groups: rec.sport.soccer

Here are my comments on the Canadian National Soccer League CNSL game
played in Scarborough's Birchmount Stadium Sunday October 1st, 1995
between Scarborough Astros and London City at 6pm.  This was considered
a League game.

This was the last regular season game for both teams.  London has
clinched 4th place which is important to guarantee a spot in the 4 team
playoff.  Scarborough was locked in fifth place out of it, but a win
would be important for momentum going into the their CUP final against
St Catharines Wolves.

This was my second game of the day as the Jets vs Wolves game was played
earlier in the afternoon in North York.  The weather was completely
different though.  There was a light pregame rain and some rain at
different times in the game.

One more comment about last weeks Astro vs Italia game; the own goal was
actually knocked in by Kevin Galindo who'd come on as a sub 2 minutes
earlier. I'd said it was Mike Marshall.  In CNSL record books it's just
a generic 'own goal' but the press box said the ref actually credited it
to an Italia player.
 
Scarborough Astros (yellow socks and shirts, blue shorts and numbers)

                        1 Paulo Silva
4 John DiBuono  18 Michael Marshall  3 Rene Martin  21 Rick Titus
13 Audley Taffe  7 Alex Nardi  8 Gad Espinosa  5 Leo Lopez
                9 Laszlo Martonfi  11 Gary DeLeon

subs  19 Kerwin Skeete  20 Alim Rajan  16 Kevin Galindo  14 Ednie
Tavares  2 Andrew Czalij

London City (white socks and numbers, black shorts, red shirts)

                        33 Greg Sinott
6 Shawn Taggart  25 ??????????  20 Ian Mahoney  29 ?????????
8 Mark Best  15 Xavier Paturel  18 Jody Catalan  35 Andrew Loague
                 23 Nathan Davies  3 Harry Gauss

subs  24 Tony Commisso  16 Chris Goodfe
also listed as starters were  2 Matt Arkett  9 Devere Hurley  13 Mark
Boyd and 25 Jeff Brown (someone wearing 25 was out there but it was a
white guy).  There was obviously some number switching.

referee Walter Kershner, linespeople Geraldine MacMillen and Alfredo
Baladan

My comments aren't too numerous because I stayed in the pressbox because
of the rain.  The windows in the box were made of thick plexiglass and
have bars on them.  This I find quite a distraction.

1st half

13 min Astros Nardi takes shot wide from 25 yards.
29 min Astros Nardi gets head to throw in and comes close.
37 min Astros Taffe pops up shot that goalie catches.
39 min Astros Lopez takes high rising shot from 25 yards that goalie
knocks down.

2nd half

49 min Astros Nardi takes point blank shot that goalie reacts too.
59 min Astros Martonfi header that goalie dives right for and is injured
on the play.
61 min London Loague from 20 yards but shot curls wide along ground.
64 min Astro header curls wide of net.
73 min Astro GOAL  Titus gets header after short cross.
76 min London player attempting high kick injures himself.
77 min Astros sub  Espinosa replaced by Skeete.
85 min London Catalan chips shot that Silva gets hand on but slips and
tips ball wide.

Final Score     Scarborough Astros     1
                London City            0

London is a lock for fourth.  Astros are fifth.  Rumours are third place
Italia will fold and teams will bump up a position so Astros may make
the playoffs after all.

The story is that 6th place Hamilton White Eagles will forfeit their
game against 1st place Wolves scheduled for Sunday October 8th and if
that happens Italia won't play their Thursday October 5th game against
2nd place Toronto Jets.  Of course how could this threat work if Italia
is scheduled to play three days earlier?

The rumours and problems I heard tonight (attendance 50 people) and the
Thursday Jets game (attendance 40 people) included this scenario and
comments in the pressbox "Soccer is dead in Canada" [I might agree if
he'd inserted the word Toronto for Canada but that's our city's Centre
of the Universe theory].

Also 'you've got to spend money to earn money' to explain the lack of
publicity and media coverage.  'the problem is the people don't know
when the games are on' [Yes I've had that problem with many makeup games
this year].  'Too bad if the League dies' etc....   Meanwhile my mind's
racing as I'm invited to be a colour man for radio broadcasts next year
if a contract with a station can be lined up.

Late Followup:   There was no game played Thursday October 5th in North
York.  I got a call from Adrian of the League Wednesday night (thanks).
The game probably would have been called off anyway because of the heavy
rains but this could be the start of the nightmare scenario.

The next game I'll be at is next Sunday October 15th at Scarborough to
see the 2nd game of the Astros vs Wolves CUP final.

Bye for now

Rocket Robin
robin.glover@canrem.com

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