August 14, 2016 USL Toronto FC II--Toronto FC II vs Harrisburg City Islanders (by Rocket Robin)

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Results and details of the Sunday August 14, 2016 USL game between Toronto FC II and Harrisburg City Islanders played at the Ontario Soccer Centre in Vaughan at 7:30pm.

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

....................80 Angelo Cavalluzzo
42 Mitchell Taintor...34 Skylar Thomas (cpt)...65 Marko Maletic...58 Anthony Osorio
61 Bubacarr Jobe...11 Mo Babouli...55 Aidan Daniels...63 Liam Fraser
...............64 Shaan Hundal...48 Raheem Edwards

Subs:...92 Nathan Ingham (gk)...20 Christopher Mannella (mid)...36 Brian James (mid)...45 Luca Uccello (mid)
...56 Malik Johnson (mid)...54 Ethan Beckford (fwd)...19 Daniel Lovitz (mid)
team official:...head coach Jason Bent

Harrisburg City Islanders (all white, navy names and numbers)

.....................30 Keasel Broome
23 Shawn McLaws...63 Dante Leverock...6 William Warshaw (cpt)...17 James Thomas
77 Cameron Vickers...7 Joshua Hughes...21 Mouhamed Dabo...11 Matthew Bolduc
...............22 Craig Foster...8 Jose Barril

Subs:...1 Nick Noble (gk)...2 Shane Campbell (mid)...4 Youssef Naciri (mid)...9 Garret Pettis (fwd)
...10 Paul Wilson (mid)...12 Brett Jankouskas (fwd)...14 Daniel DiPrima (mid)
team official:...head coach Bill Becher

Game officials:...referee Michelle Pye...referee's assistants Chantal Boudreau and Marie-Han Gabnon Chretien
...fourth official Justin Tasev...(teal shirts, black shorts and socks)

1st Half:...game starts 7:44pm...TFC defends north end on this mild and mostly overcast evening with the sun setting in the north west and a strong crossfield wind from the west.
1 min...TFC goalie catches 45 yard cross from right well wide left of net.
5 min...TFC Taintor is tapped backpass on right and his low 25 yard shot is wide right.
7 min...TFC Taintor cross from right has goalie palm ball to right reaching forward and defender clears.
8 min...TFC Daniels dribbles between players on left and rolls 25 yard shot wide left.
8 min...HCI Bolduc rolls through ball pass from 30 yards too far forward for HCI Foster and goalie charges forward to smother.
10 min...TFC Babouli blasts 22 yard freekick down middle hitting TFC player's head in crowd of players and deflecting high and wide for goalkick.
11 min...TFC Hundal long run from 40 yards has 20 yard shot saved point blank by sliding goalie.
12 min...HCI Tomas taps pass in center for HCI Dabo to blast 30 yarder down middle well over net.
14 min...TFC Babouli cornerkick from left is low and HCI Thomas clears on left side of box.
19 min...HCI Thomas cuts in from left and 25 yard roller has goalie smother near right post.
23 min...HCI Bolduc 30 yard chip shot from right well high and wide right.
23 min...TFC Babouli 30 yard chip shot from right is well high and wide right of net.
24 min...HCI Barril pass forward and centered to HCI Bolduc who shoots 20 yarder that goalie flies left to punch ball wide left of net.
25 min...HCI Barril cornerkick from left has goalie fly forward to swat ball through box but HCI Warshaw rolls 5 yarder up middle and TFC Jobe sprawls to save ball on goalline.
26 min...HCI McLaws cross from 30 yards on right tips off defender to goalie.
27 min...TFC Babouli short pass to TFC Daniels who blasts 25 yard shot off defender and goalie catches wide left of net.
29 min...TFC Edwards 20 yard freekick on right edge of box bends wide right of net on deflection.
30 min...TFC Babouli cornerkick from right has nearest defender head away then get bashed over. TFC Jobe chips 35 yarder from right that lands on top of net.
31 min...HCI Bolduc gets long pass up right and chips goalie but lands in center of box and is easily cleared.
33 min...HCI Dabo puhses ball foward and HCI Barril takes quick 22 yard shot down middle is over net.
35 min...HCI Bolduc gets away from TFC Mletic on run down right but TFC Edwards gets back to semi-block shot from 20 yards and goalie smothers.
36 min...HCI goalie beats TFC Hundal to dive on ball Hundal pushed too far forward on first touch on left.
37 min...a water break is called.
38 min...play resumes.
38 min...HCI players scramble in own box to clear by bad header across box.
39 min...HCI Vickers cross from 22 yards on far right has goalie divee forward to catch.
40 min...HCI Bolduc muscled off ball on run on left end line but wins cornerkick.
40 min...HCI Barril cornerkick from left has TFC Thomas head away on left post.
41 min...HCI Barril pass foward and HCI Foster ccan't get good header of 18 yards and bounces to goalie.
42 min...HCI Vickers 25 yard shot from right is stopped by goalie.
43 min...HCI Vickers cross from 25 yards on far right is over players in box.
45 min...TFC Babouli 40 yard freekick from left is low and nearest defender heads ball down and dribbles away.
35 min...half ends 8:30pm.

Halftime Entertainment: A game of 'musical soccer balls' (now I know a name for the contest) very similar to the party game musical chairs between six kids and always one ball less than the number of players running around the edge of the center circle. The smaller kids are eliminated first then Meghan the biggest girl beat the biggest boy for the last ball.

2nd Half:...starts 8:48pm.
45 min...HCI McLaws low cross from 22 yards on far right is popped up but cleared by defenders.
46 min...HCI McLaws rush on right but rolls pass to HCI Foster but defender breaks up.
48 min...HCI McLaws gets away 15 yard shot in box that goalie makes point blank save.
48 min...TFC Hundal blasts centering pass at 10 yards is well over net.
50 min...HCI player's cornerkick from left has ball popped up for goalie to catch on left side of box.
51 min...HCI defender heads away high cross from right.
52 min...TFC Edwards blasts 30 yard shot from left high and wide left of net.
52 min...TFC sub...Johnson replaces Maletic.
54 min...TFC Babouli 30 yard shot down middle between players is caught by goalie.
55 min...HCI Barril cross from 22 yards on left has HCI Thomas make diving header at 7 yards in middle that's sent just over bar. HCI Foster was hurt on the play and needs the trainer.
58 min...TFC sub...Lovitz replaces Osorio.
59 min...HCI Barril through ball pass on right to HCI Hughes who crosses from 10 yards on right end line that goalie catches.
60 min...TFC player's 22 yard shot from right hits outside webbing of net fooling fans into thinking it was a goal.
62 min...HCI Barril cornerkick is cleared from box but HCI win freekick.
63 min...HCI Barril freekick from 20 yards on right has ball cleared for fast break out.
65 min...TFC sub...Beckford replaces Hundal.
65 min...HCI YELLOW card...Hughes earns it for holding TFC Babouli at HCI 45 yard line.
67 min...HCI Jose Barril GOAL...HCI Josh Hughes steals ball off TFC Daniel Lovitz at TFC 35 yard line on right and rolls centering pass to Barril who shoots 25 yarder up middle that deflects in off the underside of the bar over flying goalie Angelo Cavalluzzo. Just in case that wasn't in, HCI Huges makes diving header from 5 yards into open net as goalie had got up but was wide left of the net.
68 min...HCI defender makes huge sliding tackle at 5 yards on left side to break up TFC rush.
69 min...HCI Bolduc wins throw-in on left not a Penalty kick when TFC player makes sliding tackle in the box.
70 min...HCI sub...Pettis replaces Foster.
70 min...HCI Barril cornerkick from left has defender pop up header wide left.
71 min...HCI Barril cornerkick from left has HCI player knock ball back to Barril and he cross causes a scramble in the box that's cleared.
72 min...TFC sub...James replaces Daniels.
73 min...TFC Babouli cornerkick from right has TFC Thomas at 20 yards makes midair volley down middle high and wide right of net.
74 min...HCI sub...Wilson replaces Barril.
77 min...HCI goalie at 10 yards beats TFC Babouli to catch chip from 30 yards into box.
79 min...TFC Thomas makes big sliding block to stop a low cross across the box at 10 yards.
82 min...TFC Edwards can't win Penalty kick on rush for ball into HCI box.
83 min...HCI player skies ball from 30 yards in middle high and wide right of TFC net.
84 min...HCI Vickers pass to HCI Pettis has shot stopped.
85 min...TFC sub...Mannella replaces Fraser.
86 min...TFC YELLOW card...James earns it for sliding tackle on HCI Bolduc at TFC 35 yard line.
87 min...HCI sub...Campbell replaces Bolduc.
92 min...TFC Lovitz cross from 22 yards on left has goalie jump to catch over the head of TFC Babouli at 6 yards.
93 min...game ends 9:36pm.

Final Score:........Toronto FC II.........0.........Harrisburg City Islanders........1.....

Attendance was about 700 on this mild evening—a relieve from the heat wave that we've been experiencing all month. The walk up crowd was probably killed off by the MLS Toronto FC having their game of last night in Houston stormed out and rescheduled tonight for 9:15pm our time.

Referee Michelle Pye gave out one Yellow card to each team. She called a water break late in the first half and didn't fall for any dubious bumps and dives in the box of players on each team looking for a Penalty kick.

Best non-scoring chances were at 24 minutes when HCI Jose Barril passed forward and centered to HCI Mathew Bolduc who shot a 20 yarder that the goalie flew to the left to punch the ball wide left of the net. The resulting cornerkick had Bolduc from the left send the ball into the box and the TFC goalie charged forward to swat the ball away and only got a piece of it and the ball fell for HCI Bobby Warshaw to roll a 5 yarder forward and TFC Bubacarr Jobe sprawled to make a save on the line. 48 minutes had HCI Shawn McLaws get away a 15 yard shot in the box that had the goalie make a point blank save. TFC Shaan Hundal found himself upfield within the same minute to blast a centered pass at 10 yards well over the net. 55 minutes had HCI Barril cross from 22 yards on the left and HCI James Thomas made a diving header at 7 yards in the middle that he sent just over the bar. 77 minutes had the HCI goalie at 10 yards beat TFC Mo Babouli to catch a chip from 30 yards into box. Injury time had TFC Daniel Lovitz cross from 22 yards on the left that had the goalie jump to catch over the head of Babouli at 6 yards.

TFC II list 49 players on their roster. I know a few won't be back as they were racking up time until their were openings on the MLS roster. They list seven goalies alone but doubtful Quillan Roberts nor Alex Bono will come back because they are now #1 and #2 on the TFC MLS depth chart with the prolonged injury to Clint Irwin. Angelo Cavalluzzo played goalie tonight and he had to play brilliant or the game could have been decided much earlier.

There can always be players dropped back from MLS as tonight forward Mo Babouli played the entire 90 minutes. Now that Jozy Altidore is back with TFC MLS from injury, Babouli has been displaced. I was expecting more from him tonight but he had some off target shots. He was playing as a central midfielder tonight setting up the forwards to which he had limited success.

Daniel Lovitz who disappeared from all rosters after suffering an injury months ago was subbed in as a midfielder on the wing at 58 minutes. He was probably still rehabbing before he can get back to the MLS club if there's space for him.

Christopher Mannella was subbed on at 85 minutes. This was not the first time this year that the often captain made a late appearance. Skylar Thomas played captain tonight.

Harrisburg which is a stand alone team with a player agreement with Philadelphia Union list 23 for the entire year!

Keasal Broome earned the shutout for the Islanders, making a few routine saves and outjumping some TFC forwards to catch some crosses into the box. He was very well protected by his defenders who have a similar to TFC poor goals against average but tonight there was usually a player to prevent a final pass into the box.

TFC II's record in 25 games falls to 6 wins, 14 losses, 5 ties, for 23 points and twelfth place out of the fourteen teams in the Eastern Conference. Their playoff chances (must finish in the top eight) took another hit for the second game in a row—this one by letting a team behind them in the standings pass them!

Islanders record in 25 games improves to 7 wins, 14 losses, 4 ties, for 25 points and tenth place. They have an identical record as TFC II of -16 in goals for/against. Their playoff chances don't look much better as they and TFC II have played two or three games more than the other teams chasing the pack for the last playoff spot.

The eighth place team right now is Orlando City B who have a record of 8 wins, 7 losses, 7 ties for 31 points but in only 22 games. TFC II last weekend scored an injury time tieing goal against OCB but then allowed a winning goal after that to open up more space on them.

TFC II doesn't play next weekend but their next game in this five game home stand that started tonight is Wednesday August 24 against New York Red Bulls II. They are the first place team in the Conference with a record of 14 wins, 3 losses, 5 ties for 47 points and have scored 44 goals (most in the entire USL) in 22 games.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca

Toronto FC II starters