August 19, 2015 USL Pro--Toronto FC II vs Harrisburg City Islanders (by Rocket Robin)

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Result and details of the Wednesday August 19, 2015 USL game between Toronto FC II and Harrisburg City Islanders played at the Ontario Soccer Centre in Vaughan at 8:00pm.

Toronto FC II (all red, white names and numbers)

......................1 Chris Konopka
32 Wesley Charpie...33 Skylar Thomas...59 Emeka Ononye...44 Mark Anthony Kaye
61 Bubacarr Jobe...20 Chris Mannella (cpt)...34 Manuel Aparicio...14 Jay Chapman
...............41 Molham Babouli...22 Jordan Hamilton

Subs:...25 Alex Bono (gk)...6 Nick Hagglund (def)...31 Sal Bernal (fwd)...42 Massimo Mirabelli (mid)...48 Raheem Edwards (mid)
...54 Gabriel Boakye (def)...58 Anthony Osorio (fwd)
team officials:...head coach Jason Bent

Harrisburg City Islanders (navy socks and shirts, white shorts, name, and numbers)

.......................1 Nick Noble (cpt)
21 Erick Cruz...63 Dante Leverock...6 Ken Tribbett...20 Neil Shaffer
77 Andrew Lubahn...8 Jose Barril...7 Yann Ekra...10 Jason Plumhoff
.............22 Craig Foster...12 Brett Jankouskas

Subs:...13 Ciarran Nugent (gk)...27 Kyle Renfro (gk)...4 Kyle McCord (mid)...5 Shane Johnson (def)...9 Garret Pettis (fwd)
...11 Enric Valles (mid)
team officials:...head coach Bill Becher

Game officials:...referee David Barrie...referee's assistants Brian Butler and Peter Pendli...fourth official Michael Stenbring
...(yellow shirts, black shorts and socks)

1st Half:...starts 8:13pm...TFC defends north end on this mild evening with the setting sun below the tree line.
55 sec...HCI Foster blasts low 25 yarder up middle that's just wide left of post.
3 min...HCI Foster cutting in from left and rolls 22 yard shot up middle that goalie dives to left post to smother.
6 min...HCI Foster shot is partially blocked tips for cornerkick.
6 min...HCI Plumhoff cornerkick from right has TFC defender pop up header and ball is cleared from box.
7 min...HCI Plumhoff 28 yard freekick from right is cleared at 15 yards.
8 min...TFC Babouli taps pass to TFC Aparicio whose 22 yard shot from left is caught by goalie on left post.
10 min...HCI Barril steals ball at 35 yards and taps pass after run up middle to right for HCI Lubahn and he rolls pass back to center for charging HIC Jankouskas to blast 25 yarder well over net and over back fence.
11 min...TFC Jobe one-touch pushes ball too far upfield from 30 yards and goalie picks up ball.
14 min...HCI Plumhoff bends 25 yard shot from left wide right of net.
17 min...HCI Foster can't get away shot but wins cornerkick on deflection off defender.
18 min...HCI Plumhoff cornerkick from right is over leaping players in box.
24 min...HCI Foster can't win Penalty kick when HCI Barril sends cross into box from left and he gets spun around.
25 min...Islanders Craig Foster GOAL...HI Jason Plumhoff crosses from 25 yards on right and charging Foster's 12 yard shot up middle is saved by diving goalie Chris Konopka and rebound ball deflects back off Foster and into net from 8 yards.
27 min...TFC Chapman cornerkick from left has defender head ball away. TFC Charpie crosses from 25 yards on right and TFC Thomas heads 10 yarder just over bar.
30 min...TFC Jobe splits defenders on right and cross is just a step late for charging TFC Babouli.
31 min...HCI Barril needs trainer for injury at HCI 25 yard line. Players use the time to take a water break anyway.
34 min...HCI YELLOW card...Shaffer earns it for tackle on TFC Babouli from behind at HCI 30 yards on right.
34 min...TFC Chapman 35 yard freekick from right hits HCI Foster in arm in one man wall.
35 min...TFC Chapman 25 yard freekick from right wins cornerkick on left with defender's header near endline.
35 min...TFC Chapman cornerkick from left is over players in box and cleared.
36 min...TFC Kaye gets pass and rolls 15 yard shot that sprawling goalie stops.
37 min...TFC Hamilton recovers partial clearance and shoots 25 yarder down middle high and wide left of net.
38 min...TFC Chapman 35 yard freekick fromleftis over to right and cleared.
38 min...HCI Barril rolls pass on left forward and HCI Plumhoff 18 yard shot has goalie block and dive to left to smother.
40 min...HCI Foster rolls 22 yard shot from right that goalie picks up.
41 min...TFC Babouli 28 yard freekick up middle is into player wall. TFC Aparicio rebound deflects off player wide left for cornerkick.
42 min...TFC Chapman cornerkick from left has HCI Tribbett head away.
44 min...TFC Charpie chips pass from 65 yards for TFC Hamilton over shoulder at 30 yards and HCI Tribbett gets foot in at 22 yards to give up cornerkick.
45 min...TFC YELLOW card...Jobe earns it for tackle grab on HCI Foster on fast breakout at HCI 40 yard line.
45 min...HCI Plumhoff low 15 yard shot fromleft is into outside webbing of net.
47 min...HCI Plumhoff cornerkick from right has HCI Foster get foot to ball in crowd of players and pops shot high and wide of right post.
47 min...half ends 9:00pm.

Halftime Entertainment: There a 2 v 2 soccer tennis game between players from the TFC Academy and IFC.

2nd Half:...starts 9:17pm.
halftime subs:...TFC Hagglund replaces Ononye.
................TFC Bono replaces Konopka in goal.
49 min...Islanders Brett Jankouskas GOAL...HI Jose Barril at 30 yards in middle gives short pass to Jankouskas on left and he blasts 28 yarder into top right corner post flying goalie Alex Bono.
51 min...HCI Jankouskas 28 yard cross from far left drifts high and behind the net.
52 min...HCI Shaffer 30 yard cross from far left after run is bounced through box unplayed.
53 min...HCI Plumhoff 25 yard blast down middle is between defenders and high wide right of net.
54 min...HCI Lubahn on right cuts to middle and rolls 22 yarder wide right of net.
55 min...TFC Jobe taps pass forward for charging TFC Aparicio but he grabs defender and play is whistled down.
56 min...HCI Lubahn cuts towards center from right then rolls ball too far forward from 25 yards and goalie dives on to beat HCI Foster to ball.
57 min...TFC sub...Mirabelli replaces Jobe.
58 min...HCI Jankouskas 30 yard shot through crowd of players is high and wide right of net.
58 min...TFC sub...Edwards replaces Mannella. Thomas now becomes captain.
59 min...HCI Ekra blasts low 30 yarder up middle and wins cornerkick.
59 min...HCI Plumhoff cornerkick from left has defender head ball away.
62 min...HCI Lubahn low cross off TFC Kaye at 20 yards wins cornerkick on deflection.
62 min...HCI Plumhoff cornerkick from right has HCI Leverock leap to head 12 yarder that defender kicks away at 3 yards on left post. HCI Leverock is injured on play with a foot cramp?
63 min...TFC Kaye charges on left and his cross has defender clear.
64 min...TFC YELLOW card...Mirabelli earns it for tackle at HCI 25 yards on right that flips over HCI Jankouskas breaking out.
66 min...HCI Barril is injured at TFC 25 yard line.
69 min...HCI Plumhoff 35 yard freekick from right has defender head ball away at 15 yards.
70 min...HCI Jankouskas is injured at TFC 30 yards on left sideline.
71 min...TFC Babouli at 30 yards in middle passes over to TFC Mirabelli on right and his 25 yard shot has goalie bat down and dive forward to smother at 7 yards.
72 min...HCI YELLOW card...goalie Noble earns it for body check knocking ball out of box.
73 min...HCI sub...Valles replaces injured Jankouskas.
73 min...TFC Babouli 22 yard freekick from left is bent wide left after TFC Mirabelli dummies taking kick.
76 min...HCI sub...Pettis replaces Barril.
78 min...HCI YELLOW card...Pettis earns it for grab on TFC player at HCI 30 yard line.
79 min...TFC Babouli 33 yard freekick from right has TFC player leap and head ball wide left from 10 yards.
79 min...TFC sub...Bernal replaces Kaye.
80 min...HCI Valles 25 yard low shot is wide right of net.
80 min...TFC Hamilton gets through ball and 12 yard low shot is stopped by sliding goalie. TFC Bernal has low rebound blocked.
82 min...TFC Chapman 25 yarder up middle through players is caught by goalie.
83 min...HCI YELLOW card...Leverock earns it for tackle that injures TFC Hamilton at HCI 30 yard line.
84 min...TFC Hagglund recovers partially cleared freekick and blasts 40 yard shot well over net.
84 min...TFC goalie is out of box to clear ball before HCI Foster can get to it at 20 yards.
85 min...TFC Babouli cornerkick from right has HCI Leverock head ball away in crowd of players.
86 min...TFC Mirabelli cross from 30 yards on far right is wide left ahead of charging TFC Bernal and out for goalkick.
87 min...HCI sub...Johnson replaces Lubahn.
89 min...TFC Babouli cornerkick from left has nearest defender on left kick ball away.
90 min...HCI Plumhoff on 2 on 1 has shot deflect off defender for cornerkick.
90 min...HCI player's cornerkick from right is worked out to waste time.
92 min...HCI Ekra cross from 10 yards is cleared by defender on goalline.
92 min...TFC Chapman cross from 45 yards on left has goalie let ball go wide left so he can get goalkick to waste time.
94 min...game ends 10:06pm.

Final Score:......Toronto FC II.........0.......Harrisburg City Islanders........2.....

Attendance was only about 225 on this mild night. If it wasn't for the 25 girls from a soccer team who brought their parents and families to watch, there would have been even less. The Inebriatti (a TFC supporters group) only had about 10 to 15 members tonight and didn't keep their chants going the whole game...they were sometimes followers of the little girls who started up with "TFC, TFC" on their own.

Referee David Barrie gave out six Yellow cards that I counted (four to the Islanders). TFC II were counted offside quite often on trying to spring a through ball pass and I only recall once where that play worked. A trainer had to be called onto the field more often for Islanders injuries than TFC II players.

Nick Noble earned the shutout for the Islanders with a few key saves.

Best non scoring chances were at 27 minutes when TFC Jay Chapman took a cornerkick from the left that had a defender head the ball away. TFC Wesley Charpie then crossed in from 25 yards on the right and a TFC player headed the ball just over the bar from 10 yards. 36 minutes had TFC Mark Anthony Kaye get to a pass and take a 15 yard roller that was stopped by the sprawling goalie. 80 minutes had TFC Jordan Hamilton get to a through ball and his 12 yard low shot was stopped by the sliding goalie. TFC Sal Bernal had his rebound shot blocked.

Before the game MLS TFC player Jonathan Osorio and now retired Dwayne DeRosario were up at a table near the entrance signing autographs and posing for pictures. After the crowd of the little girls made their way through even I joined the line. Osorio is no stranger to watching his younger brothers (and both midfielders just like Jonathan) play—Nicholas wasn't on tonight's roster and Anthony was listed as a sub but didn't get into the game.

Osorio wasn't the only MLS roster player in the lineup. Captain Chris Mannella, Manuel Aparicio, and Jay Chapman were starting midfielders. Forward Jordan Hamilton played the entire 90 minutes for a change. Alex Bono was the second half goalie. Big bombshells were Chris Konopka was the starting goalie (he was the TFC starting goalie for months with Joe Bendik injured). Defender Nick Hagglund was a sub and was called in to start the second half. I sometimes forget that these USL teams are not just for up and coming players but for players recovering from injuries or those MLSers not getting enough playing time. I only had Konopka making one tough save (besides the goal) in his one half.

Toronto FC II had issued a tweet a day or so ago that forward Stefan Vukovic and midfielder Mark Serjeant had left the team. This must be the third time that Vukovic has parted ways with TFC over the years.

'Islanders' seem like a strange name for a team from a city in the middle of Pennsylvania but the city has the Susquehanna River run through it and an island named City Island has the Skyline Sportsnet Complex along with a baseball stadium on that land mass. Somewhat comparable to the Toronto Islands if they had stadiums on it. The team has an agreement with the MLS Philadelphia Union and has six players listed as from that team on the USL website. Only midfielder and starter Yann Ekra was on tonight's roster. News on the USL website just listed a new franchise being granted to Leheigh Valley (Bethlehem Pennsylvania) earlier today that will be owned and operated by the Union. I'm not sure where this leaves Harrisburg and I don't know if it played on their minds tonight.

The loss leaves TFC II with a record of 5 wins, 13 losses, and 3 ties for eleventh out of twelve teams in the Eastern Conference. Harrisburg improves to 9 wins, 8 losses, and 4 ties for seventh place and only one point behind and one game in hand on Pittsburgh Riverhounds who are holding on to the sixth and final playoff spot.

Blah! I was almost glad TFC II didn't score in the end. There won't be any annoying tweets getting me to watch a means-nothing goal. I don't mind receiving that message once—but I get the same message another four or five times over the next two days. I wonder if the Washington Generals have a twitter account replaying their highlites? "Hey fans, we only lost to the Harlem Globetrotters by 40 points last night".

I had only expected to see one more TFC II game because of scheduling conflicts with the MLS team but I hadn't noticed that on the last month of programs the team must have flipped their game with Charlotte Independence from Saturday to Sunday August 30th so it looks like I may see two more games.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca

Toronto FC II starters