Soccer In Toronto 05.30.08

By Rocket Robin Soccer In Toronto

Final Score
Toronto Lynx 0, Chicago Fire Premier 1

Venue
Varsity Centre, Toronto

Kickoff
7:30 pm

Highlights
9 min … Fire Peri Marosevic GOAL
Fire Michael Ferguson threads pass from center line up middle and Marosevic gets ball at 40 yards and his low 20 yard kick from right is rolled into left corner of net beyond goalie Nils Binstock.

79 min … Fire RED card
Brandon Barklage picks up his second Yellow card for kicking the ball into the Lynx net after the whistle was blown. Referee Vito Curalli had given him a Yellow card at 66 minutes for a tackle near the center line.

Notes
» Attendance was about 130 on this warm but wet night. It never rained as hard as predicted but more like an annoying mist. I’m glad I was inside the press box or it would ruin my notes. There wasn’t as much slipping around on the slick artificial turf as I expected.

» Pat Sperry earned the shutout for the Fire and he had to be good especially in the second half when the Lynx got through a few good shots. The Fire’s defense of Patrick McMahon, JD Binger, and Mike Giffin and the midfielders who pulled back in the second half blocked many of the kicks that the Lynx put into the box or kicked the ball away before the Lynx could set up that final touch. The Lynx had stretches near the end where the Fire end of the field was turned into a shooting gallery but the Fire was able to hold on. In injury time Lynx Lloyd Grist booted a high kick in from 30 yards and Fire Eric Gehrig saved on the line by turning and kicking away the ball as it passed him.

» The Fire are the first place team in the Midwest Division with a now 4 wins, 1 loss record.

» David Guzman was the captain of the Fire team tonight and played as a midfield winger. He played for Toronto FC last year. He took many of the cornerkicks and freekicks but he’s short in height.

» Rick Titus took the ceremonial kick off tonight. He was an original member of the Toronto Lynx 1997 season and this was the team’s first appearance back at Varsity since they left in 2001 and the old stadium was demolished. Tonight was called ‘Homecoming Night’.

» The Lynx Under 20 team beat the comparable Chicago Fire team 4-0 in the game right before this one.

» The Lynx record falls to 1-1. Their next game is Sunday June 1st against West Michigan at 4:00 pm as part of a doubleheader with the Lady Lynx who play Vermont at 1:00pm. Both games are at Centennial Stadium.

» Newest rumour is that Centennial Stadium will switch from natural grass to an artificial turf in August. I don’t know how that will happen when the CSL’s Serbian White Eagles are scheduled to play their every Friday in September. The stadium is the largest of Toronto’s grass fields and can hold 3000 in the stands.