August 25, 2024...MLS NEXT Pro...Toronto FC II vs Huntsville City FC game report (by Rocket Robin)

Result and details of the Sunday August 25, 2024 MLS NEXT Pro game between Toronto FC II and Huntsville City FC
played at York Lions Stadium in North York at 3:00pm.

I will be posting pictures, logos, and more of a play-by-play about this game someday (ie. the offseason).

1 min...Huntsville Adem Sipic GOAL...HC Woobens Pacius intercepts low crossfield pass from the right from TFC Ythallo as TFC Adam Pearlman wasn't expecting it. His first touch rolls all the way to the 15 yard line but goalie Nathaniel Abraham appears to hesitate diving on it and Pacius gets to the ball first, backheels it from the right side along the 8 yard line to the charging Sipic who boots a 7 yarder down the middle into the open net.

15 min...TFC Jason Altobelli GOAL...Altobelli blasts 18 yard freekick from slight left around player wall to right that flying goalie Ben Martino gets hand to but pushes ball into top right corner of net.

45 min (first half)...TFC Matt Fisher GOAL...TFC Hassan Ayari is given pass-back at 28 yards and he chips ball forward from the slight left. Fisher is standing in middle of box between two defenders and heads 6 yarder into left side of net.

50 min...Huntsville Woobens Pacius GOAL..HU Dominic Gasso on run down right chips long pass from 50 yard line that finds open Pacius charging down left side of field. He recovers ball just outside top left side of 18 yard box. He dribbles about 10 yards cutting along the 15 yard line then sends bending shot that curls inward and catches the right corner of the net beyond flying goalie.

81 min...Huntsville Tristan Tropeano GOAL..HU Will Perkins sends in a cross from the right sideline on the 30 yard line. Two defenders ensure that HU Woobens Pacius can't get to the ball at 7 yards on the right side of box. The goalie was also guarding the near post. The ball bounces to the right side of the 6 yard box where Tropeano pounds in 3 yarder over flying goalie.

Final Score:.....Toronto FC II.......2........Huntsville City FC.......3.......

Attendance peaked at about 200 by halftime on this hot afternoon. I'd be a bit disappointed with the crowd size as there was no threat of thunderstorms like we had all of last weekend in their Sunday win over Philadelphia Union II. That game was postponed for almost an hour because of a storm.

Some of the visiting fans hadn't come far. Jordan Knight was born in Mississauga and he must have had at least thirty family and friends. This is his second time visiting this year as he was part of the Columbus Crew 2 squad that was here May 5th. The fans who wear replica kits have switched from his #19 Crew yellow to the navy blue of Huntsville and his new number 30. Like that game he started on the bench and did play further back rather than his striker position of years ago. A few fans wore CPL Forge FC gear to support Woobens Pacius. He was born in Terreborne Quebed but played until the end of 2023 with the nearby Hamilton based CPL team. I just missed seeing former (until the end of 2022 season) CPL York United FC midfielder Isaiah Johnston who played from 2023 until June 2024 with Huntsville but he's moved on to play for USL Championship team Loudain United FC.

Referee Youcelf Boumsied gave out only three Yellow cards this game, all in the second half, and the two he gave to TFC players were for kicking the ball away after a whistle either to delay a restart or frustration that the call didn't go their way. He also arranged for a water break in the first half. Nothing in the second as either he judged the temperature had started to drop or players had snuck in one when it would have been called because the players had gone to the sideline when a trainer needed to come onto the field to treat a Huntsville player's injury and who eventually subbed out before play restarted.

Huntsville almost scored their winner at 61 minutes but TFC goalie Nathaniel Abraham made a sliding save on HU Ollie Wright's breakaway and 12 yard shot that he was able to push wide right of the post sprawling down at the 5 yard line. One minute later with a scramble after the resulting cornerkick, HU Dominic Gasso blasted the partial clearance off the crossbar from 20 yards out.

TFC's Charlie Sharp was out to chat with players at the TFC bench after the game. He traveled with the MLS team to Houston for their Saturday night game and was subbed in at 79 minutes to help them hold on to a 1-0 lead and win. The MLS team is back in Toronto to prepare for the second leg of their Canadian Championship semi-final against CPL Forge FC on Tuesday night. Forge was at this stadium on Friday night so have an extra days rest and this stadium hardly qualifies as a road game.

The win for Huntsville ties their all time unbeaten record of four. (This team only started playing in any league in 2023). They are the farm team of Nashville SC. New head coach Chris O'Neal took over August 6th and started this record. O'Neal made a double sub at 79 minutes which brought in Tristan Tropeano and within two minutes he scored the winning goal.

The loss drops TFC II's record to 7 wins, 10 losses, 4 ties, 0 shoot-out-win points for 25 points. With the other games taking place mostly today, they fall to thirteenth in the fifteen team Eastern Conference.

The magic playoff line of eighth place is now held by Chattanooga FC with 35 points. 10 points out with only six games to play for TFC and only two are at home.

The improves Huntsville's record to 6 wins, 11 losses, 5 ties, 0 shoot-out-wins for 23 points and fourteenth place in the Eastern standings. Who knows if an earlier coaching change would have had the team further up the table.

I was certainly not expecting this result. The team had beaten second place Philadelphia Union II here last Sunday. There's really no hope of making the playoffs now with so many teams ahead of them and time running out. Just scraping into the playoffs in one of the last spots would mean nothing but road games their entire run.

Rocket Robin
robin.glover.1958@gmail.com
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