June 25, 2023 League1 Ontario...Vaughan Azzurri vs BVB IA Waterloo game report (by Rocket Robin)

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Result and details of the Sunday June 25, 2023 League1 Ontario Men's Premier Division game between
Vaughan Azzurri and BVB IA Waterloo played at North Maple Regional Park in Vaughan at 8:00pm.

Vaughan Azzurri (all navy uniforms, white numbers, red trim)

.....................1 Alessio Carbone
3 Jaytin Pabla...4 Nyal Higgins...24 Justyn Thomas...14 Sammy Ssebaduka
5 Raheem Rose (cpt)...10 Jeronimo Sabbatasso...16 Trevor Carabin...11 Ryan Robinson
.................9 Omar Marzouk...8 Chritopher Campoli

Subs:...6 Johua Belluz...7 Abdou Raouf Mohamed...13 Joe Mac...17 Christian Zeppieri
...18 Jarred Phillips...22 Dujon Martin...23 Marcel Zajac...25 Joseph Bourgeois
team offiials:...team head coach Carmine Isacco...assistant coaches Anthony Vadori,
Luca Forno, Marine Eleuteri, and Sergio De Luca...therapist Casey D'Mello

BVB IA Waterloo (all white uniforms, black numbers)

....................34 Denver Mills
23 Fideri Mbirizi...9 Yasser Hassan...15 Josip-Pavle Stojanovic...19 Jasjit Singh
14 Yves Mwenedata...8 Matthew Mills (cpt)...18 Thomas Sackor...3 Alex Amaral
...............28 Ank Nibogora...16 Nickolas Linares

Subs:...21 Isaiah Cook (gk)...4 Sameul Henriques...5 Andy Li...7 Robert MacKay
...10 Jeremiah Arisekola-Ojo...17 Fredua Osei...25 Angad Panesar...26 Navam Bawa
...33 Sawyer Bovingdon
team officials:...team official John O'Brien

Game officials:...reeree Hassane Rifai...referee's assistants Michael Heuthe and Mehdi Boutarfa
...fourth official Melvin Chrsitopher

First Half:...game starts 7:59pm...VA defends south end. The weather is now overcast.
22 sec...VA Higgins run up slight right and 25 yard low shot is wide left.
4 min...W Stojanovic 22 yard freekick from slight riht is low and into player wall.
4 min...VA Ssebaduka long run up left and blasts 22 yarder into outside left side webbing of net.
7 min...Vaughan Omar Marzouk GOAL...VA Ryan Robinson cross from 22 yards on far left has Marzouk charging
up middle head 6 yarder into left side of net freezing goalie in middle.
9 min...VA Robinson cornerkick from left is high and VA Higgins heads ball down on right end line but defender checks him
off ball and clears.
11 min...VA Rose gets through ball and round diving goalie but wins cornerkick on deflection.
11 min...VA Robinson high cornerkick from left hass goalie punch ball away down middle and whistle is blown for W freekick.
12 min...W goalie is out to right edge of box to beat VA Marzouk to pick up a through ball pass.
13 min...W goalie is out to 22 yard wide right to clear ball into stands.
14 min...W goalie bobbles shot from 25 yards but has time to smother it.
15 min...VA Rose touches pass to VA Marzouk on right who rolls 15 yarder into 6 yard box. VA Robinson runs on left
and his low cross along 12 yard line is partially cleared.
16 min...Vaughan Christopher Campoli GOAL...VA Jaytin Pabla low cross from 20 yards on right has Campoli shoot
low 12 yarder forward into left side of net.
18 min...VA Pabla cross from 22 yards on right has VA Marzouk not able to completely twist header on leap at 6 yards on left post
and ball is wide left.
19 min...W Nibogora is injured at VA 40 yard line on right and needs trainer.
21 min...W Mwenedata is injured at W 40 yard line on left.
23 min...W Matthew Mills low 28 yard shot is between players and smothered by goalie.
24 min...VA Robinson pass from 30 yards has VA Ssebaduka save on end line and crosses around goalie but defender clears
in 6 yard box.
25 min...VA Robinson cornerkick from left is high and W Singh on right heads ball for cornerkick crashing into VA Higgins,
injurying him.
26 min...VA Robinson cornerkick from right tips off heads in box and VA Rose on left tips it for goalkick.
27 min...VA goalie catches high 60 yard freekick unchallenged.
29 min...W Nibogora run on right to near end line trying to cut in on defender and low 20 yard shot is smotherd by goalie on near post.
30 min...VA Rose receives short pass for charging VA Marzouk has goalie and W Hassan slide for it at 15 yards. The goalie
smothers it and Hassan is injured.
32 min...W Linares run on left and low 30 yard shot is between two W players charging forward and ball bounces to goalie.
33 min...VA Ssebaduka makes another run down left and low 25 yard shot has sprawling goalie on near post push ball wide left.
34 min...VA Robinson cornerkick on left has goalie catch in crowd of players on left side of box.
35 min...W Matthew Mills cornerkick from left is over to right side and VA players start a fast break out.
36 min...VA Marzouk on left side of box slides to roll 12 yarder wide right.
37 min...Vaughan Christopher Campoli GOAL...VA Ryan Robinson sends pass from near center line forward for Campoli
at 30 yards and he chips 22 yard shot over goalie who'd rushed to edge of box.
38 min...VA Pabla cross has VA Marzouk pushed over by a defender and referee Hassane Rifai awards Vaughan a Penalty kick.
39 min...VA Campoli blasts Penalty kick low and down middle and sprawling goalie Denver Mills stops
and W Matthew Mills kicks ball wide right for cornerkick.
39 min...W goalie is out to smother 10 yard loose ball ahead of VA Marzouk.
41 min...VA Campoli shoots 22 yard roller down middle wide left.
44 min...VA goalie is out to edge of box to catch bouncer.
46 min...half ends 8:45pm.

Halftime: The temperature is cooling fast. The breeze is now a wind from the east (it's crossfield so doesn't effect play).
Both teams subs warm up. The ball boys and other boys from the Vaughan SC are also out on the field too.

Second Half:...starts 9:01pm.
Halftime sub: VA Belluz replaces Higgins.
46 min...W YELLOW card...Campoli earns it for tripping dribbling VA Marzouk at center line on run up right.
48 min...W Mwenedata blasts 20 yarddedr from middle that goalie flies right to bat away.
50 min...W Amaral rush up left and 25 yard shot is caught overhead by goalie on left post.
51 min...VA Robinson bends 20 yard shot from left that goalie flies left to push ball wide left.
51 min...VA players work out quick cornerkick on left has VA dribble along end line and centering pass is cheared.
VA Marzouk through ball rush on right and centers pass. W Mbirizi clears ball after retreats to prevent tap-in.
54 min...W goalie bats away 25 yard shot in crowd of players in box.
54 min...W sub...Li replaces Amaral.
55 min...VA Rose low 30 yard shot up middle has goalie dive right to save.
VA players have been caught on a few offsides already this half.
58 min...Vaughan Ryan Robinson GOAL...Robinson cuts towards middle and blasts 25 yarder from left into top right
corner over flying goalie.
58 min...VA sub...Raouf Mohamed replaces Robinson.
.........VA sub...Mac replaces Rose.
.........VA sub...Martin replaces Campoli.
.........VA sub...Zajac replaces Marzouk.
...........W sub...MacKay replaces Mbirizi.
Wow! the fourth official is put to work when VA make a quadruple substitution and Waterloo subs one player.
60 min...VA Raouf Mohamed wins ccornerkick on 12 yard shot that's deflected wide left.
60 min...VA Sabbatasso cornerkick from left has VA Zajac in middle blasts 25 yarder.
61 min...W Singh taps pass to W MacKay who shoots 15 yarder from right that's well high of goal.
62 min...VA Zajac on 3 on 2 rush chips 25 yarder that leaping goalie catches at 15 yards.
63 min...W sub...Panesar replaces Sackor.
...........VA sub...Bourgeois replaces Pabla.
64 min...VA players are passing around the W box but can't get a clear shot.
65 min...W Henriques pops up cross into W box on left. VA Martin one-touches mid air blast from 15 yards well over net
and back fence.
67 min...VA Sabbatasso cornerkick from right is cleared in box after a few swipes.
68 min...VA sub...Phillips replaces Ssebaduka.
69 min...VA goalie is out to right to beat through ball pass.
70 min...W Bawa replaces Mwenedata.
70 min...W Stojanovic recovers partially cleared cornerkick from right with chip back into box.
71 min...Vaughan Dujon Martin GOAL...VA Joe Mac run on right and chips centering cross along 15 yard line.
Martin pops ball up with foot holding off defender and then chips goalie at 8 yards.
73 min...Vaughan Abdou Raouf Mohamed GOAL...VA Dujon Martin rush on left and sends short pass to Raouf Mohamed
and he blasts 25 yarder into top right corner of net.
74 min...W Li is given pass up middle and low rushed 20 yard shot is smothered by goalie in center of net.
75 min...VA Bourgeois low cross from far right along 6 yard line is cleared before VA Martin can tap it in.
77 min...VA Mac 33 yard freekick from right has VA Zajac flick through defenders but goalie saves.
77 min...VA Martin intercepts goalie clearance chesting ball down at 25 yards and VA Martin rolls 25 yarder.
77 min...VA Zajac on run in middle blasts 33 yarder wide right of net.
78 min...W sub...Bovingdon replaces Nibogora.
............W sub...Henriques replaces Stojanovic.
79 min...VA make a four part pass has VA players 12 yard shot that hits sliding defender.
79 min...VA Marcel Zajac draws Penalty kick when pushed over by defender in box.
80 min...Vaughan Marcel Zajac GOAL...Zajac blasts Penalty kick down middle over sprawling goalie.
82 min...VA Martin rolls pass up left to VA Sabbatasso on break and he ends up stopping to shoot 15 yard roller into outside
left side webbing of net.
86 min...VA Mac receives short pass and 18 yard shot is stopped by sliding goalie.
86 min...W goalie takes ball off VA Bourgeois at 10 yard line.
87 min...VA Raouf Mohamed is pulled down on break on right for just a freekick call at W 35 yard line.
89 min...Vaughan Abdou Raouf Mohamed GOAL...VA Jarred Phillips chips ball on left at 50 yard line to Raouf Mohamed
on break who chips around goalie and defender to get away 12 yard shot into empty net.
90 min...VA Martin break on left and rolls 15 yarder that ogaie pushes wide of post.
92 min...game ends 9:48pm.

Final Score:....Vaughan Azzurri........8........BVB IA Waterloo........0.........

Attendance was about 250 with a lot of Vaughan's Boys teams there with some of their parents. More than enough ball boys and those not chosen would often outjump the officials bb's to catch a ball and throw it back in. Not really a problem because the L1O Vaughan team wore their navy kit and the non pinnied kids wore their whites. The ice cream truck that was in the parking lot during the youth team game (looked like they were playing the Woodbridge boys) reparked just outside the endzone and must have sold hundreds of treats. The Vaughan L1O Women's team was out of town today so it was all boys.

Wow I was sort of expecting this even after a weekend of results with the 'good' teams beating the lower teams by mostly one goal and even some upsets and ties. Vaughan had been beaten 1-0 by Guelph United last week for its first loss to a L1O team since the pre pandemic years. This was three weekends after the team had spared about 12 players to compete in the 'Million Dollar Challenge' down in North Carolina where they advanced to the final but meanwhile the players who didn't go still won their L1O game! (Yeah OK it was against last place Unionville-Milliken SC). This team is DEEP.

This is the second game in a row that Waterloo has lost by an 8-0 score but at least this one wasn't at home. Still there were some travelling parents there urging a goal even after the score was out of hand. That's another frustration for them as Waterloo has not scored for five games in a row.

Tonight? This game? As Waterloo head coach John O'Brien answered me after the game, “It was men vs young boys”.

Referee Hassane Rifai gave out only one Yellow card (that was to Waterloo) and let most of the other action go with just warnings.

Alessio Carbone earned the shutout for Vaughan with a few key saves. Main goalie Gianluca Catalano was away in New England after signing a short term contract with Toronto FC II who were short as they moved a goalie up to their MLS roster because of two goalies playing in the Gold Cup. Catalano ended up sitting on the bench. **[late edit: MLS NEXT Pro stats show Catalano was a 90+1 minute substitute which means he was brought in just in time for the Penalty shootout to decide the bonus point after a tie. He stopped one of the five PKs he faced which TFC II lost 4-2]**.

Letting players move on when opportunities arise or even letting them go to that Million Dollar Challenge must be one of the reasons Vaughan can attract players like a magnet.

Two blasts to the top right corner that would make any sports highlight reel plus backheeler passing though they didn't result in goals just showed the Vaughan dominance.

The result improves Vaughan's record to 7 wins, 1 loss, 2 ties for 23 points. This was the last game of the weekend so this week they've moved up to fifth. They were twelfth a month ago but had three games in hand. Now they have one game in hand on three of the teams ahead of them and two on the other.

The loss drops Waterloo's record to 1 win, 10 losses, 0 ties for 3 points. They are twentieth of the twenty-one teams this season. Like other teams that are not going to survive the Top 12 Premier Division split in 2024, they are concentrating on youth and community.

My post game interview with Waterloo head coach John O'Brien (6 minutes, 58 seconds)
Your thoughts on tonight's game?
Where are your player's from?
What is Waterloo getting out of your agreement with the BVB Borussia Dortmund organization?
What is the team focusing on when you are assured of being at Tier 2 status next year?
Your previous coaching career?
Your memories of Toronto Jets?

Rocket Robin
robin.glover.1958@gmail.com
twitter @RocketRobin01

Vaughan Azzurri starters