Result of the Friday July 7, 2006 International friendly between the U-20 men’s teams of Canada and the USA played at the Rogers Centre (ex-Skydome) in Toronto at 7:00pm.

Canada U-20s (all red, white numbers and trim)

.........................1 David Monsalve
.............2 Kennedy Owusu-Ansah...5 Stephen Lumley...17 Joey Loreth
15 Mike D'Agostino...11 Olivier Babineau...7 Masumi Turnbull...16 Stefan Leslie...8 Alex Elliott (cpt)
...................9 Massimo Di Ioia...10 Hector Contreras

Subs:...4 Ibrahim Balde...6 Nana Attakora-Gyan...12 Pierre-Rudolph Mayard...13 Selvin (Shanbe) Lammie...14 Gabe Gala
team officials:...head coach Dale Mitchell...assistant coach Nick Dasovic

USA U-20s (all navy, white numbers and trim)

.........................24 Mike Gustavson
.............2 Kyle Davies...4 Julian Valentin (cpt)...13 Blake Wagner
19 Tony Beltran...11 Robbie Rogers...15 Brad Ring...8 Rodrigo Lopez...3 Amaechi Igwe
....................14 Josmer Altidore...22 Bryan Arguez

Subs:...1 Marcus Rein...7 Corben Bone...9 Estuardro Sanchez...16 Cameron Brown...17 Omar Gonzalez
team officials:...head coach thomas Rongen...assistant coach Dave Dir & Brian Maisonneuve

Game officials:...referee Hilario Grajeda (USA)...referee's assistants Claudiu Badea and Lee Suckle...fourth official Isaac Raymond

1st Half:...game starts 7:05pm...Can defend east end...the roof of the stadium is open but the sun doesn't effect part of the field.
2 min...USA goalie picks up Can D'Agostino long cross into box from right.
3 min...Can Lumley long punt over defenders finds Can Di Ioia in alone but goalie 25 yards off line clears ball.
4 min...USA Rogers dekes two players on right and centers pass into box that forward deflects off defender wide right, goalie can't save it when he dives so ball rolls for cornerkick.
4 min...Can defender clears cornerkick from right.
7 min...USA Rogers 25 yard low blast deflects off defender for cornerkick wide right.
7 min...USA Davies on left leaps from 10 yards but can't turn ball from cornerkick from right.
8 min...Can Turnbull freekick from 20 yards is wide right of goal and hits USA player in box and partially cleared. Can Di Ioia has ball taken off him on edge of box.
11 min...Can Lumley long ball up middle has Can Di Ioia not quite able to keep it in play.
12 min...USA Lopez ball on right centers and USA Rogers blasts ball well over net from 15 yards.
13 min...USA Rogers centers from right starts heading battle between players on edge of box as ball knocked back and forth.
14 min...Can Owusu-Ansah injured in USA 40 yard line.
15 min...USA Altidore squeezed by defenders 12 yard shot wide left.
18 min...Can goalie catches bouncer into box to prevent through ball.
22 min...USA Igwe cross in from left, USA player heads ball from right that has Can goalie take ball off head of USA Altidore from 7 yards.
29 min...USA Igwe cross from left has Can Owusu-Ansah block cross.
29 min...Can D'Agostino rush up right and low cross into box smothered by diving goalie.
30 min...USA Robbie Rogers GOAL...Rogers rushes into box but overruns ball as Can Stefan Leslie checks him. He then turns back and recovers the ball off Leslie and turns back towards goal and his 18 yard shot is into top right corner of net.
36 min...USA Josmer Altidore GOAL...USA Amaechi Igwe sends through ball to Altidore just inside box and he has his point blank shot stopped by sliding goalie David Monsalve at 15 yards but ball pops up to Altidore at 12 yards and he pots it into left side of empty net from 6 yards.
39 min...USA Wagner 60 yard freekick has leaping USA Altidore on edge of box head ball bouncing to Can goalie.
40 min...USA Altidore leaps and twisting header from 10 yards bounces to goalie.
41 min...Can Contreras 20 yard shot from left is wide right.
43 min...USA Lopez 40 yard freekick up middle has leaping goalie in crowd of players punch ball out the right side of the box.
47 min...Can Contreras 30 yard freekick up middle is blocked in player wall.
47 min...half ends 7:52pm.

2nd Half:...starts 8:08pm.
halftime subs:...Can Lammie replaces Contreras.
..............................Can Attakora-Gyan replaces Loreth.
..............................Can Gray replaces Turnbull.
..............................Can Leslie replaces Balde.
49 min...Can Babineau 30 yard freekick centered to Can player but shot blocked on edge of box.
51 min...USA Altidore 30 yard freekick up middle low and wide left of goal around two man wall.
56 min...Can Gray dekes defender on right edge of USA box but rolls cross that defender blocks.
59 min...Can Elliott blast from 12 yards blocked by defender in box. Elliott is hurt in USA box.
60 min...Can Lammie good run to loose ball but defender clears through ball off him for goalkick deflection.
61 min...Can sub...Gala replaces Elliott. (Lumley becomes the new captain).
64 min...USA sub...Sanchez replaces Arguez.
................USA sub...Bone replaces Altidore.
65 min...USA YELLOW card...Beltran for tackle on Can Owusu-Ansah at center line, injurying him.
66 min...Can Babineau 32 yard freekick up middle blast just sails wide right of net.
67 min...Can Gray cross from right has USA Valentin boot out, Can Gray crosses from right again that has USA player give up cornerkick.
68 min...Can Babineau cornerkick from right has Can forwards leap up and one of them heads ball wide left not quite turning header.
71 min...USA sub...Brown replaces Lopez.
72 min...Can Owusu-Ansah rushes back to steal ball off USA forward on sideline (this was one of his many defensive efforts showing great two way play).
74 min...USA Brown cornerkick from left is low and Can Gray blocks nearest man and starts breakout.
75 min...USA Rogers pops up header on right edge of box and goalie charges out to catch.
76 min...Can Di Ioia low blast from 20 yards on left just wide left caused by Can Gala steal of ball near sideline.
77 min...Can Balde rush up middle but shot blocked on edge of box.
79 min...Canada (USA own goal) GOAL...Can AJ Gray charged up right side of field and crossed into box and USA Julian Valentin slides and gets foot to it at 10 yards putting ball into top center of net beyond goalie Mike Gustavson.
80 min...Can Owusu-Ansah 20 yard cross deflects off defender and pops up ball for goalie.
81 min...Can Lammie charges in on rush and goalie saves and dives out for rebound.
84 min...USA sub...Gonzalez replaces Rogers.
84 min...USA Sanchez leaps and flicks header behind him to Can goalie from edge of box.
85 min...Can Babineau push pass to Can Owusu-Ansah in box but defender steps in to block.
87 min...USA Gonzalez hip check on Can Owusu-Ansah upending and injurying him.
88 min...Can Owusu-Ansah pushes ball through defender, USA defender hopes that it rolls out but Can Gala ducks around him and puts ball back in for Can Lammie 5 yard shot into short left webbing of net.
92 min...USA YELLOW card...Sanchez for crunch takle on Can Lumley injurying him at Can 35 yard line.
93 min...USA Beltran 55 yard freekick has Can defender head through box out left side of box.
93 min...game ends 8:56pm.

Final Score:........Canada U-20..........1.......USA U-20............2..........

Attendance was 5325 and it looked less at the cavernous Rogers Centre. I had come across no mainstream pre game press coverage of this game nor any advertising in the papers or television. I’ll I’ve read is how many tens of thousands will be here on Sunday afternoon to watch the World Cup on the Jumbotron. The crowd was very pro-Canadian. I hadn't been to this venue for at least ten years as I'm no longer a baseball fan and the football games usually conflict with my soccer season. I also pass on those club international exhibitions which is outside my interest. I got to sit in the pressbox but it was further away then what I'm used to so my pictures look blurry.

The Americans looked like the better side in the first half although they didn’t have many more than those two chances which they capitalized on in the first half. Coach Dale Mitchell shook things up by bringing in four subs at halftime (agreed that six was the maximum for this game). Shane Lammie, Nana Attakora-Gyan, AJ Gray, and Ibrahim Balde replaced Hector Contreras, Joey Loreth, Masumi Turnbull and Stefan Leslie. The change was immediately evident as the Canadians looked much better and had most of the chances in the second half. Canada outshot the Americans 10-2 in the second half to reverse the Americans 10-3 advantage in the first half. Canada almost tied it at 88 minutes when Kennedy Owusu-Ansah pushed the ball through defenders while running up the left wing, a US defender blocked the path and waited for the ball to roll out over the end line but Gabe Gala ducked around him to center the ball back in to play from the end line back to charging Can Shane Lammie whose 5 yard shot is into the short left webbing of the net.

Both US coach Thomas Rongen and Canadian coach Dale Mitchell admitted that many of their expected starters next year were not in the lineups tonight because of club commitments and used the occasion to give some more marginal players a chance to show if they could help the team. The two teams meet again in Kingston Ontario on Sunday and the line-ups may be changed again. Mitchell said after the game the US has the best team in the Concacaf region and that Canada may be at a disadvantage by not having to qualify as host for the 2007 Youth tournament but they’ve lined up enough friendlies at home and overseas to get a good variety of games. He said it is an advantage to have so many Canadians from different playing backgrounds but it’s up to the coach to get them to play well together.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca

Rogers Centre Jumbotron

Ultras fans in the end zone

Canadian starting eleven

USA starting eleven

players wait downfield for a Canadian goal kick

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