August 18, 2024 MLS NEXT Pro...Toronto FC II vs Philadelphia Union 2 game report (by Rocket Robin)

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Result and details of the Sunday August 18, 2024 MLS NEXT Pro game between Toronto FC II and Philadelphia Union 2
played at York Lions Stadium in North York at 3:00pm.

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

...................50 Abraham Rodriguez
92 Theo Rigopoulos...51 Adam Pearlman...58 Ythallo...96 Richard Chukwu
.........89 Charlie Staniland...68 Lucas Olguin...73 Jesus Batiz
.........72 Mark Fisther...38 Charlie Sharp...82 Julian Altobelli (cpt)

Subs:...80 Shafique Wilson (gk)...79 Andrei Dimitru (mid)...94 Elijah Roche (mid)...65 Joses Chukwu (def)
...74 Kundai Mawoko (def)...95 Nate Edwards (def)...86 Tyler Londono (mid)...81 Hassan Ayari (mid)
team officials: head coach Gianni Cimini...assistant coach Marco Casalinuovo and Arman Mohammadi
...goalkeeper coach David Monsalve

Philadelphia Union 2 (light blue socks and shorts, gold/light blue/white streaked shirts, navy names and numbers)

.........................57 Mike Sheridan
58 Gavin Westzel...44 Neil Pierre (cpt)...29 Olwethu Makhanya...30 Jamir Berdecio
24 Nick Pariano...47 Kellan Le Blanc...42 Carloss Rojas...62 Jamir Johnson
...............45 Leandro Soria...35 Markus Anderson

Subs:...81 Gavin Atkinson (gk)...36 Randy Meneses (def)...55 Sal Olivas (mid)...61 Zachary Mastrodimos (mid)
...66 Diego Rocio (mid)...68 Jordan Griffin (mid)...77 Edward Davis III
team officials:...head coach Marlon LeBlanc...goalkeeper coach Karl Spratt...athletic trainer Brian Betz
...equipment manager Andrew Vaccaro...video analyst Austin Reynolds

Game officials:...referee Mo Mohseni...referee's assistants Peter Pendli and Gabriel Grenier
...fourth official Yusri Rudolf...(all black uniforms)

First Half:...game starts 3:53pm...TFC defends south end. The game has been delayed from it's 3:00pm start because of lightning
in the area. Players hadn't got onto the field to warm up beofre the delay was announced. The rain starts during the national anthems.
3 min...A PU player runs to the right end line but a TFC defender slides to deflect his cross over the end line.
4 min...PU player's high cornerkick from right is over players in box.
5 min...TFC YELLOW card...Staniland earns it for sliding tackle at TFC 25 yard line breaking up run.
6 min...PU LeBlanc 25 yard freekick from slight right is high and wide left of top corner.
12 min...TFC Jesus Batiz GOAL...Batiz dribbles down left wing and cuts diagonally towards center. He shoots 10 yarder
from left that deflects off foot of retreating PU defender Olwethu Makhanya and goalie Mike Sheridan gets a hand
to but pushes it into short side of net while guarding the near post.
15 min...PU Johnson cornerkick from left is high and PU Makhanya heads from 6 yards into ground which goalie picks up on bounce.
16 min...PU goalie is out to 25 yard line to head away bouncer.
17 min...TFC Sharp is injured near center line.
18 min...TFC Richard Chukwu centers cross into box and TFC Fisher is injured at 6 yards trying to kick ball but the ball is cleared.
21 min...TFC Ythallo GOAL...TFC Julian Altobelli sends cornerkick from left into box and Ythallo in crowd of players
in box heads from 10 yards that has goalie fly to right and get a hand to but deflect it up into top right corner of net.
23 min...PU Pariano is tapped pass and his 18 yard shot from near right is over net.
24 min...TFC goalie makes overhead catch on 40 yard chip from right.
25 min...PU Pariano rolls ball from right across box just a step ahead of PU player at 7 yards.
27 min...PU Pariano 20 yard shot from right is wide left of net.
29 min...TFC Batiz cross from 28 yards on left catches TFC Sharp header from 7 yards but wide of net. The flag was up for
offside anyway.
30 min...I hear thunder in the distance.
33 min...TFC YELLOW card...Altobelli earns it for sliding tackle on PU Pariano on right sideline.
34 min...PU Le Blanc freekick is short, TFC Batiz eventually over rides PU Anderson to clear on the right.
34 min...PU Anderson cornerkick from right has PU Soria pop up header from 15 yards that goalie catches.
36 min...PU goalie beats TFC Fisher to bouncer wide right of net.
37 min...PU Johnson 22 yard freekick from top left corner of box is wide right of post.
39 min...TFC YELLOW card...Sharp earns it for tackle on PU Westzel injurying him at PU 35 yard line on left sideline.
42 min...PU Johnson picks up loose ball at 20 yards on left and shoots just wide right of post.
45 min...TFC Fisher clears ball out of own box to end PU pressure.
46 min...half ends 4:39pm.

Halftime: Both teams' subs stay on the field and warm up.

Second Half:...starts 4:55pm.
Halftime subs:.....PU Olivas replaces Soria.
.....................TFC Dimitru replaces Richard Chukwu.
47 min...PU Anderson low 25 yard shot from right is smothered by goalie.
48 min...Philadelphia Kellan LeBlanc GOAL...PU Jamir Berdecio sends low cross from left sideline along 5 yard line
that has LeBlanc one-touch ball from 9 yards a chip into low right corner of net. A PU player had charging forward
in alignment with the left post but missed connecting on a header but may have provided a distraction.
49 min...TFC YELLOW card...Fisher earns it for pull down at TFC 22 yard line.
50 min...PU Johnson blasts low 25 yard freekick into player wall. A subsequent PU player's shot after a partial clearance
is also blocked.
51 min...PU pressure on edge of TFC 6 yard box wins them a cornerkick.
52 min...PU player's cornerkick from right is low anada stopped on near side. PU Johnson shoots partial clearance from 20 yards
over net.
54 min...TFC Ythallo concedes cornerkick with header over own net on PU cross from left.
54 min...PU Johnson cornerkick from left is short and cleared before ball can be sent into the box.
55 min...PU Johnson cornerkick from left has TFC Sharp head ball away on leap in center of box.
56 min...Philadelphia Kellan LeBlanc GOAL...PU Sal Olivas rushes TFC goalie Nathaniel Abraham trying to clear
(not on a restart). Abraham panics at 7 yards and rolls clearance to edge of the box to PU Markus Anderson who
taps centering pass and LeBlanc steps up, with Abraham and Olivas still on the ground to the right and a defender
guarding each post, and blasts 12 yarder over head of TFC Lucas Olguin into top right side of net.
58 min...TFC Jesus Batiz rolls pass forward into left side of PU box and TFC Julian Altobelli draws Penalty kick
from referee Mo Mohseni when bumped over by PU Olwethu Makhanya on his run.
59 min...TFC Julian Altobelli GOAL...Altobelli stagger steps his Penalty kick and goalie slides to the right
and then Altobelli shoots into open left side of net.
60 min...TFC sub...Edwards replaces Rigopoulos.
62 min...TFC Ythallo chips ball setting up a 2 on 0 run with TFC Edwards rolling cross across box that's deflected away
from a TFC player at 3 yards.
63 min...PU YELLOW card...Goalie Sheridan earns it for something.
63 min...TFC Batiz cornerkick from right is over players in box.
64 min...TFC Edwards cross through PU box from right is unplayed.
65 min...TFC YELLOW card...Pearlman earns it for grab on PU Anderson on his run down sideline.
66 min...PU Johnson 25 yard freekick from left is headed away in crowd of players in box.
66 min...TFC goalie catches 30 yard chip from right.
67 min...PU Johnson is bumped by TFC Pearlman in left side of box and rolls ball over end line for goalkick. PU Le Blanc was
injured on edge of TFC box away from the play.
68 min...PU sub...Griffin replaces injured Le Blanc.
.............PU sub...Davis replaces Rojas.
.............PU sub...Rocio replaces Johnson.
70 min...PU Pariano passes right to PU Berdecio who passes too far for charging players on left and ball rolls over end line.
72 min...PU Davis wins cornerkick on cross on left end line.
72 min...PU Rocio cornerkick from left is over box and out right for goalkick.
73 min...TFC sub...Ayari replaces Altobelli.
74 min...TFC YELLOW card...Edwards earns it at PU 30 yard line for blocking a PU freekick less than 10 yards away.
75 min...TFC Hassan Ayari GOAL...PU Neil Pierre has his pass at PU 25 yard line blocked by Ayari.
TFC Charlie Sharp recovers and rolls ball forward for Ayari on left and he beats charging goalie to roll
in 10 yarder to right corner of net.
77 min...PU sub...Mastrodimos replaces Pariano.
78 min...PU Anderson leaps but can't quite turn 7 yard header sent forward from right.
79 min...PU Rocio 22 yard shot is tipped wide right of post.
80 min...PU player's cornerkick from right is between players in box and out left side unplayed.
80 min...PU YELLOW card...Anderson earns it for collision in TFC box with TFC Fisher injurying him.
85 min...PU Anderson pops up header at 10 yards that goalie catches on bounce.
85 min...TFC Edwards is away on 3 on 2 break on left and his 12 yard shot is deflected over net.
85 min...TFC Ayari cornerkick from left is cleared on right side of box.
86 min...PU Berdecio rush up right and 12 yards shot is saved on near post by goalie who needs trainer.
He must have saved it off his face as the trainers used towels on his head before applying a large head bandage around
his forehead.
91 min...play resumes.
94 min...PU Griffin centers roller through TFC box unplayed.
94 min...PU Anderson blast is tipped over the net for cornerkick.
95 min...PU Rocio cornerkick from left is cleared from box.
96 min...PU Griffin high cross from 25 yards on left is well over net.
97 min...TFC RED card...Nate Edwards picks up his second Yellow of the game for delaying a PU throw-in at the
PU 50 yard line. (His first Yellow was at 74 minutes for not giving 10 yards on a quickly taken PU freekick
at the PU 30 yard line).
98 min...PU Griffin 33 yard chip from left has goalie behind players in box bat down and grab ball.
100 min...PU Rocio freekick on left edge of box has goalie fly to right and push ball wide. The PU players can't get away another shot.
100 min...game ends 5:50pm.

Final Score:.....Toronto FC II.....4.....Philadelphia Union 2........2.......

Attendance climbed to about 200 people by the time the game started which would normally be halftime but the game was under a weather delay because of lightning in the area which occured before the players even came out for warm ups. Play can't start until 30 minutes after the last bolt is spotted and the players needed their warm up time so the game started 50 minutes late. Once the national anthems started playing we had our first drops of rain which then turned on like a tap. TFC II games (not for CPL York United games which had a similar cloudburst on Friday night) allow the fans to bring umbrellas into the stadium. Also the attendance is so sparce that there's enough room for everyone to find shelter under the concrete overhang from the indoor structure on the edge of the walkway. My pen and paper notebook stayed dry for me in that spot as I needed a third hand for an umbrella if I wanted to stay in my seat.

The game also had a 8 minutes of second half injury time (turned into 10) as at 86 minutes TFC goalie Nathaniel Abraham stopped a shot on the near post from 12 yards sent by PU Jamir Bedecio but it must have been off his face as trainers rushed out with towels then tied a tourniquet around his forehead within five minutes. He then made the save of the game at 100 minutes by flying to the far post to push away a freekick sent in from the left edge of the box by PU Diego Rocio.

Efficient substitution to bring on Hassan Ayari at 73 minutes replacing goal scorer and captain Julian Altobelli but it paid off with Ayari's insurance goal just two minutes later.

Not so good was bringing on young Nathaniel Edwards at 60 minutes and him drawing such unnecessary Yellows for delays on restart plays that weren't even in the TFC end. He's often a starter with his lightning speed runs down the wings.

Referee Mo Mohseni gave out eight Yellow cards (six to TFC) plus the Red to TFC and awarded TFC a Penalty kick. Two of them were for sliding tackles but both in the first half which cut out that behaviour on the wet field. Let's make bone crushing checks standing up!

One extreme to another! The PA system will play an ice cream truck music song every game and promise you could buy treats at the truck parked outside the gate...then often there was no truck there. Today they had two trucks arrive at the same time. It appears only one of them stayed. It also appears that the PA announcement is scripted—not pre recorded—as the announcer did adapt with the preclaimer “I know it's wet but....” before going into the usual speel.

This was the third meeting of the season between these teams. TFC II lost 2-1 in their season opener away on March 17th and again at York Lions Stadium 4-0 on June 30th with the visitors scoring all their goals in the first thirty minutes. With new teams being added every year, I expect there will soon be a twice a season maximum.

TFC improves to 7 wins, 9 losses, 4 ties, 0 shoot out bonus points for 25 points. They appear to stay in twelfth place (late scores jostled them around by the time I got home). Same number of points as Carolina Core but one more win in 20 games.

The eighth place playoff line is now held by Inter Miami CF II at 33 points which is the same as ninth place New York Red Bulls II.

Philadelphia's record falls to 12 wins, 7 losses, 3 ties, 2 shoot out bonus points for 41 points and leaves them in second place.

Since winning their last home game against NYRB 4-3 on July 28th, TFC have been away as these grounds hosted the Canadian Open tennis tourney...not that they played on the field, but there'd have been nowhere to park all those extra cars. TFC earned a one point tie in Chattanooga losing in Penalty kicks two weekends ago then lost 2-1 in regulation against Atlanta United 2. It was announced earlier that week that midfielder Marko Stojodinovic had signed an MLS NEXT Pro contract with the team. Great but the press release stated he'd already played 32 games for them since last season! Anyway he drew an early Red card against Atlanta and that put them behind the 8-ball the rest of the game.

TFC II stays in town and plays here next Sunday at 3:00pm against Huntsville (Alabama) the development team of MLS Nashville SC. They are in fourteenth place out of the fifteen teams in the Eastern Conference.

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

Toronto FC II starters