May 28, 2019...Toronto FC II vs North Texas SC game report (by Rocket Robin)

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Result and details of the Wednesday May 28, 2019 USL League One game between Toronto FC II and North Texas SC
played at BMO Training Ground in Downsview at 4:00pm.

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

.....................90 Kevin Silva
48 Dante Campbell...52 Julian Dunn-Johnson...42 Patrick Bunk-Andersen...57 Terique Mohammed
39 Luca Petrasso...59 Noble Okello...43 Adolfo Ovalle (cpt)...50 Matthew Srbely...58 Jordan Faria
.....................84 Jacob Shaffelburg

Subs:...80 Spencer King (gk)...35 Mehdi Essoussi (mid)...36 Franco Ramos Mingo (def)...37 Gideon Waja (mid)
...51 Trevor Swartz (def)...72 Jelani Peters (def)
team officials:...head coach Michael Rabasco

North Texas SC (white socks and shirts, red shorts, numbers, and tiny names)

.....................1 Carlos Avilez
37 Kevin Bonilla...6 Alfusainey Jatta (cpt)...25 Callum Montgomery...43 Jonathan Gomez
8 David Rodriguez...45 Tanner Tessmann...21 Bicou Bissainthe...10 Arturo Rodriguez
................11 Ronaldo Damus...9 Ricardo Pepi

Subs:...2 Cesar Murillo (def)...5 Hector Montalvo (def)...7 Oscar Romero (mid)...31 Dante Sealy (mid)
...39 Gibran Rayo (fwd)
team officials:...head coach Eric Quill

Game officials:...referee Alexis Vaughan...referee's assistants Phil Benevitis and Brad Doubrough
...fourth officials Yusri Rudolf...(teal shirts, black shorts and socks)

First Half:...game starts 4:07pm...TFC defends south end.
30 sec...NT goalie beats TFC Srbely to bouncer into left side of box.
1 min...NT Montgomery gets back to poke ball off TFC Srbely giving up cornerkick.
1 min...TFC Mohammed cornerkick from left has leaping TFC Srbely head 6 yarder on left side over bar.
2 min...TFC Shaffelburg runs down right and rolls pass back to TFC Petrasso who shoots 15 yarder across box and defender
checks TFC player off ball on left.
6 min...NT Damus has 18 yard shot up middle after intercepting clearance.
7 min...NT David Rodriguez receives centering pass but 20 yard shot from right is well over net.
9 min...TFC Mohammed 28 yard freekick from slight right deflects in 3 man wall and deflects for another cornerkick.
9 min...TFC Mohammed cornerkick from right has defender in crowd of players on right head ball away.
10 min...TFC Petrasso run down right and wins cornerkick on low cross on edge of 6 yard box.
11 min...TFC Patrick Bunk-Andersen GOAL...TFC Luca Petrasso takes cornerkick from right has defender head away.
TFC Julian Dunn-Johnson gets to ball on edge of box and runs forward to end line just wide right of goal.
He shoots along line and sliding goalie Carlos Avilez gets a hand to overhead but pushes it to left where
Bunk-Andersen flies to head 1 yarder in on left post.
14 min...TFC goalie runs to top left of box to make clearance.
17 min...TFC Faria cornerkick from left has goalie swat ball away from TFC Dunn-Johnson trying to head ball away
at 2 yards on right post.
19 min...NT David Rodriguez cornerkick from right is into box and goalie is able to smother it at 2 yards
on right post after a shot at 6 yards.
19 min...NT David Rodriguez rolls 25 yard shot between players but defender clears at 10 yards.
21 min...TFC Petrasso bends 25 yard cross that's cleared.
22 min...NT goalie fends off three TFC players pressing with pass up middle and one pass sets NT Pepi away.
NT Pepi rushes in on breakaway splitting three defenders and 22 yard shot up middle hits right post.
25 min...TFC Matthew Srbely GOAL...Srbely and TFC Jacob Shaffelburg dispossess NT Bicou Bissainthe of ball
at 30 yards Shaffelburg taps ball to Srbely who runs in alone up middle and rolls 16 yarder into left side of net
beyond goalie sliding at 10 yards.
28 min...TFC Petrasso quick throw-in to TFC Shaffelburg who from right sends 25 yarder into right webbing of net
with goalie still out of net. The goalie had beaten Shaffelburg to ball outside right of box putting it out of bounds over
the hill. A ball boy threw a ball to Petrasso so play could resume.
31 min...TFC YELLOW card...Okello earns it for shirt grab on NT Damus rushing over center line.
32 min...NT YELLOW card...Arturo Rodriguez earns it for knocking over TFC Mohammed at 25 yard line sideline
injurying him.
34 min...TFC Srbely 30 yard freekick from left sideline is into top right corner of net but called back offside.
36 min...TFC Shaffelburg rush down middle on break but defender even with him gets foot to tip 10 yard shot
over net for cornerkick.
37 min...TFC Mohammed cornerkick from left is headed away from box by NT Montgomery and TFC Shaffelburg blasts
low 25 yarder up middle wide right of goal.
38 min...TFC Petrasso cornerkick from right is headed away in crowd of players in box.
39 min...TFC Shaffelburg 25 yard shot up middle tips off defender's foot and rolls to goalie.
39 min...TFC Mohammed and NT Jatta bash together at NT 40 yard line and both are injured. Mohammed needs trainer.
44 min...NT Pep is rolled pass forward on right and his 25 yard rolled shot is smothered by goalie at 10 yards.
45 min...TFC Okello ends TFC pressure with 20 yard chip down middle over NT bar.
46 min...TFC Okello chips 33 yarder from right that's caught in wind and drops for goalie.
46 min...North Texas Ricardo Pepi GOAL...NT Ronaldo Damus at 45 yards chips ball down middle for
charging Pepi who runs behind defenders to get to ball at 20 yard line and at 12 yards shoots over sliding goalie
at 10 yards into top right side of net.
47 min...TFC YELLOW card...Bunk-Andersen earns it for complaining about the last play not being called offside.
48 min...half ends 4:55pm.

Halftime Entertainment: There is no draw for a coffee maker this game.

Second Half:...starts 5:09pm.
halftime sub:...TFC Peters replaces Dunn-Johnston.
45 min...TFC Faria can't win Penalty kick on bump over on run into left side of NT box.
47 min...NT Arturo Rodriguez cross from left edge of box is caught by goalie.
51 min...NT Mongomery chip from 50 yards to NT Damus in TFC bo who chests ball down at 12 yards but a defender clears.
54 min...TFC Shaffelburg shoots 22 yarder down middle hits inside of right post but stays out ad defender clears.
55 min...North Texas Ronaldo Damus GOAL...NT Callum Montgomery passes ball upfield to NT Arturo Rodriguez who
runs down middle and defender slips letting him a clear shot and goalie Kevin Silva makes flying save. Damus gets
rebound and blasts low 10 yard shot from slight left that sprawling goalie and sliding defender get a piece of but
ball rolls over them and Damus continues run forward and blasts 4 yarder from left between near post and sprawling
TFC Patrick Bunk-Andersen.
56 min...NT David Rodriguez is injured at TFC 25 yards and needs trainer.
57 min...NT Pipe chips 30 yard freekick from left that goalie palms over net.
57 min...NT Arturo Rodriguez cornerkick from left has NT Montgomery falls backwards but 10 yard header pops well over net.
60 min...TFC Srbely can't draw Penatly kick on check running into left of box.
61 min...TFC sub...Swartz replaces Faria.
61 min...TFC Swartz high cross from 20 yards on left has defender on right clear ball from box.
63 min...NT Arturo Rodriguez chip from 45 yards on left over players and caught by goalie.
63 min...NT Bonilla run in on right has TFC Peters slide back to prevent pass reaching offside players in 6 yard box.
64 min...NT David Rodriguez is away on break down middle but is caught by defenders so passes to left and NT Arturo Rodriguez
shoots 15 yarder that's caught by goalie.
65 min...NT Pepi cuts in from left and 25 yard shot from left is caught low by goalie.
68 min...NT sub...Rayo replaces David Rodriguez.
68 min...An NT player is called offside for at least the fifth time in this half.
70 min...TFC Srbely 25 yard shot up middle tips off defender for cornerkick.
71 min...TFC Mohammed cornerkick fro mleft has TFC Okello pop up header and ball is cleared.
72 min...TFC Swartz chips high 40 yard freekick from left. Defender slips and TFC players win cornerkick on blocked shot.
73 min...TFC Swartz cornerkick from right has TFC Okello pop up header in crowd of players. TFC Srbely spins after fanning
on shot and has 18 yard shot blocked.
74 min...NT Gomez cornerkick from right has defender clear. An NT player chips in from 28 yards catching five guys offside.
76 min...TFC Terique Mohammed GOAL...Mohammed runs in from 40 yards on left and makes short centering pass
to TFC Jacob Shaffelburg at 22 yards who chips ball between and behind defenders and Mohammed continues run and
in alone shoots 15 yarder to short left side of net.
77 min...TFC Ovalle is injured at center line and needs trainer. An NT player flipped over about 5 yards further upfield
on same play but gets up on his own.
80 min...NT sub...Sealy replaces Bissainthe.
80 min...NT Jatta 55 yard chip into box has defender chest ball over to goalie.
81 min...TFC Shaffelburg run to left end line but jostled and rolls ball to goalie.
82 min...NT Rayo bumps into TFC Srbely at NT 40 yard line injurying him.
84 min...NT Rayo 35 yard chip down middle has goalie catch wide right of net after almost overrunning ball.
85 min...NT YELLOW card...Jatta earns it for tackle on TFC Srbely injurying him at 25 yard line.
86 min...NT sub...Romero replaces Montgomery.
87 min...TFC Petrasso chips 30 yard freekick down middle well over net.
89 min...NT Arturo Rodriguez 28 yard freekick from left has NT Damus diving header into net but goal is called back offside.
90 min...TFC RED card...head coach Michael Rabasca is ejected from the bench for complaining about calls.
90 min...NT defender heads ball back to goalie to break up TFC pressure.
92 min...TFC sub...Mingo replaces Srbely.
94 min...NT Romero 60 yard freekick from right has defenders clear.
94 min...TFC goalie catches 30 yard shot from left.
95 min...TFC YELLOW card...goalie Silva earns it for time wasting by dropping down to the ground after every catch he makes.
It could also be for dropping the 'F-bomb' at the referee. NT also wins freekick on edge of box.
97 min...After long delay setting up indirect freekick NT Pepi blasts touched over freekick into TFC Okello's back who turned
to take brunt of the freekick. Ball is cleared and whistle is blown to end game.
97 min...game ends 6:01pm.

Final Score:...Toronto FC II.......3........North Texas SC........2........

Attendance was not announced at the game. I estimated 170 and the USL website listed 177. Wow I must
be getting good at this! Again more than half were TFC Academy boys but a lot less than the 600 crowd
they had on Friday. There was no halftime draw for a coffeemaker like last week.

Man of the Match (who is always a TFC player) was goalie Kevin Silva. The prize is coffee supplies
from Anthony's Espresso Equipment Inc. I wonder if Silva's finished last week's supply because he won
in Friday's game too. This game he really had to earn it with game saving stops especially in the
second half. Maybe he'll need the coffee to soothe his throat after yelling instructions to his
teammates most of the game.

TFC forwards were again faster than opposition defenders but not as exaggerated as last week against
FC Tucson.

North Texas were called offside 14 times in this game per the USL website...TFC were called twice.
Most serious was at 89 minutes when NT Arturo Rodriguez send a 25 yard freekick from the left that
NT Ronaldo Damus made a diving header into the net but that was called offside. I was sitting at the
center line and couldn't see the angle and didn't see the flag go up as the guy who sat beside me got up
to leave and blocked my view. I was mentioning to him that TFC weren't always going to get offside calls
but did see the flag when he moved before I could say “I told you so”.

TFC drew three Yellow cards. Bunk-Andersen in first half injury time and goalie Silva in the second half
injury time for complaining (including Silva dropping an f-bomb). Okello at 31 minutes for a shirt grab
preventing a breakaway at the center line. TFC head coach Michael Rabasca was ejected in injury time
of the second half. I don't know what he'd be upset about because North Texas just had a goal called
offside. North Texas drew a Yellow card in each half both for bone crunching tackles that injured
TFC players. Referee Alexis Vaughan was too smart to fall for any of the soft Penalty calls the teams
tried for. Assistant referee Brad Doubrough also worked the line in last week's game. Fourth official
Yusri Rudolf called the thunder-interrupted CPL home opender for York 9 FC vs Forge FC on Saturday.

Today's win was over the first place team who were unbeaten in their previous seven games. Beating the
first place teaem must be a huge confidence builder for the young roster of TFC II. My view of them has
changed in just the last few weeks and I can even see them winning the league. Top four teams make the
playoffs in October. Only thing I miss about last year is they won't get a chance to play Ottawa Fury who
stayed in the now renamed USL Championship League. They could probably beat any CPL team except
having 18 Canadians on their 30 man roster would not be a fair comparison.

TFC II move up to third place with today's win passing three teams in the ten team league. Their record
improves to 4 wins, 3 losses, 1 tie for 13 points. Their next game is this Saturday June 1 against
Chattanooga, one of the teams they passed today.

North Texas are the farm team of MLS FC Dallas and this is their first year at any level of USL. They have
a mainly American roster but a lot of Spanish names. I thought I heard goalie Carlos Avilez yelling
to his players in Spanish. Most interesting player on their team for me though is Callum Montgomery,
a tall defender from British Columbia who was selected fourth overall in the 2019 MLS Superdraft.
He played a few years for Victoria Highlanders of PDL (not USL Division Two) with a few of those players
drifting over to that city's CPL team.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
twitter @RocketRobin01

Toronto FC II starters