April 19, 2024...MLS Next Pro game...Toronto FC II vs New England Revolution II game report (by Rocket Robin)

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Results and details of the Friday April 19, 2024 MLS NEXT Pro game between Toronto FC II and New England Revolution II
played at York Lions Stadium in North York at 7:00pm.

Toronto FC (all read uniforms, white names and numbers)

...................................40 Adisa De Rosario
95 Nate Edwards...85 Marko Stojadinovic...51 Adam Pearlman...58 Ythallo
72 Mark Fisher...89 Charlie Staniland...71 Markus Cimermancic...73 Jesus Batiz
.......................91 Dekwon Barrow...82 Julian Altobelli (cpt)

Subs:...80 Shafique Wilson (gk)...65 Antony Curic (def)...76 Lazar Stefanovic (def)...92 Theo Rigopoulos (def)
...97 Tristan Pusztahegyi (def)...68 Lucas Olguin (mid)...84 Philip Igbinobaro (mid)...70 Matthew Catavolo (mid)
...81 Hasssan Ayari (mid)
team officials:...head coach Giani Cimini...assistant coach Marco Casalinuovo...goalkeeper coach David Monsalve

New England Revolution II (all white uniforms, navy names and numbers, red trim)

...................................73 JD Gunn
31 Eric Klein...5 Victor Souza (cpt)...43 Santiago Suarez...3 Hesron Barry
17 Patrick Leal...22 Jack Panayotou...13 Maciel...11 Gevork Diarbian
....................14 Alex Monis...39 Marcos Dias

Subs:...27 Maxwell Weinstein (gk)...16 Joshua Bolma (mid)...19 Olger Escobar (fwd)...23 Luka Borovic (mid)
...33 Brandonn Bueno (mid)...37 Steban Lopera (def)...41 Colby Quinones (def)...45 Andrej Bjelajac...34 Alex Parvu (def) team officials:...head coach Richie Williams...assistant coach Marcelo Santos...goalkeeper coach Yuta Nomura

Game officials:...referee Robert D'Alesio...referee's assistants Peter Pendli and Camille Raymond
...fourth official Melvin Christopher...(all black uniforms)

First Half:..TFC defends north end with the sun in the north west however the shadow of the west side stadium stand
covered half the field. The temperature is cooling with a strong wind from the west. Game startrs 7:02pm.
1 min...TFC YELLOW card...Staniland earns it for tripping Revs Diarbian at center line.
3 min...TFC Batiz freekick from 28 yards on far right has TFC player on left side puts head down but offside flag was up.
6 min...TFC Julian Altobelli GOAL...TFC Jesus Batiz has shot blocked and ball pops up and he gets head to it to send
over defender at 8 yards on left. Altobelli charging in from left shoots low 8 yarder to right corner of net past
goalie JD Gunn.
8 min...Revs goalie makes clearance at 8 yards off charging TF Barrow at 10 yards and deflects wide left for goalkick.
9 min...TFC Fisher has shot blocked on center of 18 yard box by defender.
12 min...Revs Diarbian intercepts centered pass at 22 yards but defenders check him off ball before he can take shot.
13 min...TFC Batiz cornerkick from left is caught overhead in crowd of players on edge of 6 yard box by leaping goalie.
17 min...Revs Panayotou sends pass forward to Revs Dias but he first tounces 25 yarder too far forward and goalie slides
forward to smother at 15 yards.
18 min...TFC Cimermancic rushes forward from 40 yards down middle and blasts 22 yarder well over net.
TFC have been high pressing since the start of the game to rush the Revs players' clearances.
22 min...Revs Panayotou cross from 28 yards on right has Revs Dias twis 15 yard header up middle bouncing weakly to goalie.
23 min...Revs YELLOW card...Barry earns it for tackle from behind on TFC Fisher at TFC 50 yarfd line.
30 min...Revs Maciel rolls pass up middle from 30 yards too far forward for charing Revs Diarbian and goalie picks up at 10 yards.
32 min...Revs Leal cornerkick from left is rolled up to Revs Maciel who shoots 22 yarder from left well over bar.
34 min...TFC Edwards wins cornerkick on cross from 20 yarder along right end line after receiving pass.
34 min...TFC Batiz cornkerkick from right is headed across box and charging TFC Ythallo is just a step behind connecting
on a 2 yard header on the left post.
37 min...TFC Altobelli 35 yard freekick from right has charging TFC Fisher pop 8 yard header that lands on top of the net.
38 min...TFC YELLOW card...Edwards earns it for shirt grabbing Revs player breaking out at TFC 50 yard line.
39 min...TFC Barrow iss being checked on slide by defender but loose ball to TFC Altobelli who blasts low 22 yarder up
middle wide right of post.
39 min...TFC Altobelli on left at 12 yards that goalie dives forward to smother.
41 min...TFC Cimermancic shot tap over pass at 15 yards to charging TFC Altobelli on left has low 12 yard shot stopped
by flying goalie.
43 min...Revs Leal cornerkick from left is worked out with Revs Panayotou but cross is cleared by defender at 8 yards
in middle of box.
44 min...Revs Maciel one-touches TFC partial clearance at 20 yards on left shooting wide right of net.
46 min (1st half)...Revs Marcus Dias GOAL...Revs Alex Monis gets to through ball at 45 yards on right and centers ball
to avoid charging goalie Adisa DeRosario. Dias runs towards goal with three defenders catching him but he has time
to shoot over them from 25 yards into center of empty net.
47 min...half ends 7:49pm.

Halftime Entertainment: It's 'Dizzy Penalty Kicks' is held in the center circle. A fan has to run around a ball ten times
and then kick it into a mini net. Three tries but he only had to run once so by the second kick he probably was no longer dizzy.
He missed all three times. The prize for success was a pair of tickets for the MLS team playing FC Cincinnati. OK once again
just like the first game's 'Crossbar Challenge', the consolation prize was two pair of tickets to the MLS game. No difference
for success of failure. Maybe it's a good thing there's no concession stands open for these games as no fear a drunken participant
in the dizzy challenge is going to puke on the field!

Second Half:...starts 8:06pm. It's now a lot colder--glad I wore my winter jacket.
48 min...Revs defender messes up back pass that goalie can only deflect wide right for cornerkick. Revs Barry is injured
and leaves field for treatment on a long walk around to the players' bench on what looks like his arm or elbow.
50 min...TFC Batiz cornerkick from right has Revs Souza charge forward and head ball away at 12 yards.
53 min...Revs Panayotou pass to Revs Monis but TFC Ythallo sticks with him aand prevents shot.
54 min...Revs Panayotou cornerkick from left is cleared from box by defender.
57 min...TFC Altobelli on rush has retreating Revs Sousa prevents his pass to TFC Barrow on their 2v1 rush at 22 yards.
59 min...TFC Batiz cornerkick from left has TFC Barrow leap and head 10 yarder just over bar.
61 min...Revs Monis low cross from right is into box and TFC Pearlman beats TFC goalie to clear away.
61 min...Revs Monis rolls pass too far forward to Revs Leal over end line.
62 min...TFC sub...Olguin replaces Staniland.
..........TFC sub...Rigopoulos replaces Edwards.
63 min...TFC Stojadinovic rush on right has 15 yard shot near end line has goalie catch on near post.
65 min...Revs Souza is injured headeing away cross in Revs box and wins freekick.
65 min...Revs sub...Bolma replaces Diarbian.
67 min...TFC sub...Ayari replaces Altobelli.
69 min...Revs Panayotou pass to Revs Monis but TFC Ythallo prevents shot.
70 min...TFC Batiz cornerkick from left has TFC Ythallo head 12 yarder in crowd of players that goalie catches.
71 min...TFC Cimermancic and Batiz on give and go has Cimermancic wins cornerkick on left.
73 min...TFC Batiz cornerkick from left is headed out right side of box.
73 min...Revs sub...Borovic replaces Monis.
...........Revs sub...Escobar replaces Leal.
77 min...TFC Batiz run to end line and cross from 15 yards has Revs Barry fly and head ball away across right side of box.
78 min...TFC Stojadinovic cross from 20 yards on right is step ahead of sliding TFC Barrow at 5 yards on left.
79 min...Revs Klein is injured at Revs edge at 18 yard box.
80 min...Revs sub...Parvu replaces injured Klein.
81 min...TFC retreating player clears centering pass on edge of 18 yard box in center.
81 min...TFC defender clears in box after first TFC player whiffs on clearance try at 15 yards.
82 min...Revs Panayotou cross along 15 yard line has two Revs players not able to draw Penalty kicks.
83 min...TFC sub...Curic replaces Batiz.
............TFC sub...Catavolo replaces Barrow.
84 min...TFC Olguin passes forward and ball deflects off defender shadowing TFC Ayari and goalie smothers it.
86 min...TFC Catavolo wins cornerkick on deflection on low cross off defender on run to 15 yards.
87 min...TFC Catavolo cornerkick has goalie punch ball away and defender clears on right side of box.
88 min...Revs Barry is tapped over pass and blasts 25 yarder well over net from slight left.
90 min...TFC goalie out to 25 yards and clears ball over left side line.
93 min...regulation time ends 8:53pm.

Final Score in Regulation: Toronto FC II......1.......New England Revolution II........1......

Penalty shootout: The south goal is chosen for the end to use. TFC will kick first.

1...TFC Antony Curic blasts Penalty kick well over net.
1....Revs Marcus Dias GOAL...Dias blasts shot to top left corner over flying goalie.
2...TFC Matthew Catavolo GOAL...Catavolo rolls shot to left side of net as goalie dives right.
2...Revs Olger Escobar Real...Real low blast to left side and diving goalie saves in chest.
3...TFC Hassan Ayari GOAL...Ayari blasts to halfway up left side as goalie slumps to right.
3...Revs Joshua Bolma GOAL...Bolma stutter steps run up and rolls ball to left side as goalie has already slumped in middle.
4...TFC Theo Rigopoulos blasts shot halfway high up goal to left that flying goalie palms wide of post.
4...Revs Victor Souza GOAL...Souza blasts ball over flying goalie to left side of net.
5...TFC Mark Fisher GOAL...Fisher blasts to left halfway up net as goalie dives right.
5...Revs Jack Panayotou blasts low to left corner as goalie dives to palm ball wide of post.
6...TFC Ytallo GOAL...Ytallo hits underside of bar in center of goal and ball deflects down and in as goalie dove to middle.
6...Revs Luka Borovic GOAL...Borovic low blast to left as goalie dove right.
7...TFC Marko Sojadinovic takes low quick shot that hits right post before the goalie moved.
7...Revs Alexandru Parvu GOAL...Parvu sends low blast to left as goalie dives right.

New England earns the bonus point for winning the shootout.

Final Score:....Toronto FC II.....1......New England Revolution II.......1......
NER wins earns shootout win 5-4 in seven rounds of Penalty kicks.

Attendance started out at about 50 at kickoff but picked up to about 200 by halftime on this evening that started off cool but dropped to quite cold by the end of the game at around 9:15pm. People were probably fighting the traffic to get here by the 7:00pm start.

TFC II had signed two new midfielders yesterday, both from the English club Sheffield United. Charlie Staniland was a starter and played until being subbed off at 62 minutes. Hassan Ayari came on at 67 minutes and played through the shootout and scored on his spot kick. The team's news release said that both players had both joined the team after trials with the club so did not look at all out of place.

Charlie Sharp who scored a goal in TFC II's 2-1 win over FC Cincinnati 2 on Sunday afternoon was not in the lineup tonight and I'll assume is now on Toronto FC as he has an MLS contract and was sent down for conditioning. Tonight's clubs play an MLS game tomorrow night down at BMO Field. Having the MLS club and their MLS NEXT Pro club in the same city on the same weekend is a situation that happens less times than it doesn't.

Referee Robert D'Alesio gave out only three Yellow cards all in the first half (two to TFC players) including one just after 1 minute (hey Charlie Staniland). Maybe a card given out so quick meant the game never got rough at all.

TFC dominated the first half with high pressing and even had Revs goalie JD Gunn make a clearance at that hit the charging Dekwon Barrow at 8 yards and almost deflected back into the Revs net at 8 minutes but instead went for a goalkick. Of course if you can break the press you can turn it to your advantage which is what happened on the goal at the end of the first half. Second half was more even with lots of back and forth rushes.

Leading TFC players in their pregame workout beside Chris Pozniak was also Ashtone Morgan who also played for the MLS club over the years and played as recently as last season for the CPL Forge FC. A superfan here tonight said he now works in the TFC development program.

TFC II earn 1 point for the tie and improve their record to 1 win, 1 tie, and 2 losses for 4 points. They stay in eleventh place (all Eastern Conference games had ended before I got home) although Revs passed them tonight. Revs II earn 2 points (tie and shoot-out win) to improve to 1 win, 1 tie, 3 losses, 1 SOW bonus point for 5 points in five games. They move up to ninth place...they were in thirteenth earlier today. Lots more games this weekend so both teams could be passed by teams earning 3 point regulation time wins.

On the way home I stopped in to see the last 25 minutes of the TFC Academy vs North Toronto League1 Ontario first round Cup match held at Esther Shiner Stadium. TFC were behind 1-0, the TFC goalie stopped a PK, NT scored two more goals (from #10) and had a man sent off possibly between goals for a final score of 3-0. This would be the TFC U-19 team vs plenty of TMU (nee Ryerson) students. The U-19s are back after being committed to MLS youth leagues and fit into a vacant spot in the Championship league (second tier). North Toronto plays in the Premier league.

A North Toronto team official said their Downsview Park home (that's the community fields outside the BMO Training Centre grounds) are currently having their fields re(field)turfed and should be ready by the end of the month.

Rocket Robin
robin.glover.1958@gmail.com
X @RocketRobin01

Toronto FC II starters