June 11, 2016 USL Toronto FC II--Toronto FC II vs Rochester Rhinos (by Rocket Robin)

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Result and details of the USL game between Toronto FC II and Rochester Rhinos played on Saturday June 11, 2016 at Ontario Soccer Centre in Vaughan at 7:30pm.

Toronto FC II (all red, white names and numbers)

.................25 Alex Bono
32 Wesley Charpie...42 Mitchell Taintor...34 Skylar Thomas...58 Anthony Osorio
61 Bubacarr Jobe...20 Christopher Mannella (cpt)...55 Aidan Daniels...36 Brian James...31 Sal Bernal
.................64 Shaan Hundal

Subs:...30 Phil Di Bennardo (gk)...13 Clement Simonin (def)...45 Luca Uccello (mid)...48 Raheem Edwards (mid)
...51 Robert Boskovic (def)...56 Malik Johnson (mid)...63 Liam Fraser (mid)
team officials:...head coach Jason Bent

Rochester Rhinos (all white, gold names and numbers)

.....................18 Tomas Gomez
15 Joseph Farrell...17 Wal Fall...5 Vasileios Apostolopoulos (cpt)...23 Jordan Becker
7 Ryan Lee James...11 Kenardo Forbes...21 Dominic Samuel...2 Marco Ugarte
.............4 Sean Totsch...10 Steevan dos Santos

Subs:...33 Daniel Lynd (gk)...3 Bradley Kamdem Fewo (def)...8 Andre Fortune II (mid)...9 Christian Volesky (fwd)
...13 Michael Garzi (mid)...16 Sean Reilly (mid)
team officials:...manager Bob Lilley

Game officials:...referee Carol Anne Chenard...referee's assistants Marie-Josee Charbonneau and Suzanne Morisset
...fourth official Yusri Rudolf...(yellow shirts, black shorts and socks)

1st Half:...game starts 7:44pm...TFC defends north end on this hot and sunny evening with a strong crossfield wind from the west. The sun is setting in the north west.
4 min...TFC Charpie cross from 30 yards on right bounces wide left for cornerkick.
6 min...RR dos Santos 30 yard low shot hits left post. An RR player's follow up from 25 yards on left is blocked. RR James chips 28 yarder on right high and left of net.
7 min...TFC goalie picks up 22 yard roller from right on right post.
9 min...TFC defender pokes away ball at 20 yards before RR player can get shot up middle.
14 min...RR Becker cross from 28 yards on left has defender head ball away on right side of box.
17 min...TFC Hundal rolls pass up middle that deflects off TFC James at 20 yards and bounces to goalie.
18 min...TFC Osorio cross from 20 yards along left end line has defender head away.
23 min...TFC Daniels rush up right and cuts towards middle and shoots 25 yard roller that goalie picks up on right post.
24 min...RR Becker on from left bends 30 yard partial clearance wide right of goal.
25 min...TFC Osorio cross from 25 yards on left is whistled down in box.
26 min...RR James cross from 25 yards on left is whistled down in box.
28 min...TFC Thomas blocks cross on right edge of box.
29 min...RR dos Santos 30 yard shot after cutting to middle is well high wide left.
32 min...TFC Bernal 35 yard shot from left is well over net.
32 min...TFC Jobe cross from 20 yards after race to ball down right wing tips off foot of retreating defender and has TFC Hundal knock in at 5 yards to right post with hand.
........TFC YELLOW card...Hundal earns it for hand ball.
36 min...RR James rolls forward up righty and RR Totsch low 15 yard shot on frar right smothered by diving goalie.
40 min...TFC Daniels cornerkick from right is headed away. TFC Bernal chips high 25 yarder from left that bounces to goalie.
41 min...RR player's 30 yard freekick up middle is passed over and RR Farrell 30 yard chip from right is cleared in box.
44 min...RR Becker 22 yard freekick from left is chip and charging RR Apostolopoulos heads from 7 yards wide right of net.
45 min...half ends 8:29pm.

Halftime Entertainment: TFC game crew present a pastor from the New Life Christian Church with a signed TFC II jersey with the 'New Life' as the name and #16 as the number on the uniform. There's a mini game with kids from the Church.

2nd Half:...starts 8:48pm. The sun is almost below the horizon making it possible to see the scoreboard.
45 min...RR James chips 25 yarder from right and TFC Thomas makes key header to prevent break-in.
46 min...TFC Bernal pulls down RR Samuel to get by and goalie who dives on it but whistle is blown for freekick.
49 min...TFC Bernal rush down left and bumps RR Samuel but rolls 20 yard ball over end line.
50 min...RR James taps ball forward on right to RR Totsch who rolls crosses along end line from 15 yards and goalie beats RR dos Santos to dive on at 3 yards on right post.
53 min...TFC YELLOW card...Osorio earns it for sliding tackle on RR Samuel at RR 40 yard line.
55 min...RR Ugarte 20 yard shot from left has flying goalie push ball wide left.
56 min...TFC sub...Simonin replaces Thomas.
57 min...RR Ugarte cross from 28 yards on far left has RR James head ball down at 8 yards but defender clears.
60 min...TFC Simonin makes key clearance of through ball at 15 yards.
60 min...RR Totsch rolls 12 yard cross from left ende line that goalie dives forward to smother.
61 min...TFC goalie beats RR dos Santos to 20 yards out right edge of box to clear ball into stands.
62 min...RR sub...Garzi replaces Ugarte.
.........RR sub...Volesky replaces Samuel.
65 min...RR Forbes cross from right is whistled down in box.
67 min...TFC Osorio rush down left and cross from 25 yards on far left is over player and TFC Jobe chips up 15 yarder on right wide right that goalie catches behind end line.
68 min...TFC Jobe cross from right at 18 yards is to TFC Bernal who on left who has 15 yard cross back to right and Jobe is checked off ball.
68 min...RR YELLOW card...Apostolopoulos earns it for argueing call on last play.
72 min...TFC sub...Uccello replaces Daniels.
.........TFC sub...Edwards replaces Bernal.
72 min...TFC Taintor clears low cross from 25 yards on left is into box.
74 min...TFC Edwards taps centering pass from left and TFC Uccello rollls 25 yard shot up middle is wide left.
76 min...RR goalie punts ball upfield and TFC Sinonin is checked off ball at 30 yards on right by two RR players but TFC Taintor makes key block of 12 yard shot from RR Volesky.
76 min...TFC Luca Uccello GOAL...Uccello receives pass up middle at RR 40 yard line and turns and runs towards goal. At 35 yard line he passes forward and right to TFC Bubacarr Jobe who from 28 yards on right cuts towards goal in front of retreating RR Jordan Becker and sends low centering pass from 20 yards on right edge of box to Uccello who controls ball at 8 yards on right and shoots low shot before sliding defender can block and past diving goalie Tomas Gomez at 4 yards into left side of net.
78 min...RR dos Santos gets pass up middle and chip has goalie catch at 12 yards as there is no offside flag.
80 min...TFC sub...Johnson replaces Hundal.
.........RR sub...Beresford replaces Becker.
.........RR sub...Fortune replaces Fall.
81 min...RR Volesky bashes over TFC defender in box on rush and TFC win freekick.
84 min...RR Volesky while cnocked down passes right and RR Forbes shoots 15 yarder from left over net.
85 min...RR Forbes cornerkick from right has Totsch head 12 yarder that goalie palms over net near right post.
86 min...RR Forbes cornerkick from right has Forbes get ball back eventually at 25 yards on right and he rolls shot that goalie smothers at 6 yards.
88 min...TFC YELLOW card...Simonin 25 yard freekick from right has charging RR Apostolopoulos head ball over net from 5 yards.
90 min...TFC Malik Johnson GOAL...TFC Brian James rolls pass forward from 40 yards on left to Johnson who receives ball at 25 yards and turns and runs to edge of box with four defenders closing in on him and blasts 18 yarder while even with left post into top right corner of net over leaping goalie at 6 yards.
91 min...RR Joseph Farrell GOAL...RR Brandon Beresford takes throw-in from 30 yard line on right downfield for Farrell at 8 yard line on right edge of box and he turns and fires 15 yard shot into center of net behind goalie Alex Bono guarding right post.
92 min...game ends.

Final Score:.....Toronto FC II.....2......Rochester Rhinos.......1.......

Attendance was announced (for the first time in many games as the crowds are small) as 1262. It was a big family filled crowd which I thought was at least 1000 because there was a lot of empty space in my section with a group of kids running non-stop up and down the aluminum bench bleachers. I don't think it was so much the attraction of the visitor but the hot weather and a different dynamic of crowd than would have watched three consecutive Euro Cup games all afternoon.

Referee Carol Anne Chenard with female assistants gave out four Yellow cards that I counted (three to TFC II).

The first half was relatively dull with few chances for either team. I was very interested in some of the second half subs for TFC II. Defender Clement Simonin was subbed in at 56 minutes for Skylar Thomas. Simonin is on their MLS roster but has been injured this season and this gives him some playing time to see if he's ready to get back. He was playing OK but had a bad slip up less than a minute before the opening goal but was bailed out by Mitchell Taintor blocking a shot. 72 minutes brought in Luca Uccello who scored the goal (only four minutes to score that goal!) and Raheem Edwards who had been away with the Canada U23 team and this was his first action since returning. He set up Uccello for a shot just two minutes after they both came on.

TFC II Malik Johnson was brought on at 80 minutes (replacing Shaan Hundal) and scored the crucial insurance goal. I had been critical of bringing him and Brian James on in the first leg of the Amway Canadian Championship semi-final against Montreal Impact when they had a 4-0 lead while regular MLS defenders Justin Morrow and Drew Moor were sitting on the bench and Montreal scored two goals while down a man to set themselves up with a chance in the second game. Interesting Johnson was subbed on at 80 minutes of that game too! This is the situation (if not starting) where he should be brought on.

Best non-scoring chances were at 32 minutes when TFC Bubacarr Jobe crossed from 20 yards after a race down the right wing and the ball tipped off the foot of a retreating defender and TFC Shaan Hundall knocked the ball in with his hand from 5 yards. He drew a Yellow card for that. 36 minutes had RR Ryan Lee James roll a pass forward up the right and RR Sean Totsch took a low 15 yard shot on the far right that was smothered by the diving goalie. 44 minutes had RR Jordan Becker chip a 22 yard freekick from the left that a charging RR Vasileios Apostolopoulos headed from 7 yards wide right of the post. 50 minutes had RR James tap a ball forward on the right to RR Totsch who rolled a cross along the end line from 15 yards and the goalie beat TT Steevan dos Santos to dive on it at 3 yards on the right post. 55 minutes had RR Marcos Ugarte take a 20 yard shot from the left that the flying goalie pushed wide left of the post. 76 minutes had the RR goalie punt the ball upfield and TFC Clement Simonin slip at 30 yard line as two RR players converged and RR Christian Volesky got away aa 12 yard shot that TFC Mitchell Taintor blocked. 85 minutes had RR Kenardo Forbes took a cornerkick from the right that RR Totsch heads from 12 yards that the goalie palmed over the net near the right post. 88 minutes had RR Forbes take a 25 yard freekick from the right that the charging RR Apostolopoulos headed over the bar from 5 yards.

It seems every visiting team from USL or PDL brings in a Canadian player and tonight it was Toronto-born Rhinos starting defender Dominic Samuel who was as recently as last year was with League 1 Ontario team Sigma FC who have sent Cyle Larin and Richie Laryea to MLS Orlando City FC in the last two years. Samuel was named League 1 Ontario Defender of the Year for 2015. He trialed with MLS New England Revolution earlier this year.

TFC II's record for 13 games improves to 3 wins, 7 losses, 3 ties for 12 points and they are twelfth out of 14 teams in the Eastern Conference.

Rhinos record falls for 11 games to 5 wins, 3 losses, 3 ties for 18 points and they are sixth in the East. They are the reigning USL champions but are not near as dominant as last year.

TFC II's next game is a matinee game on Wednesday against FC Montreal who are the last place team sporting an 11 games record of 1 win, 10 losses, 0 ties. They have only scored 6 goals all season! I expect another large school age crowd like last month's game against Richmond.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca

Toronto FC II starters