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Result and details of the Saturday September 16, 2017 League 1 Ontario game between
North Mississauga Panthers and FC London played at Hershey Centre in Mississauga at 8:00pm.

North Mississauga Panthers (red socks and shorts, white shirts, black numbers)

......................1 Adam Majer
13 Dale Cudmore...3 Anthony Wright...7 Endri Begaj...14 Daniel Whyte (cpt)
20 Mujtaba Ameen...8 John Jung...6 Agustin De Medina-Fernandez...10 Doryan Botelho
..............9 Lee-Victor Massunda...5 Johnson Luyiga

Subs:...22 Daniel De Sousa (gk)...2 Abi Madaraka...12 Tomas Winski...Kelechi Kalu
...16 Tomas Vazquez...11 Jordan Prescod...21 Jan Emil Weirum
team officials:...team head coach Sam Medeiros...assistant coach Volem Parashkevov
manager Martine Eleuteri...equipment manager Patrck Guirguis...theapst Andy Chau

FC London (navy socks and shoulders, lime shorts and shirts, white numbers)

......................1 Anthony Sokalski
5 Lima Kasza...23 David Gonzalez...44 Sokoi Qamili...8 Matthew Albert
2 Sean Fawsitt...7 Justn Wood...42 Aaron Schneebeli (cpt)...6 Engjell Qamili
...............10 Sandro Rajkovic...9 Connor Millar

Subs:...4 David Goigitzer...14 Michael Santolupo...29 Matthew Sa
team officials:...team head coach Domagoj Kosic...assistant coaches Edouard Schmidt, Phllip Millar,
and Mario D'Onu

Game officials:...referee Fabrizio Stasolla...referee's assistants Tyler Tonet and Nick Vagenas
...fourth official Jose Sanchez-Larios...(watermelon shirts, black shorts and socks)

First Half:...game starts 8:15pm...NMP defends north end on this warm and humid night with the sun
already set.
1 min...NMP player low cross from right is rolled through box and finally cleared.
2 min...NMP Botelho blasts shot from 20 yards on left and goaloie stops at 10 yards and defenders clear.
5 min...NMP Ameen rolls ball across box from right and charging NMP Luyiga shoots 6 yarder over net.
6 min...NMP Ameen 50 yard chip from rght to catch goalie off his line is bounced wide left.
11 min...NMP De Medina-Fernandez breaks free of shirt grab on right but pass to NMP Luyiga at 18 yards is offside.
12 min...NMP player rolls 30 yarder from left but between players and ball rolls to goalie.
14 min...NMP Luyiga is threaded pass on left and rolls 22 yarder into outside webbing of net.
17 min...NMP Luyiga first-touch pops up 25 yarder that bounces to goalie.
17 min...NMP goalie catches long FCL throw-in from right on bounce.
18 min...FCL Wood 28 yard cross from right is caught by goalie.
19 min...FCL Millar rolls 22 yarder up middle but no one runs for it.
20 min...NMP Ameen run on left and cross over bar but wins cornerkick.
20 min...NMP De Medina-Fernandez cornerkick from right is headed upfield and NMP Botelho shanks 25 yard shot
up middle wide left.
24 min...NMP Ameen 30 yard blast from left that goalie gets hand to and over to right where NMP Luyiga shot
is deflected into outside webbing of net.
25 min...NMP De Medina-Fernandez cornerkick from right has NMP Luyiga head ball downward from 7 yards and goalie
catches on bounce.
28 min...FCL Engjell Qamili is stripped of ball on edge of NMP box.
29 min...FCL Engjell Qamili pokes pass forward and FCL Rajkovic slides and 12 yards shot is off outside of right post.
30 min...NMP De Medina-Fernandez cornerkick from right has goalie punch ball away in crowd of players.
32 min...NMP Ameen is hurt on check at FCL 30 yard line.
36 min...NMP Massunda blasts 30 yarder that deflects off defender for cornerkick.
36 min...NMP Botelho cornerkick from left that has NMP player head 8 yarder in crowd of players off top of bar
at top right corner.
37 min...FCL Wood shoots 22 yarder well over net.
38 min...NMP players ruin own cornerkick from left with a short pass which is whistled down before even getting into box.
41 min...NMP Mujtaba Ameen GOAL...NMP Dale Cudmore takes long throw-in from right that bounces through box
and ball is headed away but Ameen connects on a bicycle kick from 15 yards on left that flies into right
side of net leaving goalie Anthony Sokalski no chance.

43 min...NMP Jung 33 yard blast down middle is well over net.
45 min...FCL Fawsitt makes great solo run up right but is checked off ball at 10 yards before getting away shot.
46 min...half ends 9:01pm.

FCL players are continuously breaking up their plays with offside calls.

Halftime: both teams stay on their benches at halftime rather than walk through the other feld to get to the dressing
room. Also true of the game officials! The DJ seques MC Hammer's 'U Can't Touch This' with Rick James 'Super Freak' which
of course is the same Rick James bass line. Both songs are older than all the players on the field.

Second Half:...starts 9:14pm.
Halftime sub:...FCL Goigitzer replaces Millar.
45 min...NMP Botelho 28 yard shot up mddle is over net and back fence.
47 min...NMP Johnson Luyiga GOAL...Luyiga on second chance at shot lifts leg and gets high kick shot
from 10 yards from left into right corner of net. The play was started with a cornerkick from the right.

48 min...NMP goalie charges forward to swat away a cross over to right even though the offside flag was being ignored
by the referee starting a fast break out.
50 min...NMP Luyiga 28 yard blast from far right has goalie get hand to to prevent an NMP player's tap-in.
51 min...FCL goalie is out to 30 yards to make clearance.
53 min...FCLFawsitt chips down right wing has goalie smother at top of box on right to beat FCL Rajkovic.
55 min...NMP sub...Prescod replaces Ameen.
56 min...FCL Wood first-touch of through ball from 18 yards is pushed to goalie to smother.
56 min...FCL Sandro Rajkovic GOAL...FCL Sean Fawsitt sends in cornerkick from right that player
makes short pass from left and Rajkovic in center shoots 6 yarder up middle past goalie Adam Majer.

57 min...FCL Wood 22 yard freekick on left edge of box has goalie punch ball forward in crowd of players.
59 min...NMP Prescod cross from 25 yards on far left is through box and defender clears on right.
60 min...NMP De Medina-Fernandez short cornerkick from right has NMP Botelho shot from 30 yards on right side
sent left of net.
61 min...FCL goalie is injured on clearance on edge of box.
61 min...NMP Massunda low 20 yard shot up middle has sliding goalie stop at 15 yards.
62 min...NMP Luyiga low cross from 25 yards on right has goalie dive forward to smother and prevent tap-in.
64 min...FCL Rajkovic run along 18 yard box from right and cuts back and shot up middle has goalie fly left and catch.
64 min...FCL sub...Santolupo replaces Albert.
66 min...FCL Rajkovic taps pass and FCL Sokoi Qamili rolls 28 yard shot that diving goalie pushes wide left of post.
68 min...FCL Kaxza slides to poke away ball on left side of FCL box.
68 min...NMP Prescod cornerkick from left has stop made by defender on left post.
70 min...FCL Rajkovic rush to ball on right and shoots 15 yarder near end line through 6 yard box and unplayed for goalkick.
71 min...FCL player's cornerkick from right is cleared up middle.
72 min...FCL Rajkovic 15 yard shot from right has goalie bat ball down and defender clears.
73 min...NMP Jordan Prescod GOAL...Prescod is fed pass from 30 yards by NMP Doryan Botelho and he runs
towards goal on slight left and rolls ball from 15 yards past sliding goalie at 10 yards into net.

75 min...NMP Luyiga is injured at FCL 30 yard line on right.
76 min...FCL sub...Sa replaces Kasza.
77 min...NMP Prescod loses control of ball near right end line and knocks it out of play.
78 min...NMP Begaj makes goal line clearance after being beaten on left.
78 min...NMP sub...Winski replaces Jung.
79 min...FCL player's cornerkick from left has NMP Begaj head ball in middle wide right of post.
79 min...FCL Gonzalez cornerkick from right has ball sent back to him and his recross is caught by goalie.
80 min...FCL Fawsitt blast between players at 22 yards is low and caught by goalie.
80 min...NMP Luyiga rolls ball over end line on right missing a chance to pass to center.
82 min...FCL Enjgell Qamili wins freekick on edge of NMP box.
82 min...FCL Rajkovic 22 yard freekick from left is blasted well over net and back fence.
83 min...FCL Rajkovic scoops pass forward from edge of box and FCL Engjell Qamli rescues but goalie grabs loose ball.
83 min...NMP Massunda 20 yard shot tips off defender for cornerkick.
84 min...NMP sub...Madaraka replaces Cudmore.
85 min...NMP player's cornerkick from right has defender head ball away.
86 min...FCL player's cornerkick from right is passed along outside of box.
87 min...FCL Schneebeli 25 yard freekick down middle is well over net.
88 min...NMP Winski is tapped back pass and 22 yard shot has goalie dive to smother on left post.
90 min...NMP sub...Vazquez replaces Luyiga.
92 min...NMP sub...Kalu replaces Massunda.
93 min...NMP Vazquez can't win Penalty kick on tackle inside FCL box.
93 min...FCL Wood chips 45 yarder that bounces to goalie.
93 min...game ends 10:02pm.

Final Score:...North Mississauga Panthers.....3...FC London...1...

Attendance was about 50 on this warm and humid night and the sun had 
already set. There was a 15 minute delay to the kickoff.

Referee Fabrizio Stasolla had a quiet night giving out no Yelllow 
cards at all.

NMP had switched Jordan Prescod with Mujtaba Ameen as starting from 
their game sheet but it was all good as both players bookended goals 
tonight. Prescod came in at 55 minutes. They made their four other 
subs slowly within the last 15 minutes to tick away the clock.  
That bicycle kick goal by Ameen must be considered a candidate 
if not the winner for Goal of the Year!

This was only the third time this season I've seen FC London and 
they're never been at their best. The first weekend of the season 
I saw them get beaten by Toronto FC III 6-0 and then near the end 
of June they had a respectable 1-1 tie with Woodbridge 
in a conference crossover game. Woodbridge is currently fighting 
for first in the East.

Tonight there were a number of reasons for their rather poor performance. 
They were late getting here. The bus had mechanical problems. So they 
threw the bus under the bus! They had at most a 20 minute warm up 
squeezing it in after NMP was sent back to their dressing room and 
the player parade before the national anthem. They only had three 
subs so they had limited options in making subs although they did 
work them all in. They had suspended players who couldn't play. 
One of the best in the league Elvir Gigolaj (17 goals—second highest 
in L1O—out of after tonight 44 goals) and Ryan Baker were both listed 
as out. An official said they had injuries. I didn't see Randy Ribeiro 
(who I remember from PDL Toronto Lynx days) so I suspect he was one. 
It appears Michael Marcoccia (he used to have a lifesize decal of his 
portrait on the team bus in London City CPSL days) who played a few 
early season matches has switched full time to coaching their 
women's team. Another big reason for a depleted roster I was told 
was that University of Western played this afternoon and there are 
a number of players on that squad. Ouch. I know that effects Windsor 
with University of Windsor and Vaughan Azzurri with players away 
on nationally ranked York University including their coach 
Carmine Isacco who is also the school coach.

L1O All Star Aaron Schneebeli was at his best in the FCL midfield 
but he couldn't carry the team by himself.

Some FCL team officials and players named some teenagers they'd 
brought but of course some team rosters in this league are almost 
all teenagers. The league has two kinds of game sheets. One has just 
a 'Y' or 'N' for U23 players and the other has year of birth which 
I like better. Tonight both team's rosters were the Y/N listing. 
That listing does have enough room for suspended players. NMP had 
Nicolas Martinez on that listed as suspended.

FC London had just an outsiders' chance of winning the Western 
Conference with Oakville Blue Devils 13 points ahead. London can 
inflict the pain too as their women's team rolled up the score 
against Durham United 12-0 with Durham bringing a roster of 12 
for a midweek game.

This game was also held at the Hershey Centre and was only two 
hours after the Sigma hosted game against ProStars. North Mississauga 
has their own canvasses they erect when Sigma took theirs down. 
Panthers solved the audio problems without a 150 yard network 
of extension cords with a portable generator and they had their 
sound system and an easy to see scoreboard right at the center 
line rather than just reaching the endzone. Crystal clear sound. 
I sit in the stands at this stadium after getting a copy of the 
game sheets so I didn't have to put up with what sounded like 
a lawnmower engine powering their system.

The win improves the Panthers record to 9 wins, 9 losses, 
and 2 ties for 29 points. They are in fifth place in the eight 
team Western Conference.

The loss drops the FCL record to 10 wins, 4 losses, 5 ties 
for 35 points. They are tied for third place in the West with 
TFC III who play tomorrow against first place Oakville who 
lead the West with 48 points.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
twitter RocketRobin01


North Mississauga Panthers starters


FC London starters


NMP Lee-Victor Massunda (9) takes opening kickoff.


FC London players rush downfield.


FC London Sandro Rajkovic (10) takes second half kickoff.


NMP players threaten from right.


midfield action


NMP break out after freekick.


FC London set up for late game freekick.

back to 2017 League 1 Ontario Men's index

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