June 26, 2024...MLS NEXT Pro...Toronto FC II vs Inter Miami CF II game report (by Rocket Robin)

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Result and details of the Wednesday June 26, 2024 MLS NEXT Pro game between Toronto FC II and Inter Miami CF II
played at York Lions Stadiums at 7:00pm.

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

...........................40 Adisa De Rosario
............85 Marko Stojodinovic...58 Ythallo...95 Nate Edwards
89 Charlie Staniland...68 Lucas Olguin...70 Matthew Catavolo...72 Mark Fisher (cpt)...97 Tristan Pusztahegyi
..........91 Dekwon Barrow...81 Hassan Ayari

Subs:...50 Abraham Rodriguez (gk)...92 Theo Rigopoulos (def)...94 Noah De Blasis (mid)...96 Richard Chukwu (fwd)
...71 Markus Cimermancic (mid)...75 Luca Accettola (mid)...98 Kristjan Fortier (def)...79 Adrei Dimitru (mid)
...85 Marko Stojodinovic (mid)
team officials:...head coach Gianni Cimini...assistant coach Marco Casalinuovo...goalkeeping coach David Monsalve

Inter Miami CF II (all white uniforms, black names and numbers)

............................1 Owen Finnerty
12 Tye Barton...44 Tyler Hall (cpt)...14 Santiago Garcia...13 Samuel Basabe
62 Israel Boatwright...22 Alejandro Flores...8 Pep Casas...23 Ricardo Montenegro
................90 Cohen Yuval...9 Ryan Carmichael

Subs:...87 Brett Kaminski (gk)...3 Giovanni Marchetti (--), 10 Santiago Morales (mid)...17 Cesar Abadia-Reda (def)
...36 Alejo Castro (def)...66 Joseph Convers (mid)...70 Bryan Destin (fwd)...85 Idol Zeltzer-Zubida (fwd)
team officials: head coach Federico Higuain...assistant coach Cristian Ledesma...goalkeeping coach Chris Barocas

Game officials:...referee Melvin Christopher...referee's assistants Twayne Anderson and Amanda Kwan
...fourth official Scott Bowman...(all black uniforms)

First Half:...game starts 7:02pm...TFC defend south end on this overcast and warm evening.
3 min...IM goalie out to 25 yards to clear through ball ahead of TFC Barrow down middle.
4 min...TFC Ayari 40 yard freekick from right is cleared at 22 yards by nearest defender.
6 min...TFC Ayari run to right end line and low cross wins cornerkick on right.
7 min...TFC Ayari high crosss from right is over box. TFC Ythallo heads ball from left into 6 yard box. TFC Fisher flubs shot
attempt and ball is cleared.
10 min...Miami Ryan Carmichael GOAL...IM Alejandro Flores at 30 yard line on right crosses over six defenders
to find Carmichael alone on left. Carmichael steps to center along 17 yard line and shoots low to left side
of net beyond diving goalie Adisa De Rosario.
12 min...TFC Edwards along on left for pass crosses low into box and ball cleared.
13 min...TFC Ayari clears low cross from left into TFC box.
14 min...TFC Pusztahegyi rolls short pass forward from 25 yards on slight left and TFC Barrow shoots 10 yarder into back crossbar
on left behind the net.
17 min...IM player clears ball before TFC Edwards can get to it for 12 yard shot down middle.
18 min...TFC Ayari cornerkick from left has defender head ball away in box at 7 yards on left.
20 min...TFC Barrow run down slight left but IM Barton prevents him getting shot.
23 min...TFC Ayari cornerkick from left has goalie overhead punch across box and defender on right clears.
28 min...IM YELLOW card...Boatwright earns it for kicking ball away on offside call at TFC 20 yard line.
30 min...IM goalie flies forward to catch bouncer ahead of TFC Barrow at 8 yard line in middle.
34 min...IM Basabe wins cornerkick off on deflection off TFC Ayari on left at 10 yard line.
34 min...IM Casas high cornerkick from left has goalie in crowd of players punch ball forward and out of box.
36 min...IM Flores rush down middle and short pass to left for IM Basabe shot shoots 20 yarder well over net.
37 min...TFC Ayari 40 yard freekick on right has TFC player flick ball off bar. TFC Ythallo pops header at 15 yards
in crowd of players in box out down middle. TFC Ayari skies rebound from 18 yards well over net.
40 min...TFC Stojodinovic is centered pass and blasts 30 yard low shot wide left.
44 min...TFC Ayari cornerkick from left is over players in box and bounces over end line on right for goalkick.
46 min...half ends 7:48pm.

Halftime: Both teams' subs warm up. There are no special fan events tonight.

Second Half:...starts 8:04pm.
47 min...TFC Ythallo chips 45 yarder down middle and IM Hall heads ball off TFC Catavolo to clear.
48 min...TFC (Miami own goal) GOAL...TFC Hassan Ayari takes high cornerkick from left has IM Israel Boatwright
standing between two TFC players head ball straight back into own goal from 4 yards out on left side
of net just under bar.
50 min...TFC Ythallo is injured at TFC 40 yard line and wins delayed freekick.
51 min...TFC Edward run to left end line and crosses low but behind net.
52 min...TFC Nathaniel Edwards GOAL...An IM player is knocked down at TFC 50 yard line but no call is made.
TFC Lucas Olguin in middle from 45 yards passes forward up middle that finds sprinting Edwards splitting
defenders to get to ball at 30 yards and races in alone and shoots low 12 yarder into right side of net past
goalie Owen Finnerty sprawling at 7 yards.
56 min...IM Basabe rush down left and crosses into box. IM Carmichael leaps to head 88 yarder that flying goalie
pushes wide right.
57 min...IM player's cornerkick from left has IM Barton heads 12 yarder downward that goalie smothers in center on edge of 6 yard box.
59 min...TFC Ayari cornerkick from right is headed away on right edge of box.
60 min...TFC YELLOW card...Edwards earns it for diving on left end line inside box trying to draw Penalty kick.
61 min...TFC YELLOW card...head coach Cimini earns it for complaining about the card given on last play.
63 min...IM Carmichael gets to high pass downfield at 18 yards but on 1 v 2 can't get away shot.
64 min...TFC Catavolo has shot is stopped at 20 yards and then can't draw Penalty kick.
67 min...TFC sub...Cimermancic replaces Pusztahegyi.
.............IM sub...Castro replaces Boatwright.
.............IM sub...Destin replaces Yuval.
68 min...TFC Fisher throw-in from right cornerflag is short and ends with TFC Ayari rolling ball to IM goalie.
69 min...TFC Ythallo concedes cornerkick on right as ball centered.
69 min...TFC Fisher heads away cornerkick from right on leap.
70 min...TFC goalie is out to 15 yards to catch bouncer ahead of IM Destin.
70 min...TFC Staniland and Barrow on rush down right has ball cleared in box.
71 min...TFC Ayari low 25 yarder down middle when received centering pass is smothered by goalie.
73 min...IM sub...Morales replaces Garcia.
74 min...IM Morales runs to left end line and low cross is into box is cleared.
76 min...TFC sub...Accettola replaces Barrow.
.............TFC sub...Rigopoulos replaces Catavolo.
76 min...TFC Ayari 30 yard freekick from right has IM player clears through box.
77 min...TFC Cimermancic tapss pass to TFC Edwards who chips 20 yarder over net. (Cimermancic hadn't been able to get away shot).
78 min...TFC YELLOW card...Staniland earns it for shirt grabbing at TFC 45 yard line.
82 min...TFC Ythallo retreats to break up 2 on 1 rush at 20 yards.
84 min...IM Carmichael has 15 yard shot blocked.
84 min...TFC YELLOW card...Rigopoulos earns it for checking IM player on left sideline run.
85 min...IM Morales 30 yard freekick from left hass two TFC defenders head away consecutive headers to edge of 6 yard box.
87 min...IM Basabe cross from left along 10 yard line has TFC Ayari retreat and head away.
89 min...TFC sub...Dimitru replaces Ayari.
90 min...TFC Rigopoulos runs to right end line and rolls centering pass. TFC Fisher taps 2 yarder wide left of post.
91 min...IM Flores shoots 28 yarder down middle high and wide right.
92 min...IM Morales crosses from 2 yards on left. IM Destin can't get header at 6 yards and ball is out right for goalkick.
93 min...IM Basabe rush on left but TFC Rigopoulos gets him to roll ball over end line.
94:49 min...game ends 8:54pm.

Final Score:......Toronto FC II.......2......Inter Miami CF II........1.......

Attendance started off slow but peaked at about 180 at halftime. We had a heavy downpour two hours before game time plus warnings all day that we were going to get thunderstorms and that probably played a factor in keeping the crowd size down as the thunderstorms that happened last Wednesday and over the weekend did come true. From about 5:30pm onwards nothing fell and the weather was quite moderate. The usual rush hour traffic, the fact this was another weeknight game, and in the last week that not only is the Euro Championship on during the morning and afternoon but now the COPA has started and those games are played opposite tonight's gametime.

TFC used quite a different front line of Dekwon Barrow, with Matthew Catavolo, Hassan Ayari, and defender Nate Edwards often up front on rushes down the wings.

Midfielder Mark Fisher was wearing the captain's armband tonight. The usual captain Adam Pearlman was watching in street clothes. He looked healthy but I suspect he was not playing because of Yellow card accumulation.

Other missing players I can't account for were Jesus Batiz, Lazar Stefanovic, Julian Altobelli, and Charlie Sharp. Could be they are getting looks with the MLS team as it lost their last three games just after earning two ties? Abraham Rodriguez was listed as the back up goalie. The team sent out a 'Happy Birthday' tweet just a days ago to regular back up Shafique Wilson. The only player that I know won't be back is defender Antony Curic who reached an agreement to leave the team about a week ago...other posters say he may try his chances in catching on to a team in Croatia as he is of Croatian heritage. (He was born in Toronto). TFC II had lost three in a row so a shakeup may be another reason.

The game turned around with the own goal near the start of the second half. Nate Edwards gave TFC the lead four minutes later on a breakaway with a run that reminded me of the Jonathan David goal we saw Canada score in their win last night at the COPA against Peru. All that was missing was him banking it in off the post but with TFC's luck it would have deflected wide.

After that it looked more likely that TFC would extend its lead rather than left Miami score the equalizer. 90 minutes had Theo Rigopoulos dribble down the right to almost the end line then send in a low cross along the 2 yard line and a charging Mark Fisher shot wide left of the post or TFC wouldn't have had to sweat the four minutes of added time.

I thought tonight's performances by Hassan Ayari and Charlie Staniland (both signed earlier this season from English club Sheffield United) were their best this season (home games are all I see). Maybe Jesus Batiz and Julian Altobelli won't be the automatic cornerkick and freekick takers after watching Ayari tonight.

Referee Melvin Christopher gave out five YELLOW cards (four to TFC) but mostly let the game play on. Miami drew the first card at 28 yards for Israel Boatwright kicking the ball away after they were called offside. TFC Nate Edwards drew the next with a dive along the end line trying to draw a Penalty kick then head coach Gianni Cimini got one on the same play for complaining about the call. Charlie Staniland got one at 78 minutes for shirt grabbing preventing a break out near the center line and Theo Rigopoulos at 82 for a check on a Miami rush trying to squeeze up the sideline. Reminded me of the Women's Canada-Mexico match where Jordyn Huitema was checked but this Miami player landed three yards out of bounds. This was Christopher's first game refereeing at the MLS NEXT Pro level. I thought he did just fine. It was also the first NEXT Pro assignment for referee's assistant Amanda Kwan. Assessor Amato DeLuca answered me before the game that NEXT Pro assignments are rated higher than CPL (for officials) because they can lead to assignments in MLS.

TFC II's record improves to 5 wins, 2 ties, 5 losses, 0 shoot-out-win bonus points for 17 points. There were two other games in the Eastern Conference but they were both over by the time I got home. TFC moves up one spot to eleventh in the fifteen team conference. Eighth place is the cut off line for post season play currently at 21 points. They have a one, two, or three game advantage over the teams they are chasing because of some early season away games being rescheduled.

Inter Miami II's record falls to 5 wins, 3 ties, 6 losses, 0 shoot-out-win bonus points for 18 points and they stay in tenth. (See they are one of the teams that TFC has two games in hand).

TFC has a weekend home game against Philadelphia Union II on Sunday at 3:00pm. The Union are currently the first place team in the East. Co-tenants York United FC are out of town, playing Thursday night so the grounds crew don't have to change the signboards this weekend.

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

Toronto FC II starters