May 14, 2023...MLS NEXT Pro...Toronto FC II vs New England Revolution II game report (by Rocket Robin)

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Result and details of the Sunday May 14, 2023 MLS NEXT Pro game between Toronto FC II and New England Revolution II
played at York Lions Stadium in North York at 7:00pm.

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

..........................40 Adisa De Rosario
51 Adam Pearlman (cpt)...89 Matthew Medeiros...68 Lucas Olguin...76 Lazar Stefanovic
..........73 Jesus Batiz...71 Markus Cimermancic...3 Cristian Gutierrez
..............70 Matthew Catavolo...82 Julian Altobelli...72 Jordan Faria

Subs:...30 Tomas Romero (gk)...62 Rohan Goulbourne (def)...86 Alec Diaz (fwd)...93 Ethan Kang (mid)
that's it!
team officials: head coach Gianni Cimini...assistant coaches Marco Casalinuovo and Yianni Michelis
...goalkeeping coach David Monsalve

New England Revolution II (all white uniforms, navy names and numbers, red trim)

..........................60 Maxwell Weinstein
37 Victor Souza...44 Pierre Cayet...32 Jake Rozhansky...41 Colby Quinones
43 Santiago Suarez...40 Ben Awasie...39 Marcos Dias...72 Damian Rivera
...............89 Malcolm Fry...99 Jordan Adebayo-Smith

Subs:...51 Kevin Christensen (gk)...33 Brandonn Bueno (mid)...35 Nakye Greenidge-Duncan (fwd)...48 Jacob Akanyirige (def)
...52 Jose Italo (def)...55 Weverton (fwd)
team officials:...head coach Clint Peay...assistant coach Marcelo Santos...goalkeeper coach Yuta Nomura
head athletic trainer Darrell St Jean...sports performance coach Pablo di Benedotto...team administration Brandon Miskin
...equipment manager Nathann Layton

Game officials:...referee Aubrey Kotelko...referee's assistants Stephanie Fortin and Melisssa Snedden
...fourth official DAvid Barrie (all black uniforms)

First Half:...game starts 7:02pm...TFC defends north end.
2 min...TFC Matthew Catavolo GOAL...Catavolo bends 25 yard freekick from right into short top right corner of net
beyond reach of goalie Maxwell Weinstein.
4 min...TFC Altobelli rush down left and pushes ball over end line.
5 min...Rev Dias cross from left has Rev Awasie get ball is knocked to hikm at 15 yards but he's checked off ball in middle.
7 min...TFC Catavolo cornerkick from right has charging TFC Pearlman run to head at 7 yards on right but wins cornerkick.
8 min...TFC Catavolo cornerkick from right has TFC Cimermancic flicks his foot sideways to get 8 yard shot from right
that goalie catches under bar.
9 min...TFC Altobelli rolls pass to TFC Catavolo on right and Catavolo centers back to Altobelli who kicks 15 yarder over bar.
11 min...Rev Rozhansky cornerkick from left has TFC Cimermancic in box heads ball in crowd of plaeyrs out right side of box.
12 min...Rev Rozhansky cornerkick from left has defenders head away up middle.
12 min...Rev Quinones cross is chipped from 35 yard line on left has Rev Awasie jumps and pops header from 7 yards wide right.
14 min...TFC Faria has shot blocked from 22 yards up middle.
19 min...Rev Rivera ball tips off defender at 20 yards back to TFC goalie.
21 min...Rev Rozhansky cornerkick from right is knocked around in box but ball rolls to goalie.
23 min...Rev Fry eludes sliding defender near right end line but high cross bends behind end line and whistled down before wind curls
it back into play.
26 min...Rev Fry wins cornerkick tryinig to deke defender on right.
26 min...Rev Rozhansky high cornerkick fro right is headed around and deflelcts off leaping arm of Rev Adebayo-Smith at 5 yards
to end play.
28 min...TF Altobelli chips over defenders at 22 yards and goalie beats TFC Batiz to catch.
29 min...Rev Rivera low cross from left wins cornerkick off diving goalie.
29 min...Rev Rozhansky cornerkick from left has goalie in crowd rush forward and swats out right side of box.
31 min...Rev Adebayo-Smith low shot from 12 yards on right on run deflects of defender.
32 min...Rev Rozhansky cornerkick from right has leaping goalie catch in crowd of players.
33 min...TFC YELLOW card...Pearlman earns it for pushing over Rev Rivera on run at TFC 40 yard line.
33 min...Rev Rozhansky 45 yard freekick from left is cleared on right side of box.
34 min...TFC Catavolo taps pass to TFC Faria and low 20 yard shot is stopped by diving goalie. TFC Altobelli shoots rebound
from 12 yards well wide left.
37 min...Rev Rozhansky cornerkick from left falls into middle of box and is cleared. TFC Catavolo is injured on bump in box.
38 min...TFC Jesus Batiz GOAL...Batiz recived a pass at 50 yard line on right from TFC Julian Altobelli and runs forward
and cuts towards middle where he bends 20 yard shot around defender and into right side of goal as flying goalie gets a hand
to it but only pushes it into the top right corner.
40 min...Rev Faria finally gets away shot after number of passes in box but 7 yarder from left is well high and left of net.
43 min...NE Revs (TFC own goal) GOAL...Revs Damian Rivera gets 12 yard shot from left that tips off the head
of TFC defender Markus Cimermancic at 6 yards in middle of box and deflects into top right corner of net.
45 min...Rev Adebayo-Smith beats one defender on run on left but rolls ball over end line when trying to cut in on TFC Pearlman.
46 min...half ends 7:48pm.

Second Half:...starts 8:04pm. The temperature is much cooler now with a wind from the north!
Halftime sub:..TFC Goulbourne replaces Gutierrez.
46 min...Rev Rozhansky 40 yard freekick from left is headed away by first defender on left.
49 min...Rev Rivera run down left eluding TFC Pearlman to get low cross. TFC goalie gets ball on slide to prevent tap-in down
middle but tips it wide left of post.
50 min...Rev player's cornerkick from left is cleared from box.
51 min...Rev Rivera trying to beat TFC Pearlman at 18 yards on lelft rolls ball over end line.
55 min...Rev Rivera can't control is tipped ball pass recovered off defender and pushes over end line.
56 min...Rev Adebayo-Smith rolls pass from left 25 yards in to box but goalie slides out to 12 yards on left to smother.
57 min...TFC goalie out to 30 yards to beat Rev Adebayo-Smith to through ball.
57 min...Rev Dias 40 yard shot up middle is batted down and picked up by goalie.
63 min...Rev player has midair shot of high pop up is down middle.
63 min...Rev sub...Weverton replaces Adeboyo-Smith.
64 min...TFC Rivera 33 yard freekick from left is headed away starting fast break out.
65 min...TFC goalie catches 30 yard shot from left.
68 min...TFC sub...Diaz replaces Altobelli. TFC still has not players warming up!
69 min...Rev Quinonez shot up from 20 yards on sllight left is caught by goalie on near post.
70 min...TFC goalie catches bouncer on edge of box ahead of Rev Fry. The goalie almost stepped out of his box.
72 min...Rev Fry rolls cross in from right along 10 yard line and TFC Fry kicks away.
74 min...Rev Fry eluded TFC Batiz to send low cross that tips off TFC Goulbourne and tips back for goalie to pick up.
76 min...Rev Weerton gets pass up left and rolls 15 yarder is just wide left of post.
77 min...TFC Batiz shot deflects off Rev Souza at 15 yards for cornerkick on left.
77 min...TFC Catavolo cornerkick from left head away in box. TFC Goulbourne shot up middle also cleared.
78 min...Rev Weverton shot into box is stopped by TFC Cimermancic.
78 min...Rev sub...Greenidge-Duncan replaces Fry.
...........Rev sub...Bueno replaces Awasie.
79 min...Rev Rozhansky cornerkick from left is cleared in box.
80 min...Rev Rozhansky cross from 25 yards on left is cleared.
80 min...Rev YELLOW card...Cayet earns it for pulling down TFC Faria breaking away on right sideline at Rev 50 yard line.
81 min...Rev Rivera is off field for treatment of leg cut for 2 minutes.
83 min...NE Revs Damian Rivera GOAL...A Revs player chests a pass down on edge of 18 yard box with his back turned
to goal. Revs Brandon Bueno recovers at 20 yards and sends short pass further left to Rivera who has open shot to find
right side of net beyond goalie Adisa De Rosario.
85 min...NE Revs Damian Rivera GOAL...Revs Pierre Cayet sends short pass forward on left side and Rivera takes
one step and shoots 15 yard roller between defenders into net.
85 min...Rev goalie catches headed back pass on dive to prevent through ball.
87 min...Rev sub...Akanyirige replaces Dias.
88 min...Rev Weberton is injured jumping for header by leaping over TFC player. TFC are awarded a freekick at the TFC 35 yard line.
TFC take freekick but Rev Weverton gets to knees and falls oer again needing trainer for a head injury.
90 min...Rev sub...Italo replaces injured Weverton.
95 min...TFC player crosses from the right into the box along the 10 yard line and leaping TFC Diaz header hits underside
of cross bar and stays out as it hits ground for goalie to grab.
96 min...game ends 8:55pm.

Final Score: Toronto FC II.......2.......New England Revolution II.......3........

Attendance was about 175 on this mild evening but the temperature was cooling fast and I was hoping for no Penalty kick contest to break a tie with ten minutes left never expecting the Revs would score twice to turn the game around.

Adisa De Rosario was given a rare start today as regular goalie Luka Gavran was watching from the stands and answered me after the game that the team was observing concussion protocol because of an injury he suffered during training earlier in the week. While De Rosario doesn't have the 6'5 size of Gavran he can leap quite high to catch crosses into the box.

It was a miserable day for the De Ro family as older brother Osaze who also plays home games at York Lions Stadium when CPL York United FC have a home game was out in Victoria BC at the same time this game was on got into his game as striker at 65 minutes but couldn't score to rescue a 4-1 loss to Pacific FC.

The TFC bench was quite short tonight with only a spare goalie and three outfield players listed. I was getting tweets all day that their under 19 team was playing in a tournament down in the US so that drained the call up chances and the MLS team took three usual TFC II players to their game in Montreal last night. Defender Antony Curic came in at the 90th minute of that game for his MLS debut. Themi Antonoglou was in at 81 minutes and Hugo Mbongue (who actually is under an MLS contract) were the players taken.

On the way out a mother was taking a picture of a uniform of Kevin Chistensen the back up goalie listed only as a spare player on the pregame tweet. She said he is a 16 year old goalie just called up to the team as their U-19s are also playing at the same tournament in Maryland as the TFC Academy is at.

Defender Adam Pearlman was today's TFC captain because of goalie Gavran's absence. I thought he played his best home game of the season with key checks and blocks of shots.

Wow Damian Rivera! I had him initially scoring all three Revs goals. His last two were so quick I wondered if any TV coverage would have time to show a replay before he was down to field again to score another! I read after the game that revealed he does have a pro contract with the MLS team.

Referee Aubrey Kotelko gave out only two Yellow cards (one to each team) and it was easy to see his signalling “play on” for the advantage rule. No rough stuff this game. Only mistake I thought was at 88 minutes when Revs one-name player Weverton was injured jumping over a TFC player at the TFC 35 yard line for a header. Proper call for a TFC freekick but Weverton was injured. TFC played the freekick but Weverton was not up yet and when he was on his knees he fell over again. Koltelko blew his whistle and the team trainer was brought on to examine him. Tough decision as was the Brazilian player faking the injury to waste time or should he observe there might be concussion protocol to go through? Seemed to be some relief on the Revs bench that Jose Italo would be allowed on as a 'concussion' sub even though it was only their fifth change of the game but were probably concerned they had surpassed their three “opportunity (non-halftime) windows” to bring on someone new. Weverton got help to almost wobble back to the player bench.

Last seconds of injury time had TFC Alec Dias receive a cross from the right and send a header down the middle from 12 yards that hit the underside of the crossbar but stayed out for the goalie could grab.

A nice gesture after the game was friends Rohan Goulbourne of TFC II and Revs II Nakye Greenidge-Duncan who until last year played for TFC II exchanged jerseys as a photographer on the field took their picture. Noble Okello also played for TFC II as recently as last season was in street clothes pregame at the Revs bench. It is nice that the MLS changed its rules that Academy players of any MLS team would be considered 'Domestics' and not use up a foreign roster spot and therefore prolonging the career of these early 20-something Canadians.

By the time I got home all the Eastern Conference games were over.

TFC II's record falls to 1 win, 5 losses, 1 tie for 4 points and they stay in thirteenth (ie last place) in the East.

The Revs II improve to 4 wins, 3 losses, 1 tie, 1 bonus point (earned by winning a Penalty kick contest to break up a 90 minute tie) for 14 points. That win moves them up to third in the East. Top seven teams from the East make the playoffs.

TFC II has one more game in their three game home stand and that's next Sunday against Chicago Fire II at 7:00pm. Tonight was Mother's Day and that may explain the reason for a rather low attendance in the nice weather although not having Luka Gavran play could explain maybe 40 odd friends and family members alone not showing up and saving the drive from Hamilton!

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

Toronto FC II starters