lol. Canada U17s lose to Cuba 2-1 and are eliminated from U17 WC contention. Cuba's first win in the final stage of U17 qualifying since 2011.
lol. Canada U17s lose to Cuba 2-1 and are eliminated from U17 WC contention. Cuba's first win in the final stage of U17 qualifying since 2011.
My son could have done a better job than Canada's keeper. Both those goals were from mishandling a shot and pushing the rebound in the wrong direction.
Guess who. Akinola finishes a U.S. counter-attack, U.S. U17s ended up winning 4-3 over Mexico.
Check out this tweet at https://twitter.com/CONCACAF/status/857388238293483521
http://www.torontofc.ca/post/2017/04...s-pereira-loan
TFC II signs Luis Pereira on loan from Arabe Unido. He's been on trial for a while.
21 year old left-footed defensive midfielder. I like this as Fraser was the only true DM on the squad.
Hamilton sighting!
Check out this tweet at https://twitter.com/TorontoFCII/status/858450324906024960
Underway now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEKx4syBnogOriginally Posted by OgtheDim
Louisville is undefeated so far this year.
Cavaluzzo has been looking unbeatable. Making multiple massive saves....
Ive changed my stance on him.
His distribution is better than both Bono and Irwindale. ...makes me think that he was a player tured goalie.
TFC II ties 0-0 with Louisville. Good road result for TFC II. Did a fair bit of surviving but also had a strong last 15 minutes with some good chances to win it. Cavalluzzo was immense, had to have been his career best performance.
Well since not many read my League 1 thread in the other forum:
Result and details of the Sunday April 30, 2017 League 1 Ontario game
between Toronto FC III and FC London played at the KIA Training Centre
in Downsview at 1:00am.
32 min...TFC Ethan Beckford GOAL...Beckford is given pass for break-in
down center by TFC Dante Campbell and rolls 22 yarder past sliding
goalie into right side of net.
35 min...TFC Ethan Beckford GOAL...Beckford beats goalie Anthony Sokalski
to the ball at 40 yard line, rounds him and shoots low 28 yarder up middle into
open net. TFC Matthew Srbely had given Beckford a pass upfield that
convinced the goalie to come that far out of his net.
40 min...TFC Nicholas Osorio GOAL...TFC Marko Mandekic gives crossfield
short pass to Osorio at 22 yards and he blasts shot into top left corner.
61 min...TFC Nicholas Osorio GOAL...TFC Nikola Stakic feeds ball up the middle
at center line for TFC Dante Campbell to run up the middle and tap ball
around goalie at 15 yards for Osorio to shoot 15 yarder from left into
empty net.
64 min...TFC Dante Campbell rolls pass to TFC Nicholas Osorio who's tripped
up in the FCL box and referee Fabrizio Stasolla calls a Penalty kick.
65 min...TFC Ethan Beckford GOAL...Beckford blasts a Penalty kick to his left
which flying goalie gets a hand to but only pushes it to the left corner
of the net.
80 min...TFC Daniel DaSilva GOAL...TFC Steven Furlano taps pass at center line
as he's being upended and DaSilva races down the middle, dekes diving goalie
at 10 yards and taps ball into open net.
Final Score:....Toronto FC III.......6.......FC London........0.......
Attendance varied with the weather conditions but peaked at about 60. It was
overcast, very cold, and extremely windy. It also started to drizzle at halftime
but had stopped before the second half started. Parkas were worn by everyone
except the on-field players and officials. Tomorrow is the first day of May! I took
my pass off from around my neck as the wind caught it a few times and slapped
me in the face. No sound system was brought out today and the corner flags
were allowed to stay blown over.
For my notes, a play would have to be pretty special for me to pry my mitt
off to write it down so my more detailed notes are not going to be
a play-by-play.
Filippo Di Bennardo earned the shutout for TFC in a very easy game. An L1O
tweet revealed that FCL didn't have one shot on goal. The TFC defence was
solid with 2016 league-leading scorer Elvir Gigolaj and captain
Christian Devia being held to very few chances.
There wasn't too much to learn strategy wise on a day like today except
keep the ball low so it doesn't get caught in the wind. The wind was
strong and from the north which was cross-field so it didn't give either
team an advantage in either half. Both teams were caught offside
quite a few times.
A security guard answered me that it's been three weeks since the winter
bubble had been taken down leaving this field turf open to the elements.
The FCL players never adapted the entire afternoon while TFC settled down
after a few atomic crosses. TFC have changed their parka colours to gray
and black so their subs didn't need to wear pinnies while warming up.
I was wearing last year's red (thanks again Jason Bent!) so the ref
requested I put one on and I wrestled for a few minutes to get it
on in the wind.
Best non-scoring chances were at 5 minutes when TFC Marko Mandekic
took a 22 yard freekick from the right that had the goalie fly over to the
top left corner to get a hand to and a defender cleared behind the end
line. 43 minutes had FCL Mohammad Reza Nafar get tripped up in the
TFC box getting away a blocked shot but got up and tapped the ball
to FCL Sean Fawsitt who blasted a shot from 12 yards on the far right
well over the net. 53 minutes had the FCL goalie trapped by a bad
backpass with two TFC forwards on him in the box. TFC Ethan Beckford
stripped him off the ball and crossed to the center of the box but
a defender got back in time to head the ball away. 85 minutes had
TFC Glenn Muenkat roll a pass across the box and TFC Daniel DaSilva
with an open net blasted a 15 yard shot off the underside of the bar
but the ball stayed out and the goalie picked it up on the bounce.
89 minutes had FCL Zach Witt recover a poor TFC back pass but his
off balance shot from 18 yards was well wide right. Injury time had
TFC Dante Campbell have a long run up the right and center a pass
to Muenkat but the goalie slid out to the edge of the box
to grab the ball and Muenkat fell over him injuring himself.
TFC got off to a slow start last year before finishing strongly. This year
rather than being their U-17s, they are referred to as U-19s and so most
of the players I recognized from last year's roster. With TFC not operating
a PDL team this year and their USL team stacked with foreigners,
the Academy team is staying together at the T1O level. An FCL official
before the game was telling me how much their roster has changed from
last year by now being filled with U-21s but I didn't risk pulling the
game rosters out of my bag for fear they'd blow across the field.
The two teams' return match is Friday night August 25 at the German
Canadian FC Stadium Field. I've been to 'Cove Road' years ago and
maybe FCL can ensure an extra helping of mosquitoes for revenge
against today's game.
FC London captured the Western Conference title last season with
TFC Academy (their name last year) finishing third. Sigma FC
finished second.
Toronto FC III will be back here next Sunday at 1:00pm for a home
game against Sigma FC. Those two teams have a rivalry for who can
put the most grads into the MLS. Sigma's most famous grad Kyle Larin
is expected in town on Wednesday night for Orlando City's game
against Toronto FC at the MLS level.
Strange that in the parking lot at The Hangar and in then in my own
driveway right after the game the wind was only a third of the
speed of the KIA field.
Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
@RocketRobin01
Check out this tweet at https://twitter.com/TorontoFCMR/status/859475752282140673
One of the better players from TFC III.
Check out this tweet at https://twitter.com/CONCACAF/status/859890326533582848
Another for Akinola at the U17s.
TFC II in action tonight half an hour earlier than the senior squad.
Check out this tweet at https://twitter.com/TorontoFCII/status/859893020912693249
TFC II lost 1-0. Defended fairly well but lost to a wonder strike. Still having trouble generating scoring chances.
Akinola added an assist in the U.S. U17 game vs. Cuba (also played the pass that led to a Cuba own goal, but it was pretty lucky). U.S. has qualified for the U17 WC now, still to play Mexico for bragging rights in the CONCACAF final.
Result and details of the Sunday May 7, 2018 League 1 Ontario game between
Toronto FC III and Sigma FC played at KIA Training Centre in Downsview
at 1:00pm.
13 min...Sigma Duran Lee GOAL...Sigma Justin Stoddart cornerkick from right
is high and Lee leaps above defenders and heads 5 yarder forward into top
left corner of net.
31 min...Sigma Johnny Grant GOAL...Sigma player racing in on left cutting
in and passes to Sigma Mansoor Allazy who gives pass in clear and Grant
shoots 15 yarder down middle over sliding goalie Brogan Engbers.
36 min...TFC Malik Johnson GOAL...TFC Steven Furlano cross from 22 yards
on far right has Johnson in crowd of players shoot in low 10 yarder over
diving goalie Triston Henry.
49 min...Sigma Jordan Kalonji GOAL...Kalonji is given short low pass upfield
by Sigma Mansoor Allazy and his low 15 yard shot from right is into low
left corner of net.
83 min...Sigma Johnny Grant sends low cross from 15 yards near right end
line has Sigma Dominic Samuel upended by fallen goalie in box at 5 yards
while rushing forward for ball. Referee Timothy Wong calls a Penalty kick
and gives TFC goalie Brogen Engbers a Yellow card.
84 min...Sigma Johnny Grant blasts low Penalty kick has diving goalie save
on right post by pushing ball wide. The referee's assistant put his flag
up as the goalie had taken a step forward before the shot was taken.
85 min...Sigma Johnny Grant GOAL...Grant blasts retaken Penalty kick low
to right side of net with goalie diving left.
93 min...TFC Red card...Dante Campbell is given a straight Red on a delayed
call for flattening a Sigma player in the center circle as play moved
upfield. When the advantage ended after Sigma Arlick Nibana rolled a 20 yard
shot through a crowd of players that the goalie picked up, a multi player
dust-up broke out in the TFC box.
95 min...game ends.
Final Score:......Toronto FC III.......1.........Sigma FC......4......
Attendance was about 30. It was parka weather again but the sun came out
in the second half for the first time in about five days. We're not used
to this weather dragging on into May. The wind is exaggerated at this
location, the remnants of the old military Downsview Airport now down
to one runway which is still being used for commercial freight flights.
I wonder if the Avro Arrow reached Mach 1.9 at the end of the 1950s
because of the wind? Whichever team was playing in the south end found
it very hard to cross the center line. That was TFC in the first and
Sigma for the second half. There was no rain and the grounds crew did
set up a canopy for the scorers table and sound system. I think this
was partially for show as they were committed to Livestream the game
for internet watchers.
Sigma's goal at 49 minutes proved to be crucial as it was one of the
few times they were able to get out of their own end in the second half.
The injury time brawl was partially to do with the 'advantage' playing on.
I suspect that Sigma players thought that Aidan Daniels was going to get
away with the knockdown upfield. I saw a Sigma player down in the center
circle but at the time I moved my eyes away to see the Sigma rush. I looked
at the Livestream recording of that moment after I got home and the
commentator mentioned there was a man down at the time but the camera
had already moved downfield to follow the action. Referee Timothy Wong
gave out six Yellow cards (two to Sigma) plus the Red. Between 53 and
58 minutes he gave out four Yellow cards on four separate plays
(two to each team) and that mostly curbed the rough stuff until
the end of the game.
Ethan Beckford (three goals last game vs FC London) and Nicholas Osorio
(two goals last game) were kept off the score-sheet this week.
Both Triston Henry for Sigma and Brogan Engbers for TFC played well
in goal. I've been marking my notes for decades 'dive for save'
or 'flew for save' when the goalie leaves his feet depending on where
on net the shot is going. Today the word was 'flew for save' as there
were a lot of top corner shots by each team.
This was the time of year over the last few seasons of this league
when Sigma is at their best. Last season Sigma blasted off with a 9 win,
0 loss start by the end of June. They ended up fizzling out later in the
season when many of their players returned to NCAA schools before the
middle of summer. By the end of the season they are playing with their
high-schoolers. This is what I worry about with the League 1 Ontario
champions next year getting an entry into the Voyageurs Cup. Other L1O
teams have the same problem but not so heavily as Sigma. What time of year
would their qualifier be? Late Spring vs Fall will make a huge difference
in the caliber of competition the L1O teams can put out.
I'd still say Toronto FC III has a better chance of finishing the season
higher up the table based on past seasons when they grow in experience
and have other teams lose players to schools. Also this year the squad
is considered U19 or U20 rather than U17 and they won't burn out players
on the TFC PDL team which their organization folded the end of last year.
Johnny Grant is the veteran of Sigma. He played four years with them
in his development then went to play in Europe and with
MLS Montreal Impact. It's not unusual for a player to return to Sigma
for a brief stay. I saw Emery Welshman after his Toronto FC days come
back to stay sharp then move on to USL Real Monarchs and this season
NASL Puerto Rico. Leaford Allen had the Grant role last year although
he told me he didn't come through the Sigma system. I received a tweet
that Sigma grad and MLS 2017 SuperDraft first round selection
Kwame Awuah played his first game for MLS New York City FC today.
Details reveal he was an injury time sub but it's a 'start' to his
MLS career. Awuah also went to U of Connecticut as did Sigma's
most famous player, Cyle Larin!
Anthony Totera was here as a game production director for the league
to make sure things ran smoothly. I got to congratulate him on the
CanPL league launch announcement as he's been taking a lot of grief
over the last two years as the story moved from rumours to reality.
I did much the same last night when I saw Duane Rollins as game
director at the Masters vs OSUF game.
Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
twitter @RocketRobin01
Check out this tweet at https://twitter.com/TorontoFCMR/status/863022199292047361
Looks like Morgan will get minutes with TFC II this weekend as he returns from injury.
Would be great to see a good amount of supporters stick around for TFC2 tomorrow. I know I am looking forward to the double header.
Remember The Man, The Legend, The Goal 5-12-07 and All That #9 Left On The Pitch, Thanks For The Memories !!!
What are Akinola's ties to TFC?
(I see you guys are talking about him, and I have no idea who he is.)
He's a 17 year old striker and the best prospect in TFC's academy. He led the U.S. U17 team in scoring last year and was also called up for 10 TFC II games last year, scoring a couple goals. It was reported over the off-season that we offered him a USL contract for this year which he rejected, and we then offered him a Homegrown Player MLS contract. There have been no updates since then so it's assumed that he also rejected that. The current speculation and my expectation is that he wants to go play in Europe, which he can do once he's 18. He's going to play in the U17 World Cup with the U.S., which is always a big scouting event for clubs, so I think he's waiting to play in that in November and then evaluate his options from there.
Thanks!
Does anyone know what % of the TFC academy players is not Canadian?
DID AKINOLA play for the academy
if he is from US, how did we find him first
Born in US, grew up in Canada
He is very much Canadian. Figure there is more opportunity for exposure and success on the US teams though...
He's one that we'll need to fight for when it comes time for senior caps
Check out this tweet at https://twitter.com/TorontoFCII/status/863501898686574592
TFC II vs. Bethlehem at BMO starting soon. Morgan starting and new signing Luis Pereira on the bench, first time on the game day roster.
edit: 1-0 loss, Bethlehem's goal coming on a penalty. TFC II were the far better side in the second half but they just couldn't create many good scoring chances.
Last edited by notthesun; 05-13-2017 at 07:30 PM.
Result and details of the Saturday May 13, 2017 USL game
between Toronto FC II and Bethlehem Steel FC played
at BMO Field in Toronto at 6:00pm.
7 min...BS Cory Burke turns and rolls pass forward from
50 yard line up right to BS Marcus Epps who receives
it at 25 yards and cuts into top of the box on right.
He slows down at 15 yards when facing TFC Brandon Aubrey
and TFC Mitch Taintor comes up behind him and trips him up.
Referee Pierre-Luc Lauzier awards BS a Penalty kick.
8 min...BS Cory Burke GOAL...Burke rolls Penalty kick
to right side of net as goalie Angelo Cavalluzzo dives
to left.
Final Score:....Toronto FC II......0......Bethlehem Steel FC.....1...
TFC was marketing a shutout streak that had lasted a full
three games until their last game in Pittsburgh where they
lost 1-0. Their goalie Angelo Cavalluzzo had won Save of the
Week and Goalie of the Month during that time. The other
way of looking at it was during the last five games TFC has
not scored! Since losing 3-1 in Orlando (against Orlando City 'B')
on April 4, they played 0-0 against Rochester (TFC's only
home game), Ottawa, and Louisville, before the
Pittsburgh game.
Today was not a clash of powerhouses. TFC had a record
of 1 win, 3 losses, 3 ties for fifteenth (last) place in the East
and Bethlehem were until today 2 wins, 4 losses, 0 ties for
da-da....fourteenth place! They are the affiliate of
Philadelphia Union who are mired in last place in the MLS
league so if their team can't stock move on the big team
who are looking for improvements, the pickings must
be pretty slim.
On the visitor's side I was cheering for Chris Nanco who
I watched as recently as last year playing for League 1
Ontario side Sigma FC. He had a good game which was
running up the wing and getting crosses into the box
but also getting a few shots in. He also earned the
only Yellow card of the game.
I didn't realize until I was home but Josh Heard is a Welsh
born Canadian who played for PDL Victoria Highlanders
a few years ago and was subbed on today at 77 minutes.
Nanco wasn't even Sigma's best USL player today
as Richie Laryea scored for Orlando City B in their road win
in front of 19301 in Cincinnati.
TFC II had been reinforced by MLS contract players,
defender Ashtone Morgan, goalie Mark Pais, and forward
Ben Spencer. It wasn't a surprise to followers as they've all
been on the TFC II roster earlier this season. Morgan played
only the first half but he's been recovering from an injury for
what seems like a year. He was playing today as a winger.
Ryan Telfer took his place for the second half and played almost
as a forward. Pais filled in for the MLS team when Clint Irwin
was injured but didn't see any action and he won't get to play
with the Canadian Cavalluzzo playing so well this last month.
Tsubasa Endoh played almost all the freekicks and cornerkicks.
With the MLS team being so deep, he may not get back on
the main roster. Ben Spencer was just given an MLS contract
within the last two weeks but hasn't seen any action.
There's a group of Ben Spencer critics on-line. They are not
going to be pleased that he won and expresso machine as Man
of the Match (always a TFC II player). Laughable plays included
at 53 minutes when he was given a through ball and rushed up
the middle on the slight left and rolled a 22 yard shot directly
to the goalie. 75 minutes had him take a low 20 yard shot from
the right that was into the outside webbing of the net. 84 minutes
had Spencer knock down a chipped pass at 20 yards but had
a defender check him off the ball without getting away a shot.
TFC had three Canadian starters and three on the bench getting
two of them into the game.
TFC head coach Greg Vanney was watching the game for the
West stands with one of his younger kids.
Bethlehem goalie Jake McGuire earned the shutout. He had
to make some key saves. He was sharp except on one play
at 85 minutes, Shaan Hundal blasted a shot from 15 yards that
he couldn't hang on to and a defender had to boot the rebound
behind the end line. Injury time had Hundal get to a cross and
pop a header from 15 yards on the right that bounced and the
goalie was able to catch it wide left of the post. Hundal only came
in at 59 minutes and he'd have been my 'Man of the Match'.
Last year he was the teams leading scorer and now it's hard for
the Canadian to find playing time.
Angelo Cavalluzzo played goal for TFC II. He didn't have much
to do which is good as having to make the 'save of the week'
means the defence is letting you down! Of course partly it's
on the visitors as #14 in the league tables until today.
Attendance was announced as 3033 which was certainly a season
best for this team although it's only their second home game
of the year and is likely not to be repeated as the team
usually plays at the Ontario Soccer Centre in Vaughan just
outside the city limits of Toronto. They were piggybacking
off the MLS game that had finished an hour earlier in which
Toronto FC beat Minnesota United 3-2 in front of 27,249.
Another quarter of the fans who stayed for beginning of the
USL game left by halftime.
The fans were corralled into the East stands except the
supporter groups who were allowed to stay in the South—probably
for the best as they don't mingle well with the families
watching in the East. I wasn't taking anything for granted
as I brought my TFC II ticket today too in case I ended
up out in the parking lot. We had to wait 'upstairs'
at the 200 level while the lower section was cleaned.
TFC alumi Dwayne De Rosario was signing autographs and
a DJ was playing songs. I didn't know that area was accessable
from the lower deck from inside. This extra level
in proportion looks like it has more washrooms than ours.
At about 5:30pm we were allowed back down—general admission
although my row hadn't been cleaned at all. The same beer
sellers who had called last call at 65 minutes of the first
game were back again selling until the end of the first half.
MLSE had really hit promoting this match hard. I heard about
it through e-mail, team websites and twitter, and announcements
today at the beginning, halftime, and end of the MSL game.
Production values were high with the same announcer as the
MLS game, highlights on the video board after the first
half of the game we were watching instead of another replay
of the MLS game.
No excuses of people saying they didn't know about it.
It will be interesting to see how the team uses these figures.
They could say retaining just over 11% of the fans proves
they should move the team to another city filling a roster
of some CanPL team once that gets going. They cover the
salaries of their players but don't have to cover stadium
rental and staffing. Even today's total (if it were true)
is triple last year's crowd in Vaughan for even 'good'
weather days. This game had the first 20 minutes played
in a light rain but fans were sheltered by the roof.
TFC II's next game is Friday May 19 at Ontario Soccer Centre
with a 5:00pm kickoff. This game might start off with very
low as most people are just getting off work at that time.
The Rowdies are second in the East as of last week's
standings and are aiming big trying to get an MLS franchise
and just had their city agree to a stadium proposal.
Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
twitter @RocketRobin01
Idiot comment. God forbid families get together with supporters and participate. Not just there to sit on their ass.
The fans were corralled into the East stands except the supporter groups who were allowed to stay in the South—probably for the best as they don't mingle well with the families watching in the East
If a European youngster wants to get a trial with TFC II, how does he go about it? Contact the Director of Scouting? When can they sign or 'not sign' players, local or foreign?
Appreciate the help and passion in this group. Special nod to Rocket Robin for the thorough work! Thank you!
How long is this scoring drought going to last? Seriously, get in there!!
will be interest when CPL comes along and who gets poached or how tfc2 will adjust
https://www.torontofc.ca/post/2017/0...-jelani-peters
TFC II signs Jelani Peters, who was previously on loan.
Early game for TFC II tonight:
Check out this tweet at https://twitter.com/TorontoFCII/status/865661379402907648
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