July 20, 2016 USL Toronto FC II--Toronto FC II vs Rochester Rhinos (by Rocket Robin)

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Result and details of the Wednesday July 20, 2016 USL game between Toronto FC II and Rochester Rhinos played at Ontario Soccer Centre in Vaughan at 7:30pm.

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

..................30 Phil Di Bennardo
61 Bubacarr Jobe...42 Mitchell Taintor...34 Skylar Thomas...58 Anthony Osorio
...........63 Liam Fraser...20 Chris Mannella (cpt)...45 Luca Uccello
...........31 Sal Bernal...46 Ayomide Akinola...48 Raheem Edwards

Subs:...80 Angelo Cavalluzzo (gk)...35 Leonard Sohn (def)...36 Brian James (mid)...51 Robert Boskovic (def)
...55 Aidan Daniels (mid)...64 Shaan Hundal (fwd)...65 Marko Maletic (def)
team officials:...head coach Jason Bent

Rochester Rhinos (yellow socs and shirts, green shorts, black names and numbers)

...................1 Adam Grinwis
21 Dominic Samuel...4 Sean Totsch...15 Joseph Farrell...3 Bradley Kamdem Fewo
7 Ryan Lee James...11 Kenardo Forbes...16 Sean Reilly...13 Michael Garzi (cpt)
..............9 Christian Volesky...10 Steevan Humberto Forbes Dos Santos

Subs:...33 Daniel Lynd (gk)...18 Tomas Gomez (gk)...5 Vasileios Apostolopoulos (def)...6 Michel Guilavogui (mid)
...8 Andre Forturne II (mid)...22 Brandon Beresford (mid)
team officials:...head coach Bob Lilley

Game officials:...referee Yusri Rudolf...referee's assistants Gianni Facchini and Peter Pendli
...fourth official Justin Tasev...(teal shirts, black shorts and socks)

1st Half:...game starts 7:44pm...TFC defends north end on this very hot and humid, bright sun in the north west.
4 min...RR Totsch checks TFC Edwards off ball on left side of RR box.
5 min...TFC Edwards 35 yard freekick from right is caught by goalie.
6 min...TFC defender heads ball back to goalie at 15 yards to prevent RR player getting to through ball.
7 min...TFC Edwards 30 yard freekick from right is bent high over net.
10 min...RR Forbes 40 yard freekick from left has ball knocked wide right of net for goalkick.
14 min...RR Dos Santos low 22 yard shot from right is picked up by goalie.
18 min...RR Dos Santos rolls 28 yard shot up middle is picked up by goalie at 6 yards.
18 min...TFC Akinola slides and chips 30 yarder through defenders that's caught by goalie.
19 min...RR Samuel 35 yard cross from left is bounced through box unplayed.
20 min...TFC Mannella 22 yard freekick from far left is well over box and bounces wide right for goalkick.
22 min...TFC Osorio long run up left and wins cornerkick on low cross from left end line.
23 min...TFC Mannella cornerkick from left is caught by leaping goalie on left post.
24 min...TFC Edwards cornerkick from right has nearest defender head ball away for throw-in on right.
26 min...Rhinos Christian Volesky GOAL...RR Kenardo Forbes crosses from 50 yards in middle over to left for RR Bradley Kamdem at 40 yard linee who pokes pass forward past TFC Bubacarr Jobe to Volesky who receives pass at 22 yards and eludes TFC Skylar Thomas to take low 10 yard shot from left past sprawling goalie Phil Di Bennardo at 7 yards into right corner of net.
30 min...RR Volesky gets long pass off shoulder downfield but can't control it at 30 yards.
31 min...TFC YELLOW card...Osorio earns it for bashing tackle on RR James at TFC 40 yard sideline.
31 min...RR Forbes 45 yard freekick from right is caught by goalie behind crowd of players.
32 min...TFC Uccello pushes pass from 30 yards and too far up middle forward and goalie picks up.
TFC is called offside for about third time in four minutes.
35 min...RR Dos Santos dekes around defender and goalie but 8 yard shot is blocked and RR James follow up from 18 yards on right is well over net.
36 min...RR James 30 yard cross from right bounces between players and out left side of box.
39 min...RR Forbes 35 yard freekick from right is headed away on left. RR Dos Santos rush in from left has 15 yard shot that goalie flies to palm ball wide right of net for throw-in.
41 min...TFC Bernal long run from right deflects off defender and bounces to goalie.
42 min...RR Forbes 35 yard freekick from right has nearest defender head away to start fast break. RR goalie out to 25 yards to head away is chipped pass forward from TFC Jobe.
44 min...TFC goalie out muscles RR Volesky on right side of box to kick ball for throw-in.
46 min...TFC Bernal low cross from 25 yards on right is caught by goalie diving forward at 7 yards.
46 min...half ends 8:30pm.

Halftime Entertainment: Another car key winner is presented for a chance to win a KIA at the end of the season.
Only the TFC players stay out to warm up at halftime.
The Blackdown Cadets play a last man standing game starting with six cadets playing a game like musical chairs with them walking around outside the center circle until the music stops then running to possess one of the balls inside with always at least one less ball than contestant.

2nd Half:...starts 8:47pm...the sun is now below the stands so it does not effect the players sight and I can finally read the scoreboard.
halftime sub:...TFC Daniels replaces Bernal.
49 min...RR Volesky rolls a pass forward up the left wing and RR Kamdem rushes up the left and rolls a centering pass that RR Dos Santos shoots from 3 yards that TFC Thomas slid and blocked, then spun around while still down and cleared but it hit RR Reilly on the knee and deflects forward from 10 yards that the still prone goalie was able to smother.
51 min...TFC Edwards cornerkick from right has defender head ball away. RR Samuel is injured in the box.
53 min...RR goalie picks up through ball pass on right side of box.
55 min...TFC Mannella rolls pass from middle to TFC Daniels who blasts 35 yard shot from right well high and right of net.
56 min...TFC Jobe is checked off ball on run down right but wins cornerkick.
56 min...TFC player's cornerkick from right is wasted as it's short and cleared before it can be worked into box.
58 min...RR Reilly takes a long throw-in from the right that bounces over jumping players in the 6 yard box. RR Volesky flick kicks the ball from 3 yards back to the center of the box and RR Forbes was ready for it but the goalie charges forward and gets his hand to it at 10 yards and Forbes turns back for the loose ball and taps a pass back and centers for RR Kamdem to chip a 25 yarder that RR Dos Santos leaps to head at 7 yards on right end line but the defenders were able to clear.
60 min...RR Totsch heads away cross from 30 yards on right into box.
61 min...RR Forbes 28 yard freekick from right has TFC Taintor head pop up that's cleared on left and RR Kamdem crosses back into box.
64 min...TFC sub...James replaces Fraser.
.........TFC sub...Hundal replaces Akinola.
65 min...RR Volesky has open 22 yard shot up the middle he sends over net.
68 min...RR James cross from 22 yards on right has goalie catch wide left of net.
68 min...RR goalie runs out to 25 yards on right to beat TFC Hundal to ball.
69 min...TFC Osorio cross from 35 yards on left has TFC player actually head ball away from inside RR box.
71 min...TFC Edwards 35 yard freekick from right has TFC player pop 15 yard header over net.
72 min...RR Garzi run on left and 20 yard shot from far angle is caught by goalie.
75 min...TFC Skylar Thomas GOAL...TFC Raheem Edwards takes 22 yard freekick from right edge of box that has nearest RR defender duck and head ball forward. Edwards recovers and chips from 25 yards on right over to Thomas who leaps to head 12 yarder forward into left side of net past flying goalie Adam Grinwis.
76 min...RR sub...Beresford replaces Reilly.
.........RR sub...Fortune replaces Garzi.
.........TFC sub...Sohn replaces Osorio.
78 min...RR player's low cross from right is cleared in box.
79 min...RR sub...Guilavogui replaces James.
81 min...TFC Jobe gets long pass on right and is checked off ball, regains it, passes back and TFC James low chip from 25 yards bounces to goalie.
82 min...RR Fortune 25 yard shot from left has flying goalie bat ball down then smother.
85 min...TFC Daniels 20 yard freekick from right is blocked in wall of players. Daniels then makes long cross from right that has defender pop up header wide right for cornerkick.
86 min...TFC Edwards cornerkick from right has TFC Daniels on left take shot from 25 yards that's wide left of net.
88 min...TFC Edwards has 15 yard shot up middle blocked but he wins throw-in on right.
90 min...TFC Hundal wins cornerkick on left on blocked shot on left end line.
90 min...TFC Daniels cornerkick from left is headed away on right side of net.
92 min...game ends 9:34pm.

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

Attendance was announced as 1072 on this hot evening with a setting sun in the north west.

Referee Yusri Rudolph gave out only one Yellow card all night in a game that had no real hard checks although about an average number of freekicks in good positions.

Midfielder Aidan Daniels was signed to a professional contract with TFC II within the last week at the age of 17. I know he's played this season for their PDL club and also for TFC II already. A check of the USL site shows that tonight is actually his eighteenth appearance! How could the league let TFC II keep him unsigned for so long?

Forward Ayomide Akinola at age 16 was a starter tonight. 'Old Man' Shaan Hundal at age 17 (his birthday last week) replaced him at 64 minutes. Raheem Edwards was also a forward (age 21, his birthday was also last week) also played upfront and took many of the freekicks and corners along with Aidan Daniels.

Chris Mannella was back as a starter and captain for TFC II. Last home game he was only used for the last four minutes but has played the full 90 for the last two games and looked good tonight.

Rhinos had Canadian Dominic Samuel playing at cornerback for the full 90 minutes tonight and he played well. Last year he was playing for League 1 Ontario with Sigma FC.

Best non-scoring chances were at 35 minutes when RR Steevan Dos Santos deked around a defender and the goalie but his 8 yard shot was blocked and RR Ryan Lee James's follow up from 18 yards on right was well over the net. 39 minutes had RR Kenardo Forbes take a 35 yard freekick from the right that was headed away on the left but Dos Santos rushed in from the left and his 15 yard shot had the goalie fly to roll a pass forward up the left wing and palm the ball wide right for a throw-in. 49 minutes had RR Christian Volesky roll a pass forward up the left wing and RR Bradley Kamdem rush up the left and roll a centering pass that RR Dos Santos shot from 3 yards that TFC Skylar Thomas slid and blocked, then spun around while still down and cleared but it hit RR Sean Reilly on the knee and deflect forward from 10 yards that the still prone goalie was able to smother. 58 minutes had RR Reilly take a long throw-in from the right that bounced over jumping players in the 6 yard box. RR Volesky flick kicks the ball from 3 yards back to the center of the box and RR Forbes was ready for it but the goalie charged forward and got his hand to it at 10 yards and Forbes turned back for the loose ball and tapped a pass back and centered for RR Kamdem to chip a 25 yarder that RR Dos Santos leapt to head at 7 yards on right end line but the defenders were able to clear. 82 minutes had RR Andre Fortune take a 25 yard shot from the left that the flying goalie batted down then smothered. TFC II the majority of chances in the last ten minutes but nothing spectacular but looked the most likely to score.

There were 250 cadets from the Blackdown Cadet Training Centre who had piled into schoolbuses and driven in from just west of Borden. My ticket rep answered me after the game that they had come last year and so this year the team helped set it up. They provided the halftime entertainment and an honour guard marched in with the players. The first 200 fans were given tickets for funnel cakes and then the cadets lined up at halftime from the vending truck. Some were still waiting by the end of the game. I made sure to be first in line before the players had come out for warmups.

The tie for TFC II extends their undefeated streak to three so to go with their last two wins, the best run in their two season history. Their record improves to 5 wins, 11 losses, 5 ties for 20 points and are eleventh in the fourteen team Eastern Conference. The current playoff cutoff is 24 points however they have played three more games than the three teams they have to pass.

Rochester improves to 8 wins, 4 ties, 6 ties for 30 points. They would probably be satisfied with picking up one point on the road tonight because they were beaten 2-1 here on June 11.

TFC II's next home game is Sunday August 14 at 7:30pm against Harrisburg City Islanders who they are above in the standings. They have three road games between tonight and then.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca

Toronto FC II starters