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August 25, 2024...MLS NEXT Pro...Toronto FC II vs Huntsville City FC game report (by Rocket Robin)
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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.
Toronto FC II (all red uniforms, white names and numbers)
.........................50 Abraham Rodriguez
92 Theo Rigopoulos...51 Adam Pearlman...58 Ythallo...96 Richard Chukwu
89 Charlie Staniland...72 Mark Fisher...85 Marko Stojodinovic...81 Hassan Ayari
............82 Julian Altobelli (cpt)...79 Andrei Dimitru
Subs:...40 Adisa De Rosario (gk)...74 Kudai Mawoko (def)...94 Elijah Roche (mid)...68 Lucas Olguin (mid)
...73 Jesus Batiz (fwd)...65 Joses Chukwu (fwd)...70 Matthew Catavolo (mid)
team official:...head coach Gianni Cimini
Huntsville City FC (all navy uniforms, white names and numbers)
...........................67 Ben Martino
29 Julian Gaines...2 Christian Applewhite...12 Dominic Gasso...15 Joey Akpunonu
17 Jonathan Bolanos (cpt)...28 Woobens Pacius...40 Faiz Opande...13 Joey Skinner
....................10 Ollie Wright...77 Adem Sipic
Subs:...1 Simon Jillson (gk)...3 Tomas Ritondale (def)...25 Fernando Ciceron (def)...30 Jordan Knight (fwd)
...46 Tristan Tropeano (fwd)...47 Isaiah Jones (mid)...56 Will Perkins (def)...78 Tyler Pasnik (mid)
team official:...head coach Chris O'Neal
Game officials:...referee Youcef Boumsied...referee's assistants Red Fazazi and Vasyl Dzikh
...fourth official Fabrizio Stasolla...(black socks and shorts, chartreuse shirts)
First Half:...game starts 3:03pm. TFC defends south end on this hot day with a hazy sun in the west.
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.
5 min...TFC Altobelli rolls pass from 15 yards in center for TFC Ayari on left whose low 10 yard shot is stopped by goalie
on near post. He then smothers rebound.
12 min...Hunt Bolanos intercepts TFC goalie's clearance at 25 yards on right then crosses to center of box. Hunt Sipic
heads 12 yarder from even with right post over net wide right.
14 min...TFC Altobelli wins freekick for knock on edge of box.
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.
20 min...TFC Stojodinovic slides to poke ball away from Hunt Sipic on edge of 18 yard box giving up cornerkick.
20 min...Hunt Wright cornerkick from right has Hunt Opande blast one-touch 15 yard shot from left well over net.
23 min...Hunt Gaines wins cornerkick on cross off TFC Richard Chukwu at 10 yards on far right.
23 min...Hunt Wright cornerkick from right is cleared from box.
26 min...A water break is called.
29 min...play resumes.
29 min...TFC Altobelli cornerkick from right is short and passed upfield to TFC Fisher who shoots from 25 yard line sideline
well wide left.
32 min...Hunt Wright cornerkick from left is short andd he gets ball back and dribbles then sends in cross. TFC Stailand heads
ball away at 15 yards. Hunt Gasso blasts 22 yarder down middle well over net.
38 min...TFC Rigopoulos cross from 15 yards along right end line has TFC Altobelli head cross over net from 6 yards.
40 min...TFC Dimitru is injured making sliding tackle giving up freekick.
40 min...Hunt Wright 28 yard freekick from right is rolled along edge of box and cleared downfield.
42 min...Hunt Gaines gets to pass on right and sends cross into center of box. Hunt Sipic one-touches 5 yarder wide right of post.
45 min...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.
47 min...half ends 3:50pm.
Halftime: The substitute players on both teams warm up on the the field while there are no contests for the fans today.
Second Half:...starts 4:07pm.
48 min...Hunt Skinner cross from 20 yards near left end line has goalie leap to catch in 6 yard box.
49 min...Hunt Bolanos crosss from 33 yards on right has Hunt Sipic twist header at 12 yards in middle that goalie picks up on right post.
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.
55 min...TFC YELLOW card...Pearlman earns it for kicking ball out of bounds to prevent Hunt quick throw-in at TFC 30 yard line.
56 min...Hunt Skinner cross is centered along 8 yard line from left has TFC Pearlman make clearance.
60 min...TFC Ayari runs ball over end line on left after a long TFC possession.
61 min...Hunt sub...Perkins replaces Gaines.
.............Hunt sub...Knight replaces Skinner.
62 min...Hunt Gasso blasts 20 yarder hitting bar on partial clearance after a cornerkick from the right.
64 min...TFC sub...Batiz replaces Staniland.
...........TFC sub...Olguin replaces Richard Chukwu.
66 min...Hunt Bolanos races down right and wins cornerkick on short from 15 yards on far right.
Hunt Applewhite was injured earlier in the play and needs trainer.
67 min...Hunt Jones replaces injured Applewhite.
67 min...Hunt Wright cornerkick from right has TFC Fisher head away.
68 min...Hunt Jones chips 22 yarder up middle between players that goalie catches.
72 min...TFC Rigopoulos makes clearance on high ball cross into box from right.
73 min...TFC Fisher chips cross from 35 yards on right has TFC Olguin heads 12 yarder from left wide left of net.
74 min...TFC YELLOW card...Stojodinovic earns it for kicking ball away after freekick whistle in Hunt box. TFC Ayari had crossed
high from right over to TFC Batiz for stop and bicycle kick which Hunt player had cleared.
78 min...Hunt Perkins dribbles in from right and centering pass is cleared by TFC Stojodinovic.
79 min...Hunt sub...Tropeano replaces Sipic.
...........Hunt sub...Ciceron replaces Opande.
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.
83 min...TFC Altobelli cornerkick from right is short pass around before Altobelli crosses. TFC Pearlman takes scorpion kick
in crowd of players at 8 yards that's wide right.
83 min...TFC sub...Catavolo replaces Dimitru.
84 min...Hunt Bolanos high cross from near right endline drifts behind net.
85 min...TFC Rigopoulos sticks up foot to midair to center cross sent over from right but defender clears.
86 min...Hunt Knigh wins throw-in when on 1 v 2 against him at Hunt cornerflag.
87 min...TFC Stojodinovic chips 40 yarder that goalie beats TFC forward to catch at 12 yards.
88 min...Hunt YELLOW card...Akpunonu earns it for trip of TFC Catavolo rushing inn at Hunt 30 yard line.
89 min...TFC Altobelli freekick from 30 yards has goalie jump to punch ball away but the flag was up for offside already.
91 min...TFC Ayari low cross has Hunt Ciceron clear for cornerkick.
91 min...Hunt Tropeano 50 yard roller downfield has retreating goalie pick up.
92 min...TFC Stojodinovic is injured at Hunt 35 yard line wins freekick.
93 min...TFC Fisher throw-in from right has him get ball back and cross has goalie catch.
93:19 min...game ends 4:55pm.
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
Toronto FC II starters
Huntsville City FC starters
Huntsville Adem Sipic (77) takes opening kickoff.
TFC Andrei Dimitru (79) leads rush over center line.
TFC Hassan Ayari (81) on left side of box.
TFC Julian Altobelli (82) will score on this freekick.
This ball will be cleared in the TFC box.
TFC players work out short cornerkick.
Action in front of the TFC bench.
Huntsville players will play cornerkick short and up left side.
Huntsville Ollie Wright (10) line up freekick.
TFC Julian Altobelli (82) takes second half kickoff.
TFC Theo Rigopoulos (92) takes throw-in.
TF Julian Altobelli (82) takes late freekick.
Huntsville Woobens Pacius (28) has some fans here today who remember his time with Forge FC in nearby Hamilton.
Huntsville Dominic Gasso (12), TFC Mark Fisher (72), and Huntsville Will Perkins (56) pose post game.
There's some connection between them all with the state of Michigan either in schooling or previous teams.
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