April 23, 2022...L1O game Darby FC vs Sigma FC (by Rocket Robin)

..............

Results and details of the Saturday April 23, 2022 League1 Ontario Men's Premier Division game
between Darby FC and Sigma FC played at the Whitby Soccer Centre in Whitby at 8:00pm.

Darby FC (all navy, white numbers, yellow trim)

..................1 Matt Zaikos (cpt)
44 Duncan Mitchell...17 Granville Chambers...16 Colin Reilly...6 Jayden Doyle
18 Marcellus Paul...12 Bruce Cullen...20 Michael Maiorano...14 Jemuel Paul
..............7 Caleb Pierce...47 Stefan Lamanna

Subs:...27 Eugene Alves (gk)...4 Alec Weller...5 Erion Metaj...8 Mudaser (Chico) Muhtaj
...10 Kashiff DeJonge...11 Dylan Neill...13 Ethan Pierce...21 Hunter Closs
...26 Tyler Sukovski
team officials:...team head coach Jens Kraemer...assistant coaches Chrisstopher Reilly and Mirco Schroff

Sigma FC (all white, blue shoulders, black numbers)

......................1 Eduard Ambrus
16 Mateo Marques...8 Faisal Ghaffur...5 Kyle Walton (cpt)...15 Nino Nikolovski
12 Daniel Stampatori...18 Robbie Cleary...23 Noah Mehta...7 Kai Garvey
.............19 Jason Squeo...20 Soji Olatoye

Subs:...31 Jack Cristini (gk)...3 Joel Opoku...4 Jacob Cordon Cruz...6 Gabriel Goransson
...10 Mohamed Alshakman...11 Tyriqu Armstrong...14 Yousef Helmy...21 Joshua Miller
...22 Sean Merrick
team officials:...team head coach John Zervos...assistant coach David Igreja...therapist Liam MacPherson

Game officials:...referee Kevin McEleney...referee's assistants Zac Rogers and Roain Satarzadeh
...fourth official Ryan Schwenger...(neon chartreuse yellow socks and shirts, black shorts)

First Half:...game starts 7:50pm...Darby defends east end. This is an indoor dome.
2 min...Darby Cullen is injured in center circle and needs trainer.
4 min...Sigma goalie out to 8 yards to smother ball ahead of Darby Cullen.
5 min...Sigma Ghaffur low 28 yard shot up middle is well wide right of net.
10 min...Darby Reilly 55 yard freekick from right is caught by goalie behind crowd of players.
12 min...Darby Jemuel Paul blasts 25 yarder from left is off underside of bar. Darby Cullen eventually
gets rebound and blasts down middle well high of net.
14 min...Darby Marcellus Paul 22 yard shot bounced wide right of net.
15 min...Sigma goalie is out to 20 yards to beat Darby Marcellus Paul to clear ball away.
21 min...Darby Maiorano cornerkick from left has nearest defender on post head away.
24 min...Sigma player's quick throw-in and 40 yard cross/shot is wide of net.
25 min...Darby Reilly tries to play cornxerkick from left off defenders head but slips on right side of box.
26 min...Sigma Garvey gets tapped over pass and rolls 20 yarder from left wide right of post.
28 min...Sigma Mehta is slid centering pass and 15 yard shot hits defender at 12 yards and deflects back off Mehta
and out for a goalkick.
30 min...Darby Garvey rolls 22 yard shot between players and goalie dives to smother on left post.
33 min...Darby Mitchell on right cuts along 28 yard line to middle then bends shot wide left of net.
34 min...Darby Marcellus Paul blasts low 25 yarder up middle between players that goalie smothers.
36 min...Sigma Garvey 30 yard shot down middle deflects off defender and goalie dives wide left to prevent cornerkick.
38 min...Darby Jemuel Paul rush up right and shoots 25 yarder over net.
39 min...A hight clearance hits a dangling wire for dead balll ball breaking up a Darby long chip at Sigma 30 yard line.
41 min...Three Sigma players are involved in clearance of dangerous cross from left into box.
42 min...Darby Cullen twists around to get away three shots that are blocked. Finally Marcellus Paul has shot deflects
for cornerkick.
43 min...Darby Maiorano cornerkick from left is low into box and Darby Marcellus Paul with clear shot shoots 12 yarder wide right.
44 min...Darby Chambers is centered pass and 20 yard shot is high wide right.
44 min...Darby Maiorano is injured behind end line in bump that ens with Sigma winning cornerkick.
45 min...Sigma Garvey rush on left and low crosss has retreating defender slide and deflect shot wide left for cornerkick.
46 min...Sigma Garvey cornerkick from left is scrambled around in Darby box. Sigma Marques and Sigma Squeo have changes
but not clear shot before out for cornerkick.
46 min...half ends 8:45pm.

Second Half:...starts 9:01pm.
halftime sub:...Pierce replaces Maiorano.
46 min...Darby Lamanna blasts 22 yard shot over bar.
47 min...Darby Cullen is tapped backpass and 22 yard shot is plamed over the bar by the goalie.
48 min...Darby Cullen cornerkick from right has leaping defender head away.
49 min...Darby Cullen dribbles to right for clear shot but launches 22 yarder over net.
50 min...Darby player 40 yard freekick from right has Sigma goalie leap to punch away ball as Darby Lamanna flattens him.
Goalie needs the trainer.
52 min...Sigma Walton 22 yard freekick from right near top corner of box bends and goalie catches.
53 min...Darby Cullen gets away low 12 yard shot from left that goalie smothers on short side.
54 min...Darby Cullen is injured in center circle and needs trainer.
55 min...Darby sub...Muhtaj replaces injured Cullen.
..........Sigma sub...Helmy replaces Squeo.
56 min...Darby Chambers is injured away from play and needs trainer.
58 min...Darby subs...Tyler replaces injured Chambers.
59 min...Sigma Stempatori cross from near right end line has defender clear on near post.
61 min...Darby Jemuel Paul is injured away fro play and needs trainer.
63 min...Sigma Garvey low cross on left side of box deflects off defender across box and Sigma Mehta blasts 18 yarder down
middle over net.
65 min...Darby Muhtaj cornerkick from left has charging Darby player not quite able to redirect ball on right post.
66 min...Darby Pierce 28 yard freekick from left has defender pop up ball and defenders clear with headers on right side of box.
67 min...Darby Lamanna breakaway from 40 yard but retreating Sigma Marques catches him and pokes away ball and dribbles upfield.
68 min...Sigma sub...Merrick replaces Cleary.
............Darby sub...Neill replaces Jemuel Paul.
............Darby sub...De Jonge replaces Lamanna.
70 min...Sigma defenders clear ball without allowing shot on net. Darby Mitchell is injured away from play.
71 min...Darby players blasts from 15 yards into right side outside webbing of net.
72 min...Sigma Nikolovski freekick along right end line has goalie swat ball forward and out of box.
75 min...Darby Mitchell injured in own box and needs trainer.
76 min...Darby sub...Weller replaces Mitchell.
..........Sigma sub...Opoku replaces Nikolovski.
77 min...Sigma Merrick has 20 yard shot rebound blocked.
79 min...Sigma defender gives up cornerkick on clearance atttempt.
80 min...Darby Muhtaj cornerkick from right has charging Darby Tyler head ball across box from left and bounces out for goalkick
unplayed with crowd in box.
81 min...Darby Marcellus Paul is injured and needs trainer.
82 min...Darby sub...Closs replaces injured Marcellus Paul.
84 min...Darby Neill slides and rolls 30 yard shot that goalie picks up. A Sigma and Darby player are injured at the center line.
86 min...Sigma Walton low 25 yard freekick from far right is stopped by one defender guarding post.
87 min...Finally someone hits one of the lighting lanterns hanging from the ceiling above the sideline but the ball was already flying
out of play so was ruled a throw-in.
90 min...Sigma sub...Goransson replaces Garvey.
93 min...Sigma Stampatori high cross from right have defenders clear out right side of box.
94 min...Darby Doyle long run down left and cross over plalyers in box.
95 min...Darby De Jonge leaps for cross and heads 10 yarder just over bar.
95 min...Sigma sub...Miller replaces Garvey.
97 min...game ends 9:53pm.

Darby FC.........0..........Sigma FC.........0..........

Attendance was not counted (I asked the greeter/raffle-ticket seller lady by the door after the game).  The 50/50 draw 
pot was $210 though!  It was free admission.  I estimated there were about 250 people there and ticket lady thought 
that was about right.  I'd say it was one of their best crowds ever.  A lot of the crowd was kids from the junior 
teams in the area.  The crowd was quite noisy throughout the entire game.  Someone had brought a kid size drum kit 
and enough drum sticks that every drum could be hit at the same time.  An eight year old Neil Peart would have thought 
“Best Christmas present ever!” RIP Neil.  Now can they keep this attendance going? 

The outdoor weather was brutally cold and windy.  I had been warned by weather forecasts the last few days of what 
it would be like and chose this game over three other GTA alternatives.   

Best chances were held by Darby with just a lack of accuracy keeping them off the board.  12 minutes had Darby Jemuel Paul 
blast a 25 yarder from the left off the underside of the bar.  Bruce Cullen eventually got the ball and blasted the rebound 
down the middle well high of the net.  26 minutes had Sigma Kai Garvey get a tapped over pass and rolled a 20 yarder from 
the left just wide right of the post.  43 minutes had Darby Michael Maiorano send in a low cornerkick from the left into 
the box and Marcellus Paul with a clear chance shot a 12 yarder wide right.  47 minutes had Darby Bruce Cullen tapped back 
a pass and his 22 yard shot was palmed over the bar by goalie Eduard Amrbus.  63 minutes had Sigma Kai Garvey on the 
left side of the box send in a low cross that deflected off a defender across the box and Noah Mehta blasted an 18 yarder 
down the middle and over the net. 95 minutes had Darby Kashiff DeJonge leap for a cross and headed a 10 yarder just 
over the bar.  

Shutouts were earned by goalie's Matt Zaikos for Darby and Eduard Amrbus for Sigma.  Best defensive play however was 
a 67 minutes when Darby Stefan Lamanna was given a breakaway pass from 40 yards out and a retreating Mateo Marques tracked 
him down and poked away the ball on the edge of the box and if that wasn't enough, turned and dribbled the ball 40 yards 
upfield before passing off. 

Let's also salute both backlines with Darby's Duncan Mitchell, Granville Chambers, and Colin Reilly holding their own 
and Sigma's Matreo Marques, Faisal Ghaffur, captain Kyle Walton, and Nino Nikolovski backstopping Sigma.   

Referee Kevin McEleney gave out no Yellow cards this evening.  He could have but this hard tackling game could have turned 
worse with cards and counter reactions once he got started.  Freekicks awarded were enough to keep control.  

I counted six injuries, all to Darby players, that needed the trainer.  Many were second half non-contact leg injuries 
that were first noticed after play had continued 40 yards up the field. 

The Whitby Soccer Dome has no 'clotheslines' this year for L1O games.  These were wire runners about 20 feet high that 
had netting strung along them to divide the playing fields into thirds for their kids' groups.  Sure the netting would 
be pulled away but the clotheslines would come into play a few times a game with high clearances or headers hitting them 
which immediately brought into play the 'dead ball' rule and a forced restart.  Ironically, one ball hit a wire dangler 
which hung from the ceiling to hook up a clothesline. One ball hit a fabric lamp protector hanging from the ceiling but 
it was so already out of bounds.   

New rules on subs this year (I asked a game official), L1O is a development league:  two subs at halftime, five subs at other 
times in the game, plus two concussion protocol subs if needed so in theory that's nine in total.    

Both teams earn one point from this tie.  It was the opening game for both teams.  That ties them with glamour teams 
Guelph United FC (defending champs) and Electric City FC who drew each other in their league opener on Thursday night.  
The three other teams happening tonight all had winners (the losing teams were all shut out) so they sail to the top with 
three more games Sunday to finish this first week action. 

In last year's late starting, shortened and compressed 12 game season, Sigma finished 4 wins, 5 losses, 3 ties.  This year 
I expect them to be better as their University based  players will be returning soon.  I've watched Sigma over the years 
start 9-0-0 then fizzle near the end as their best players return to post secondary and they finish with high schoolers.  
Tonight they were using many of last year's lineup less three players pushed up to parent CPL Forge FC!  Darby finished 
last season at 3 wins, 6 losses, 3 ties and could be one of those bubble teams that has a problem with the league's 12-10 
division split at the end of 2024.  

L1O commissioner Dino Rossi Jr was here for the first half.  He answered me there'd be a MINIMUM of two L10 games broadcast 
per week but expect more because Guelph (both men's and women's teams) will have their games broadcast 'in-house'.  No, not 
Rogers cable, but with the University.  My Google research revealed in ten seconds that “University of Guelph offers 
an opportunity to earn an Honours Bachelor of Applied Arts in Media & Communication Studies”.  I'm sure there'd be plenty 
of students learning camera set-ups, production, and on camera commentating each game to earn course credits.

Besides that (answered Rossi) ALL games will archived on the league website within two or three days of them taking place.  
That's back to how things were pre-Covid days.  Those non-broadcast games were one-camera-on-a-pole with no commentary.  
I would use them and keep replaying the moments when there was a goal so I could figure out assists if I didn't get a chance 
to ask the scorer after the game.  Hmm OK (after watching four times), initial shot by #8 from 22 yards on the left, deflects 
off the defender wearing yellow shoes, on the edge of the 6 yard box, ball pops up and #14 heads ball downward that hits 
the other defender on the butt and deflects past the diving goalie into the right corner of the net.  What could be clearer 
than that?  

Darby FC starters

Sigma FC starters

Sigma Jason Squeo (19) takes opening kickoff.

Close checking at center line.

Darby Colin Reilly (16) line up freekick.

Sigma Kai Garvey (7) tries to win ball in corner.

Darby Stefan Lamanna (47) takes second half kickoff.

Sigma Nohan Mehta (23) and Kyle Walton (5) line up freekick.

Post match interview with each head coach:  


John Zervos

John Zervos of Sigma FC....4 minutes 2 seconds. (audio recorded by Rocket Robin) 
(background.  Zervos took over as head coach when Sigma founder Bobby Smyrniotis moved on to coach CPL team Forge FC.  
The club has close ties with Sigma FC). 

Thoughts on tonight's game?
Was playing indoors any factor in the play? 
Will you have a problem with guys going away to university in mid-August? 
About those three guys going to Forge?  
How important is it to survive the 12-10 division split in 2024?  
What will having the Paramount Centre fields all to yourself starting this year make to your teams? 



Jens Kraemer

Jens Kraemer of Darby FC...6 minutes 43 seconds. (audio recorded by Rocket Robin)
(background I use to watch him play for North York Rockets of the old CSL at the end of the 80s 
and start of the 90s)
Thoughts on tonight's game? 
Was having so many injuries tonight a concern? 
What did you think of tonight's large crowd? 
Your coaching career after playing for the Rockets?
How important is it to survive at the top in the 12-10 division split in 2024?  
Are you going to lose some players to university when it starts in mid-August? 

back to 2022 League1 Ontario menu

.

.