July 21, 2023 MLS NEXT Pro...Toronto FC II vs Inter Miami CF II game report (by Rocket Robin)

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Result and details of the Friday July 21, 2023 MLS NEXT Pro game between Toronto FC II and Inter Miami CF 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)
92 Theo Rigopoulos...51 Adam Pearlman...76 Lazar Stefanovic...81 Themi Antonoglou
...71 Markuis Cimermancic...65 Antony Curic...70 Matthew Caravolo...73 Jesus Batiz
..............86 Alec Diaz...33 Reshaun Walkes

Subs:...40 Adisa De Rosario (gk)...62 Rohan Goulbourne (def)...89 Matthew Medeiros (def)...68 Lucas Olguin (mid)
...85 Marko Stojandinovic (mid)...94 Myles Morgan (fwd)...33 Reshaun Walkes (fwd)...82 Julian Altobelli (mid)
...91 Dekwon Barrow (fwd)
team officials:...head coach Gianni Cimini...assistant coach Marco Casalinuovo and Yianni Michelos
...goalkeeping coach David Monsalve

Inter Miami CF II (all pink uniforms, black names and numbers)

.........................88 Owen Finnerty
77 Nykolas Sessock...44 Modesto Mendez...50 Kevin Gorbell...76 Ezequiel Abadia-Reda
35 Felipe Valencia...43 Lawson Sunderland...36 Abel Caputo (cpt)...81 Santiago Morales...57 Myles Perkovich
........................63 Lorenzo D'Agostini

Subs:...71 Markus Steinhauser (gk)...67 Bryan Destin (fwd)...89 Cameron Johnson (fwd)...48 Tye Barton (def)
...45 Lucas Meek (fwd)...69 Ricardo Montenegro (def)
team officials:...head coach Federico Higuain...assistant coach Cristian Ledesma...goalkeeping coach Crhis Barocas

First Half:...game starts 7:02pm...TFC defends south end on this mild evening with a strong breeze from the north and the sun
is from the north west.
4 min...Miami Felipe Valencia GOAL...IM Ezequiel Abadia-Reda rolls pass from 25 yards on run down left
and IM Lawson Sunderland surrounded by four defenders lets it roll by him in middle and charging Valencia gets ball
at 7 yards on right and steps around TFC Themi Antonoglou towards goal and shoots into short right side of net past
goalie Luka Gavran.
8 min...TFC Cimermancic high cross from left at 15 yards catches TFC Dias offside on right side of box at 10 yards.
9 min...TFC Catavolo 35 yard freekick from slight left is into charging players in box and ball pops off defender at 7 yards
and goalie steps forward to leap and catch.
11 min...IM Morales and Perkovich on give and go on left but centering pass into box is cleared.
12 min...IM Morales cornerkick from left has goalie catch in crowd before IM D'Agostini can connect on header at 5 yards.
15 min...TFC goalie is out to 28 yards in middle to boot through ball out right side of field.
17 min...TFC Dias chips cross from 22 yards on right is well over box.
19 min...TFC Mbongue long run up right and wins cornerkick on low centering cross in to 6 yard box by sliding defender.
19 min...TFC Antonoglou from right has goalie puncnh ball out for cornerkick on left.
20 min...TFC Catavolo cornerkick from left is cleared from box.
22 min...IM Morales low cross from 20 yard line from left is blocked for throw-in.
25 min...TFC Batiz cross from 22 yards along left end line hits TFC Mbongue at 5 yards and deflects away from box for fast break out.
28 min...IM Morales 33 yard freekick from slight left is low and caught on near post by goalie diving forward.
30 min...IM Valencia flicks header from 22 yards on right that bounces into box but no IM players run for it and goalie steps forward
to pick up.
30 min...IM D'Agostini 25 yard roller from left is just wide right of post.
33 min...TFC Antonoglou gets short pass forward and rolls 12 yard shot on left wide right of post.
35 min...IM subs start warming up. TFC subs have already started in the opposite end zone.
36 min...TFC Antonoglou heads ball back to goalie from right to keep away from IM Valencia.
37 min...TFC Rigopoulos low cross from right has defender clear in center of box on 6 yard line.
37 min...TFC Catavolo steps to center along 22 yard line and fires shot over net.
38 min...TFC Stefanovic makes big clearance of cross from left preventing IM player getting to it.
40 min...IM Morales cornerkick from left results in two point blank shots from 7 yards but ball is then cleared.
41 min...TFC YELLOW card...Antonoglou earns it for complaining about the play that just happened.
TFC Antonoglou had gotten to a breakaway pass and is caught at 22 yards on jersey drag and doesn't get away shot nor freekick.
42 min...IM Sessock heads ball back to goalie to prevent TFC Batiz getting to cross on left side of box.
42 min...TFC Antonoglou low 20 yard cross from left has ball deflect off TFC Mbongue at 5 yards and deflect wide left for goalkick.
44 min...IM Sessock makes big flick header in 6 yard box in crowd of players to pop up TFC Diaz cross from right end line and out
left side of box.
45 min...half ends 7:47pm with no time added.

Halftime: Both teams' subs warm up at halftime.

The contest today is between a child beating another child and a man kicking a ball as close to the center circle flag as possible.

Second Half:...starts 8:04pm. The field is not mostly in shadow and the temperature has become a lot cooler.
halftime sub:...TFC Walkes replaces Diaz.
46 min...IM D'Agostini low 22 yarder up middle is picked up by goalie.
46 min...TFC Walkes taps pass up right to TFC Rigopoulos and he rolls 12 yarder wide left.
48 min...TFC Mbongue rolls ball forward on left to TFC Batiz who goes down with hand on shoulder before reaching box
but no call is given.
50 min...TFC Cimermancic ends pressure with 22 yarder over net but wins cornerkick on deflection.
50 min...TFC Anonoglou cocrnerkick frfom left has TFC Walkes recover ball on bounce and heads 7 yarder on left over net.
52 min...TFC Batiz on 1 on 1 rolls ball over end line as he can't get around defender.
53 min...Miami RED card...Kevin Gorbell earns a direct ejection for a sliding tackle from behind on TFC Hugo Mbongue
who was in the clear from 35 yards and the tackle was at the 25 yard line.
55 min...TFC Catavolo 25 yard freekick down middle is into head in player wall. TFC Walkes gets shot from 7 yards blocked.
55 min...TFC YELLOW card...Curic earns it for pull down just on IM side of center line preventing breakaway.
57 min...TFC Batiz has IM Mendez block his shot at 15 yards after a long run.
58 min...IM sub...Montenegro replaces Perkovich.
............IM sub...Barton replaces Morales.
60 min...TFC Reshaun Walkes GOAL...TFC Matthew Catavolo passes from 30 yards on slight left and Walkes run
in from 20 yards and rounds the sliding goalie Owen Finnerty at 8 yards for a tap in on right to center of empty net.
61 min...IM Valencia is tapped pass and 20 yarder down middle is just over bar.
63 min...TFC Catavolo cross in from left has defender in box head ball away and start break out.
64 min...TFC Batiz run on lefet and cross is steps ahead of charging TFC Walkes at 8 yards on right.
65 min...TFC Catavolo cornerkick from left has goalie punch ball away in crowd of players by flying forward.
66 min...TFC Hugo Mbongue GOAL...TFC Lazar Stefanovic chips ball from 28 yards on left that TFC Markus Cimermancic
pops up header in crowd of players at 7 yards on right across box along 4 yard line and leaping Mbongue heads in 4 yarder
over goalie who flew forward to try and beat him to ball and header flies into center of empty net.
69 min...TFC Batiz is banged over on 1 on 4 rush and ball is taken away at IM 20 yard line.
69 min...IM Montenegro rusn on lleft and low cross into 6 yard box has TFC Pearlman clear.
72 min...IM player sends dangerous cross from left and muliple players miss connecting to shoot or clear ball but ball bounces
out right side.
74 min...TFC goalie is out to 35 yards and almost gets caught.
74 min...TFC Hugo Mbongue GOAL...TFC Antony Curic is able to muscle IM Felipe Valencia off ball at IM 40 yard line
and taps pass forward and right to TFC Reshaun Walkes. Walkes sends low pass from right along the 8 yard line. Mbongue
sets ball and shoots low 8 yarder down middle into left side of net over diving goalie.
76 min...IM Abadia-Reda high cross from left and IM Sessock pops 20 yard header high and right of net.
77 min...IM Abadin-Reda 15 yard blasts from left is wide left.
79 min...TFC Jesus Batiz GOAL...TFC Hugo Mbongue at 25 yards passes up middle to Batiz sho steps around defender
to get away 12 yard shot in middle to top right corner.
79 min...IM sub...Destin replaces Valencia.
.............IM sub...Johnson replaces Sessock.
80 min...TFC sub...Altobelli replaces Mbongue.
.............TFC sub...Olguin replaces Catavolo.
82 min...IM Mendez holds off TFC Batiz from getting to pass down middle and getting away shot. IM goalie smothers ball
at 8 yards on right side of box.
84 min...TFC player's rush to left side of box is broken up when his cross rolls into box.
85 min...TFC Antonoglou chips pass and TFC Batiz shoots wide left from 10 yards.
86 min...TFC sub...Stojaninovic replaces Rigopoulos.
...........TFC sub...Barrow replaces Batiz.
87 min...TFC Themi Antonoglou GOAL...TFC Julian Altobelli 20 yard roller up middle has diving goalie make stop.
Big rebound to 8 yards on left and Antonoglou blasts 10 yarder into top right corner of net with goalie guarding
near post. Antonoglou had started the play earlier with a cornerkick from the left that was only partially cleared.
89 min...IM goalie and IM Johnson block TFC Stojandinovic shot from 10 yards who he gets past and wins cornerkick.
90 min...TFC Atnonoglou cornerkick from right has defender head wide left in crowd of players for another cornerkick.
91 min...TFC Altobelli cornerkick from left is worked over and TFC Olguin shoots 18 yarder over bar.
92 min...TFC Barrow can't get away shot at 15 yards when given pass.
93 min...TFC Dekwon Barrow GOAL...TFC Marko Stojandinovic runs down right to get to ball sent there and low pass
through box has charging Barrow take flick footed rolling shot from 7 yards in middle that sprawling goalie gets a piece
of but deflects it into left side of net.
94 game ends 8:53pm.

Final Score:.......Toronto FC II.......6.......Inter Miami CF II.......1........

Attendance was about 200 which was lower than the last few games. This one had no weather forecasts of rain so I thought there'd be more people here. When TFC II wins the PA plays 'Just Can't Get Enough' by Depeche Mode, the same as the MLS club. Now people will be thinking of 'Big Macs' because the McDonalds restaurants are playing that song as a new jingle and saturating the airwaves.

Certainly a game that turned around after the Red card. For times in the second half it looked like a hockey power play with passing around the edges looking for a perfect shot.

Fotmob rated Hugo Mbongue a 9.2 for tonight's performance. I was ready to substitute him at halftime for his misses none worse then at 42 minutes when Themi Antonoglou made a low 20 yard cross from the left that a Mbongue deflected off himself at 5 yards wide left for a goalkick. TFC head coach Gianni Cimini held back the subs instead making only one at halftime Reshaun Walkes replacing Alec Dias as one of the forwards.

Referee Isabelle Duclos gave out two Yellow cards (one to each team) and the direct Red. I liked her as it was soon established that she wasn't going to be giving out a lot of cards. It was like the Women's World Cup game last night between Canada and Nigeria with a lot of stuff being let go. Antonoglou had a claim earlier for Red card as he was grabbed by the shoulder while on a breakaway at 41 minutes and was caught at 22 yards. He ended up getting a Yellow for complaining. Duclos looked like she was only 5 foot tall but handled the 6+ foot players and ignored the screams of the fans.

Some of those same fans turned on the TFC coach and players with cries to shoot more and sooner with less moves and less passing. That was forgetten when TFC started when the players scored just the way they wanted to.

TFC looked like a team that had been training together. When I saw the hole in the MLS teams schedule I expected they'd be bombarded with drop downs and expected to give them playing time. There is a Cup competition which involves MLS teams and Mexican league clubs so that's why there's a month of no MLS league games. Maybe if TFC get knocked out in two weeks, they will dump players down here. Yes there are MLS contracted players on the team now but they've been playing here for months.

The biggest goal celebration of the night was in injury time long after the game was not in doubt when Deklon Barrow scored. He was mobbed by on-field players and players on the bench. I did look it up later and this was his first MLS NEXT Pro league goal. Hey I will always be able to say I was here and saw it! He is a 19 year old who usually is a late substitute.

Wow. This was the only team in the Eastern Conference lower in the standings than TFC. I was starting to wonder when they were scored on at 4 minutes. They had won their first regulation time road game of the season last weekend when they went to Alabama and beat Huntsville City.

The win improves TFC's record to 5 wins, 10 losses, 5 ties, 3 shoot-out-win bonus points for 23 points. That moves them up to tenth place in the standings passing FC Cincinnati 2 at 21 points and Huntsville City at 22 points. It's possible they will be knocked back down as this was the only game in the league tonight and the other teams will play later this weekend.

The seventh place playoff line is now 26 points held by New York City FC II but I expect that will rise with them or another team close to them winning tomorrow or Sunday.

InterMiami's record falls to 4 wins, 13 losses, 2 ties, and 0 shoot-out-wins for 14 points. Their team has just signed Lionel Messi and some other players to complement him so I thought they would need to drop some players down to this team but they didn't even bring a full bench of substitutes. TFC must love Miami. They are the only team underneath them in the MLS standings too!

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

Toronto FC II starters