Soccer In Toronto 08.02.09

By Rocket Robin Soccer In Toronto

CSL Result
Sunday August 2nd, 2009

Final Score
Toronto Croatia 1, TFC Academy 0

Venue
Centennial Stadium, Etobicoke

Kickoff
8:15 pm

Highlights
3 min … Croatia Tihomir Maletic GOAL
Maletic eludes bump by defender at 15 yards to get around him and shoots 12 yarder low and into left side of net beyond goalie Sotiri Varlokostos.

Notes
Attendance was supposedly 321 by a team official but it looked like about 125 were actually here.

Sandi Matika earned the shutout for Croatia only having to make about three crucial saves.

Referee Michael Lambert had a quiet night giving out only two Yellow cards. He got a huge cheer when he got hit by a ball blasted by a TFCA player at 62 minutes.

An ugly incident at 66 minutes happened when TFCA’s Brennan McNicoll pulled down Croatia’s Ivan Zgela, who was leading a charge down the field, by falling on him from behind. Zgela immediately signaled the bench that he’d been hurt. He was carried from the field by the trainer Rachel Leroux and five players. The TFC trainers came over to help after Zgela was laid on the sideline. If this is the new player that replaced Mario Pupic who also wore #11, it means he’s the player I’ve heard about who came over from Croatia (the country) to play with this team. Probably a broken ankle or leg. McNicoll was given a Yellow card on the play.

Because of the City of Toronto workers strike which was finally settled earlier in the week, the stadium was available for the first time in a month. It took me partway through the game to realize that in that month a contractor has installed aluminum benches in the stands so fans don’t have to sit on the painted concrete. Before the stadium was renovated with field turf at the beginning of the season, the stands had rotting wooden benches which were still better than bare concrete.

More details emerged from the Serbia White Eagles and London City game which I saw on Friday night—a 7-0 blowout for White Eagles. A team official said how London was able to earn a 1-1 tie back on June 26th and, he admitted, almost won. They used a team of players that never played in the league before or since. I don’t really have a way of checking that out.

Toronto Croatia stays undefeated so far this year passing the halfway point of the season.

CSL Result
Sunday August 2nd, 2009

Final Score
Italia Shooters 3, Brampton Lions 1

Venue
St Joan of Arc Catholic High School, Maple

Kickoff
5:00 pm

Highlights
16 min … Shooters Kadian Lecky GOAL
Lecky rushes down the middle and his 15 yard shot has Lions Nicholas Poku block his shot but he overruns the ball and Lecky gets second kick from 15 yards and send shot under sliding goalie Kevin Doyle.

44 min … Lions Alex Arbello GOAL
Arbello gets high popped up ball at 35 yards and turns and blasts shot up middle that lands in right corner of net beyond diving goalie Camilo Benzi.

49 min … Shooters Johan Carrera GOAL
Shooters Aundre Rollins on right crosses high to box and Shooters Daryl Gomez shoots 18 yard shot that Carrera at 7 yards on left makes midair poke at ball sending it into right side of net.

72 min … Shooters Jordan Webb GOAL
Webb rush from 50 yards and runs through middle avoiding giving pass to offside Shooters Kadian Lecky who lets him run by and he banks 18 yard low shot off inside of left post as goalie is falling backwards.

Notes
Attendance was about 200 people which more than usual but there were a lot of children from the Shooters Academy and some traveling Lions fans on this warm sunny late afternoon.

Jordan Webb had only been on the field for 11 minutes before he scored. I’ve watched him earlier this spring and summer play for the PDL Toronto Lynx and was named their Rookie of the Year and MVP.

Lions captain Alex Arbello had among the best goals of the year with that blast almost too fast to see just before halftime.

Referee Yusri Rudolf had a quiet game giving out only three Yellow cards late in the game.

Lions hold the final playoff spot in the league with their interlocked schedule. I wouldn’t know this until hours later but the North York Astros won 4-0 against Portugal FC as their second win in three weeks (losing last week to the Shooters) and still scheduled to play their two games against the Lions and league cellar dwellers London City, the Astros still have a chance at the playoffs. Actually Portugal FC is only one game ahead of the Lions and they’ve played one more game.