June 12, 2024...MLS NEXT Pro...Toronto FC II vs New York City FC II game report (by Rocket Robin)
Result and details of the Wednesday June 12, 2024 MLS NEXT Pro game between Toronto FC II and New York City FC II played at York Lions Stadium in North York at 7:00pm. I will be posting pictures, logos, and more of a play-by-play about this game in the days to come. 42 min...NYCFC Taylor Calheira GOAL...Calheira in crowd of players on edge of TFC 18 yard box strips a player of the ball who was trying to work ball out of box and steps around that player and fires 18 yarder into top left side of net over flying goalie Adisa De Rosario. 47 min (1st half added time)...TFC Julian Altobelli RED card...Altobelli picks up his second Yellow card within 12 minutes for either diving in the Penalty box after running out room on the left end line and cutting back in the 6 yard box and contacting a defender or something he said after not being awarded a Penalty kick). 49 min...NYCFC Taylor Calheira GOAL...NYCFC Ronald Arevalo receives nice pass to split defenders at 35 yard line on run up the middle and chips short pass forward and left for charging Calheira where he eludes TFC defender Adam Pearlman to get away a 17 yard shot into right corner of net. 91 min...NYCFC Julien Lacher GOAL...NYCFC Piero Elias finds Lacher with a pass at the 35 yard line on left sideline who then dekes past sliding TFC Nate Edwards and he runs to left end line and eludes TFC Adam Pearlman to get away 8 yard rolling shot past sliding goalie and into right corner of net. 92 min...TFC (NYCFC Stevo Bednarsky own goal GOAL...A TFC player chips a cross from 40 yards on right sideline and TFC Matthew Catavolo is running up the middle with two retreating defenders even with him. Bednarsky on left side of the trio pops ball up off his shoulder and it is over the reach of goalie Will Meyer and drops into the top right corner of net. Game ends 93:43Final Score:...Toronto FC II.......1.......New York City FC II.......3.........
Attendance started off slow as people were still fighting through rush hour traffic but topped out at about 250 by halftime. An offer for just the last few games has had tickets offered for any York University student card holder for only $5.00 (rather than the normal $10.00...TFC MLS season ticket holders get in free). Today it was announced that students from McLaughlin College were special guests. There were about thirty of them taking part in a special 'Crossbar Challenge' contest at halftime. TFC started all four of their players named to participate in Canada's U-20 training camp in a few weeks. Those players are defenders Adam Pearlman, Theo Rigopoulos, and Lazar Stefanovic and midfielder Andrei Dimitru. Their absence may cause quite a depth problem later this month. Referee Niko Jecanski gave out four Yellow cards (three to TFC including the second to Altobelli). He kept a pretty tight control of the game with two first half cards, one to each team, for dissent to Taylor Calheira after a NYCFC offside call at 28 minutes and Altobelli at 35 for delaying a NYCFC freekick at the TFC 40 yard line. That and the relative open play kept the cards to a minimum. The NYCFC passing was the best I've seen from a visiting team so far this season. They would escape the TFC press and were then away on a run down into the home team's end. After TFC went down a man, the success was just exagerated. Both team tried some backheel passes with limited success. This game didn't go how I expected. TFC had a long streak of scoring first until their last game last weekend away against New York Red Bulls. When I saw the visitors only had listed five subsitutes including one goalie, I expected them to tire out in the second half. Later there was a sixth name added. NYCFC didn't make their first sub until 67 minutes. TFC swapped three guys at the start of the second half knowing they were down a man. They kept forward Charlie Sharp in the game until 87 minutes and Jesus Batiz (one of the halftime subs) also played up front to continue some offensive pressure and instructing Nate Edwards to stay more in the back holding off his upfield runs. The loss keeps TFC in eleventh place. This was the only Eastern Conference game tonight and the first of the week so things are starting to look bad as the rest of the Conference is still to play over the weekend and two more teams can pass them. Their record falls to 4 wins, 2 ties, 5 losses, 0 bonus points for shoot out wins for a total of 14 points. A generous eight teams in each conference make the playoffs and right now the playoff line is 18 points. NYCFC's record improves to 6 wins, 3 ties, 3 losses, 1 bonus point for 22 points putting them into a three way tie for third with FC Cincinnati 2 and Chicago Fire FC II (ah the team that beat TFC in their last home game). TFC II's next game is two Wednesday's from now (June 26) here against Inter Miami CF II. Their co-tenants York United FC of the CPL play on the Wednesday in between with both team's avoiding weekend home games. I wonder if the university has scheduled any events? They definitely host the Canadian Open Tennis tournament at the beginning of August. Toronto hosts the Women's event this year (with the Men's in Montreal)...that is rotated every year. Meanwhile their MLS team this weekend starts a period of playing three games in seven days. Rocket Robin.
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