........................

September 11, 2021...League1 Ontario Men's Premier--Pro Stars FC Brampton vs FC London game report (by Rocket Robin)

Result and details of the Saturday September 11, 2021 League1 Ontario Men's Premier League game between
Pro Stars FC Brampton and FC London played at Victoria Park in Brampton at 7:00pm.

ProStars Brampton (blue socks and shirts, black shorts, white numbers)

....................24 Rahjae Grant
2 Jadon Anderson...4 Isaiah Noel (cpt)...14 Toni Zlomislic...5 Seikh Uzair Mehboob
6 Mashood Rahman...8 Andrew Jagielski...11 Justin Cabral...10 Alojzije Vuksevic
..............19 Nathaniel Noel...16 Jevontae Layne

Sub:......22 Juan Pablo Ipiales Higuita (gk)...7 Mark Allen...9 Kyse Majel
...12 Timothy Cordova...13 Haryan Ekeme-Maya...17 Mason Petrucci...20 Wesley Alcantara
team officials:...team head coach Josef Komlodi...assistant coach Stiven Mikhail
...managers Gabriel Pop and Raphael Bell...therapist Gabrielle Boulding

FC London (red socks and shorts, white shirts, black numbers)

...................1 Eleias Himaras
.........19 Benjamin Vyfschaft...4 Bradley Heath...2 Marko Maletic
17 Chad Gopaul...5 Patrick Melo...8 Michael Bitel...21 Tomas Ribeiro...15 Randy Ribeiro (cpt)
.................7 Ethan Gopaul...23 Daniel Oshana

Subs:...13 Christian Davakos (gk)...6 Sean Fawsitt...9 Mike Sneddon...10 Connor Wilson
...11 Tomas Alvarez...13 Jeremy Arnold...16 Zachary Witt...18 Brent Anderson...22 Cristian Devia
team officials:...team head coach Michael Marcoccia...assistant coach Luigi Sorbara...therapist Michael Robinson

Game officials:...referee Sean Simpson...referees assistants Nivan Raizada and Adam Chorazyczewski
...fourth official not listed...(all black uniforms)

First Half:...game starts 7:01pm...ProStars defens south end in this warm weather with a strong wind from the south.
The sun is setting in the west.
1 min...PS Mehboob slides to break up rush on edge of PS 18 yard box.
4 min...FCL defender heads away cross from left on right post.
7 min...PS Jagielski low cross from right cornerflag after run has FCL Isaiah Noel clear.
8 min...FC London Ethan Gopaul GOAL...FCL Chad Gopaul chips through ball pass from 60 yards finding Ethan Gopaul
at 45 yards on slight right and rushes in and shoots low 15 yarder into left corner of net beyond sliding goalie.

9 min...PS goalie makes clearance off FCL Oshana on left side of box but goalie picks up ball before Oshana can control it.
13 min...PS player's cornerkick from mleft drops into box. PS Vuksevic low blast from 20 yards is stopped by defender
at 2 yards. PS Rehman rebound blast from 15 yards is just over net.
14 min...PS player's cornerkick from left is high but the wind suddenly dies so the ball sails well high and wide right of net.
20 min...FCL Randy Ribeiro 28 yard freekick from slight right is around player wall but caught by goalie.
22 min...PS Anderson cross from 30 yards on right has leaping PS Layne is not able to turn header from 10 yards on left.
27 min...PS Jagielski cornerkick from right has FCL Heath head ball away in crowd of players on right side of box.
28 min...FCL YELLOW card...Vyfschaft earns it for tripping PS player breaking action left side near sideline.
29 min...PS Vuksevic chips 40 yarder from left over players and goalie catches.
32 min...FCL YELLOW card...Himaras (the goalie) earns it for goalkick that was immediately headed back to the goalie
but only from 6 yards away.
34 min...PS Cabral taps 5 yards over to PS Layne. Layne blasts 10 yard shot over top right corner of net.
37 min...FCL Melo cornerkick from left is headed thorugh box and out right side.
39 min...PS Vuksevic cornerkick from right drops on left and PS Cabral rolls 7 yarder wide left of post.
40 min...PS Vuksevic 30 yarder from elft is caught by goalie on bounce.
42 min...FC London Patrick Melo GOAL...FCL Tomas Ribeiro takes 20 yard freekick onto right of box has goalie Rahjee Grant
bobble catch on left post popping it up into the air and Melo runs forward and heads 6 yarder into center of open net.

43 min...FCL Ethan Gopaul pass forward to FCL Chad Gopaul who first-touches from 15 yards over end line.
44 min...PS Cabral centers pass and PS Jagielski slides and shoots 12 yarder wide right.
47 min...FC London Randy Ribeiro GOAL...Ribeiro blasts low 20 yarder from left that goalie gets hand to on dive
but ball carries on over line into right corner of net.

48 min...half ends 7:49pm.

Halftime: Players on both teams stay at their benches.

Second Half:...starts 8:03pm.
Halftime subs:...PS Petrucci replaces Jagielski.
...................PS Majel replaces Nathaniel Noel.
....................PS Alcantara replaces Cabral.
.....................FCL Alvarez replaces Vyfschaft.
49 min...PS Majel chips cross from right edge of box and leaping defender heads away at 5 yards.
50 min...FCL Ethan Gopaul 22 yard blast after run to end line is into short side outside webbing of net.
51 min...PS Layne rushes in and goalie picks up ball and is bumped at 15 yards.
56 min...PS Layne can't win Penalty kick on run into right side of box.
56 min...PS YELLOW card...Petrucci earns it for knocking down player at FCL 25 yard line.
58 min...PS player's cornerkick from left is high over to right and cross is cleared.
59 min...PS Majel blasts 22 yarder around defender down middle.
61 min...FCL Alvarez receives pass from right and 7 yard tap-in is stopped by sliding goalie.
63 min...PS Vuksevic low 30 yard shot is wide left of net.
64 min...FCL Ethan Gopaul 65 yard run upfield and low 25 yard shot when shepherded to left is saved by goalie.
67 min...FCL sub...Fawsitt replaces Melo.
68 min...PS sub...Allen replaces Vuksevic.
69 min...PS Isaiah Noel 35 yard shot down middle is wide left.
70 min...FCL players break up pressure in own end with hand ball call on PS player.
73 min...FCL player's freekick near left corner flag is low and cleared on edge of box.
74 min...FCL sub...Anderson replaces Maletic.
............FCL sub...Arnold replaces Bitel.
............FCL sub...Sneddon replaces Chad Gopaul.
76 min...PS Majel run up left but pushes ball over end line on 1 on 2 rush.
78 min...FCL YELLOW card...Heath earns it for pushing over PS Layne on rush into FCL box. Referee Sean Simpson
awards PS a Penalty kick.
80 min...Pro Stars Jevontae Layne GOAL...Layne rolls Penalty kick into left side of net as goalie Eleias Himaras dives right.
80 min...FCL sub...Devia replaces Thomas Ribeiro.
...........FCL sub...Witt replaces Randy Ribeiro.
81 min...PS Anderson blasts partial clearance from 30 yards on right low and wide right.
82 min...PS Mehboob 40 yard shot is over players down middle and well over net.
84 min...PS YELLOW card...Mehboob earns it for tackle on FCL Devia near center line.
85 min...Pro Stars sub goalies with Juan Pablo Ipiales Higuita replacing Rahjae Grant.
85 min...FCL YELLOW card...Fawsitt earns it for tackle at FCL 35 yard line.
86 min...Pro Stars Mark Allen GOAL...Allen blasts loose ball into net at 2 yards to end wild action inside FCL box.
Restart is delayed as FCL Fawsitt is laying in the net with a death grip on the ball.
88 min...FCL Chad Gopaul blasts 25 yarder from wide right well behind net.
89 min...PS player's pass is just steps ahead of PS Petrucci in open charging on right.
91 min...PS player's blasts 35 yard shot is well over net.
93 min...FCL goalie catches 55 yard freekick from left.
95 min...FC London Tomas Alvarez GOAL...Alvarez rounds goalie at 8 yards and taps ball into empty net. Alvarez had
beaten goalie to ball trying to make play.

95 min...game ends 9:53pm.

Final Score:....Pro Stars FC Brampton........2........FC London.....4........

Attendance was about 80 on this mild evening with a few drops of rain that never amounted to much.

London should have put this away with their three first half goals but ProStars closed with two goals 
within the last ten minutes of regulation.  FCL were hanging on at the end until that insurance goal 
on the last play of the game when all the PS players were caught up the field.  After Allen's goal, 
FCL Sean Fawsitt was curled up in the net with a death grip on the ball to delay the restart...which 
could have been dangerous as he'd just drawn a Yellow two minutes earlier but the referee allowed him 
to carry the ball back to the center spot.  

I felt it was two goaltender mistakes by the ProStars goalie on bobbles that should have been dealt 
with but instead put the game away with the second and third goal just before halftime. 

ProStars had a chance to narrow the score even earlier when at 32 minutes FCL botched a play where 
goalie Eleias Himaras took a free kick in the box that a defender headed back to him but it looked 
like only six yards away and the referee called for an indirect free kick from about 10 yards.  
With all the FCL players on the goal line, PS Justin Cabral tapped the ball right instead of left 
which fooled most of the defenders leaving Jevontaie Layne with enough room in the top right corner 
but he fired over the bar.  The Unionville Milliken vs Masters game last month had that identical play 
but a UM player put the chance away. 

There was one man in the stands who said it was his first day (coaching) with ProStars.  He was 
almost like a heckler criticizing the forwards for not moving around enough getting open for passes.  
It will be interesting to see what role he will play or if he will stick around. 

FC London had many players I recognized from previous years (two years is almost a generation 
in some teams).  Randy Ribeiro is still the captain and who I've followed since the days 
of PDL Toronto Lynx.  A player ten years younger than him, Tomas Ribeiro, is NOT his brother nor cousin.  
The only brother combination is still Chad and Ethan Gopaul.  

This was the first time I'd been to Victoria Park in just over two years.  The “James F McCurry 
Victoria Park Arena” which was beside the stadium has finally been demolished.  It was badly damaged 
in a fire in 2016 and renovation plans were never carried out...I believe it was being renovated 
at the time of the fire.  The arena dressing rooms and washrooms were used by players and fans before 
improvements were made to the stadium.   Today ProStars head coach Josef Komlodi said the city has 
budgeted $17 million to build a community centre on that land with gyms and basketball courts 
and some supplementary soccer fields but NOT a hockey rink.  

The stadium has a grass field which was in great condition.   Brampton was referred to as 
'the city of soccer' in the most recent national team broadcasts for having so many players originate 
from here.  It is officially nicknamed as 'The Garden City' as referenced on their city's maintenance 
trucks and in previous years I'd make fun of that in that the city would always close this field 
around Thanksgiving to protect the grass leaving the previous team in the previous league I followed 
scrambling for a playoff venue.  A quick glance of the schedule this season (playoffs out of reach) 
shows the team ends the season on the road so it's possible city policy hasn't changed. 

Victoria Park has its own dressing rooms and washrooms now.  The COVID restrictions mean the dressing 
rooms can't be used and the washrooms appear to have a 50% capacity.  One john, one urinal, one sink 
instead of two.  Players had to change outside and stayed at their benches during halftime.  Rules 
(told to me by an FCL superfan) were that the charter company that usually rents FC London a bus 
(a halfsize 'airport to hotel style' bus) can't rent them one because there wouldn't be enough room 
for the players to keep their distances (!?).  The players instead travelled in one of those large 
yellow school buses.   It could be worse as the Guelph United vs Sigma FC game this afternoon was 
cancelled because of an exposure from someone in the Sigma organization.  Those two teams are battling 
London for the two playoff spots available to Western conference teams.  

The win improves FC London to a record of 5 wins, 0 ties, 1 loss for 15 points.  That is tied with 
Guelph for first—right now although Guelph has one game in hand—today's cancelled game against Sigma. 

ProStars record falls to 1 win, 4 losses, 1 tie for 4 points and are in a three way tie (all with 
identical records) for fifth with Scrosoppi FC and North Mississauga SC whom I saw play each other 
last night and set up this tangle of also-rans in the eight team conference.  

Post game interview with FC London head coach Michael Marcoccia (audio by Rocket Robin)
4 minutes, 57 seconds (windier than I thought)
Some comments on tonight's game?
How do you feel about your chances to make the playoffs?
Has your team got younger this year?
Your goalie Eleias Himaras? (played for Toronto FC II and loaned to York United FC)
Just how many teams are you coaching? Will this group stay together? (ie players committed to schools have already left)

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
Twitter @RocketRobin01


ProStars Brampton starters


FC London starters


London Ethan Gopaul (7) takes opening kickoff.


ProStars Seikh Uzair Mehboob (5) throw-in.


London Tomas Ribeiro (21) is tripped up in ProStars end.


London Randy Ribeiro (15) chips freekick into ProStars box.


Action at the center line.


ProStars Andrew Jagielski (8) lines up for indirect freekick.


London Patrick Melo (5) rushes forward on goalie's bobble and heads in from close range.


ProStars Jevontae Layne (16) takes second half kickoff.


ProStars Jevontae Layne (16) takes Penalty kick.


The school bus taking the players back to London.

back to 2021 League 1 Ontario Men's index

.

.