May 14, 2022 League1 Ontario...Alliance United vs Hamilton United Elite (game report by Rocket Robin)

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Results and details of the League1 Ontario Men's Premier Division game of Saturday May 14, 2022 between
Alliance United and Hamilton United Elite played at Centennial Stadium in Scarborough at 6:00pm.

Alliance United (all orange uniforms, black numbers)

...................1 Praveen Ahilan
20 Jacob Maurutto-Robinson...2 Kenny Lioutas...19 Koosha Nazemi...7 Nirun Sivananthan
12 Darren Gertiesingh...16 Shon Sielgelwachs...4 Nikola Stakic (cpt)...8 Nicholas Osorio
.............17 Atchu Sivananthan...9 Anthony Sousa

Subs:...30 Jakob Gundermann (gk)...3 Antik Sarker...5 Kosta Mpougiotis...6 Russell Stewart
11 Johnson Amoo...14 Uday Arora...15 Kingsley Belele...18 Nick Killian
team officials:...team head coach Ilya Orlov...assistant coach Denys Rylskyi and Eric Nelson
...equipment manager Goran Stakic...therapist Michael Silvestri

Hamilton United Elite (black socks and shorts, gray shirts, white numbers)

....................1 Simon Grande
........4 Boma Juracic...3 Grant Slater...2 Perry Zorbas
17 Malik Henry...15 Alejandro Puentes...6 Santiago Ubate...9 Elton Nyumah
..........14 Kyle Cordeiro...11 Miles Green...8 Amir Shirazi

Subs:...20 Obrad Bejatovic (gk)...5 Ahmad Mansour...10 Milio Philopater...12 Jacob Geyer
...13 Sebastian Guerrieri...16 Jamu Iluya...18 Brandon Oracko...19 Matthew Hargest
team officials:...team head coach Kamran Derayeh...therapists Ryan Baillie and Ryan Coomber

Game officials:...referee John O'Hara...referee's assistants Liam Tremblay and Michaela Pisani
...fourth official Michael Konstantopoulos...(neon chatreuse socks and shirt, black shorts)

First Half:...game starts 7:01pm...Alliance defends south end on this hot day with a bright sun in the north west.
Just before kickoff, HUE Malik Henry leaves the field and runs back to the dressing room building.
2 min...HUE Shirazi on left rolls 22 yarde shot to goalie.
3 min...AU Siegelwachs gets away low shot on partial clearance at 25 yards.
3 min...HUE goalie out to 10 yards on left to fly and punch ball away in crowd of players.
4 min...Alliance Atchu Sivananthan GOAL...Sivananthan receives short pass up left and shoots 12 yarder into
right side of net beyond goalie Simon Grande.
6 min...AU Sousa pops header on left and AU Sivananthan pops 12 yard header to goalie.
7 min...HUE Shirazi low 20 yarder is smothered by goalie.
7 min...HUE Malik Henry rejoins to game.
10 min...Alliance Atchu Sivananthan GOAL...AU Darren Gertiesingh pass is rolled from near the right cornerflag
to Sivananthan back to the 5 yard line on the right and his 15 yard shot is straight into the top left corner of the net.
13 min...AU goalie catches sky ball sent off defensive clearance at 15 yards that blows back to 8 yards.
19 min...HUE Nyumah runs ball over end line on rush down right.
22 min...AU Stakic on right crosses over head of AU Sousa at 15 yards on left post. An AU player then rolls 20 yarder that
is stopped.
23 min...AU Sousa 22 yard shot from left has goalie fly to catch on right.
"There's no water break?" ask the AU players.
24 min...AU Stakic and AU Sivananthan get ball into HUE box and goalie dives and fumbles but ball is cleared by defender.
28 min...Alliance Shon Siegelwachs GOAL...Siegelwachs follows up of an AU player's blocked shot with him
at 8 yards in the middle and he kicks ball into left side of the net. AU Darren Gertiesingh had one pass in the box
on that play.
30 min...HUE YELLOW card...Nyumah earns it for tackle on AU Sivananthan injurying him.
32 min...AU Sousa at 12 yards on lefft low shot hits right post. The rebound is cleared.
34 min...AU Stakic chips 35 yarder down middle well wide right.
35 min...AU Lioutas chips 50 yarder up middle just over AU forwards and ball bounces to goalie.
37 min...AU Osorio cornerkick from left has AU Stakic not quite able to turn header.
38 min...AU Maurutto-Robinson long throw-in from near cornerflag but is ruled a foul throw. There was almost no room
with the tight fencing around the field except for this one spot.
39 min...Alliance Shon Siegelwachs GOAL...AU Atchu Sivananthan on run to left end line passes into 6 yard box
and Siegelwachs one-touches 6 yard shot down middle into left side of net.
40 min...HUE sub...Guerrieri replaces Nyumah.
44 min...HUE Green cornerkick from left has HUE player sky ball at 18 yards and ball is cleared.
45 min...HUE Guerrieri receives cross fro HUE Henry and takes overhead shot at 20 yards in middle that's well over net
and back fence.
45 min...half ends 7:46pm.

Halftime:...the AU subs warm up at halftime...the HUE subs are not out from the dressing room until the halftime
break is almost over. The weather is a little cooler now but there's still a bright sun in the north west.

Second Half:...starts 7:03pm.
Halftime subs:...AU Arora replaces Maurutto-Robinson.
.................AU Amoo replaces Sousa.
.................AU Killian replaces Nazemi.
.................HUE Mansour replaces Zorbas.
.................HUE Hargest replaces Shirazi.
.................HUE Oracko replaces Puentes.
.................HUE Philopater replaces Green.
.................HUE Bejaatovic replaces Grande in goal.
46 min...HUE Ubate cornerkick from right has AU player head ball away and fast break is ruled offside at HUE 30 yard line.
47 min...AU Sivvananthan blasts 18 yarder from right well over bar.
51 min...AU Sivantanthan blasts 10 yarder that goalie deflects up off top of bar and out for cornerkick.
51 min...AU player's cornerkick from right is cleared.
52 min...AU Amoo low 28 yard shot up middle deflects off defender and bounces to goalie.
52 min...HUE YELLOW card...Ubate earns it at center line for tripping player from behind.
54 min...AU Gertiesingh cornerkick from right has AU Lioutas flick header down middle from 12 yards is off top of bar.
55 min...AU Arora receives short centering pass and shoots 20 yarder well over net.
56 min...AU goalie catches cross from near left corner flag.
56 min...AU YELLOW card...Killian earns it for tackle at AU 30 yard line.
57 min...HUE Guerrieri 30 yard freekick from slight right is caught by goalie.
61 min...AU Lioutas 22 yard freekick in middle misses top right corner of net.
61 min...HUE sub...Geyer replaces Cordeiro.
62 min...AU sub...Stewart replaces Osorio.
66 min...AU Gertiesingh blasts 30 yarder from right well over net.
67 min...AU sub...Mpougiotis replaces Gertiesingh.
69 min...HUE Slater run up left sideline but he rolls it over end line.
69 min...There's a water break taken because the AU goalie is injured and needs the trainer.
72 min...AU Lioutas low 30 yard shot is through crowd of players up middle and diving goalie gets to near left post to push it wide.
73 min...AU player's cornerkick from left is cleared by two headers by defenders.
73 min...HUE Henry long run up right but checked off ball eventually crosses over box.
74 min...HUE Hargest is injured at AU 40 yard line and and wins freekick.
76 min...HUE Ubate chips 40 yard freekick over players and goalie makes easy catch.
77 min...AU Killian holds off HUE Henry to cross from 22 yards along left end line and goalie catches on near side box.
78 min...HUE Guerrieri 25 yard shot up middle is caught by goalie.
78 min...HUE Oracko blasts 35 yard shot up middle well wide right of net.
79 min...HUE Guerrieri recovers poor pass across to AU goalie and blasts 10 yarder that goalie stops point blank deflecting
it wide right.
80 min...HUE Slater low 30 yard shot up middle is wide right after receiving cornerkick from right.
81 min...AU sub...Sarker replaces Sivananthan.
84 min...AU Killian corxnerkick from right wins cornerkick on deflection.
85 min...AU Stakic cornerkick from right wins another cornerkick on deflection.
85 min...AU Stakic cornerkick from right has defenders clear after blocked shot.
86 min...HUE Henry and HUE Oracko work ball up right wing but HUE Henry sends high cross over box.
87 min...AU Siegelwachs cross from near left cornerflag has AU Amoo spin header up at 5 yards and goalie catches on left post.
88 min...AU Amoo blasts 22 yarder well over net.
90 min...game ends 7:48 pm with no added time.

Final Score:.....Alliance United.......4........Hamilton United Elite.......0.......

Attendance was about 50 on this warm late early evening. The game finished before it was dark.

This was Alliance's third home game. Maybe the novelty had worn off or people were waiting for the start
of the Maple Leafs Game 7 playoff game (equivalent to the round of 16) but they were missing something
as this is one of the best clubs in the league. Their Lady's team had just hosted Tecumseh from
the Windsor area and they had a charter bus with Sarnia logos on it. That game ended 1-1.

Centennial College is part of the University of Toronto and known for their applied arts
and technology program. Their stadium is field turf and you can see the traffic on the 401 expressway
zip by. I remember this place as unusually windy but today it was quite calm.

The game had a bright sun in the north west which stayed out the entire game as it wasn't dark
when the game ended at 7:48pm. The players asked if there'd be a water break at 23 minutes
and looked a bit disappointed that there wasn't one. 70 minutes had an impromptu water break
when the Alliance goalie was injured and needed their trainer. I mentioned last night that
in one week I'd worked my way from parka to windbreaker. Well tonight wearing a windbreaker
would make me too warm.

The game got off to a very strange start. Before the kickoff, HU forward Malik Henry could
be seen running off the field to the dressing room so Hamilton started with ten men. Henry had
been ordered off by referee John O'Hara to remove or cover some facial jewelry (in a nose piercing).
He was gone until the 7 minute mark but it really put the team off-balance. If I didn't know
he's be running down the the endless rat's maze of hallways in the school, I'd think he was
ordered to have a tattoo removed! By the time he had settled back in it was already 2-0.
HU head coach Kamran Derayeh told me after the game that Henry had played with the piercing
every other game until now with no referee mentioning it. Not upset except that he felt
the referee should have informed him earlier. Derayeh remarked from the sidelines
to the ref “You ruined the game”.

Alliance put the game away early with two goals by Atchu Sivananthan then two by Shon Sigelwachs.

The second half had Hamilton make five player subs at halftime (including putting Obrad Bejatovic
in goal) and Alliance made three. The second half wasn't exactly keep-away soccer it was just
the Alliance players weren't making accurate shots and Hamilton very rarely got chances.

Interesting fact is that Sivananthan in his U of T bio has a mention that he previously played
four years for the U of Guelph Griffons. This was before the L1O Guelph United team was formed.
As Alliance head coach Ilya Orlov answered me after the game, they have a lot of current U of T
players and alumni. That makes them similar to Guelph United and Vaughan Azzurri who have quite
a few York University players and alumni. Later Hamilton United coach Kamran Derayeh said they
have a few McMaster University players (home stadium Ron Joyce Stadium is on McMaster's grounds)
along with a few other southern Ontario universities.

At halftime, I looked more closely at the Alliance lineup today noticing some familier names
from the pre-covid times of three seasons ago and some others. Googled my own web page for
the opening weekend of last season. (Robin you navel-gazer!). Hey. Johnson Amoo,
Darren Gertiesingh, and Uday Arora were all on the shortlived “1812 FC Barrie” team that
played just one season and had to play all their games in Brampton because of the covid rules
at Georgian College which is now the home of Simcoe Country Rovers. Alliance went up there
last Saturday and beat them 2-0 and I bet that felt good for those three in particular.

I counted only three Yellow cards given out by referee John O'Hara. He called the game
at 90 minutes (actually a minute earlier in scoreboard time because someone didn't restart
the clock with the distraction of reading eight halftime subs. I think today, Hamilton could
have played until it was dark and they wouldn't have scored.

Shutout was earned by goalie Praveen Ahilan with a few routine stops by making good catches
and mostly well protected by his defenders. Only great save he needed was at 79 minutes
when HU Sebastian Guerrieri recovered a poor pass across the box for the goalie and he blasted
a 10 yard shot that the Ahilan stopped point blank deflecting it wide right for a cornerkick.

The win improves Alliance's record to 3 wins, 1 loss in four games. This was the first Men's Premier
game of the day so for at least a few hours they move up to a three way tie for first place
with 3-0-0 Vaughan Azzurri and North Toronto Nitros. Hamilton slumps to 1 win, 3 losses which
keeps them in a tie for 15th of 22 teams but with other teams likely passing them as the results
later tonight and tomorrow roll in.

Next games for both teams are midweek on the road...one of the few three-game-in-a-week times
in the season. Alliance has to go up to Peterborough to play Electric City FC Wednesday at 8:00pm.
Hamilton has to travel all the way to Windsor to play Windsor TFC also Wednesday at 8:00pm.
A Hamilton player answered me that they didn't come by coach but car-pool. Can't see either team
bringing a huge core of players with summer jobs and summer classes pulling at their players.
Maybe not so bad as Windsor travelling all the way to Peterborough on a weekend for ECFC's first
ever home game bringing all of 13 players and were ran off the field.

Interviews with the coaches:


Alliance head coach Ilya Orlov

Alliance head coach Ilya Orlov:        (audio recorded by Rocket Robin)
Some thoughts on tonight's game?  
Your team's link with the University of Toronto? 
The reason why Alliance stepped back to the shorter Summer Championship last year?
Was there anything special about beating the glamouros Simcoe Rovers last week? 
Some good words on Lucas MacNaughton (now with Toronto FC).
How important is it for your team for recruiting etc to be in that top 12 when the
league splits in 2024? 
Will you have a full team when the playoffs start?  


Hamilton United head coach Kamran Derayeh

Hamilton United head coach Kamran Derayeh:       (audio recorded by Rocket Robin) 
Some thoughts on tonight's game? 
How do find this first year of playing in the top division? 
Where did most of the players come from? 
What schools are they from? 
Do you have any co-operation with Forge FC? 
How important is it for recruiting etc that you survive at the top in the 12 team split? 
The progress of Ryan Raposo (Vancouver MLS) working his way up through Hamilton soccer at the youth level. 

After I stopped recording, Derayeh admitted he knew me because he used to sit in the stands at Vaughan 
Grove when his son Andrew Derayeh played for Woodbridge Strikers (yeah Googled that when I got home).