July 18, 2016 League 1 Ontario--Toronto Skillz FC vs TFC Academy (by Rocket Robin)

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Result and details of the Monday July 18, 2016 League 1 Ontario game between Toronto Skillz and TFC Academy played at Birchmount Stadium in Scarborough at 8:00pm.

Toronto Skillz FC (red socks and shirts, black shorts, white numbers)

.....................1 Spiridon Kosiginas
8 Ryan Reid...32 Lukas Risto (cpt)...34 Marvin Omie...10 Sameer Fathazada
.......23 Thanujan Jeyathilaka...19 Andrew Gordon...26 Terence Bernard
.......14 Michael Jahshan...16 Mahmoud Mirsadeghi...11 Mario Ramalho

Subs:...0 Viktor Lyczywek (gk)...4 Mitchell Wong...5 Brad Ayow...18 Yohance Ennis
...20 Andre Gordon...22 Ayoub Saoucha...31 Ameel Dharshi
team officials:...team head coach Leslie Fitzpatrick...assistant coach Isiaka Onibudo
...managers Douglas Angelo and Jake Doodnath...therapist Brian Mak

TFC Academy (all black, gray numbers, red socks and trim)

.....................1 Brogen Engbers
13 Jacob Maurutto-Robinson...4 Malik Smith...14 Roccco Romeo...2 Riley Ferrazzo
17 Dante Campbell (cpt)...21 Matthew Srbely...6 Kota Sakurai...15 Cyrus Rollocks
..............25 Reshon Phillip...10 Glenn Muenkat

Subs:...12 Christiano Rossi (gk)...7 Steven Furlano...8 Nicholas Osorio...11 Richie Ennin
...18 Armando Caracciolo...16 Andranik Kagramanyan
team officials:...team head coach Stuart Neely...assistant coach Phil Boerger...therapist Samra Habtom

Game officials:...referee Armando Pereira...referee's assistants Mohammed Mohammed and Filip Dujic
...fourth official Kuizan Weekes...(yellow shirts, black shorts and socks)

1st Half:...game starts 8:02pm...TS defends north end on this mild evening with a bright sun in the north west although most of the field was already in shade and a strong wind from the west.
5 min...TFCA Philip run up middle after squeezing between two defenders and 25 yard shot down middle is high and wide right.
6 min...TFCA goalie is under pressure and boots clearance wide right off TS Mirsadeghi over end line for goalkick.
7 min...TFCA Srbely 33 yard freekick down middle is well over net.
8 min...TS Fathazada 45 yard freekick from left is cleared on right side of box.
9 min...TFCA Srbely rush on right and rolls 20 yarder wide left.
10 min...TFCA Muenkat 15 yard shot from right is rolled just wide left of post.
11 min...TS Mirsadeghi long run down right and shoots 25 yarder wide left of net ahead of charging TS players.
12 min...TS Reid long throw-in from left is caught by goalie.
12 min...TS Gordon rolls pass forward to TS player who has shot from 12 yards down middle deflect off TFCA Smith over net.
13 min...TS Gordon cornerkick from right has TS Omie head 10 yarder down middle just over bar.
15 min...TFCA Sakurai 25 yard freekick from left has defender head ball away at 6 yards in box.
16 min...TFCA Sakurai gets by defnder on left near end line and rolls cross that deflects off another defender for goalie to dive on just left of the post to prevent cornerkick.
17 min...TS Ramalho rush and cuts in on left but sharp angle shot is stopped by goalie on left post.
18 min...TS YELLOW card...Risto earns it for upending TFCA Muenkat at TS 25 yard line on rush.
19 min...TFCA Phillip 28 yard freekick from elft is over net and hits football goalpost.
21 min...TS Omie gets back to check TFCA Ferrazzo off ball on run up middle just inside TS box.
22 min...TFCA Muenkat freekick from 20 yards on left is caught by goalie.
23 min...TS Fathzada rush up middle and 28 yard shot is well over bar.
24 min...the sun has finally stopped shining on the field.
25 min...TS Risto makes stop on two TFCA players who strip him of ball at TS 22 yard line.
26 min...TFCA Sakurai 25 yard freekick from left has defender head ball away.
27 min...TFCA Srbely 35 yard freekick from right has TFCA Ferrazzo head ball across and out left side of box.
28 min...TFCA Phillip taps ball back from end line and charging TFCA Rollocks blasts 10 yard shot that deflects off defender.
29 min...TFCA Sakurai cornerkick from left has defenders clear.
30 min...TFCA YELLOW card...Phillip earns it for pushing over TS Jeyathilaka running up right wing at center line.
31 min...TS Risto 60 yard freekick has TS player tap through ball up mjiddle from 30 yards but two TS players are called offside.
32 min...TS YELLOW card...Mirsadeghi earns it for tripping up TFCA Srbely at center line on left.
34 min...TFCA Glenn Muenkat GOAL...TS goalie Spiridori Koskinas only gets a hand to ball headed back to him from three yards away and Muenkat recovers at 15 yards and rolls shot up middle past defender sliding at 2 yards.
36 min...TFCA Sakurai rolls through ball from left to charging TFCA Rollocks who rolls 15 yard shot wide left of post.
37 min...TFCA Phillip shoots 30 yard roller in crowd of players up middle wide left of net.
37 min...TS Ramalho 25 yard shot from left is caught by goalie under bar.
38 min...TS Jahshan rush up right and cross from 25 yards near right endline lands on top left side of net looking like a goal to fans in the stands.
40 min...TFCA Sakurai 30 yard freekick from left bends just wide right of net.
45 min...TS Fathazada cross from 30 yards on left and TS Gordon header at 8 yards has goalie fly to left and palms ball wide left of post.
48 min...TS Fatharada cornerkick from left is over all players in box and out right side.
48 min...half ends 8:50pm.

Halftime Entertainment: The 'Living Arts Academy' consisting of eight girls and a guy perform some cheerleader routines. The guy looked the most athletic because he had to lift the girls and did some backflips like Robbie Keane used to do when he scored goals for the Los Angeles Galaxy whan he was younger.

2nd Half:...starts 9:04pm.
halftime sub...TFCA Caracciolo replaces Rollocks. (this was a reverse of the lineup sheets where the starting/sub positions of these two players were changed in marking pen).
46 min...TS goalie smothers through ball pass at 12 yards ahead of TFCA Sakurai.
47 min...TFCA Maurutto-Robinson cross from 300 yards on right has goalie step forward for catch ahead of TFCA players charging forward.
48 min...TFCA Sakurai low 25 yard shot down middle of loose ball is wide right of net.
50 min...TS Fathazada and Mirsadeghi give and go up middle ending with Fathazada shot blocked at 20 yards by defender.
52 min...TFCA Muenkat is checked off ball on edge of box on that defenders sliding poke check.
53 min...TS Gordon rush up right on 3 on 3 rush eventually wins cornerkick.
54 min...TS Fathazada cornerkick from left is cleared out right side of box to start breakout.
55 min...TFCA Srbely 40 yard freekick from right is caught by goalie.
56 min...TFCA player chips 20 yard shot from left has goalie palm ball over bar.
56 min...TFCA Sakurai cornerkick from right is downfield. TFCA Caracciolo cross from 30 yards on right has TFCA Phillip head a 10 yarder that was saved.
57 min...TFCA Sakurai cornerkick from left has TFCA Srbely eventually win cornerkick on deflection.
58 min...TFCA sub...Ennin replaces Phillip.
59 min...TS Mahmoud Mirsadeghi wins Penalty kick from referee Armando Pereira when on rush up middle, TFCA Malik Smith tackles him just inside the box and injures his leg.
60 min...TS Lukas Risto GOAL...Risto blasts Penalty kick into right side of net over diving goalie.
61 min...TS sub...Saoucha replaces somebody.
62 min...TFCA Glenn Muenkat GOAL...TFCA Armando Caracciolo gets pass forward on left and 22 yard shot has goalie fly to make point blank save. Muenkat gets loose ball and fires into open net from 12 yards.
62 min...TS sub...Fadul replaces Jahshan.
63 min...TFCA Campbell wins cornerkick on deflecction off defender of 7 yard shot.
64 min...TFCA Sakurai cornerkick from left is partially cleared and his recross has defender clear out right side of box.
66 min...TS Omie holds off defender roll 15 yard cross fromnleft that TS player deflects 5 yarder up middle wide left.
68 min...TFCA sub...Kagramanyan replaces Sakurai.
.........TFCA sub...Osorio replaces Campbell.
70 min...TS sub...Wong replaces Bernard.
71 min...TS Wong 20 yard shot from sharp right is well over net.
71 min...TFCA Ennin cuts in on right and rolls 12 yard shot that goalie traps on right post.
72 min...TFCA YELLOW card...Srbely earns it for grab tackle at TS 40 yard line.
75 min...TFCA Srbely cornerkick from left is short and TFCA Kagramanyan takes cross into box that's caught by goalie.
77 min...TFCA Muenkat cross from 20 yards on left has defender flick header through box.
77 min...TFCA Maurutto-Robinson steps around defender after receiving throw-in and low 15 yard shot is wide left of post.
79 min...TFCA Kagramanyan long run down left but 25 yard cross is cleared.
80 min...TFCA Osorio low cross from 30 yards on right ahs goalie dive forward to push ball forward and prevent TFCA player getting to it.
81 min...TFCA Nicholas Osorio GOAL...TFCA Armando Caracciolo takes shot that's blocked. Osorio even with left post rolls 20 yarder into left side of net past goalie who dived too late.
83 min...TFCA Richie Ennin GOAL...Ennin walks in after receiving short pass from TFCA Nicholas Osorio and his low 12 yard shot is into left side of net.
84 min...TFCA Osorio cross deflects off defender.
84 min...TS sub...Ayow replaces Jeyathilaka.
84 min...TS Fathazada 12 yard shot has goalie push shot wide right.
86 min...TS RED card...TS Ayoub Saoucha earns it for a tackle at TS 40 yard line (Yellow card) then swearing at the referee which turned it into a Red.
89 min...TS Reid is tapped back pass and 20 yard shot is well high and wide right.
90 min...TS Fadul spins and 8 yard shot from left is blocked by defender as Fadul falls over.
92 min...TS Fathazada cross from left has defender fly at 10 yards to clear.
93 min...TS Reid low 22 yard freekick is blocked by defender.
94 min...TS Fathazada cross from left from 25 yards is caught by goalie.
94 min...game ends 9:53pm.

Final Score:......Toronto Skillz FC.......1........TFC Academy..........4.........

Attendance was about 120 on this mild night with a crossfield wind from the west and the sun setting below the tree line in the northwest by 24 minutes.

The PA system was atrocious with only 50% of the words getting through and the last goal being miscalled. [It was Richie Ennin not Malik Smith who scored confirmed by Ennin and coach Stuart Neely when I asked them]. There was a halftime show of some performing arts troupe doing cheerleader routines.

While I haven't seen L1O TFCA play since mid May, I've seen most of tonight's lineup very recently as Friday ten out of tonight's roster of seventeen played in their PDL team's final game against Dayton Dutch Lions. Hero of that game (a 4-1 victory for only their second win of the season) was Cyrus Rollocks with three goals. Tonight Rollocks was penned in as a starter (after the rosters were printed listing him as a sub) displacing Armando Caracciolo but the two of them swapped at halftime and it was Caracciolo who was involved in two of their goals.

So there's where Malik Smith, another ANB Futbol player turned up! ANB didn't return to L1O for the 2016 season. He's a defender on the Academy team (yes I saw him in a PDL game for them too).

Skillz were competitive until near the end but fell apart during a stretch in the last 20 minutes then finished out the last five minutes with a flurry. I wasn't too surprized even through I attended the one league win they've had this season. Their two over-23 defenders Lukas Risto and Marvin Omie held them in the game but I hardly noticed them in the last half hour. Midfielder Ryan Reid threw long throw-ins into the box as good as most players can take cornerkicks. Of course TFCA is much better competition than struggler Sanjaxx. Referee Armando Pereira gave out five Yellow cards, the Red card, and awarded a Penalty kick in a game that wasn't rough but had a few not too serious injuries.

Best non-scoring chances of the game were at 13 minutes when TS Andrew Gordon's cornerkick from the right has TS Marvin Omie headed a 10 yarder down the middle just over the bar. 38 minutes had TS Michael Jahshan rush up the right and cross from 25 yards near right end line that landed on top of the net just missing the left corner. 45 minutes had TS Sameer Fathazada cross from 30 yards on the left and TS Gordon's header at 8 yards had the goalie fly to the left and palm the ball wide of the post. 56 minutes had a TFCA player chip a 20 yard shot from the left that the goalie palmed over the bar. The resulting cornerkick from TFCA Kota Sakurai from the right was downfield and TFCA Armando Caracciolo crossed from 30 yards on the right and TFCA Reshon Phillip headed a 10 yarder that was saved. 66 minutes had TS Marvin Omie hold off a defender to roll a 15 yard cross from the left that a TS player deflected a 5 yarder from the middle just wide left of the post. 71 minutes had TFCA Richie Ennin cut in on the right and roll a 12 yard shot that the goalie trapped on the right post. 84 minutes had TS Sameer Fathazada take a 12 yard shot that the goalie was able to push wide right. 90 minutes had TS Wadohi Fadul spin and take an 8 yard shot from the left as he was falling over that was blocked by a defender. Skillz record falls to 1 win, 10 losses, 1 tie for four points and a tie for seventh out of the eight teams in the Eastern Conference.

TFCA's record improves to 6 wins, 6 losses, 0 ties for 18 points and are fourth place of the eight teams in the West. They have now won four games in a row. Last year they finished the schedule with nine straight wins. This year the winning streak has started earlier and they have enough time to challenge for first as other teams are going to start losing players to college and universities in the USA and Canada.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca

Toronto Skillz FC starters