May 21, 2023 MLS NEXT Pro...Toronto FC II vs Chicago Fire II game report (by Rocket Robin)

May 21, 2023 MLS NEXT Pro...Toronto FC II vs Chicago Fire FC II game report (by Rocket Robin)

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Result and details of the Sunday May 21, 2023 MLS NEXT Pro game between Toronto FC II and Chicago Fire FC II played
at York Lions Stadium in North York at 7:00pm.

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

.....................90 Luka Gavran (cpt)
65 Antony Curic...51 Adam Perlman...76 Lazar Stefanovic...62 Rohan Goulbourne
.........73 Jesus Batiz...68 Lucas Olguin...71 Markus Cimermancic
.........70 Matthew Catavolo...82 Julian Altobelli...72 Jordan Faria

Subs:...40 Adisa De Rosario (gk)...74 Kundai Mawoko (def)...89 Matthew Medeiros (def)...93 Ethan Kang (mid)
...86 Alec Diaz (fwd)...91 Dekwon Barrow (fwd)
team officials:...head coach Gianni Cimini...assistant coach Marco Casalinuovo and Yianni Michelis
...goalkeeping coach David Monsalve

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

......................41 Mihajlo Miskovic
36 Justin Reynolds...43 Noah Egan...54 Lamonth Rochester
45 Harold Osorio...49 Luka Prpa (cpt)...52 Richard Fleming III...48 Charlie Ostrem
.......55 Omari Glasgow...47 Billy Hency...58 Michael Nesci

Subs:...70 Patrick Los (gk)...33 Victor Bezerra (fwd)...38 Alex Monis (mid)...39 Allan Rodriguez (mid)
...44 Noeh Hernandez (mid)...50 Eric Leonard (mid)...51 Michael Flores (mid)...53 Jake Fuderer (def)
...64 Andreas Ueland (def)
team officials:...head coach Ludovic Taillandier...assistant coach Patrick Nyarko...general manager Alex Boler

Game officials:...referee Mario Al-Ayass...referee's assistants Twayne Anderson and Melissa Snedden
...fourth official Fabrizio Stasolla (all black uniforms)

First Half:...game starts 7:02pm...TFC defends south end with the sun still up in the north west.
4 min...Fire player's long run up left wing and low cross is through 6 yard box too far for sliding Fire Hency. Fire Glasgow
rescues ball on right end line and 10 yard shot is just wide of left post.
7 min...Fire Ostrem rolls ball forward on left for Fire Hency who has low 12 yard shot saved on left post and play is flagged
down on rebound try.
9 min...TFC Catavolo rolls ball left to open TFC Altobelli on left and low 12 yard shot is stopped on near post by diving goalie.
12 min...Fire Hency rolls centering pass near right sideline has goalie rush right to pick up ball.
12 min...TFC Curic slides to tip Fire Osorio low shot wide right for cornerkick.
13 min...Fire Prpa cornerkick from right has bll deflect off Fire Egan and defender on left for cornerkick.
13 min...Fire Osorio cornerkick from left is over players in box and out right but play is whistled down.
16 min...Fire Glasgow cross on run down right hits defender and droips for TFC player to clear.
17 min...Fire Prpa 30 yard freekick from far right is bent well over net and wide left.
21 min...TFC Faria pushes way between defenders on run into left side of box and rolls ball too far forward that goalie
dives on ball on right side of net.
22 min...Fire Prpa receives rolled centering pass between players and 15 yard shot is deflected off TFC Stefanovic and over net.
22 min...Fire Osorio cornerkick from left and recross are both cleared from box.
I'm noticing a log of favourable calls for TFC from the referee so far this game.
26 min...TFC Pearlman rushes back to check ball off Fire Glasgow on breakaway set up poor tip back by TFC Faria at center line.
28 min...Fire Rochester 22 yard low shot from left is caught by goalie on near post.
28 min...A Fire pass into the top left of the TFC 18 yard box tips off arm of TFC Jesus Batiz. Referee Mario Al-Ayass awards
Fire a Penalty kick.
30 min...CF Harold Osorio GOAL...Osorio blasts Penalty kick to left side of net freezing goalie Luka Gavran in center of net.
31 min...Fire player takes 15 yard blast tips off defender well over net.
32 min...Fire Prpa cornerkick from right is headed away from middle of box.
33 min...Fire Glasgow bounces pass upfield from right that goalie out to pick up at 15 yards is just ahead of Fire Hency.
34 min...Fire Ostrem chips 33 yard freekick down middle that Fire Prpa can't turn with header at 12 yards on left end line.
36 min...Fire Glasgow low cross on run down right has TFC Pearlman retreats and gives up cornerkick dowm middle.
36 min...Fire players work out short cornerkick from left that has cross and recross cleared.
38 min...TFC Altobelli is tapped back pass and 20 yard shot up middle that's well over net.
41 min...Fire YELLOW card...Rochester earns it for foot up on sideline knocking down TFC Catavolo.
43 min...TFC Batiz long run up right but defender gets back to check ball off him.
45 min...Fire Hency rushed down right and centers roller but defender is there to clear.
46 min...half ends 7:48pm.

Halftime Entertainment: There's a 'keep up' contest involving two girls from the Richmond Hill U-14 team that were acting
as ball kids for this game. The winner got two tickets to Wednesday's Toronto FC MLS game and a 2023 TFC scarf. Yikes the
MLS team is not on form. It reminds me of that joke originating from Quebec. "Second prize is four tickets to the game!"

Interesting that the TFC subs are subject to a vigorous and supervised warm up instead of just a kick around.

The weather is getting colder fast. There's no more sun casting shadows of the field. There is now a strong wind from the north.

Second Half:...starts 8:04pm.
halftime subs:...TFC Rigopoulos replaces Goulbourne.
...................Fire Leonard replaces Rochester.
45 min...Fire Ostrem receives tap back on left and crosses from left edge of 18 yard box. Fire Hency at 8 yards in middle ean't
fully tip header on net.
47 min...Fire Glasgow rolls pass on left too far foward for teammate.
47 min...CF Michael Nesci GOAL...Fire Harold Osorio on run up middle rolls pass forward from 25 yard line to charging
Nesci at 20 yards on slight right and he runs into box and cuts around retreating TFC Lazar Stefanovic at 10 yards
and shoots low shot into center of net under goalie at 3 yards who was even with right post.
49 min...TFC Julian Altobelli GOAL...TFC Lucas Olguin cornerkick from left has Altobelli blasts one toucch mid air shot
from right at 8 yards off underside of bar in center of net past goalie Mihajlo Miskovic.
50 min...Fire Glasgow is injured at TFC 35 yard line.
53 min...TFC Batiz can't win Penalty kick on weak fall on left side of box.
53 min...TFC Catavolo pushes ball over end line.
55 min...Fire sub...Bezzerra replaces Hency.
.............Fire sub...Moniw replaces Nesci.
57 min...TFC Faria and TFC Rigopoulos on give and go down right and Faria takes low 15 yard shot from right that's wide left
of net.
59 min...TFC Faria shot from 12 yards tip off Fire Egan for cornerkick.
59 min...TFC Catavolo from left is caught by goalie in middle of 6 yard box.
62 min...Fire YELLOW card...Egan earns it for not giving 10 yards for a quick freekick after a handball call at the Fire 40 yard line.
64 min...TFC Julian Altobelli GOAL...TFC Lucas Olguin on run in middle at 45 yards rolls pass forward and right
for TFC Jordan Faria to run on from far right cutting toward top of the boxx where he taps ball forward for
TFC Theo Rigopoulos to continue to the right end line and send low 12 yarder from near end line which the goalie dives
forward on the near post and pushes the fall forward and to the left where Altobelli in the open shoots 7 yarder forward
between two defenders into top left corner of net.
65 min...TFC Catavolo can't win weak Penalty kick call on left side of box.
66 min...TFC Catavolo 20 yar freekick on left end line has goalie leap to punch ball away.
66 min...Fire Monis is injured on knock down in Fire box and needs trainer.
67 min....TFC Cimermancic stops Fire Leonard clearance at Fire 50 yard line and runs downfield cutting to middle from right.
He takes low 25 yard shot that sprawling goalie saves and TFC Altobelli had already overrun ball allowing defenders
to make clearance.
68 min...TFC Faria runs on right and crosses into middle has TFC Altobelli tip ball up to himself the knock down
and kicks 10 yarder into net but play is called back for a handball.
69 min...TFC sub...Diaz replaces Faria.
70 min...Fire Bezerra rolls 20 yard shot wide left of net.
70 min...TFC Catavolo 25 yard shot is blocked by defender at 15 yards.
72 min...Fire goalile catches chip from left before TFC Catavolo can get to it.
73 min...Fire Osorio 40 yard freekick chip from left hass goalie leap and catch by jumping forward at 12 yards in crowd of players.
76 min...TFC Catavolo cornerkick from left is passed around outside of box and Catavolo finally chips 45 yarder down middle
to right and TFC Altobelli shanks midair shot attempt at 8 yards on right.
79 min...TFC Alec Diaz GOAL...TFC Julian Altobelli on the left sends centering pass to charging Diaz at 25 yards
and he slows down run to take 15 yarder from slight beyond a retreating sliding defender and the diving goalie
to just inside the left post.
81 min...Fire Ostrem cross from 25 yards on left has two defenders make clearance.
82 min...TFC Diaz cuts along 28 yard line and low shot up middle has goalie smother.
83 min...TFC Altobelli 28 yard shot from near right endline is caught by goalie drifting to left of box.
85 min...Fire sub...Hernandez replaces Fleming.
.............Fire sub...Fire Ueland replaces Reynolds.
85 min...Fire player's cornerkick from left has Fire Leonard win cornerkick on blasts off defender after ball is kicked around.
86 min...Fire Osorio conrerkick from left is cleared from box.
87 min...Fire Egan cross from left into box has leaping TFC Curic make key clearing header. A Fire player's 30 yard rebound
is blasted down mniddle well over net.
88 min...TFC YELLOW card...Batiz earns it for tackle on right sideline near center line.
92 min...Fire Hernandez wins cornerkick on blocked shot from 7 yards on far left.
92 min...TFC sub...Mawoko replaces Catavolo.
93 min...Fire Egan cornerkick from left has TFC goalie catch but fumble ball and Fire Monis has shot from 20 yards blocked.
Fire Glasgow eventually gets chip from 30 yards back into box from left and Fire Prpa at 8 yards on right is not able
to turn header towards goal.
94 min...TFC goalie jumps forward to dive and catch chip into box at 15 yard line.
95 min...Fire Ostrem cross into box is headed away by defender.
95 min...game ends 8:54pm.

Final Score:.....Toronto FC II......3.......Chicago Fire II.......2.......

Attendance was about 100 on this mild evening with the temperature dropping fast once it was halftime. The crowd was boosted by the parents of the ball girls from the Richmond Hill U-14 girls team. TFC II finishes a three Sunday evenings in a row home stand with a game played during a rainstorm for the first half, the next played on Mothers Day, and tonight's game on the Victoria Day long weekend so none matched their opening night game back in April 14th when I estimated 600 people were here. The one food truck—well a van that unloaded a barbecue set up under a canopy—that was here the last two games, wasn't even here which is a hint that they don't see showing up as worth it for business.

I was worried that TFC II would have a thin bench like they did last week when the MLS team had played the night before in Montreal. Last night, the main team had been in Austin Texas and had TFC II players Markus Cimermancic, Antony Curic and Jordan Faria on the bench along with sometime loanees to TFC II Themi Antonoglou, Kosi Thompson and Hugo Mbongue. That game had Thompson and Mbongue brought in at halftime and Faria brought in at 67 minutes to make his MLS debut. Tonight Curic, Cimermancic, and Faria were all starters.

The response so soon after the Fire's second goal was a key point of the match and kept TFC in the game. After TFC's first goal, it was mostly one way traffic in chances the rest of the way until about 85 minutes when Fire pressed for an equalizer. I was hoping for no PK shootout as it was getting cold nearing 10:00pm.

Luka Gavran returned to play goalie after sitting out last week's game due to concussion protocol from a knock picked up in training. I'd say he gives the entire team a more confident demeanor. He does wear the captain's armband so the team appreciates his leadership.

Two goals for Julian Altobelli should get him on the league's Team-of-the-Week...I have him involved in all three TFC goals but the winning play a scorekeeper couldn't give him an official assist.

Referee Mario Al-Ayass gave out just three Yellow cards tonight (two to the Fire) but called a lot of freekicks against Chicago for fouls. The league website lists Fire leading that category 24 to 14.

The win improves TFC's record to 2 wins, 5 losses, 1 tie, 0 shoot-out bonus points (held to break a tie) for 7 points. That still leaves them in thirteenth (ie last) in the Eastern Conference. Their plus/minus for goals is 15-19 for -4 which isn't bad in that they are close in every game.

Chicago falls to 2 wins, 4 losses, 3 ties, 0 shoot-out wins for 9 points. They are tenth in the East. A top seven finish is required to make the playoffs.

TFC II goes on the road next week to play NYCFC II in New York and will be back home on Sunday June 4 for an 8:00pm start against Orlando City B.

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

Toronto FC II starters