April 13, 2025...League1 Ontario...York United Academy vs Sudbury Cyclones game report (by Rocket Robin)

...............

Result and details of the Sunday April 13, 2025 League1 Ontario Men's L1 Cup game between York United Academy
and Sudbury Cyclones played at York Lions Stadium in North York at 7:00pm.

York United FC (green socks aand shirts, white shorts and numbers)

.............................24 Michael Williams (cpt)
45 Teshawn Taylor...38 Lucas Vidrascu...39 Baylee Borges...46 Sserje Kaloustian
34 Anthony Umanzor...50 Matthew Smith...52 Ardit Abdulah...43 Bohdan Kanafotskyi
...............36 Ryan Giovannini...33 Joshua Lopez

Subs:...35 Daniel Sanei (gk)...37 Kemari Record-Wright...40 Finn Raible...44 Yaathav Lakshman
...47 Davin Chhoeun...48 Malek Aborig...88 Yosmar Anaya
team officials:...head coach Silviu Butnaru...assistant coaches Marco Bonofiglio and Karman Singh
...athletic trainer Ivan Espinosa

Sudbury Cyclones (white socks and shirts, navy shorts and numbers)

...........................1 Connor Vande Weghe
.................3 Isaac Ajani...2 Isaiah Noel...4 Rohan Henry
18 Nana Wiafe-Owusu...12 Chanley Francois...10 Cedric Devos...8 Nicolas Patenaude...19 Brendon Moxam
....................11 Timi Aliu...14 Jaiden Santo

Subs:...23 Lucas Cidade (gk)...5 Jaden Timmis...6 Samuel Henriques...9 Caelan Walraven
...15 Joshua Vivero..16 Cody Vaillancourt...17 Musa Joof...20 Joseph Martins...22 Blake Rosener
team officials:...head coach Joe Politi...assistant coach Evan Phillips...goalkeeper coach Nicholas ????????

Game Officials:...referee Yura Fedorak...referee's assistants Jason Vaillancourt and Jathausan Pushparajah
...fourth official Roain Satarzadeh...(teal socks and shirts, black shorts)...match commissioner Joshua Martins

First Half:...game starts 6:58pm...YUA defends north end on this cool evening with the temperature dropping
quickly. The sun is not casting many shadows now.
1 min...YUA Lopez 28 yard freekick from right is headed through box for cornerkick.
2 min...YUA Abdulah cornerkick from left has York Umanzor chip crosss from right that goalie catches.
2 min...SC rush down right and ball is crossed through box and SC player can't get to ball for shot.
5 min...YUA Giovannini gets away on right but rolls ball too far forward and goalie is out to 12 yards to smother.
6 min...SC Aliu run down right but can't round defender to cut in 6 yard shot.
7 min...YUA Umanzor shoots 18 yard loose ball from left that deflects off defender and goalie catches.
11 min...YUA Kaloustian 15 shot has goaie stop on short side.
12 min...SC Aliu run on left has tap over to SC Santo who slips not getting away 18 yard shot.
14 min...SC Aliu 8 yaard shot from far left is wide right of post.
15 min...SC Henry 60 yard freekick from left has ball bounce for goalie to catch ahead of SC players charging forward.
17 min...SC Devos high cornerkick from right is caught by goalie.
18 min...YUA Smith cross from right has defender head away on edge of 6 yard box.
19 min...SC Moxam run down right but defender blocks low cross. SC Moxam is injured on his kick.
20 min...SC Moxam runs back downfield and collapses. YUA physio helps him off field.
21 min...YUA Giovannini cornerkick from right is headed through box wide left for goalkick.
23 min...SC player's cornerkick from right has defender head away and start fast break out.
24 min...YUA Giovannini receives short pass upfield and 10 yard shot has goalie fly to short side to push ball wide although it looked like
it would have hit the mesh of the net.
24 min...YUA Giovannini high cornerkick from right has ball cleared on left but play is whistled down anyway.
25 min...SC Wiafe-Owusu is injured at YUA 50 yard line winning freekick.
26 min...YUA goalie is out to edge of box to catch 50 yard freekick.
29 min...SC Moxam high 55 yard freekick from left has ball cleared from box.
30 min...SC Santo run down left and cuts to middle for 20 yard roller that goalie slides to save.
31 min...SC Devos cornerkick from left has defenders clear with one being injured in box.
32 min...SC Devos is tapped short pass to right and he lofts 15 yard shot well over net.
34 min...SC Patenaude is hurt at SC 30 yard line and needs trainer.
36 min...SC sub...Joof replaces injured Patenaude before play resumes.
38 min...SC Moxam long throw-in from left has SC Santo get 15 yard roller wide from right is wide left.
40 min...YUA Kaloustiaan run to left end line and his roller is cleared from box.
40 min...SC Devos run down middle and 18 yard shot is batted down by goalie.
43 min...YUA Umanzor blasts 25 yarder from left just over bar.
45 min...YUA Kanafotskyi cross from right along 6 yard line has YUA Lopez leap but is not able to turn header down middle.
47 min...YUA Taylor blasts loose ball in SC box down middle from 8 yards over net.
47 min...half ends 7:47pm.

Halftime: There are now no more shadows from the sun. The temperature hass now dropped to 12C.

Second Half:...starts 8:02pm.
halftime subs:...YUA Aborig replaces Lopez.
.................SC Henriques replaces Wiafe-Owusu.
.................SC Timmis replaces Ajani.
46 min...YUA Smith is centered pass on rush and shoots 25 yarder down middle over the bar.
49 min...YUA goalie is out to 15 yards to catch freekick in crowd of players.
49 min...SC goalie flies to right past to push 20 yard blast up middle wide right of post.
50 min...YUA Giovannini blasts 22 yard shot which deflects off defender high and left of net.
51 min...YUA Giovannini 15 yard shot on right side after he took cornerkick from right has goalie save on shot side near post.
52 min...SSC Aliu loops header over goalie at 20 yards but retreating defender ensures Aliu can't get away shot.
54 min...SC Noel high 5 yard freekick chip from right has goalie leap to catch ball in crowd of players on left side of 6 yard box.
54 min...YUA Taylor blasts 35 yard shot from slight right over players and net.
57 min...SC Aliu on 1 v 2 retreating players even with him breaks up his rush.
58 min...SC Devos cornerkick from right has SC Noel nod header forward from 10 yards that goalie catches.
58 min...SC Francois is injured near YUA end line.
60 min...SC sub...Martins replaces Santo.
...........SC sub...Vivero replacess Devos.
60 min...YUA Kaloustian sends cross near left end line and defender clears in 6 yard box.
62 min...SC sub...Rosener replaces still injured Francois who was receiving treatment off the field.
62 min...SC YELLOW card...assistant coach Phillips earns it for complaining.
65 min...SC Rosener runs down right and low cross into box has retreating defender stop.
65 min...SC Moxam long throw-in from left has two SC players miss connecting on 8 yard headers.
66 min...SC YELLOW card...Martins earns it for tackle.
66 min...YUA Abdulah lofts 40 yard freekick from left is over players and over end line for goalkick.
67 min...SC Vivero in clear blst 12 yard shot up middle well over net.
72 min...YUA YELLOW card...Abdulah earns it for sliding tackle at SC 35 yard line preventing breakout.
73 min...YUA sub...Chhoeun replaces Kaloustian.
...........YUA sub...Anaya replaces Umanzor.
74 min...YUA Abdulah 40 yard freekick down from slight left is straight to defender to clear at 20 yards.
76 min...SC Aliu keeps rush going even after he falls but cross along 5 yard line has goalie catch.
76 min...YUA Taylor rolls 20 yard shot from slight right side left of net.
78 min...YUA sub...Record-Wright replaces Taylor.
79 min...SC sub...Walraven replaces Moxam.
79 min...SC YELLOW card...Timmis earns it for knock over at 15 yard line on left side.
80 min...YUA Abdulah freekick from 22 yards on far left is skied over net.
83 min...SC Martins cramps up away from play.
84 min...YUA sub...Lakshman replaces Abdulah.
86 min...YUA Giovannini is injured at SC 30 yard line.
..........SC Henry is injured in SC box and needs trainer. He returns to the game at 88 minutes.
88 min...YUA sub...Raible replaces Giovannini.
89 min...SC Henriques or Rosener takes long throw-in from right that goalie catches.
90 min...YUA defenders survive two passes into box from the left on SC rushes.
92 min...SC Henriques long throw-in from left is cleared.
93 min...SC Henriques long throw-in is cleared by defenderss for fast breakout.
94 min...YUA Chhoeun 40 yard freekick from left has defender clear on right side of box for throw-in.
95 min...YUA Chhouen wins Penalty kick when he rushed into box.
96 min...YUA Malek Aborig skies his Penalty kick over the bar on his shot down the middle.
96 min...regulation time ends 8:51pm immediately after the missed Penalty kick.

A countdown clock displaying five minutes gives me a chance to descend from the press box onto the field for a closer look at the Penalty kicks.
It is decided to use the north goal and Sudbury will shoot first.

Penalty kicks:
1...SC Caelan Walraven GOAL...blasts shot down middle over sprawling goalie Michael Williams.
1...YUA Kemari Record-Wright GOAL...stutter steps and then shoots low to left side as goalie Connor Vande Weghe slides in middle.
2...SC Isaiah Noel GOAL...shoots high to right as goalie dives left.
2...YUA Davin Chhoeun GOAL...shoots to right side as goalie crumbles in middle.
3...SC Samuel Henriques GOAL...shoots low to right as goalie dives left.
3...YUA Finn Raible GOAL...chips high to right as goalie slides in middle.
4...SC Timi Aliu blasts shot down middle that goalie flies forward to stop. The referee's assistant raises his flag signaling the goalie moved
off his line before the shot so a retake is ordered.
4...(retake)...SC Timi Aliu blasts shot to right side as goalie flies over to right to stop.
4...YUA Yaathav Lakshman GOAL...shot high to center of goal over sliding goalie.
5...SC Jaden Timmis blasts shot off top of bar.

Final Score:...York United Academy........0.......Sudbury Cyclones.........0.......
York United Academy wins 4-3 on Penalty kicks.

Attendance was about 100 on this sunny evening with the temperatures falling rapidly. About half the crowd were cheering for the Cyclones.

A Penalty shootout was needed after the regulation 90 minutes to determine a winner as this was the first round of the L1 Cup. I didn't notice this until I got home but all four of the York penalty takers were substitutes brought into the game after the 74th minute! No time to tire out? Cyclones had two players who'd played the entire 90 and three who were subs with varying results.

So York United Academy moves on to the second round to play Premier Division team Woodbridge Strikers who were given a bye into the second round because of last seasons' play. There will be many regular season games before that meeting. Last year's second round didn't start until May 14th and because of midweek stadium (non)availability some teams were still waiting their second round game as others had played their quarterfinal games!

Referee Yura Fedorak waited until 62 minutes before giving out any Yellow cards and that first one was to Cyclones assistant coach Evan Phillips for complaining about a call. The league app makes it easy to keep track of that by identifying who on the bench was cautioned. Eventually he gave out two Yellows to each team. This was only my second League1 Ontario game this season and other one of Friday also with Fedorak refereeing but he gave out ten Yellows in a much rougher game between Alliance United and Cambridge United.

This was the first game for both teams in Championship Division (second tier) of League1 Ontario. York were able to buy the licence of the Toronto FC Academy which had just earned promotion to the Premier Division but not only declined the spot but withdraw from the league as Major League Soccer forced them back into their American teams structure. The available licence spared York from having to start in the lower League2 (third tier) which is now a requirement for any new team. I had watched Cambridge United on Friday night and League2 Ontario is their starting point. Sudbury played last season in League2 Ontario and finished in third place in their eight team conference (the 24 teams were geographically divided into three sub-conferences to ease the travel burden. Sudbury was only two points behind two of the 'B' teams of Premier Division clubs that have their reserve teams play at the League2 level. Both those 'B' teams declined the promotion chance! I was able to ask the current Alliance United co-head coach on Friday night who was the head coach of their 'B' team last year of why they declined and he answered it was the expenses and standards differences between League2 and Championship that swayed their decision. Opportunity for Sudbury who have to have a huge travel budget no matter at which level they play and they gladly accepted the chance to move up.

York takes pride in having an all teenage team except for a few players that are exactly age 20 but their smallness showed playing the man sized Cyclones players being bumped off the ball in 1 v 1 challenges. I interviewed the Academy coach on Friday and he said their ambition isn't necessarily to be promoted to the Premier Division where they'd play against such teams as Sigma FC which is the reserve team of CPL Forge FC.

York used forward Joshua Lopez who had come in as a substitute at 84 minutes in the CPL game as a starter for this game and he played the first half. I expect there's some rule between League1 Canada and the CPL that there's a maximum number of minutes a player can play in one day. Their starting goalie was Michael Williams who earlier this week had been scheduled as the back up for the CPL team except that the paperwork for projected number one goalie, Diego Uriaga from Mexico, came through faster than expected so Uriaga was listed as the backup goalie and Williams could concentrate on preparing for this League1 game. 16 year old midfielder Anthony Umanzor who just signed a development deal with the first team was a starter in this game and played 73 minutes.

This is the second year in a row that the league has started their season with the first round of their reinstated League Cup competition. Four Premier Division teams were given a bye to the second round but everyone else was thrown into a pot and drawn into open brackets. The round could and did see different tiered teams drawn against each other. Third tiered Cambridge United drew and upset first tier Alliance United on Friday night away from home. Tonight's game here involved two second tier teams and the game was very even.

In a strange quirk, the league opener for both these teams is against each other next Friday night but bumped to the nearby Zanchin Automotive Soccer Centre because York Lions Stadium is booked by MLS NEXT Pro team Toronto FC II in their home opener against Carolina Core FC. The York CPL team is away in Ottawa that weekend so it wouldn't be worth booking this stadium for a 100 person crowd. Every other York Academy home game is before or after their CPL team. Tonight it was obvious that this game would be after the CPL game because it's a five hour drive to get here from Sudbury (my estimate). Google has it at 357 km and their coach expects it will take 3 1/2 hours to get home. With no traffic this late at night he could be right. On my way out I see the team does have a coach/bus for transport with the parents forming a convoy with their cars and minivans.

After my interview with Sudbury's coach he said they went through about 100 potential players for their team but only 50 seriously. In an interview I had with the York Academy coach he said they went through 2000 players! Too bad I interviewed him first or I would have asked for details. There are a lot more players in the GTA area then up north but were the 2000 players given tryouts or just submitted resumes? My mind goes back to going through stats for the best players in hockey cards then I realized I never owned anywhere near 2000 hockey cards. Nahh probably didn't get to the tryout stage. I attended the Toronto FC open tryouts in 2007 (their debut year) which had 1000 players that was actually more of a publicity stunt as 'no one was good enough' to be offered a tryout even with the one York University student who 'won' the chance while the camera's rolled.

This afternoon had been warm for the CPL game with me about melting in my parka on the drive here so I changed into a hoodie which was fine for that earlier game which I watched from the press box anyway but I could see trouble ahead. The CPL game lasted until just after 5:00pm but I stayed for the press conference so I was down to only one hour. I parked my car on the free (on weekends) TTC lot on the other side of Steeles so I faced the equivalent of a six block walk to get my parka but was spared by them leaving the press box open for the second game.

Rocket Robin
robin.glover.1958@gmail.com

Sudbury Cyclones head coach Giuseppe Politi watches pre game warm ups.

Post game interview with Giuseppe Politi (7 min, 04 sec)
Your thoughts on tonight's game?
How did your journey to the Championship Division go from last year's results?
Where do your players come from?
What are your ambitions providing for the younger players?
What are your relationships with other clubs in the area?
How did you get Isaiah Noel who last year played for ProStars FC?
Whatever happened to Sudbury local Brian Ashton who played for Toronto Lynx so long ago?

York United Academy starters