August 20, 2016 League 1 Ontario--ProStars FC vs FC London (by Rocket Robin)

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Result and details of the Saturday August 20, 2016 League 1 Ontario game between ProStars FC and FC London played at Terry Fox Stadium in Brampton at 7:00pm.

Pro Stars FC (all blue, white numbers)

..................1 Jonathan Albanse
2 Victor Fleming...3 Rahim Clarke...4 Lucas Marcelic...5 Jeremy Jodah
8 Courtney Michell-Smith...7 Lucas Doros...6 Michael Fayehun (cpt)...12 Mutaba Ameen...9 Liam McCarthy-Willoughby
.................11 Max Hathaway

Subs:...10 Mann Slewa...13 Ali Deif...14 Luke Kim...15 Jonathan Majoros...16 Santiago Echeverri
...17 Jordan Neto...18 David Bain
team officials:...head coach Josef Komlodi...team officials Stiven Mikhail, Sherry Youssef, and Gabriel Pop

FC London (all lime green, black numbers)

...................1 Anthony Sokalski
6 Sean Fawsitt...44 Alex Irwin...15 Randy Ribeiro (cpt)
28 Brian Pistor...8 Mohammad Reza-Nafar...11 Petar Karan...41 Connor Wilson...5 Max Marsh
.............10 Elvir Gigolaj...40 Alex Julia Franco

Subs:...20 Alex May (gk)...4 David Gonzalez...42 Jacob Kenny...23 Anastasios Makris...33 Benjamin Vyfschaft
...18 Willy Kashindi
team officials:...team head coach Mario Despotovic...assistant coach Phillip Millar

Game officials:...referee Braeden Krampert...referee's assistants Marc Henoud and Alex Themistocleous
...fourth official Jessica Patton...(all black uniforms)

1st Half:...game starts 7:03pm...PS defend north end on this hot, humid, and overcast evening with a breeze from the south.
1 min...FCL Franco cornerkick from left has goalie leap and catch at 3 yards.
1 min...PS YELLOW card...Hathaway earns it fo tackle on FCL Karan at PS 45 yard line.
4 min...PS Ameen cross from 22 yards on far right has PS Hathaway head 8 yarder over net.
7 min...FCL Ribeiro cornerkick from right has FCL Reza Nafar head 12 yarder that goalie palms away for cornerkick.
8 min...FCL Ribeiro cornerkick from right has ball drop in box and defenders clear.
10 min...FCL Karan rolls 30 yarder down middle that goalie smothers but wins freekick.
11 min...FCL Ribeiro blasts 30 yard freekick down middle that goalie drifts to bat down on right post.
11 min...FCL Gigolaj cross from right end line is over box and is injured on kick.
15 min...the scoreboard clock freezes at the 15 minute mark counting up as I suppose it was set for another sport. It wouldn't be reset until the start of the second half.
16 min...PS Ameen 30 yard freekick from right sideline has defender kick away at 7 yards.
16 min...FCL defender makes bad backpass and PS Hathaway gets 15 yard shot that goalie stops point blank. Hathaway then gets another chance and his shot is deflected wide right for cornerkick.
18 min...FCL Karan on rush pulls up and 15 yard shot is blasted off bar.
19 min...FCL Gigolaj slides and rolls 10 yard shot is wide left of post.
21 min...FCL Franco rush up left and rolls cross into box and defender clears.
22 min...PS Fleming cross from 45 yards on right. PS Mitchell-Smith gets it and blasts 25 yarder over net.
23 min...referee calls water break.
25 min...play resumes.
26 min...FCL Gigolaj rolls ball to FCL Franco who rolls pass to FCL Reza Nafar who rolls 12 yard shot wide left of post.
27 min...FCL Marsh rolls ball for FCL Reza Nafar who shoots in 15 yarder that goalie gets hand to to push wide right of post.
30 min...London Elvir Gigolaj GOAL...FCL Max Marsh rolls short pass from 20 yards on left and Gigolaj takes low 12 yard shot into left corner of net past diving goalie Jonathan Albanse.
31 min...FCL Gigolaj can't control pass at 20 yards.
33 min...London Elvir Gigolaj GOAL...FCL Petar Karan pass from 20 yards on right has Gigolaj blast shot on left from 15 yards into right side of net.
35 min...PS McCarthy-Willoughby rolls centering pass from 18 yards on far right has PS Doros blast 8 yard shot near right post over net.
37 min...FCL Marsh throw-in from left has FCL Gigolaj with ball at 18 yards but defender clears ball away.
38 min...PS McCarthy-Willoughby long throw-in from near right cornerflag is caught overhead by goalie.
40 min...PS Ameen 28 yard freekick from far left has defender clear through box out right side.
43 min...FCL Gigolaj rush up left and rolls 15 yard shot that deflects off defender and back off him and out for goalkick.
44 min...FCL Wilson low 35 yard shot up middle between players and wide right.
45 min...FCL YELLOW card...Karan earns it for tackle from behind on PS Fayehun at 50 yard line.
46 min...FCL Marsh rush up left and centers pass to FCL Gigolaj at 20 yards in middle but is checked off ball.
47 min...half ends 7:50pm.

2nd Half:...starts 8:05pm...the clock is working again.
47 min...PS Ameen turns ball he recovers and blasts 30 yard shot down middle is well over net.
48 min...FCL Reza Nafar staals ball on right and makes long run up wing to 15 yards and rolls centering pass and FCL Gigolaj shoots wide left from 8 yards.
48 min...FCL YELLOW card...Franco earns if for tackle on FCL 50 yard line.
49 min...FCL Reza Nafar low cross from 30 yards on right has FCL Franco at 12 yards in middle of box not able to control ball and defender clears.
50 min...PS YELLOW card...Jodah earns it for tackle at PS 20 yard line.
51 min...FCL Randy Ribeiro takes 22 yard freekick on right has FCL Alex Julia Franco get ball and is tripped up near right end line. Referee Braeden Krampert calls for a Penalty kick.
52 min...London Elvir Gigolaj GOAL...Gigolaj blasts Penalty kick to right side of net beyond diving goalie.
53 min...FCL Franco blasts 20 yard shot from left is wide right.
55 min...London Randy Ribeiro GOAL...Ribeiro and FCL Alex Julia Franco steal ball off defender on left from 35 yard line and pass to each other as they run towards goal with Ribeiro taking a 15 yard shot from the left that banks in off the right post.
56 min...PS players cornerkick from right is cleared from box and PS Fayehun eventually gets 30 yarder through players that goalie smothers.
59 min...FCL Reza Nafar receives pass at 18 yards and shot up middle is well over net.
59 min...PS sub...Slewa replaces Clarke.
61 min...FCL Franco shot from 18 yards is partially blocked and deflects to FCL Gigolaj who is checked off ball at 12 yards.
62 min...PS sub...Bain replaces Ameen.
63 min...FCL Reza Nafar cross from 20 yards on far right is cleared by defenders before FCL player can get away shot.
65 min...PS sub...Kim replaces Doros.
66 min...FCL goalie makes poor clearance but defender prevents PS Mitchel-Smith getting shot from 18 yards on far right by conceding cornerkick.
67 min...PS Mitchell-Smith cornerkick from right has PS Slewa pop up header at 10 yards and goalie catches at 2 yards.
68 min...FCL sub...Kenny replaces Gigolaj.
69 min...the referee calls a water break.
71 min...play resumes.
73 min...FCL Kenny rush between players on 1 on 4 into PS box and wins cornerkick on deflected shot.
73 min...FCL sub...Gonzalez replaces Wilson.
73 min...FCL Marsh cornerkick from right has defender head ball away at 5 yards while even with left post.
75 min...FCL Reza Nafar rolls cross into box and defender clears at 8 yards in front of FCL player.
76 min...PS sub...Majoros replaces McCarthy-Willoughby.
77 min...FCL sub...Kashindi replaces Marsh.
79 min...FCL sub...Kenny replaces Franco.
80 min...PS Slewa cornerkick from right has PS Marcelic head 8 yarder that flying goalie palms over top left corner of net.
81 min...PS Slewa and player's short cornerkick from left is worked out and cross into box has PS Mitchell-Smith sliding shot stopped by goalie.
84 min...FCL Kenny rush up right with PS Marcelic and 15 yard shot is wide right. PS Jodah is limping on the sideline and has still not been subbed out.
86 min...FCL Kenhy rolls pass forward while down at 15 yards but goalie picks up ahead of FCL player.
87 min...PS sub...Kim replaces the still injured Jodah.
88 min...An FCL player is injured on check inside PS box and needs trainer. FCL is awarded a Penalty kick.
89 min...London Randy Ribeiro GOAL...Ribeiro blasts Penalty kick shot low to right corner of net with goalie sliding over too late.
93 min...game ends 8:53pm.

Final Score:.........Pro Stars FC.........0..........FC London.........5........

Attendance was about 60 on this hot evening. All home games for Pro Stars were moved to Terry Fox Stadium from Victoria Park Stadium a few months ago after a fire at the hockey arena which from I asked damaged some of the electrical equipment used by the soccer stadium. The two stadiums are within a few kilometers. Terry Fox is a multiple sport facility so there are football lines painted on the artificial turf (not unusual for GTA stadiums) but also an eight lane wide track around the field. Whining soccer message board complainers should be silenced for awhile as Brampton is the hometown of Brendon Rodney a member of Canada's 4x100 meter men's relay team which won the bronze medal at the Olympics in Rio last night. There was a sign posted at the entrance that the track was closed tonight for a private event.

The scoreboard stopped at 15 minutes which was probably preset for a football game. They had it reset for the second half. The ball bounced along the field sometimes as fast as playing on a bowling alley.

Referee Braeden Krampert gave out four Yellow cards along with awarding two Penalty kicks for London. He also called for a water break in each half. Now that would have made a lot of sense if this had been an afternoon game as it was a scorcher but by tonight the temperature had dropped quite a bit. As I found out last week, it's probably the league sets it for the entire day.

Elvir Gigolaj scored the opening three goals. I confirmed with him after the game as the announcer (who sounded like he was 13) twice was reluctant to name him as the scorer. Gigolaj now has 16 goals. I told him Leaford Allen (from Sigma FC) who has 17 goals is finished for the year as he's gone away to school (University of Charleston) so the title can be his. There's at least three guys behind him at 12 goals. Gigolaj was subbed off at 68 minutes so couldn't take the final Penalty kick.

Randy Ribeiro (the team captain) scored the final two goals. I remember watching him from the Toronto Lynx PDL team in 2011.

It looked like it was just a matter of time before London would take the lead as they were so far superior. London are +28 while Pro Stars are -27 in the goals for/against stats after tonight. Pro Stars rarely got inside the London 30 yard line.

Anthony Sokalski was the goalie for London making a few key saves—important not so much for the win but for keeping the shutout.

Best non-scoring chances were at 16 minutes when a FCL defender's bad backpass had PS Max Hathaway get a 15 yard shot that the goalie stopped point blank and Hathaway ended up with the ball back and another chance and his shot deflected wide right for a cornerkick. At 18 minutes FCL Petar Karan on a rush pulled up and blasted a 15 yard shot off the bar. 35 minutes had PS Liam McCarthy-Willoughby rolled a centering pass from 18 yards on the far right had a PS player blast an 8 yard shot near the right post over the net. 80 minutes had PS Mann Slewa take a cornerkick from the right that had PS Lucas Marcello head an 8 yarder that the flying goalie palmed over the top left corner of the net.

Pro Stars were short a few players from when I saw them play last Friday against Durham United. A team official confirmed that the Olazabal twins Erick and Eros and forward Walter Rymar were all 'away' this week. It was the most frustrating for captain Michael Fayehun who yelled a few times at his teammates for making dumb mistakes. Defender Jeremy Jodah is the younger brother of Daniel Jodah who I watched from 2011 to 2015 working his way up from the TFC Academy to the TFC Academy PDL team. Pro Stars' record falls to 2 wins, 11 losses, 3 ties for 9 points and they are eighth in the eight team Western Conference.

FC London's record improves to 11 wins, 3 losses, 1 tie for 34 points and they are in second place in the West.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca

Pro Stars FC starters