June 26, 2022 League1 Ontario...Vaughan Azzurri vs FC London game report (by Rocket Robin)

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Results and details of the League1 Ontario Men's Premier Division game of Sunday June 26, 2022 between
Vaughan Azzurri and FC London played at North Maple Regional Park in Maple at 8:30pm.

Vaughan Azzurri (all navy uniforms, white numbers, red trim)

......................1 Christian Calabro
.........13 Taesung Park...6 Justyn Thomas...19 Daniel Gogarty
18 Bladwin Thomas Cerros...14 Trevor Carabin...7 Jahsua Mills...21 Dylan Carreiro (cpt)...5 Raheem Rose
................10 Jason Mills...8 Massimo Ferrin

Subs:...12 Anthony Gurrieri (gk)...2 Christian Curti...3 Riley Ferrazzo...11 Joe Mack
...15 Pariss Mitchell...16 Alexander Marin...23 Jason Gajadhar...24 Koisochukwu Nwafornso
...25 Jaytin Pabla
team officials:...team head coach Patrice Gheisar...assistant coaches Anthony Vadori, Carmine Isacco, Jorden Felciano,
and Sergio De Luca...manager Antonio De Palma...therapist Katie Barley
suspended players: Saahb Kular and Joshua Pulla

FC London (white socks and shirts, red shorts and numbers)

..........................12 Jaron Slopinski
4 Brandon Miranjie...2 Aidan Bauer Marr...3 Harry Carter...16 Carson Wood
18 Jonathan Kam...5 Mateo Goldstein Herrara...6 Patrick Melo (cpt)...21 Kuhle Bekwayo...7 Samuel Barrowcliffe
..........................9 Mike Sneddon

Subs:...1 Chanwoong Kang (gk)...11 Elijah Barnes...13 Connor Millar...14 Engjell Qamili
...17 Julian Sanchez...20 Brent Anderson...24 Sokoi Qamili...25 Aman Khanna
team officials: team head coach Ruben Quintao...assistant coaches Alex Gaspar, Omer Ulkay, and Scott Mueller
...manager Mitchell Gosse...therapist Lesley Kukoly
imported players: Chanwoong Kang and Aman Khanna

Game officials:...referee Ryan Schwenger...referee's assistants Kurtis Portengen and Gianluca Di Carlo
...fourth official Melvin Christopher...(red socks and shirts, black shorts)

First Half:...game starts 8:31pm...VA defends south end.
1 min...VA Ferrin is checked off ball in London box.
3 min...VA Carreiro 45 yard freekick from left has London Miranjie head ball away on edge of box.
4 min...London goalie is out to clear ball off defender but ball deflects out of box.
5 min...London Bekwayo has shot blocked on edge of box. He gets ball back and his 25 yard shot is well over net.
8 min...London Kam on run pushes ball over end line.
8 min...London Barrowcliffe recovers poor backpass on left near sideline at 30 yard line and cuts towards middle
then taps pass forward for London Sneddon who bends 20 yard shot from slight left wide right of goal.
9 min...London is called offside which trumps their handball call which occurred in VA box just a second after flag went up.
10 min...VA Carreiro cross from 20 yards has defender deflect ball back to goalie but ball is partially cleared. VA Ferrin
takes 10 yard shot on far right that's cleared off line.
13 min...VA Carreiro is centered pass and his 22 yarder up middle has flying goalie push ball wide left and defender clears.
14 min...VA Cerros centers pass to VA Carreiro who rolls to VA Ferrin who rolls 15 yarder that goalie smothers.
18 min...VA Rose receives chippped pass on left and 25 yard chip shot is well over net.
19 min...Vaughan Raheem Rose GOAL...VA Dylan Carreiro passes to VA Baldwin Thomas Cerros who while in box
taps to Rose who shoots in 5 yarder over diving goalie Jaron Slopinski.
22 min...London YELLOW card...Kam earns it for tripping VA Jason Mills who was turning at VA 40 yard line for a clear
run upfield.
24 min...VA players short cornerkick play from left never reaches box.
25 min...London Sneddon 40 yard freekick up middle is deflected wide left for cornerkick.
25 min...London Bekwayo cornerkick from left is caught by goalie near right post.
27 min...VA defender heads away cross from right out the center of box.
28 min...a water break is called.
29 min...VA Rose receives long freekick into London box and his 12 yard shot deflects for cornerkick.
30 min...VA player's cornerkick from left has London Bauer Marr on right side of box head ball for cornerkick.
31 min...VA Carreiro cornerkick from right is skipped low and defenders clear.
32 min...London Sneddon shoots low up middle wide right from 22 yards after good sequence by London on left.
34 min...London Miranjie on run on right pushes ball over end line.
35 min...Another VA offside makes that about five so far.
36 min...London goalie slides to 15 yards on right to smother through ball.
38 min...London Barrowcliffe long cross has London Kam have 20 yard shot deflect wide right for cornerkick.
41 min...London Kuhle Bekwayo GOAL...Bekwayo intercepts a poor clearance pass and shoots 20 yarder
into high center of net over goalie Christian Calabro.
42 min...London Carter 60 yard pass to London Sneddon who shoots wide left from 20 yards on right.
43 min...VA Ferrin rolls pass to VA Cerros who wins cornerkick on deflection.
44 min...London Barrowcliffe rush down to right end line and cross is caught by goalie.
47 min...London Bekwayo 40 yard freekick from left has defenders clear right of net.
48 min...half ends 9:19pm.

Halftime: The temperature is dropping. The subs warm up while the starters return to their dressing room.

Second Half:...starts 9:37pm.
45 min...VA Ferrin blasts 28 yarder from slight right that goalie pushes wide right.
46 min...VA player's cornerkick from right has VA Rose head ball wide right of net.
48 min...VA Ferrin and Carreiro take 40 yard freekick from right that his worked out a run and the ball is rolled
into the London box where other VA players are offside.
52 min...VA Carreiro long chip pass but VA Rose can't rescue ball on left end line.
52 min...London Barrowcliffe long run down left to end line and shot into outside webbing of net.
53 min...VA Ferrin shoots 30 yarder that goalie flies to push wide left.
54 min...VA Ferrin cornerkick from left has defender on near post away.
54 min...VA Ferrin cross through 6 yard box has VA Rose not able to turn it.
55 min...VA goalie beats London Barrowcliffe to smother ball at 15 yards on left.
56 min...VA sub...Pabla replaces Park.
............VA sub...Ferrazzo replaces Jahsua Mills.
57 min...VA players run into box and one defender blocks shot at 3 yards and another clears.
59 min...London sub...Barnes replaces Barrowcliffe.
60 min...VA Rose receives long pass and his low shot is saved by goalie.
60 min...London Kam cross through 6 yard box unplayed.
61 min...VA Cerros cross has defenders stop and clear.
62 min...VA Carabin receives cross from right across box and one-touch tips 7 yarder wide left.
64 min...there have been a lot more VA offsides this half.
65 min...London YELLOW card...Barnes earns it for pushing over VA Cerros at London 40 yard line.
65 min...VA Ferrin 45 yard freekick from right is headed away on edge of box.
66 min...VA Ferrazzo blasts 18 yard shot from left well over net.
66 min...VA Carreiro chips pass has VA Rose not able to control ball at London 12 yard line and ball rolls over end line.
67 min...London Snedden run on right into VA box but defender blocks and clears cross.
68 min...VA Ferrazzo and London Carter are injured when they crash together at London 33 yard line.
70 min...VA sub...Cajadhar replaces Jason Mills.
.............VA sub...Nwafornso replaces Rose.
71 min...Play resumes with VA Ferrin 30 yard freekick up middle is just over bar.
72 min...A water break is called.
74 min...London sub...Khanna replaces Herrera.
............London sub...Camili replaces Kam.
74 min...Play resumes. VA Cerros weaves up and down sideline. VA Carreiro low blast from 22 yards stopped by diving goalie.
75 min...VA sub...Mitchell replaces Cerros.
76 min...VA Nwafornso shot from 20 yards pops off defender and goalie catches when it drops near right post.
77 min...VA Ferrin takes shot in London box and theres no hand ball call.
79 min...London YELLOW card...Sneddon earns it for crushing VA Gogarty at VA 30 yard line sideline.
80 min...London sub...Anderson replaces Wood.
81 min...London YELLOW card...Anderson earns it for kicking ball away after whistle blown.
82 min...VA Carreiro 40 yard freekick from right has VA player in crowd of players at 12 yards head well wide left of net.
84 min...London Bekwayo 35 yard freekick from right is headed around in box.
84 min...VA Carreiro is injured at London 45 yard line and needs trainer. He then needs help to limp off field.
87 min...VA sub...Mack replaces injured Carreiro before restart.
87 min...Play is whistled down in London box.
88 min...A low VA cross into London box wins a cornerkick.
88 min...VA Ferrin cornerkick from left is missed by players in 6 yard box and is out right side.
90 min...London Miranjie is injured in collision.
91 min...VA Ferrin 25 yard freekick from right is popped up and cleared.
92 min...London Sneddon is injured at London 50 yard line sideline in collision with VA Gogarty.
94 min...London sub...Millar replaces injured Sneddon before play resumes.
94 min...Vaughan Massimo Ferrin GOAL...Ferrin rushes in from 45 yard line on left cutting to middle and surviving
bumps by defenders and takes 15 yard shot over flying goalie to top right corner.
95 min...VA sub...Curti replaces Carabin.
96 min...VA Thomas shanks clearance and VA goalie catches.
97 min...London Bekwayo freekick from 22 yards near end line has nearest defender clear on left side.
99 min...Vaughan Koisochukwu Nwafornso GOAL...VA Jaytin Pabla takes chip from 60 yards that Nwafornso
controls the high ball and shoots 20 yarder into right corner of net.
99 min...game ends.

Final Score:...Vaughan Azzurri.........3.........FC London......1......

Attendance may have hit about 100 at its busiest before some fans starting leaving at the end of the
first half as the temperature started to drop and the shorts and t-shirt fans began to disappear.
There'd been a L1O Women's game between Vaughan and London in the late afternoon. Vaughan went down
to 10 women at 48 minutes but scored after that time to win 1-0.

Tonight's game was strangely hypnotic as I felt like I'd seen it the night before when Unionville
Milliken hosted North Toronto Nitros. NTN score early and I think 'here we go to a blowout' but
the goalie makes spectacular save after save to keep UM in the game. NTN burned by frequent offsides
that their timing started to be off, resulting in mistimed and inaccurate shooting. Tonight's game
though had London respond a lot sooner so I was ready for a 90 minute tie.

Referee Ryan Schwenger gave out six cards that I counted (three to each team) although the L1O
website lists it as London four, Vaughan none (such angels!). He also scheduled a water break for
each half although the second half one wasn't necessary temperature wise as the thermometer had dropped.
No problem with a 99 minute game (6 minutes scheduled) in my book. VA Riley Ferrazzo
and FCL Harry Carter were injured at 68 minutes when they crashed together and play didn't resume
for three minutes, then the water break after one minute of action. Another three minute injury
at 87 minutes when VA captain Dylan Carreiro needed the trainer and had to be helped off the field
and was subbed off. 90 minutes had FCL Brandon Miranjie injured then 92 minutes with FCL Mike Snedden
who had to be subbed off before play resumed. Worth it to see the Massimo Ferrin winning goal which
was comparable to Diego Maradona deking through the England defence in the 1986 World Cup (yeah NOT
the Hand of God goal but his second goal in that game). Nwafornso's on the last kick of the game was
a good one too.

Interesting that this game was held on Field #1 (the field where the stands are inside the fencing).
Last game I attended it was on Field #2 (where the seats are outside the fence but elevated on a hill
so it's easy to see the field). Reason for the switch from the last time answered a Vaughan team
official was the officiating crew complained that the nets were too close to the back fence. OK...but
the reason for the original switch was the officials complained that fans were infringing on the field.
Tonight some teenagers were sitting too close to the sideline so the RA moved them back and that
winning goal got people jumping around and a few hopped onto the field. I will wait to see if they get
bounced back to the other field for their next home game.

I had been at the CPL York vs Valour game at Noon and was frustrated at York only having only regular
York-signed player on the bench with just a bunch of short-term contract players including a U-16 goalie
as a back up. Only non-York signed player they brought in was Cyrus Rollocks who now plays for
L1O Scrosoppi FC but was on the original York 9 FC roster in 2019. I was telling Vaughan head coach
Patrice Gheisar about this situation while complementing him on having their forward
Orlendis Carlos Benitez Hernandez join Forge FC a day after Vaughan played Sigma FC (the Forge
'farm' team). York has gone out and signed an Australian defender when there are some great defenders
in L1O (I haven't seen this guy's stats). Gheisar said “They're only 10 km away, they should have had
a scout here tonight”.

As this was the final game of the weekend because of the starting time the league table should hold
up for a few days.

Vaughan's record improves to 8 wins, 0 losses, 3 ties for 27 points and they keep pace in second place.
They and Blue Devils FC (third place) are the only undefeated teams.

FC London's record falls to 2 wins, 8 losses, 2 ties for 8 points and that is currently twentieth
of the twenty-two teams.

Top six teams this season make the playoffs. Top twelve averaged over the next two years survive
the division split in the Premier Division with the other ten in the Championship Division. Currently
to be twelfth, you need 14 points.

I taped an interview with FC London's head coach Ruben Quintao after the game.  It's been 
a tough year for them but that's partially explained by the fact that they only have three players 
return from last year's team which just missed the playoffs in the last weekend of the season. 

Interview with Ruben Quintao (5 minutes, 30 seconds)
What did you think of tonight's game? 
How did you join London and why are there so many new players? 
What are the reasons for your struggles this year? 
How is your arrangement going with Toronto FC of MLS? 
How important is it to your club/directors/fans/players/recruitment to be in the Top 12 
    when the 12/10 division split happens for 2024?

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
twitter @RocketRobin01

Vaughan Azzurri starters