Soccer In Toronto 09.18.09

By Rocket Robin Soccer In Toronto

CSL Result
Friday September 18th, 2009

Final Score
Portugal FC 1, London City 0

Venue
Lamport Stadium, Toronto

Kickoff
8:00 pm

Highlights
76 min … Portugal FC Jaime Carvalho GOAL
PFC Jaroslaw Radzinski rush on left 15 yards wide of net centers cross that Carvalho even with right post kicks in 5 yarder to right side of net with goalie Scott Mueller forced to guard the center of goal.

Notes
Attendance was about 50 for this game but swelled to almost double that later with permit holders ready to play in the U-Sector league game. The evening was cool with the smart fans wearing thick coats for the falling temperatures. The stadium has its score clock working again after a few games of it being broken.

Referee Silviu Petrescu was the head official for this game in what was not a rough game. Both teams were called for a lot of offsides.

Portugal FC had dozens of chances but their shots were off target or saved by the goalie Scott Mueller. Best chances were at 41 minutes when PFC Carlos Nogueira rushed along right and deked a defender at 10 yards and on his shot that Mueller got a hand to and pushed wide right of net. At 53 minutes PFC Gustavo Serrano got a pass from the left at 20 yards and blasted a shot that hit the bar and PFC Danny Amaral blasted the 15 yard rebound wide right of the net. At 73 minutes, Jaime Carvalho took a cornerkick from the right and PFC Giovanni Annissi blasted a 12 yard shot over the net. At 81 minutes PFC Darcy Lenton received a ball behind the last defender at 15 yards and he bumped into Mueller trying to get around him at 5 yards and he fell on the goalie and the referee blew the whistle.

Portugal will not be getting anywhere near that number of scoring chances in their playoff games. They had a kind fan behind the back fence fetch a ball that crossed through the almost empty parking lot and just when he threw it back over the fence, another shot was blasted behind the fence. That was twice within five minutes. It will be two games and out if PFC play like that again.

Mike Silva earned the shutout for Portugal without being tested much.

Both teams only brought three subs. London used up two of them within the first half and almost had to use their substitute goalie, Chris Davis, as an outfield player when defender Keith Smith was injured at 17 minutes but Smith recovered on the sideline and returned to finish the game. I have no idea why PFC would have so few substitutes for a home game.

This was the last game of the regular season for both teams. London had been eliminated from the playoffs many weeks ago. Portugal clinched a spot a week ago and with tonights win rise from eighth to sixth place in the standings although they could be knocked back down depending on game results later this weekend. Every team wants to avoid the traveling expenses to Quebec and unbeaten-at-home record of Trois-Rivieres Attak.

City manager Ryan Gauss is already planning for next year. He said they have interest from players currently from local teams from around London and some players who want to finish their playing days on London City.