normally be plenty
of time to rest but maybe the U of T schedule does figure into lineup plans. Rylskyi is listed
as a 1989 so I have my doubts he's a student. Come to think of it, I remember hearing Ahilan was
a fifth year grad of the school so he wouldn't be on their roster. I looked up the U of T website
when I got home and found but could only find their 2018 roster. There were only five players
at today's game at the school back then. Maybe these are new recruits? U of T played yesterday
at Varsity Stadium and beat UTM (which is their Mississauga campus) 3-0. I ws sure that I read
a tweet last week that former UTM goalie Aaron Peters (who played for Pro Stars FC last season
and was the reserve goalie for Oakville Blue Devils this year) has signed with a European team
(third division of Spain??) but can't find it now.

Rylskyi was helped by his defence lined across as Atchuthan Sivananthan, Jacob Maurutto-Robinson,
Kenny Lioutas, and David Colelli breaking up many NMP plays before they even made the box.

A great game for Nicholas Osorio who I have with one goal and two assists. He is listed on the
U of T roster (at least for 2018). His brother Jonathan played 10 minutes yesterday for TFC
in the MLS game against Montreal. TFC had zero Canadian starters.

Kevin Da Silva scored two goals. While talking to him to double check on assists he answered that
he is not a U of T student and is age 24. Going back through my records after I got home, I found
that he played for AU in their inaugural 2018 season but in 2017 he was with North Toronto Nitros
in their last year in L1O. They had a link with the U of T roster and even played their early
season games at Varsity Stadium (part of the downtown campus).

Sundin Esperance was the star for NMP. He seemed to take all the freekicks and cornerkicks and
even the throw-ins with his ability to catapult balls into the AU box from the 30 yard line and closer.
He was a participant in the CPL-L1O combine on January 24, 2019 and played the morning and afternoon
games scoring a goal in both. Impressive as he played those games as a defender. Today I positioned
him as the left wing and he was sending in a lot of centering crosses.

NMP uses a smaller table top scoreboard rather than what Sigma used yesterday—a portable small billboard
sized one. A game official suggested they move the scoreboard to the side of the fourth officials
table—as if someone had read one of my previous game reports where I said the fourth official stands
in front of the table blocking our view. Today it didn't matter as the sun was so bright, I couldn't
decipher the numbers on the clock anyway even with binoculars. That means all times are translated
from my wrist watch.

Best non-scoring chances were at 40 minutes when AU Koosha Nazemi passes over to AU Kevin Da Silva who
holds on to ball as he steps to right and finally gets 12 yard shot that deflects off the sprawling goalie.
AU then had three cornerkicks with AU knocking down a ball but couldn't connect on a 6 yard shot
on the left post, Kenny Lioutis sent in another cornerkick that the goalie punched away for another
cornerkick and finally Lioutis sent one over the box. 49 minutes had AU Atchuthan Sivannanthan chip
from 45 yards on the right that found Nazemi all alone but his one-touch 15 yard shot down the middle
was easily caught by goalie. Next minute had Nazemi thread a through ball pass up the middle for
AU Nicholas Osorio whose low 10 yard shot was saved point blank by the goalie. 52 minutes had Lioutis
chip a 40 yard freekick from the right that an AU player headed a 15 yarder down the middle that was caught
by the goalie under the bar. 80 minutes had NMP Sundin Esperance rush down the left and send in a low cross
that an NMP player shot an 8 yarder over the net. 83 minutes had Esperance take a 40 yard freekick down
the middle. Lioutis headed it away on the edge of the box and NMP Adam Boafo rolled a 25 yard shot between
players just wide left of the post. 92 minutes had Esperance with a long throw-in from the right headed
away in the box but NMP Adel Rahman gets a shot from 22 yards on the left just wide right of the post.

With Aurora FC not making the playoffs, defender Michael Fayehun was at the game taking pictures using
his business banner F10 Studio for the league.

Also before the game a North Mississauga official said the team would be moving in 2021 to 'Park 459' which
is between Eglinton and Brittania, the 407 and Ninth Line. Better facilities are promised
'Churchill Meadows Community Centre'. Hmm now maybe there won't be the noise of planes flying overhead
every 90 seconds—but instead the sound of traffic from the toll road—or because it's still in alignment
with the airport only further west—both! And no I was assured this will NOT be the site of a potential
CPL franchise.

The second game in the series is scheduled for Thursday September 5th at 8:45pm at Centennial College
in Scarborough. An unusual date for a playoff game until I saw the U of T schedule where on the weekend
they play Queen's University on Sunday the 8th at Varsity Stadium. Now an interesting decision for
head coach Ilya Orlov—how many U or T players does he use if he thinks this series is over.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
twitter @RocketRobin01

North Mississauga Panthers SC starters