October 22, 2021 USL--Toronto FC vs Ft Lauderdale CF game report (by Rocket Robin)

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

Result and details of the Friday October 22, 2021 USL League One game between Toronto FC II and Fort Lauderdale CF
played at BMO Training Centre in Downsview at 4:00pm.

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

................70 Andrew Vaikla
58 Kobe Franklin...34 Jon-Talen Maples...64 Kevin Politz...38 Luca Petrasso
62 Rohan Goulbourne...85 Antonio Carlini...48 Dante Campbell (cpt)...52 Kosi Thompson
...........73 Paul Rothrock...82 Julian Altobelli

Subs:...40 Caleb Patterson-Sewell (gk)...49 Garrett McLaughlin (fwd)...51 Nicolas Ovalle (mid)...65 Antony Curic (mid)
...72 Steffen Yeates (mid)...81 Themi Antonoglou (mid)...83 Hugo Mbongue (mid)
team officials:...head coach Mike Munoz

Fort Lauderdale CF (white socks and shirts, black shorts, names and numbers)

.................27 Drake Callender
17 Modesto Mendez...29 Abel Caputo...5 Ethan Hardin...15 Braxton Taghvai-Najib
6 Harvey Neville...11 Romeo Beckham...12 Drew Hardin...32 Noah Allen
.............10 Shaan Hundal...9 Mitchell Curry

Subs:...1 Luis Zamudio (gk)...19 Christian Young (def)...21 Francisco Raggio (mid)...26 Dairon Reyes (mid)
...34 Roberto Poplawski (mid)
team officials:...manager Darren Powell

Game officials:...referee Seyed-Mohammad 'Mo' Mohseni...referee's assistants Melissa Snedden and Brad Doubrough
...fourth official Scott Bowman...(aqua shirts, black shorts and socks)

First Half:...game starts 4:08pm...TFC defends south end on this cloudy and cold breeze from the west.
3 min...TFC goalie smothers ball on run to right edge of the box ahead of FL Hundal.
7 min...FL goalie is out to edge of box to catch bouncer.
9 min...TFC Franklin low freekick from 30 yards on left is saved by diving goalie on bounce to right post.
15 min...FL Curry run into left and shot deflects off sliding block by TFC Maples ripping it over net.
16 min...FL Allen cornerkick from left has FL Mendez on slide doesn't fully connect from 8 yards on right and ball is cleared.
19 min...FL player's low 28 yard shot from right is wide left.
21 min...TFC II Kobe Franklin GOAL...TFC Kosi Thompson with back to goal and two FtL players behind him spins
and rolls ball to TFC Julian Altobelli on right edge of box who chips ball along 20 yard line to TFC Paul Rothrock
on slight left who taps ball down and rolls it to Franklin who bends low 15 yard shot into left corner of net beyond
diving goalie Drake Callender.
29 min...FL Hardin low freekick from 35 yards is bent just wide of left post with diving goalie covering post if it had been on target.
30 min...TFC Goulbourne rolls 18 yard shot from left is wide right of post.
32 min...Fort Lauderdale Shaan Hundal GOAL...FtL Harvey Neville chips ball from 50 yards down right wing
and charging FtL Beckham gets to ball near end line and crosses around TFC Luca Petrasso and it hits near side post
and deflects out for Hundal to roll ball into center of empty net as goalie Andreas Vaikla had flown to right post
to try to catch ball.
33 min...FL YELLOW card...Hardin earns it for tripping TFC player on edge of box.
34 min...TFC Petrasso chips 22 yard cross from right edge of box that defender on left heads away.
35 min...TFC Altobelli chips 18 yard shot high and wide left of net.
35 min...TFC Rothrock cross from 25 yards on far right has goalie punch ball through box out left side.
36 min...TFC Carlini taps ball to TFC Thompson to weak 22 yard roller to goalie.
37 min...FL Hundal cross from 22 yards on left has defender head ball away.
39 min...FL YELLOW card...Hundal earns it for kicking ball away delaying TFC freekick at center line.
40 min...TFC Altobelli gets bouncer for 25 yard shot up middle is caught by goalie on right.
42 min...TFC Franklin pushes ball over end line on run up right trying to elude defender.
44 min...TFC Petrasso 40 yard freekick from left is headed away on edge off box.
46 min...half ends 4:54pm.

Second Half:...starts 5:09pm.
45 min...FL Mendez arcs 20 yard cross from right is over box.
47 min...TFC Maples clears ball from left side of box.
49 min...TFC Goulbourne cross from 12 yards along 6 yard box is unplayed. Goulbourne is getting better in the second half.
51 min...TFC Goulbourne slides to keep ball in and passes to TFC Rothrock but shot is blocked.
52 min...TFC Altobelli intercepts clearance and 33 yard blast down middle is well over net.
53 min...Fort Lauderdale Shaan Hundal GOAL...FtL Braxton Taghvai-Najib on far right at 35 yards rolls centering pass
to Hundal who gets to 20 yards who stops ball then rolls it forward for charging FtL Taghvai-Najib who gets to 20 yards
but can't get by defenders so turns and taps ball back for Hundal to shoot 20 yarder up middle between two defenders
at 18 yards and into right side of net just inside post beyond diving goalie.
55 min...TFC Petrasso cornerkick from right is cleared from box.
56 min...FL YELLOW card...Caputo earns it for tripping player.
56 min...TFC sub...McLaughlin replaces Thompson.
57 min...TFC Altobelli 33 yard freekick down middle has goalie fly to right and push wide of post.
57 min...TFC Politz pops header from cornerkick on right wide right of net.
58 min...TFC McLaughlin is injured falling over FL goalie who was out of 6 yard box to try to smother ball.
59 min...TFC Franklin cornerkick from left has TFC win freekick on right edge of box.
60 min...TFC Petrasso 25 yard freekick from right is high and wide left of net.
61 min...TFC goalie is out to dive on break but FL Curry pulls ball around him him than taps ball that retreating defender
clears behind net.
61 min...FL player's cornerkick from right has FL shot blocked.
62 min...FL Curry can't keep pass in on left end line.
63 min...TFC YELLOW card...Carlini earns it for complaining about play that TFC McLaughlin tripped over goalie again
and only are awarded cornerkick.
65 min...TFC YELLOW card...Curic who was warming up on the sideline earns it for comments he made. His actions were relayed
to the referee by referee's assistant Melissa Snedden.
66 min...FL sub...Poplawski replaces Hardin.
67 min...TFC Petrasso cross has TFC player head ball wide right on pop up. FL Neville takes a ball to the face and needs trainer.
71 min...TFC Petrasso cross from left has ball is cleared on FL chest back to goalie.
73 min...FL goalie catches cross from right.
74 min...FL Neville cornerkick from right has FL Mendez heads ball down but a defender clears.
75 min...TFC sub...Altobelli replaces Goulbourne.
77 min...TFC Petrasso cross is a step ahead of TFC McLaughlin header attempt.
77 min...TFC McLaughlin bends 20 yard kick that's caught by goalie.
78 min...FL Hundal long run on left cutting to goal but is checked off ball then went down with an injury and needs trainer.
82 min...TFC Franklin bends in 30 yard freekick is caught by goalie in crowd of players.
83 min...FL sub...Reyes replaces Hundal.
...........TFC sub...Mbongue replaces Altobelli.
84 min...TFC Mbongue rush up left and cross has TFC McLaughlin slip while turning around for ball.
84 min...FL goalie outjumps TFC Mbongue to grab cross into box. FL Mendez needs to be treated for an injury.
86 min...FL YELLOW card...Neville earns it for pull down at TFC 25 yard line.
87 min...TFC Carlini 30 yard shot is between players and caught by goalie.
87 min...FL sub...Young replaces Mendez.
88 min...FL YELLOW card...Beckham earns it for grab on TFC player at center line.
90 min...TFC Petrasso 33 yard freekick up middle wins cornerkick.
90 min...FL YELLOW card...goalie Callender earns it for delaying cornerkick.
91 min...TFC player's cornerkick from right has FL goalie catch in crowd of players.
92 min...FL Reyes has shot stopped when given pass from FL Beckham.
93 min...TFC Franklin shot from 25 yards has sprawling goalie stop. TFC Antonoglou is then called offside on rebound try.
94 min...FL Reyes wins cornerkick on centering cross from left after long 3 on 1 break.
95 min...game ends 5:59pm.

Final Score:.....Toronto FC II......1.....Fort Lauderdale CL......2........

Attendance was about 60 on this cold mostly cloudy afternoon.

This result was a surprise to me. Ft Lauderdale was one of the few teams in the league already out
of the playoffs being in eleventh of the twelve teams before the game. This was their last game
of the season. They had not won in seven games meanwhile TFC II had won their last three in a row.
TFC II were unbeaten at home this season (that's games actually played in Toronto—not the first half
where they split home dates in Arizona and Florida).

Fort Lauderdale is the farm team of MLS team Inter Miami and play at PNK Stadium
in Fort Lauderdale—same as Inter Miami until the Inter moves when their own stadium is built.
Co owner of Miami is David Beckham and head coach is Phil Neville. Sons Harvey Neville
and Romeo Beckham play with Fort Lauderdale. In the leagues I followed over the decades,
nepotism is often a factor but both these young 19 year olds played well. Even the TFC Academy
had three red headed kids with 'Vanney' on their jerseys running around the grounds in past years.

The TFC II roster did not have any young MLS roster players drop down to help their mates in their
playoff run. The MLS team was eliminated from their playoff run by Inter Miami last Saturday
however now that the rest of their season is a formality the 'play the kids' mantra has taken
hold so it will give the callups a chance to show how good they are at the MLS level for next
season's spots. Eight Canadians started for them again today.

TFC played the same as the other two times I'd seen them. Defenders Kobe Franklin and Luca Petrasso
were given the freedom to bomb down the wings putting in crosses and were often the first choice
for freekicks and cornerkicks.

TFC goaltender Andreas Vaikla had not much to do drawing good protection by his corner defenders
Franklin and Petrasso and inside backs Americans Jon-Talen Maples and Kevin Politz. I thought
Vaikla was slow to dive on the winning goal but that may have been because it was because it looked
like a partially screened shot. No blame on the first goal as he had to commit to fly to the near
post to try to make the stop and the fluke bounce left the goal open.

TFC forwards Paul Rothrock and Kosi Thompson weren't as dominate as the last home game.
Garrett McLaughlin replaced Thompson at 56 minutes but wasn't memorable except twice trying
to draw a Penalty kick by tripping over the FtL goalie who was diving to smother balls in the box.
His 58 minute one was the worst as it appeared he really was injured falling over the end line
landing on the concrete pathway.

Drake Callendar was strong in goal for Fort Lauderdale. Don't know if it was an omen that
the music pregame was 'Drake' heavy after the MLSE ambassador/music superstar from this city.
Callendar caught important crosses in crowds of players and dove for some key saves.

Referee Mo Mohseni gave out eight Yellow cards today—six to Ft Lauderdale (three near the end
to slow down any comeback attempt). 86' to Neville and 88' to Beckham. Whatever it takes
to preserve that win.

TFC II's record falls to 9 wins, 10 losses, 8 ties for 35 points. They stay in eighth for the
moment (top six make the playoffs and the current point requirement for that spot is 36)
but the rest of the teams play this weekend so I'd expect their placing will drop.

Fort Lauderdale finish the 28 game season with a record of 8 wins, 13 losses, 7 ties
for 31 points. They actually climb to tenth at the moment with other teams playing later
this weekend and more next weekend.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
twitter @RocketRobin01

Toronto FC II starters