August 7, 2022 MLS NEXT Pro Toronto FC II vs Orlando City B game report (by Rocket Robin)

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

Results and details of the MLS NEXT Pro game of Sunday August 7, 2022 between Toronto FC II and Orlando City B
played at York Lions Stadium in North York at 7:00pm.

Toronto FC II (gray socks, red shorts and shirts, white names and numbers)

....................90 Luka Gavran
12 Kadin Chung...51 Adadm Pearlman...65 Antony Curic...62 Rohan Goulbourne
........72 Steffan Yeates (cpt)...71 Markus Cimermancic...81 Themi Antonoglou
...........80 Paul Rothrock...77 Jordan Perruzza...85 Antonio Carlini

Subs:...40 Adisa De Rosario (gk)...33 Reshaun Walkes...35 Mehdi Essoussi...58 Kobe Franklin
...64 Kota Sakurai...68 Nakye Greenidge-Duncan...82 Julian Altobelli...84 Joshua Gordon
...89 Matthew Medeiros
head coach Gianni Cimini

Orlando City B (white socks and shirts, purple shorts, names and numbers)

...................31 Mason Stajduhar
30 Alexander Freeman...62 Andrew Forth...68 Thomas Williams...41 Ignacio Galvan
.........47 Victor Yan Souza Santos...54 Erick Gunera-Calix...59 Alejandro Granados
.........95 Favian Loyola...27 Jack Lynn...56 Nelcer Acosta

Subs:...70 Dominic Pereira (gk)...48 Diego Pareja...49 Ian Silva...61 Tahir Reid-Brown
63 Dominic Bell...67 Nicolas Taylor
head coach Martin Perelman

Game officials:...referee Sebastian Noshinravani...referee's assistants Brad Doubrough and Mehmet Sen
...fourth official Filip Dujic...(all black uniforms)

First Half:...game starts 7:08pm...TFC defends south end on this hot and humid evening that's mostly overcast.
3 min...OCB player's low cross from left bounces into box that goalie picks up.
5 min...OCB Acosta rush on left and shoots 15 yarder that hits bar. OCB Victor heads 10 yard rebound through
TFC Goulbourne's legs but ball is stopped on right post.
8 min...TFC Carlini intercepts pass in middle runs to left side of box and rolls pass unplayed through box and defender clears.
9 min...TFC Rothrock cross from right has defenedeer clear on edge of 6 yard box.
16 min...TFC player's through ball pass from 45 yards on right is too far forward for charging TFC Chung and over end line.
16 min...TFC Antonoglou short pass on left to TFC Rothrock whose low shot from 15 yards has goalie smother on near left post.
19 min...TFC Chung cuts pass in from right edge of box has TFC Perruzza deflect ball off himself at 12 yards and goalie
charges forward to pick up at 15 yards in middle.
21 min...TFC Chung on right sends short centering pass has TFC Perruzza blast 30 yard shot that goalie makes overhead catch.
21 min...OCB Lynn low 15 yard shot on right is wide right.
22 min...OCB Lynn has 15 yard shot up middle is blocked by defender.
23 min...OCB YELLOW card...Forth earns it for pulling down TFC Carlini at center line left sideline.
24 min...TFC Rothrock taps pass to right for TFC Chung but defender clears.
25 min...OCB Loyola steps to center at 20 yard line and cuts roller that goalie dives right to smother.
25 min...OCB Lynn rolls 18 yard shot from left that goalie smothers.
27 min...OCB Acosta 55 yard chip has ball bounce to goalie.
29 min...OCB Freeman chips 35 yarder from right that is over head of OCB player and goalie dives forward at 6 yards
to catch on left side of box.
29 min...OCB Acosta centering chip from left side of box has OCB Victor one-touch chip from 15 yards caught easily
by goalie on left post.
30 min...a water break is called.
32 min...play resumes.
33 min...OCB Acosta long run up left and rolls centering pass but no OCB player can get to it.
34 min...I notice the TFC subs are warming up.
34 min...OCB goalie is out to 28 yards to beat TFC Rothrock to chip downfield and clear.
35 min...TFC Carlini pass to TFC Rothrock who can't get away shot at 15 yards.
36 min...OCB Lynn rolls ball through box and OCB Acosta has 10 yard one-touch shot deflect off player on left post for cornerkick.
37 min...TFC Yeates heads away OCB cornerkick from left.
38 min...TFC YELLOW card...Perruzza earns it after a battle with OCB Victor at center line when he goes down and Victor falls
over him and after whistle is blown, he calls for the fourth official to give him the call.
39 min...OCB Erick and TFC Rothrock crash heads at TFC 50 yard line running for a high ball. The trainers are called
in immediately.
40 min...The OCB subs are warming up.
41 min...TFC Cimermancic run on left and low cross into box has defender clear or throw-in on left.
42 min...OCB Galvan 30 yard shot between players up middle is caught by goalie.
44 min...TFC Antonglou cornerkick from right is high and OCB Erick heads ball out left side of box for throw-in.
46 min...TFC Carlini cornerkick from left is whistled down in box.
47 min...half ends 7:55pm.

Second Half:...starts 8:12pm.
halftime sub:...TFC Franklin replaces Chung.
45 min...TFC defender makes clearance in own box facing own net.
47 min...OCB Freeman is pulled down on run up middle at 25 yards.
.........TFC YELLOW card...Goulbourne earns it for his part in this play.
48 min...OCB Loyola 33 yard freekici tips off player in player wall and deflects wide right for cornerkick.
49 min...OCB players work out short cornerkick from right and eventual crosses out left side of box. Later OCB Loyola
taps ball to OCB Galvan and tips off him at 10 yards and rolls for goalkick on left.
51 min...OCB Freeman has shot blocked. OCB Acosta has 20 yarder deflect for cornerkick on left.
52 min...OCB Granados cornerkick from left has ball cleared from box.
53 min...OCB YELLOW card...Erick earns it for pulling down TFC Rothrock after TFC goalie long punt to find him open
on right sideline.
54 min...TFC Yeates 35 yard freekick has nearest defender block. OCB goalie eventually bobbles and grabs 55 yard chip.
57 min...OCB Acosta 30 yard freekick from right is into short side outside webbing of net.
58 min...TFC Antonoglou 40 yard freekick from right has ball deflect off back of one man wall and defender at 20 yards
makes clearance.
59 min...OCB Williams and OCB goalie make multi saves after TFC Perruzza getting to bouncer on long kick downfield.
61 min...TFC Franklin gets back to poke ball away from OCB Acosta at 10 yards preventing shot and giving up cornerkick.
61 min...OCB Acosta is tapped cornerkick and cross into box is headed away.
62 min...TFC sub...Altobelli replaces Perruzza.
...........TFC sub...Walkes replaces Carlini.
63 min...OCB Loyola pass forward to OCB Lynn and quick 18 yard roller out for freekick.
64 min...OCB Lynn cross from right endline but ball is already behind endline. TFC Pearlman crashes into left goalpost
and needs trainer. He's off the field so the game could continue. Freeman actually finished the game.
66 min...TFC Reshaun Walkes GOAL...TFC Paul Rothrock and Walkes work a give and go after defender falls
at 35 yard line. Walkes taps 12 yarder from right into right side of net past goalie Mason Stajduhar at 6 yards.
68 min...OCB Loyola pokes ball between defender's legs and OCB Galvan rolls 15 yard shot that goalie smothers.
69 min...OCB Acosta and OCB Loyola work ball into box but defenders stop them with no shot.
70 min...TFC Julian Altobelli GOAL...TFC Reshaun Walkes on right rolls pass forward to TFC Steffan Yeates
closer to net on right. Yeates centers ball to Altobelli by cutting it back from 3 yard line. Altobelli eludes
sliding defender and shoots low 10 yarder into left side of net.
72 min...OCB sub...Pareja replaces Erick.
73 min...TFC Yeates rush in box pass to open TFC Altobelli who shoots 12 yarder wide left of net.
73 min...TFC Yeates passes to right to TFC Rothrock who has pass to open TC Walkes. Walkes has shot blocked point
blank by goalie.
74 min...TFC Walkes taps pass to TFC Antonoglou who has defender slide to deflect his 15 yard shot wide left.
75 min...TFC Altobelli high cornerkick from left has goalie leap to catch in 6 yard box.
76 min...OCB YELLOW card...Acosta earns it for falling at TFC 25 yard line in middle hoping to win a freekick.
78 min...OCB Loyola gets behind three defenders and off balance 15 yard shot near left end line has goalie stop.
Loyola is injured on the play.
80 min...OCB sub...Taylor replaces injured Loyola.
...........OCB sub...Reid-Brown Forth.
...........OCB sub...Bell replaces Williams.
81 min...TFC Cimermancic limps off field.
82 min...TFC sub...Sakurai replaces injured Cimermancic.
83 min...TFC Reshaun Walkes GOAL...TFC Rohan Goulbourne rolls ball forward from 22 yards. Walkes rolls
in 12 yarder on left past goalie to right corner of net.
85 min...OCB Freeman wins cornerkick on 10 yard shot that deflects off defender.
85 min...OCB Granados cornerkick from right is cleared out left side of box but offside pass upfield breaks up play.
86 min...OCB sub...Silva replaces Victor.
88 min...The ball hits the referee at the OCB 30 yard line which stops the game for an OCB freekick.
.........TFC YELLOW card...Antonoglou earns it for timewasting by kicking the ball away.
89 min...TFC sub...Gordon replaces Antonoglou.
90 min...TFC Rothrock 60 yard chip from right has goalie catch just inside 18 yard box behind charging TFC players.
91 min...OCB Lynn 20 yard shot from top right of box is high wide left.
92 min...game ends 8:59pm.

Final Score:....Toronto FC II.........3.......Orlando City B...........0........

Attendance was about 600 on this hot evening. Once again very good attendance for a team that actively
discourages fans from going. The groups of family and friends continue to grow. I'm recognized now
by game day staff and am waved in with a “He's OK”. Today there were a lot of children and parents
wearing Croatia jerseys (the red and white checkerboard pattern). I thought they were a team from
a youth group but on closer look many were wearing #10 and 'Modric'. One hint; the men all cheered
extra loud for goaltender Luka Gavran and he grew up playing for the youth teams of 'Hamilton Croatia SC'.

Just before halftime I turned around to see that TFC coach Bob Bradley, his son TFC captain
Michael Bradley and children I expect were children/grandchildren of the two were just five rows
behind me. Probably one of the few rules of them liberalizing their admission policy is not
to bother them. OK fine with me.

Referee Sebastian Noshinravani gave out six Yellow cards (three to each team). Two of the TFC ones
were for dissent. One of the Orlando ones is on the league website as a 'foul' but to me it looked
like a fake fall to try to win a freekick just shy of the box. These cards add up and it could
effect Jordan Perruzza and Themi Antonoglou later in the season. Also Noshinravani scheduled a water
break at the 30 minute mark but nothing in the second half although players had the opportunity for
water when a trainer needed to be brought on to check injured players. The temperature was thankfully
cooling by the second half although t-shirts were all that were needed even after it was dark.

All the TFC goals came in the last half hour which was not unexpected after I saw their first half
chances. When I saw Orlando's roster (via tweet) had only six subs including a back up goalie,
I expected they would wilt in the heat (yeah a Florida team doing this) and not have the great selection
of back ups.

Reshaun Walkes and Julian Altobelli come in at 66 minutes and Walkes scores at 66 minutes and Altobelli
at 70 broke the game open. Walkes finished it off at 83 minutes. No chance of needing a Shootout
win to pick up two points like their last two home games when you can earn three points with
a regulation time win!

Their other smart change was a halftime switch from starter Kadin Chung to Kobe Franklin at cornerback.
Franklin's combo plays with Paul Rothrock just seemed to work better.

Rothrock got in a full 90 minutes this game. As it was such hot weather he did not climb into
the stands after the game to talk with his friends. They made it easy by eventually going down
to the front row and leaning over the railing. I think Rothrock and one of the friends have the look
to front a 'The Romantics' cover band but that would be lost on them as the group was popular well
before they were born. 'Talking In Your Sleep' anyone?

Luka Gavran earned the shutout tonight. He didn't have tough saves to make tonight and had one break
when an OCB one-touch shot from 10 yards hit a defender guarding the left post at 36 minutes
and deflect for a cornerkick. Crosses? Let me catch them. It must be nice to be 6 foot 5 inches tall!

With all the recent MLS TFC signings, I was waiting to see if TFC II would be invaded by main roster
signings being pushed down here to get playing time but that hasn't happened. Mainly as their
contracts would forbid their demotion after long enough service with the big club. Hey and after
tonight, eight games unbeaten! Why rock the boat?

TFC II's record improves to 8 wins, 6 losses, 3 ties, 2 shootout wins for 29 points. (A shootout
win is a bonus point earned after a tie if you win the Penalty kick contest after 90 minutes
of regulation. It's worth 1 additional point. 3 ties but 2 shootout wins mean that they have
lost one of the three PK challenges). They are currently fourth (the last playoff spot) in the
Eastern Conference but only one point behind both NYCFC II and RNY FC. A few games ago just
climbing into a playoff spot was the goal but moving up to second would guarantee a home game.

Orlando's record falls to 4 wins, 10 losses, 3 ties, 2 shootout wins for 17 points. They sit
ninth of the ten teams in the East.

I asked the Dennys (yeah nothing to do with the American restaurant chain) bus driver on the way
out if he was driving to Florida. Nope just to an airport hotel for tonight then they're fly out.
Even with this league, that's too far to expect they have to travel by bus. Hey next game for
TFC II is on Friday night against RNY so I'm sure they'll have to bus it to Rochester New York.
Rochester is the only independent team in the league—ie not affiliated with an MLS team in the
MLS NEXT Pro league that splintered away from the USL leagues system.

Toronto FC II and Orlando City B used to play against each other (and avoided each other) over
the years in different leagues. Orlando joined the USL in 2016 and joined TFC II who played
their since 2015. Then in 2018 OCB took a hiatis from play altogether. They joined the
USL League 1 in 2019 just as TFC II dropped down to that level (from the USL Championship).
TFC II had to take 2020 off because of Covid restrictions making border crossing impracticle.
TFC II rejoined USL League 1 last season but Orlando took a hiatis in 2021. Both teams joined
this new league in 2022 so...together again! Tonight was their first of two meetings this season.

From the past with Orlando I remember talking with their captain, at the time, Brandon John back
in 2019 to fill in a hole in my own pages. He played with Vaughan Azzurri back in 2017.
Now he's with the CPL Atletico Ottawa club. Also Niki Budalic who I watched with the A-League
Toronto Lynx back in 2002 eventually became 'general manager soccer operations' for OCB from 2016.
He has since moved on to a similar position with MLS Inter Miami.

At halftime David DiPlacido said hello. He was a player with Toronto Lynx between 1998 and 2006.
He answered me that he was here today because he knew some of the TFC II coaching staff.
He is now the technical director of Aurora Youth Soccer Club. I congratulated him on Simcoe County
Rovers of the League1 Ontario Men's Reserves League championship win a few nights earlier.
He said Aurora's women's team has supplied a lot of players to the new Rovers team but not
so much the men's side yet. Well one person that David knew is TFC II head coach Giani Cimini
who was head coach of the Aurora FC's women's team between 2016 and 2019 besides his work with
the TFC Academy during those years and beyond.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
twitter @RocketRobin01

Game statistics from MLS NEXT Pro website:  

                                   TFC II        Orlando City B 
Statistics                                                       
Possession %                        48.5%           51.5%                             
Shots                               11              21  
Shots on goal                        7               7     
Blocked shots                        3               7          
Total passes                       379             405       
passing accuracy %                  80.2%           87.7%              
Corners                              4               5  
Crosses                              6               6           
Offsides                             2               1               
Duels won                           44              47               
Tackles won                         12              13               
Saves                                6               4                 
Clearances                           4               5             
Fouls                               15              20                 
Yellow cards                         3               3                 
Red cards                            0               0

Toronto FC starrters