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Result of the Sunday August 2, 2009 CSL game between Toronto Croatia and TFC Academy played at Centennial Stadium in Etobicoke at 8:15pm.
Toronto Croatia (all white, blue numbers and trim)
................1 Sandi Matika
16 Halberto Harris...21 Sven Arapovic...2 Tomislav Skara...20 Ainsley Deer
14 Braeden Krampert...11 Ivan Zgela...23 Tonci Piriaja...8 Hayden Fitzwilliams (cpt)
...........7 Tomislav Ples...10 Tihomir Maletic
Subs:...89 Marko Culjak (gk)...3 Ante Brkic...17 Nicolas Goddard...15 Niko Pesa...27 Ryan Tawill
team officials:...head coach Velimir Crljen...assistant coach Tom Granic...manager Ivan Kulis...trainer/physio Rachel Leroux
TFC Academy (all red, white numbers)
.................1 Sotiri Varlokostas (cpt)
6 Jordan Kotstopoulos...44 Doneil Henry...24 Daniel Fabrizi...2 Casey D'Mello
20 Josh Janniere...15 Matt Stinson...7 Jonathan Lao...10 James Stamopoulos
..........23 Brennan McNicoll...25 Justin Maheu
Subs:...50 Garrett Cyprus (gk)...18 Nicholas Lindsay (mid)...32 Natias Naalband (fwd)...45 Eric Ngo (mid)...11 Ashtone Morgan (def)
team officials:...head coach Jason Bent...assistant coach Anthony Capotosto...goalkeeping coach Paulo Ceccarelli...trainer/physio Carlo
DiNardo...team official Earl Cochrane
Game officials:...referee Michael Lambert...referee's assistants Steve Senderovich and Ben Savelescu...fourth official Richard Oliveira...(all black, yellow and white trim)
1st Half:...game starts 8:21pm...TC defend south end.
30 sec...TC Fitzwilliams injured at TC 50 yards.
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.
5 min...TC Skara 50 yard freekick from right has defender clear.
6 min...TFCA Henry dives to clear cross from right into TFCA box.
12 min...TFCA Stamopoulos is pushed gradually wide left by TC Skara and 15 yard chip is caught by goalie.
17 min...TC Ples has through ball into TFCA box called back offside.
18 min...TC Ples low cross fromright has charging TC Fitzwilliams blast ball over net from 15 yards.
20 min...TC Fitzwilliams cross from left has TC Ples blast shot on bounce on twist 15 yarder low that goalie smothers.
24 min...TC Zgela 35 yard freekick down middle hits player in wall. TC player lofts rebound over goalie and wide right of net.
26 min...TC sub...Brkic replaces Krampert.
29 min...TC Deer low cross from left from 20 yards has defender in box clear ball.
32 min...TFCA Lao 55 yard freekick bounces wide left of net.
34 min...TFCA Janniere cross from right 25 yards deflects off defender and leaping goalie catches ball at 5 yards. TFCA Maheu injured in TC
box.
37 min...TFCA Lao 50 yard freekick from right has defender head away in cros of players on edge of box.
39 min...TC YELLOW...Arapovic earns it for a sliding tackle on the right sideline.
43 min...TFCA Stamopoulos 45 yard freekick from right has defender shank clearance.
44 min...TFCA player 30 yard shot down middle has goalie pick up ball.
46 min...TC Maletic 35 yard freekick from right has TC Ples get ball on right of box but defender blocks 12 yard shot.
47 min...half ends 9:08pm.
2nd Half:...starts 9:24pm.
46 min...TC Maletic 50 yard freekick from right has TC Brkic behind defenders and 10 yard header is caught on bounce to goalie.
48 min...TFCA Lao cornerkick from right is over players in box.
49 min...TC Fitzwilliams rush on left and cuts cross over box and TC Piriaja has 12 yard shot blocked.
51 min...TFCA Lao 50 yard freekick has goalie catch ball left of net.
53 min...TC Maletic rush on left and rolls cross to TC Ples who can't get away 12 yard shot up middle.
54 min...TC YELLOW card...Brkic earns it for tackle in center circle preventing breakout.
55 min...TFCA Stamopoulos blasts cross from 25 yards is well wide right.
57 min...TFCA Lao 40 yard freekick blasted down middle and rolls wide left of net.
58 min...TFCA Stamopoulos 45 yard freekick from left has three TFCA guys on right head ball across face of box and TC goalie dives forward to
smother ball.
59 min...TC Arapovic takes elbow in face as he holds TFCA player at TC 45 yards.
60 min...TFCA sub...Naalband replaces Kotstopoulos.
62 min...The referee gets nailed with the ball by a TFCA player at TFCA 45 yards and the crowd cheers.
64 min...TC sub...Goddard replaces Arapovic.
66 min...TFCA YELLOW card...McNicholl earns it for pulling down TC player leading charge. TC player injured on play and he's carried off field by
five people. The TFCA physios even came over to help.
67 min...TC sub...Pesa replaces injured player.
68 min...TC Maletic 50 yard freekick from right has TC Harris shoot but cleared in box.
70 min...TC player's 25 yard shot from left deflects off TFCA player winding him.
72 min...TFCA McNicoll cross from left has defender pop up and clear ball.
76 min...TFCA Maheu rolls ball forward on 25 yards and goalie picks up ball.
77 min...TFCA Janniere blasts 25 yard shot is well over net.
77 min...TFCA sub...Ngo replaces Janniere.
80 min...TC Harris cross from right has goalie catch but ball is knocked out of hands by crash with TC player but he picks up ball.
81 min...TC Maletic 15 yard shot deflects off diving defender for cornerkick.
81 min...TC Fitzwilliams cornerkick from left has TC Ples head ball over net from 8 yards.
86 min...TC Fitzwilliams cross from 20 yards on right has goalie catch ball.
88 min...TFCA sub...Lindsay replaces Fabrizi.
92 min...TFCA Lao 45 yard freekick from left is into crowd of players.
93 min...TC Tawill waiting on sideline but doesn't get into game as it ends.
93 min...game ends 10:12pm.
Final Score:………Toronto Croatia……………1…………….TFC Academy………..0…………
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.
Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
Academy starters
Croatia starters
Croatia player surrounded
Academy throw-in
A popped up ball
Academy rush
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