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Result of the Friday June 9, 2006 CSL game between Toronto Croatia and Caribbean Selects played at Memorial Park in Streetsville at 8:00pm.
Toronto Croatia (blue socks, white shorts and numbers, red shirts)
...............................1 George Azcurra (cpt)
4 Domagoj Sain...2 Robert Fran...5 Antonijo Zupan...16 Halburto Harris
6 Mario Kulis...13 Zvjezdan Kresic...11 Velemir Crljen...8 Hayden Fitzwilliams
......................10 Leo Laurito...9 Peter Curic
Subs:...12 Mate Jurkin (gk)...7 Caswain Mason (mid)...14 Joseph Cosentino (def)...17 Goran Grubesic (mid)...20 Tommy Ples (fwd)...21 Rudy Spajic (fwd)...30 Tom Granic (def)
team officials:...head coach Mladen Pralija...assistant coach Velemir Crljen...goalkeeping coach Kruno Culjak...manager Vlado Manjerovic...equipment manager Nedo Radman...sports trainer Nino Sonsini...club official Theo Krajacic
Caribbean Selects (white socks and trim, blue shorts and shirts, red numbers)
................................1 Ramon McIntosh
13 Dustin Chung...5 Kevon Chambers...22 John Lewis...28 Kevin Turnbull
6 Ajani Stapleton...17 Paul Okumu...7 Jahmo Welch...26 Douglas Sereti
......................9 Steven Craig...8 Osman Samura
Subs:...14/00 Dixon Modeste (gk/player)...19 Fuad Mude (mid)...10 Mohamed Kanu (mid)...29 Kamal Mude (mid)...20 Maxine Dorneval (mid)...23 Sheldon Sequira (def)
team officials:...technical director Corcel Blair...assistant coach Dixon Modeste...manager Aldwyn McGill...physio Doug Enis
Game officials:...referee Sylviu Petrescu...referee's assistants Amato Deluca and John Barry...fourth official Peter Pendli
1st Half:...starts 8:06pm...TC defend north end on this cold, overcast evening. There's a strong wind from the north. All times are converted from my wristwatch.
3 min...TC player's freekick from 25 yards on left is caught by goalie.
4 min...CS Samura given through ball but he pushes ball too far forward for TC goalie to pick up.
6 min...TC Curic rush up right but low cross saved by goalie diving forward.
7 min...TC goalie charges out to grab ball into box.
9 min...CS Welch cross from right end line drifts behind net.
10 min...TC Curic 20 yard shot from right is well over net.
11 min...TC Crljen 25 yard freekick from right sideline headed out for cornerkick.
12 min...TC Laurito cornerkick from left is over players and TC Fran centers cross from right but ball cleared.
12 min...TC Fitzwilliams gets ball all alone and quick 7 yard shot is low and stopped point blank by goalie.
13 min...TC Kresic 20 yard shot is well over net on partially cleared rebound.
14 min...CS Samura 25 yard blast has sliding goalie push ball wide right.
15 min...CS player's cornerkick from right is through box and CS forward is checked off ball.
18 min...TC Kulis throw-in from right bounces untouched to goalie.
21 min...Croatia Peter Curic GOAL...TC Hayden Fitzwilliams crosses into box from left and Curic flies to connect on 12 yard header into left side of net.
23 min...Croatia Hayden Fitzwilliams GOAL...Fitzwilliams rushes up left and eludes sliding goalie Ramon McIntosh and walks into net holding off defender for 1 yard kick into empty net.
25 min...TC Harris hurt at center line when stepped on after sliding check.
26 min...TC Crljen 30 yard freekick blocked by CS defender.
27 min...TC Harris rush on left and goalie makes point blank save from 15 yards.
28 min...CS Sereti cuts in 20 yard shot from left that's caught by diving goalie.
29 min...TC Crljen cornerkick from right has leaping TC Curic in crowd of players head ball over net from 10 yards.
32 min...TC Kulis blasts partially cleared ball from 20 yards bent just wide left of net.
33 min...CS sub...Kanu replaces Chung.
36 min...TC Laurito holds off defender on through ball down left and 18 yards shot is wide right.
37 min...TC Laurito 20 yard shot off good run up middle deflected wide left off defender.
38 min...TC Sain leaping header from 4 yards on right is wide right after TC Crljen cornerkick from left.
39 min...TC Crljen cornerkick from right has CS Craig head ball away near right post.
46 min...half ends 8:52pm.
2nd Half:...starts 9:09pm.
halftime subs:...TC Mason replaces ?????????
........................TC Ples replaces Curic.
45+ min...TC Mason has to leave field to take off jewelery.
47 min...TC Sain hurt as CS 40 yard line.
49 min...TC Zupan 30 yard freekick is arced well over net.
51 min...TC goalie catches low 25 yard bouncer up middle.
52 min...TC Kulis cornerkick from left has defender head ball wide for throw-in from right.
53 min...TC Ples 20 yard shot from right is blasted well over net.
56 min...Croatia Caswain Mason GOAL...TC Velemir Crljen takes 30 yard freekick blast down middle that’s stopped by goalie on sprawling save but Mason cuts over from left after charging in for loose ball and gets 2 yard shot into net.
59 min...CS Samura rush on right and 15 yard shot has goalie push ball wide right near post.
60 min...CS sub...Dorneval replaces Okumu.
61 min...A few CS cornerkicks in a row have defenders block.
62 min...TC Crljen 35 yard freekick bends just wide right of net.
62 min...Croatia Tommy Ples GOAL...Ples gets away on 2 on 0 break at CS 35 yard line and lifts 15 yard shot from right over sprawling goalie.
64 min...TC Fitzwilliams cross on rush on left has goalie charge left to catch.
66 min...TC YELLOW card...Kulis for roughing.
................CS YELLOW card...Kanu for roughing.
67 min...TC YELLOW card...Fitzwilliams for not 'rolling' off field when injured near sideline.
69 min...CS goalie catches ball in traffic after cross from left is into box.
69 min...CS Fitzwilliams returns to game after treatment for injury.
71 min...TC sub...Grubesic replaces Zupan.
73 min...CS Fuad Mude replaces Sereti.
74 min...CS player's cornerkick has TC Fran head ball away near right side.
76 min...CS Welch 25 yard freekick from right is cleared and CS Chambers steps through to take 35 yard blast wide left.
77 min...TC player's cornerkick has goalie block with defenders clearing away rebound.
78 min...CS Craig 20 yard shot on 1 on 1 from right is wide left.
78 min...TC sub...Granic replaces Sain.
80 min...TC Fitzwilliams 30 yard freekick from left has goalie catch on right side.
82 min...CS Lewis 40 yard freekick up middle is well over net on blast.
82 min...TC sub...Spajic replaces Kulis.
83 min...TC player's 20 yard shot is just wide left.
85 min...CS goalie gets hand to TC player's cross to palm ball through box in crowd of players.
86 min...CS players wearing #11 comes into game. Who is he?
87 min...Croatia Tommy Ples GOAL...TC Hayden Fitzwilliams cornerkick from left has Ples nodding 5 yard header through crowd of players in box and into net.
89 min...CS Welch 35 yard freekick up middle is lobbed over net.
90 min...Selects Maxine Dorneval GOAL...CS Jahmo Welch rushes up right wing and crosses into box where Dorneval heads ball into left side of net from 8 yards.
91 min...CS YELLOW card...player earns this for tackle in midfield.
91 min...TC Fitzwilliams off balance shot in clear is just over net from 12 yards.
91 min...game ends 9:55pm.
Final Score:...Toronto Croatia..........5...........Caribbean Selects...........1............
Attendance was about 100 on this seasonally very cold and windy evening. This was the beginning of Toronto Croatia’s 50th Anniversary season. There was no special celebrations at tonight’s game but team officials have plans for a big occasion later in the season after World Cup distractions are over.
Who’d have thought if we knew the hero of the game would come from Trinidad and Tobago and it would be Hayden Fitzwilliams with the assist on the first goal and scoring the second goal himself returning to his team Toronto Croatia? He had some long strong runs down the wing and took quite a few of the cornerkicks including getting an assist on Croatia’s final goal of the evening. The only blemish was at 67 minutes when he drew a Yellow card from referee Silviu Petrescu for not rolling off the field when he was injured so close to the sideline so the game could be restarted. He was helped from the field and returned to finish two minutes later.
The strong wind influenced the game in especially in the first half with its strong gusts pinning the Selects into their own end despite clearance attempts. The defence and goalie looked at times shaky in front of the experienced Croatia side. Ramon McIntosh wasn’t even listed on the player list from the Saturday night game I went to that was rained out. A few more weeks should help the Selects side play better together. Maxine Dorneval scores this franchise’s first goal in a regular season game.
Team officials have got the City of Mississauga not to rent out the baseball diamond on the night of their home games this year. It cuts down on the distracting spotlights overlapping the soccer field spotlights and it also frees up more parking spots instead of making many fans park uphill at the skating rink/swimming pool.
Croatia had most of their players back from last year’s team. They’re always able to work a few new players into their line-up every year and this year it is Tommy Ples who came in as a halftime sub for goal scorer Peter Curic and scored two goals himself. After the game I saw Milodrag Akmadzic in the crowd. He said he isn’t involved with Brampton Stallions this year. That means he can come back here and cheer for Toronto Croatia for which he spent much of his career. Caribbean Selects coach Corcel Blair was the Stallions coach last year and helped shape that team.
Anyone who purchased Three Sixty “World Cup 2006 Special Edition” magazine will see on the inside back cover Toronto Croatia goalie and team captain George Azcurra endorsing TC Top Corner by Sondico goalie equipment.
Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
Toronto Croatia starters
Caribbean Selects starters
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