April 30, 2016 League 1 Ontario--North Mississauga Panthers vs Sigma FC (by Rocket Robin)

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Result and details of the League 1 Ontario game between North Mississauga Panthers and Sigma FC played Saturday April 30, 2016 at Hershey Centre Field #2 in Mississauga at 7:00pm.

North Mississauga Panthers (red socks, black shorts and numbers, white shirts)

................1 Daniel Gosciniak
8 Shawn Brown...18 Tremayne Julien...13 Antoine Paul...23 Julian Mulin
9 Bradley Fenton...11 David Alva...6 Matthew Monteiro...7 Jose De Sousa
...........17 Johnson Amoo...10 Jose Melo

Subs:...21 Andres Duenas...3 Jordan Montoya...14 Jamar Redhead...16 Lee-Victor Massunda ...5 Anthony Wright...22 Nathaniel McAuley...26 Vithuran Karvannathasan
team officials:...head coach Rick Titus...other team officials Jhon Ardila, Chris Higs, and Stephen Hughes

Sigma FC (blue socks and shirts, black shorts and shoulders, white numbers)

................1 Corey Marques
2 Aidan D'Mello...3 Reggie Laryea...4 Nolan Holdridge (cpt)...5 Aaron D'Souza
10 Alex Halis...6 Nico Correa...8 Manvir Brar...11 Marcel Zajac
...........7 Kadell Thomas...9 Leaford Allen

Subs:...14 Jamal Joseph...16 Faisal Ghaffur...18 Simon Triantafillou...21 Mansoor Alfazy...20 Michael Chang
...23 SeanMerrick...31 David Igreja
team officials:...head coach Bobby Smymiotis...team officials John Zervos, Michael Matic, James Haloulos, Ken Peter

Game officials:...referee Hassain Rifai...referee's assistants Marc Henoud and Melissa Snedden
...fourth official Jason Thomas...(teal shirts, black shorts and socks)

1st Half:...game starts 7:06pm...NMP defend south end on this cool evening with it getting colder as the game wore on.
1 min...NMP Fenton 22 yard roller from right is wide left of net.
2 min...NMP Mullin long throw-in from left is cleared from box.
2 min...NMP Monteiro 25 yard shot is just over bar.
6 min...Sigma Zajac 30 yard freekick from left is chip to right side of box. Sigma player dives to lead across box and defender clears.
6 min...NMP Melo 25 shot from right is over net.
7 min...Sigma Zajac runs down left and low crossis deflected out for cornerkick on left.
8 min...Sigma Zajac eventually gets partially cleared cornerkick that was short and 25 yard shot is wide.
10 min...Sigma Leaford Allen GOAL...Sigma Kadell Thomas on right dekes defender and rolls
cross from 12 yards on right into 6 yard box. Allen spins and kicks low 6 yard shot into center of net.
12 min...Sigma goalie has to jump and palm dropping sky ball over net.
13 min...Sigma goalie catches NMP Melo cornerkick from left.
14 min...NMP De Sousa is injured in foot and takes a few steps before collapsing at NMP 25 yard line. The Sigma trainer comesout to help him.
16 min...Sigma Marcel Zajac GOAL...Sigma Kadell Thomas eludes defender on right and crosses from 25 yards. Zajac at 10 yards blasts shot that's blocked by defender. Zajac recovers to blast another 10 yard shot from left into right side of net.
17 min...Sigma trainer now helps injured NMP Melo at Sigma 40 yard line.
24 min...NMP Fenton gets to bounced pass up middle and has 15 yard shot stopped point blank by goalie at 12 yards.
25 min...NMP sub...Montoya replaces De Sousa.
26 min...NMP defender gives up cornerkick on left with poke check slide on Sigma Allen running along endline cartwheeling him over.
28 min...Sigma Halis chips pass from 60 yards on right finding Sigma Allen in middle at 30 yards and NMP Fenton rushes his shot to be wide right from 25 yards.
29 min...Sigma Zajac dekes two defenders on left and wins cornerkick when ball pushed out.
30 min...Sigma Correa heads 3 yarder that's tipped wide right by defender on cornerkick from left.
31 min...Sigma Brar eventually gets pass on short cornerkick from right and shoots 22 yarder well over net.
32 min...NMP Alvalow 28 yard shot through players up middle is just wide left.
34 min...Sigma Thomas run up right then bounces low cross shile eluding defenders at 15 yards and goalie smothers.
37 min...Sigma D'Mello low cross from 22 yards on right. Sigma Brar gathers at 12 yards in middle, spins and shoots low wide right.
37 min...Sigma Thomas cornerkick from right is low and cleared for quick break by NMP defence.
37 min...Sigma Thomas gets centering pass at 10 yards and rolls shot that sliding goalie deflects wide right.
38 min...Sigma Leaford Allen GOAL...Sigma Alex Halis cornerkick from right has Allen shoot in low 8 yarder.
40 min...NMP goalie charges to 30 yardsonrighttoclear through ball pass to Sigma Brar.
42 min...Sigma Halis 30 yard freekick from right has defender clear wide right from 6 yards.
42 min...Sigma Halis cornerkick from right has nearest defender head ball away.
43 min...NMP Montoya bends 30 yard shot fromleft between players and wide right.
44 min...Sigma Kadell Thomas dekes two defenders and second defender turns and grabs him earning a whistle from referee Hassain Rifai, a Yellow card for NMP Tremayne Julian, and a Penalty kick.
.......NMP YELLOW card...Julien earns it on last play.
45 min...Sigma Alex Hallis GOAL...Halis blasts Penalty kick low to left and goalie Daniel Gosciniak dives right.
47 min...Sigma Thomas breakaway down right wing from 55 yards and pushes ball a bit too far forward and takes 12 yard shot at that goalie blocks then turns backwards and dives on ball.
48 min...NMP Melo rush from left to middle and cuts low 28 yard shot that goalie smothers.
48 min...half ends 7:54pm.

2nd Half:...starts 8:09pm. It is now very cold.
Halftime subs:...NMP Duenas replaces Alva.
.................NMP Massunda replaces Fenton.
46 min...NMP Melo cornerkick from left has nearest defender pop up header through box.
47 min...Sigma Allen gets to bouncing through ball up middle and shots wide right from 20 yards.
48 min...NMP Brown cross from 22 yards on right has goalie dive forward and push ball to NMP Melo who shoots 12 yarder that fallen goalie stops point blank.
51 min...NMP Montoya rush down left but pushes ball over end likne in tagle with defender.
52 min...Sigma Laryea makes huge poke check on edge of box to prevent break-in.
53 min...Sigma Aaron D'Souza GOAL...Sigma Marcel Zajac cornerkick from right is over players in box. D'Souza all alone at 15 yards on left blasts midair shot into top right corner of net.
54 min...NMP Montoya shot from 15 yards on left after short run is wide right.
57 min...NMP YELLOW card...Duenas earns it for sliding tackle on Sigma D'Mello at Sigma 50 yard line.
58 min...Sigma Halis cornerkick from left is high and bounces wide right for goalkick.
60 min...NMP Montoya 25 yard shot on loose ball in middle is just wide left of post.
61 min...Sigma sub...Joseph replaces D'Mello.
63 min...NMP Paul and NMP Julien crash together at NMP 50 yards as Sigma player dazzles between them.
64 min...Sigma Allen wins cornerkick on 28 yard shot up middle that spins off defender wide right of net.
65 min...NMP Massunda rush up right to through ball and sliding goalie stops 10 yardd low point blank shot.
66 min...Sigma YELLOW card...Joseph earns it and a freekick against him for hand ball on flick just outside Sigma box.
67 min...Sigma Allen low 25 yard shot up middle has goalie make stop.
68 min...Sigma sub...Alfazy replaces Allen.
72 min...NMP Melo 35 yard cross from left is over players and caught by goalie.
73 min...NMP sub...Redhead replaces Amoo.
.........Sigma sub...Chang replaces Brar.
76 min...NMP Massunda rolls 22 yarder up middle that's smothered by diving goalie.
77 min...Sigma Alfazy is given tapped over pass to middle and low 15 yard shot is smothered by goalie.
78 min...Sigma sub...Merrick replaces Halis.
.........Sigma sub...Triantafillou replaces Correa.
79 min...Sigma goalie catches 50 yarder bouncer ahead of two charging NMP players.
81 min...NMP Redhead gets to long pass up right but defender checks him off ball before he can get away shot.
82 min...Sigma YELLOW card...Chang earns it for tackle on MNP Melo at Sigma 35 yard line.
82 min...NMP Melo 35 yard freekick up middle is just over two leaping NMP players at 20 and 10 yards and ball is wide right for goalkick.
84 min...NMP Andres Duenas GOAL...NMP Jose Melo low cross from 25 yards on far right has Duenas boot low 10 yarder into center of net.
85 min...NMP Jose Melo GOAL...Melo takes low 25 yard shot through crowd of players up the middle and beyond diving goalie Corey Marques into left side of net.
86 min...NMP Julien low blast from 25 yards on right is wide left of net.
88 min...Sigma RED Card...Sean Merrick earns a direct ejection after a Sigma player gave him a pass on the left side of the box and it looked like he either kicked or stepped on goalie Daniel Gosciniak who had dived and smothered the ball at 15 yards.
90 min...NMP YELLOW card...Julien earns it for sliding tackle at Sigma 50 yard line.
.........Sigma YELLOW card...Zajac earns it for complaining about sliding tackle.
94 min...NMP Brown cross/shot from 25 yards from right is caught by goalie.
94 min...game ends 8:58pm.

Final Score:...North Mississauga Panthers.....2......Sigma FC.....5......

Attendance was about 250 on this cool evening which grew colder quickly as the night wore on. This was a 'home' game for the Panthers although Sigma FC also uses the Hershey Centre as their home grounds.

Referee Hassain Rifai gave out five Yellow cards (three to Sigma) as well as the Red to Sigma and awarded Sigma a Penalty kick in a game that really wasn't chippy.

The Sigma trainer came on to the field to treat any injured NMP players. He'd just finished treating a NMP player at 14 minutes and hadn't worked his way back to the bench when he had to help another at 17 minutes then soon after a Sigma player. It could be said that both NMP goals were scored while Sigma was shorthanded before their Red card as the trainer was treating an injured Sigma defender behind their end line from 83 minutes and they'd used their five substitutes.

Sigma FC is an academy that continues to churn out players. Cyle Larin was the first round pick in the MLS draft in 2015 and set their league record for most goals by a rookie for expansion side Orlando City. That same team chose Sigma's Richard Laryea in the first round of the 2016 draft. Younger brother Reggie Laryea is a Sigma starter this year. Sigma has to win their early games for any chance of winning a title as they will lose players to American universities in August. Laryea and Marcel Zajac will both be attending the University of Akron this year. By last October Sigma was using their high schoolers!

Double scoring Leaford Allen played for League 1 Ontario Pro Stars FC last year. I remember him having one frustrating game last season as the lone forward lacking service. This game he had providers! Kadell Thomas was practically unstoppable running up the wing and feeding in crosses.

This was the first League 1 Ontario game for North Mississauga. The team fielded a team in the first year of the women's league last season and the only women's game I saw last year was them winning the League Cup beating Vaughan Azzurri. Club president Trevor Bertrand assured me he has no relatives on the men's team after I said I watched his two daughters and a niece on his 'championship' team.

The Panthers are coached by hometown favourite Rick Titus who's had a long career from the end of the 1980s with teams in the MLS, A-League, USL, CPSL/CSL and NPSL indoor league and a coaching stint with the Toronto FC Academy.

I don't know the younger players but I may say this team has brought in players who I've watched with CSL League experience with defender Antoine Paul from

Mississauga Eagles and North York Astros/Vasis between 2011 and 2013, defender/forward Shawn Brown with Serbian White Eagles, Miss. Eagles, SC Waterloo, and Toronto Croatia between 2010 and 2014, midfielder Jose De Sousa with Miss Eagles and Astros Vasis between 2011 to 2013, and forward Joey Melo with MLS Toronto FC between 2007 and 2009 and Miss Eagles and NY Astros between 2011 and 2013. David Alva played for Pro Stars FC last season (and even CSL SC Toronto in 2011 with Sigma's Alex Halis!).

When I arrived I was surprised to see a bubble/dome erected on Field #1 as I didn't know the facility had one. I asked NMP head coach Rick Titus who was filling out the game roster which field they'd use tonight. When he said Field #2 I turned around to my car and switched from my windbreaker to my parka and touque. League 1 chair Dino Rossi said the Panthers like to play on #2 as there's more seating, a better pitch (according to them), and it won't show the effects of the bubble which will be standing for a few more weeks. June 11th has both Sigma and North Mississauga playing home games on #1 and #2 within hours.

Sigma FC opens the season in first place in the West as this was the first game of the opening weekend in that Conference.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca

North Mississauga Panthers starters