April 25, 2025...MLS NEXT Pro Toronto FC II vs Chicago Fire FC II game report by Rocket Robin

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Result and details of the Friday April 25, 2025 MLS NEXT Pro game between Toronto FC II and Chicago Fire FC II
played at York Lions Stadium in North York at 7:00pm.

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

......................77 Adisa De Rosario
72 Mark Fisher...75 Reid Fisher...58 Ythallo...96 Richard Chukwu
.........25 Nathaniel Edwards...85 Marko Stojadinovic...74 Michael Sullivan (cpt)
.........71 Markus Cimermancic...91 Dekwon Barrow...81 Hassan Ayari

Subs:...80 Shafique Wilson (gk)...98 Stefana Kaport (def)...25 Nathaniel Edwards...56 Antone Bossenberry (mid)
...68 Lucas Olguin (mid)...79 Andrei Dumitru (mid)...82 Patrick McDonald (mid)...87 Costa Iliadis (mid)...64 Jahmarie Nolan (fwd)
team officials: manager Gianni Cimini...assistant coach Arman Mohammadi

Chicago Fire FC II (white socks and shirts, baby blue shorts and two stripes down chests, black names and numbers)

............................70 Patrick Los
27 Dylan Borso...42 Diego Konincks (cpt)...41 Jean Diouf...46 Juan Miguel Zapata Calle
..........66 Charles Nagle...47 Sam Williams...48 Trip Fleming
..........68 Vitaliy Hlyut...28 Dean Boltz...51 Claudio Cassano

Subs:...80 Patryk Stechnij (gk)...44 Jason Shokalook (fwd)...49 Jhoiner Montiel...56 Bryce Richards (def)...62 Hugo Berg (mid)
team officials:...head coach Mike Matkovich...general manager Alex Boler...goalkeeper director Igor Dimov
...athletic trainer James An

Game officials:...referee Melvin Christopher...referee's assistants Vasyl Dzikh and Joey Filipic...fourth official Yusri Rudolf
...(all black uniforms)

First Half:...game starts 7:02pm...TFC defends south end on this overcast, cool, and chilly evening with a strong wind from
the south...(definitely colder than last Friday night!)
2 min...TFC Fisher is injured just outside left of TFC box and needs trainer.
5 min...TFC sub...Bossenberry replaces injured Fisher.
9 min...TFC goalie picks up through ball pass at 15 yards.
12 min...For the second time already a TFC long and high through ball bounces over the end line because of the strong wind from
the south.
16 min...TFC Fisher ducks twice in a row to head away two crosses into TFC box.
17 min...TFC Fisher makes a third header on the edge of the box to clear.
18 min...Fire Cassano cornerkick from right is short with Fire Williams and his cross to left has leaping Fire Konincks not able
to fully turn header at 8 yards.
18 min...TFC Henry gets to long chip downfield then beating a 1 v 3 to get away a shot but a defender blocks and the goalie is down
to poke the ball away at 12 yards and smother.
19 min...Fire Borso is injured while jumping and only partially avoiding sliding tackle at 15 yards near right sideline. The play
carries on downfield.
20 min...Fire Hlyut long run on 1 v 4 getsss to 5 yard line before ball is poked away before he can take a shot.
21 min...Fire Fleming chips 28 yarder from slight left wide right of net.
23 min...Fire Konincks makes sliding tackle to prevent TFC Barrow getting to back pass at Fire 15 yard line in middle.
25 min...TFC Cimermancic short centering pass to TFC Ayari at Fire 22 yard line and Ayari bends low shot for goalie to catch.
25 min...Fire Boltz beats TFC Fisher and slides to roll cross into box but a defender easily defends.
27 min...Fire players on multi passing play on edge of TFC box and Fire Hlyut finally has his shot blocked.
28 min...TFC Barrow is called offside after TFC multi pass play ending with cross into box.
29 min...TFC Chukwu at Fire 40 yard line chips through ball that bounces over end line well ahead of TFC Ayari.
29 min...TFC Henry high cross from right is through box. Fire Borso clears on left side of box.
30 min...TFC Barrow misses 10 yard midair shot in center of Fire box on cross from right.
32 min...TFC Ayari low 20 yard shot from left has flying goallie bat right for defender to clear.
33 min...TFC Ayari is tapped pass back from TFC Cimermancic and bends 18 yarder from left wide right of post.
34 min...TFC Ythallo receives a lecture by referee but no card.
35 min...TFC Dekwon Barrow GOAL...TFC Markus Cimermancic receives forward pass at CF 45 yard line in middle
and he turns and steps forward and sends short pass over to TFC Marko Stojadinovic on right at 40 yard line. He runs
forward and rolls ball upfield for charging TFC Malik Henry on edge of 18 yard box who's even with two retreating
defenders. From 15 yards on right Henry rolls centering pass forward and charging Barrow is a step ahead of retreating
Fire Diego Konincks and at 6 yards one-touches ball forward to open left side of net as diving goalie Patrick Los was
trapped on right side.
37 min...TFC goalie catches high 33 yarder sent in from left.
38 min...Fire Cassano low blast from 22 yards on left is caught by sliding goalie.
41 min...TFC Stojadinovic high long crosss from 40 yards on right. TFC Cimermancic at 8 yards in middle leaps and twists
header wide right of the post.
43 min...TFC Ayari cornerkick from right is high and goalie and defender miss ball but ball is out left side of box on bounce.
44 min...Fire Borso shot run to right end line and high cross drifts behind end line before dropping in on left side of box for goalkick.
46 min...TFC Bossenberry forward pass has goalie charge out to 15 yards to smother before TFC Barrow can get to ball.
48 min...half ends 7:50pm.

There is no halftime entertainment.

Second Half:...starts 8:06pm. It is getting colder.
48 min...TFC Bossenberry tries to pass on rush into Fire box on right but defender deflects it back to him and he deflects it over
end line for goalkick.
49 min...TFC Henry taps ball to middle after run on right. TFC Cimermancic 15 yard shot down middle is over net.
50 min...Fire Cassano receives pass from Hlyut and takes low 20 yard shot from left has goalie dive to push ball wide left.
50 min...Fire Cassano cornerkick from left is through 6 yard box unplayed with missed headers.
51 min...TFC Henry heads away cross from right into middle of box. Fire Cassano then blasts 22 yarder of partial clearance
that goalie catches.
52 min...The referee breaks up and confrontation after an offside call.
55 min...Fire Cassano blasts 20 yard freekick from left into a head in the player wall. Later another TFC player blocks shot
with ball in face at 20 yard line.
57 min...Fire sub...Richards replaces Hlyut.
.........Fire sub...Shokalook replaces Boltz.
58 min...TFC Stojadinovic rushes on right and sends high cross over box.
59 min...TFC goalie is out to 15 yards to catch through ball bouncer.
60 min...TFC sub...Nolan replaces Barrow.
...........TFC sub...Dumitru replaces Cimermancic.
61 min...Fire Calle blasts low 22 yarder wide left from left as Fire Williams gave him short pass from center along 20 yard line.
62 min...TFC Henry runs to end line and pops cross into center of box where defender head ball away.
64 min...Fire Fleming cross from right finds open Fire Casssano blasts 15 yarder one touch off right post and TFC Henry clears
rebound.
65 min....TFC Henry suffers head injury on edge of 18 yard in middle and needs trainer.
66 min...Fire sub...Montiel replaces Fleming.
67 min...TFC sub...Edwards replaces injured Henry.
68 min...Fire Cassano crosses along 25 yard line from left to charging Fire Borso who's shot is saved. Cassano blasts 12 yard
rebound from slight left off the bar and that rebound is cleared.
70 min...TFC Ayari takes 28 yard freekick from right with chip just behind leaping TFC player.
71 min...TFC Ayari runs into Fire box on left and his low 8 yarder is saved.
72 min...Fire Cassano cornerkick from left has defender near left post pop up header away for another cornerkick.
72 min...Fire Cassano cornerkick from left has TFC Sullivan pop up header in crowd of players at 6 yards and goalie catches.
73 min...TFC Edwards is called offside at 30 yard line.
74 min...Fire player's chip into box from right is over head of Fire Cassano at 10 yards is covered by defender.
75 min...TFC Bossenberry has 12 yard shot blocked on right after high cross from left.
76 min...Fire Cassano chips 33 yard cross from left that has ball knocked wide left for goalkick off header from Fire Diouf.
77 min...TFC Bossenberry forward pass to TFC Nolan but Fire Diouf makes excellent sliding tackle at 12 yards on right
to poke ball away.
79 min...Fire Calle is given ball on tap forward on far left and blasts 18 yarder that goalie saves on near post.
80 min...TFC goalie punches away ball and knocks over Fire Nagle in box.
82 min...TFC Nathaniel Edwards wins Penalty kick from referee Melvin Christopher when he's tripped up on a run cutting
over from right side of CF box.
83 min...TFC Hassan Ayari GOAL...TFC Ythallo stutter steps and rolls Penalty kick to left side of net but diving
goalie saves by pushing it wide left. Charging Ayari beats retreating defender to get to ball from near end line
and lifts 6 yarder over fallen goalie catching just inside right corner of net.
86 min...TFC sub...Olguin replaces Bossenberry who'd been injured near the sideline.
...........TFC sub...Iliadis replaces Ayari.
87 min...TFC Nolan makes good dribble but centers pass behind charging TFC Olguin at 8 yards.
87 min...Fire Cassano runs down left and crosses into box. Fire Montiel shoots 15 yarder wide right.
90 min...TFC Edwards has 22 yard shot blocked after multi-pass play.
90 min...TFC Dumitru cross from right side of box has TFC Nolan pop open header over bar from 7 yards.
91 min...TFC Nolan rolls cross to charging TFC Dumitru over end line for goalkick.
92 min...Fire Cassano cornerkick from left hass TFC player clear from box.
92 min...Fire Konincks keeps Fire pressure with TFC defender falling and Fire Borso has 20 yard low shot stopped by defender.
94:05 min...game ends 8:55pm.

Final Score:......Toronto FC II.......2.......Chicago Fire FC II.......0.......

Attendance was about 150 on this cool evening which was getting colder the longer the game wore on. That figure was even lower than last week when it was the season opener on Good Friday which was actually warmer than tonight.

Toronto had to make a sub at just 5 minutes when Mark Fisher was injured just outside the TFC box and needed the trainer. His replacement Anton Bossenberry fit in quite well from a cold start. It was a luxury for them to have a full bench of nine subs. Last week they only had five with no backup goalie as TFC was suffering injuries requiring players to fill in for a road trip to Salt Lake and they Academy teams were away at the Generation Adidas Cup in Florida. This week they even had an afternoon announcement that TFC midfielder Markus Cimermancic was being loaned to them for this one game only.

Adisa De Rosario earned the shutout for TFC with some good saves and a goalpost and a bar saving sure Fire goals. De Rosario was one of the players away last week as an unused back up on the bench for the main team's Real Salt Lake game.

Referee Melvin Christopher gave out no cards at all tonight in a game that never got out of hand. He infuriated Fire head coach Mike Matkovich for just lecturing Ythallo instead of giving him a card. "If you won't give him a card, why did you stop the game" was the complaint as it slowed down the Fire's momentum at that time of the game. Christopher played the new head injury rule well with him twice (if I counted right) when a man went down blowing his whistle instantly instead or waiting for the players to kick the ball out of bounds in good sportsmanship (rarely happens anymore) or letting play carry on. Trainers were rushed onto the field. NEXT Pro has cracked down on its other injury rules holding up the game but head injuries are 'take as long as you need'.

Ythallo was the obvious choice to take the Penalty kick as he was the only one who scored during last week's tie with Carolina with them gifting the bonus point to the visitors in the Penalty kick rounds after 90 minutes of regulation. 4-1 looked bad.

Ythallo stutter stepped then sent it to the open left side with the goalie diving right. That worked last week but he did the exact same shot tonight and the goalie was already diving the correct way as he connected. Don't they realize that the highlights make their way across the internet? Anyway Hassan Ayari scored on the rebound tonight (that play is OK in regulation time of course) which must have felt so good when he skied TFC's first shot in PKs last game to start the bad karma.

The Fire had the short bench tonight, only bringing five subs. That will happen a few times a year to a visiting team. Their best player by far was winger Claudio Cassano who was the player who hit the post at 64 minutes and the bar at 68. Besides that he was sending in crosses all night and taking the cornerkicks and dangerous freekicks.

Toronto's record improves to 3 wins, 2 losses, 1 tie for 10 points. This was, for two weeks in a row, the only Friday game this week so they are in a five way tie for third place but placed fourth for having more wins then most of those teams but have played one more game than most of them.

Chicago's record falls to 2 wins, 4 losses for 6 points and are all alone in twelfth place out of 15 teams in the Eastern Conference. Only bright news is they lost 5-0 last week away in Huntsville (Alabama). Chicago did beat TFC II 1-0 at home back in March. The teams do meet a third time this season when the Fire II is here on July 20th.

Toronto FC (the MLS team) is back in town for a five game home stand with a game tomorrow against New York City FC. TFC II has two more games left in their homestand including next Sunday May 4th against New England Revolution II. That is the day after TFC plays the Revs (MLS) in a situation much more common a few years ago.

This was the second time I was at the stadium today. I had been here in the morning for a press conference of the new AFC Toronto who were getting ready for only their second game and their first road game on Sunday against Ottawa Rapid FC in the women's Northern Super League. While AFC was holding that, on the field was a practice of York United FC who are playing a Canadian Premier League game against Forge FC on Sunday afternoon. This stadium is a busy place. A superfan tonight was telling me the York University football team will play here as well (not the other stadium about 1500 metres from here. He said they will have to paint and overpaint the gridiron pattern for their four home games this season at great expense.

Also the small crowd could have had a few people staying home because the game was carried on the free YouTube channel instead of the Apple paywall where peasants like me see the game summarized in 90 seconds on the league website.

Rocket Robin
robin.glover.1958@gmail.com

Toronto FC II starters