May 7, 2023...MLS NEXT Pro...Toronto FC II vs FC Cincinnati 2 game report (by Rocket Robin)

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Result and details of the Sunday May 7, 2023 MLS NEXT Pro game between Toronto FC II and FC Cincinnati 2
played at York Lions Stadium in North York at 7:00pm.

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

.................90 Luka Gavron (cpt)
62 Rohan Goulbourne...89 Matthew Medeiros...76 Lazar Stefanovic...73 Jesus Batiz
.........65 Antony Curic...68 Lucas Olguin...71 Markus Cimermoncic
.........72 Jordan Faria...83 Hugo Mbongue...70 Matthew Catavolo

Subs:...40 Adisa De Rosario (gk)...51 Adam Pearlman (def)...82 Julian Altobelli (mid)...85 Marko Stojandinovic (mid)
...86 Alec Diaz (fwd)...91 Dekwon Barrow (fwd)...92 Theo Rigopoulos (mid)
team officials:...head coach Gianni Cimini...assistant coaches Marco Casalinuovo and Yianni Michelis
...goalkeeping coach David Monsalve

FC Cincinnati 2 (navy socks and shorts, blue shirts, white names and numbers)

..........................28 Paul Walters
.............60 David Garcia...40 Kai Thomas...33 Isaiah Foster
57 Morgan Marshall...37 Stiven Jimenez...41 Salim Adams...58 Gerardo 'Dada' Valenzuela...42 Bret Halsey
..................44 Ben Stitz...43 Jesus Castellano

Subs:...30 Hunter Morse (gk)...62 Haroun Conteh...68 Matthew Dreas (mid)...74 Nicholas McHenry
...75 Ryder Mills
team officials: head coach Tyrone Marshall...assistant coach Shavar Thomas...goalkeeper coach Ryan Coulter

Game officials:...referee Robert D'Alesia...referee's assistants Gabrielle Lemieux and Twayne Anderson
...fourth official Yusri Rudolf...(black socks and shorts, neon chartreuse shirts)

First Half:...game starts 7:02pm...TFC defends south end on this cool and rainy evening. The wind is driving
the misty rain from the east.
3 min...Cin Halsey steals ball from TFC Medeiros but can't get away shot.
4 min...TFC Catavalo keeps ball in at left cornerflag turning around defender and eventually winning cornerkick.
5 min...TFC Catavalo cornerkick from right is cleared by first defender on right side of box
7 min...TFC Mbongue slides to roll 18 yarder up middle to goalie at 10 yards.
9 min...Cin Marshall low cross from 20 yards has defender shank clearance up and behind him for cornerkick on right.
10 min...Cin Halsey chip from 25 yards in cleared.
10 min...TFC Mbongue blasts 10 yarder into right side outside webbing of net.
13 min...Cin Valenzuela is tripped and draws freekick but is also injured on play.
14 min...Cin Stitz freekick from left has Cin player head 18 yarder wide right of net.
15 min...TFC Jordan Faria GOAL...TFC Hugo Mbongue at Cin 35 yards in middle chips pass forward
to TFC Matthew Catavolo on edge of 18 yard box. He steps from left to middle to elude Cin defender
David Garcia and shoots low 15 yarder that diving goalie Paul Walters saves at 4 yards in center of net
but rebound comes out to Faria who shoots 4 yarder from right forward into open net.
18 min...Cin Stitz steals ball at 40 yards on right but cross from 25 yards is over to Cin Castellano is too far forward and out left
for goalkick.
20 min...Cin player steals goalie's pass at 25 yards up middle and quick low shot is wide left.
21 min...TFC YELLOW card...Cataolo earns it for kicking ball away after Cin Garcia won freekick on check at Cin 30 yard line.
22 min...TFC Olguin shot is just wide left of post.
24 min...Cin YELLOW card...Jimenez earns it for complaining about TFC receiving a freekick at the center line.
26 min...Cin player's cornerkick from left has Can Thomas head forward from 10 yards but wide right.
28 min...TFC YELLOW card...Goulbourne earns it for grabbing Cin Halsey at TFC 22 yards after giving up ball on left.
29 min...Cin Castellano 25 yard freekick from top left of box is palmed over by goalie at top left corner of net.
30 min...Cin player's cornerkick from left has defender head away in crowd of players in 6 yard box.
31 min...TFC Faria point blank shot at 8 yards on left is stopped by sprawling goalie after Faria received rolled pass
across box from right.
32 min...TFC Faria rolls pass from right into 6 yard box. TFC Olguin can't turn it in from 3 yards.
33 min...TFC Olguin has 8 yard shot stopped.
35 min...TFC Jordana Faria GOAL...TFC Matthew Catavolo on 3 on 1 break after sliding defender missed clearance
at Cin 50 yard line. Catavolo runs down slight left to 20 yard line then rolls pass along line to Faria who stops ball
which allows second defender into play but has time to blast 15 yarder that sprawling goalie gets a piece of at 6 yards
but only pushes it into left corner of net.
36 min...TFC Batiz taps 15 yarder beteween players that goalie grabs.
37 min...Cin Castellano wins cornerkick after run in from left.
38 min...Cin Castellano cornerkick from left bounces on right side of box but unplayed from throw-in.
39 min...TFC Olguin rushes up left and rolls centering pass. TFC Mbongue touches it over for TFC Faria to blast 10 yard
shot that goalie pushes wide right.
40 min...TFC player's cornerkick from right has Cin Thomas head away which starts breakout.
40 min...TFC YELLOW card...Faria earns it for knock over of Cin Thomas breaking out at 40 yard line.
42 min...TFC Catavolo cornerkick from right has Cin Adams heads away in crowd of players in box. TFC Faria kicks 22 yarder
well over net.
43 min...Cin Castellano long run up left cutting to middle and 22 yard shot is well high and wide right of net.
46 min...half ends 7:48pm.

Halftime:...it stops raining. Someone named Alexa wins something in some kind of skills contest I didn't see.

Halftime stats were flashed on the scoreboard with TFC holding a 12-5 advantage for shots taken and 8-2 for shots on goal.

Second Half:...starts 8:04pm.
Halftime sub::...TFC Pearlman replaces Goulbourne.
45 min...Cin Adams is injured at TFC 50 yard line.
49 min...TFC Catavolo heads ball back to goalie from 18 yards to break up cross.
50 min...TFC Batiz 28 yard shot on left after pass combination is well wide right of net.
51 min...Cin Marshall cross along 15 yard line from right has TFC Curic head away in center of box.
52 min...Cin Thomas heads ball behind own end line to prevent cross to two open TFC players on left side of Cin net.
53 min...TFC Catavolo cornerkick from right has defender head away from center of box.
54 min...Cin Adams blasts TFC player's partial clearance up middle from 25 yards well over net.
56 min...TFC Batiz centers pass on left to TFC Mbongue who has clear 18 yard shot well over net.
57 min...Cin Valenzuela receives chip behind defenders and 25 yard shot is over net.
60 min...TFC Catavolo and TFC Faria set up freekick from 30 yards on right and bends cross through 6 yard box bouncing
unplayed through box in front of charging players.
61 min...Cin goalie has to leap and punch away popped up back header to keep away from TFC Cimermancic at 8 yards.
63 min...Cin sub...Mills replaces Valenzuela.
63 min...Cin Stitz has run from 30 yards on left and has point blank 12 yard shot blocked by goalie. Stitz recovers to round goalie
but prone goalie reaches forward to swat out of reach.
64 min...TFC Catavolo receives pass and shoots 15 yarder wide right from left side of box.
67 min...TFC players work ball into box but can't get away a shot.
71 min...TFC Faria on right receives crossfield pass from TFC Cimermancic and blasts 25 yard shot off target.
72 min...Cin sub...Conteh replaces Jimenez.
75 min...TFC Cimermancic makes key clearance on right edge of TFC box to prevent break-in.
77 min...TFC Catavolo is injured at TFC 50 yard line and needs trainer.
78 min...TFC sub...Altobelli replaces injured Catavolo.
80 min...TFC Hugo Mbongue GOAL...TFC Jordan Faria receives pass at Cin 50 yard line in center circle and rolls pass
forward and left to charging Mbongue who gets it at 25 yard line, runs into left side of box, cuts around Cin David Garcia
on deflection and blasts 10 yard shot from left into open right side of net.
81 min...TFC sub...Rigopoulos replaces Faria.
Cincinnati has lots of ball control but all in their own back line.
84 min...Cin Foster bends cross in from left from 28 yards and goalie catches.
87 min...Cin sub..Dreas replaces injured Cin Adams.
88 min...TFC Altobelli at Cin 20 yard line in middle sends short and low pass to TFC Rigopoulos alone on right and he shoots
low 12 yarder that goalie sprawls to catch on near post.
89 min...TFC Altobelli cornerkick from right lands on top of net.
90 min...A Canada goose flies low over the field. Was he just passing through or was he waiting to eat food scraps after
the people left?
93 min...half ends 8:52pm.

Final Score:.....Toronto FC II.......3.......FC Cincinnati 2.........0.........

Attendance was about 100 people (hey just like the old KIA Training Centre days). It had rained since the morning with few breaks and the first half had a misty rain that I thought I could hide from in the roofed passageway (Level 4) leading to the pressbox but with the eastern wind I had to retreat a good four steps from the railing to not get rain on my notes. Once there were about nine of us (as some player parents found this out) a security guard came up and said we'd have to leave and get back in the stands. On my way down I found another spot under a suite so I could watch the game with about ten others from the end zone. The rain stopped at halftime and I could enjoy the rest of the game from the stands. Note to fans: the security was OK with fans who brought umbrellas as there was plenty of room to spread out.

TFC II looked good today using a three forward press that had Cincinnati players often punting the ball upfield to get it out of trouble. The TFC defence looked shaky at the start but played better as the game went on.

Both teams had troubles with ball control because of the wet ground with a few rolling out of play because of the slick turf and a few players actually slipping because of the footing.

Luke Gavran earned the shutout for TFC. His best save was at 63 minutes when a Cincinnati comeback was still possible with Ben Stitz having a run from 30 yards on the left and a point blank shot from 12 yards that was saved by Gavran. Stitz recovered to next try to round the goalie but Gavran while still prone reached forward to swat the ball along the ground away from him and enough defenders came back to break up the play. League stats list only two shots on target against him.

Paul Walters had to be outstanding in net for FCC or this game would have been over in the first half. He made seven saves in the game.

Referee Robert D'Alesia gave out four Yellow cards all in the first half (three to TFC) including one to each team for dissent (kicking the ball away after a whistle or arguing a call).

FC Cincinnati 2's head coach is Tyrone Marshall is a former Toronto FC (MLS) team player and Jamaican international. His son Morgan Marshall was a starting defender today. Assistant coach is Shavar Thomas who was also a Jamaican international.

Although this was only the second home game of the season, I noticed a lot of the 'low numbered' (most likely, but not always, those closest to being on the MLS roster) guys weren't in the lineup at all. I can think of two reasons. The coaching staff may have thought that the team hadn't won in five games and wanted to shake things up and/or their MLS team played on Saturday night and plays again this Tuesday night in the one game quarter-final of the Canadian Championship at BMO Field against fellow MLS team CF Montreal. Tournament rules state the each team must start a minimum of three Canadians. This used to be a problem in earlier years but both teams have at least that in Canadian starters in regular MLS games. However it's best to have the biggest possible player pool to pick from.

This was the first win this season for TFC II. Their record improves to 1 win, 4 losses, 1 tie, 0 shoot-out-wins (a Penalty kick contest at the end of a 90 minute tie game to award a bonus point) for 4 points. That moves them up to twelfth in the thirteen team Eastern Conference. The top seven teams qualify for the playoffs. Today's opponents had beaten them 4-2 in their season opener in Cincinnati.

Cincinnati's record falls to 2 wins, 2 losses, 2 ties, 0 SOW for 8 points. That's good for ninth place. Both teams from this game have a game in hand on about half the teams in the conference.

TFC II's next game is next Sunday here at York Lions Stadium at 7:00pm against New England Revolution II who are another of those 50-50 teams TFC has to pass in the standings to make a second appearance in post season play.

Rocket Robin
robin.glover.1958@gmail.com
twitter @RocketRobin01

Toronto FC II starters