CPSL Result Week 5

[lazyboy]

CROATIA FIGHTS BACK FOR 1-1 TIE WITH ST. CATHARINES WOLVES

Toronto Croatia fought back in the second half to salvage a 1-1 tie after being a goal down at half time against St. Catharines Wolves at Club Roma in the only game played in the Canadian Professional Soccer League Wednesday.

St. Catharines took a deserved lead after 21 minutes when captain Tony Carbonara beat Croatia goalkeeper George Azcurra and the lone marker held up until the interval.

The Mississauga-based Toronto Croatia rallied in the second half and the affort paid off when just three minutes from time Sam El-Masri struck the equalizer.

The tie gives St. Catharines at 1-1-2 WLT for 5 points, while Croatia are still looking for their first win with a 0-2-1 record.

Croatia’s next game is at home to Conference leaders Vaughan Shooters at Memorial Park on Friday, an 8 p.m. kickoff, while St. Catharines are idle for one week until they host London City at Club Roma next Wednesday, June 23.

[Rocket Robin]

Result of the CPSL game of Thursday June 17th, 2004 between Toronto Supra and North York Astros played at Centennial Stadium in Ontario at 8:30pm.

Final Score:.......Toronto Supra...........0.............North York Astros..........0..........

Attendance was about 60 on this warm humid evening.

No scoring but plenty of chances for both teams on good end to end action. Michael Silva earned the shutout for Supra and Arthur Zaslavski for the Astros. Each goalie had to palm the ball over the bar on occasion. Defenders on both teams cut down on the crosses into the box with headers to clear the ball or prevent crosses into the box from being completed. Astros defender Kurt Ramsey who played midfield when the game started came to back to head the ball from the box about half a dozen times.

Supra's Gianni Annisi completed a rush on the right and has his 15 yard shot hit the left goalpost and deflect back to the fallen goalie at 79 minutes. In second half injury time, Supra's Danny Amaral rolled a 7 yard shot wide left of the post. A tie was a fair result for this game. Referee Silvio Petrescu didn't give out any cards this game but kept good control of the game before any rough stuff started.

Rocket Robin

robing@eol.ca

[lazyboy]

ASTROS EARN AWAY POINT WITH FINE DEFENSIVE PERFORMANCE

While it could be said that Toronto Supra had most of the play in a scoreless tie at Centennial Stadium in Etobicoke, and they did, there is a lot to be said also for fine defensive play when it is played with a purpose and is worth watching.

Such was the case in a lone Thursday encounter in the Canadian Professional Soccer League as Supra and North York Astros played to a 0-0 draw in a game that did not need a goal to be entertaining.

Toronto Supra all but dominated the game in the early stages and there is little doubt that two late efforts by Supra’s second half substitute Gianni Annisi and later Danny Amaral could have settled the game--Annisi’s effort was particularly potent when his low shot struck the foot of the upright only to rebound into the arms of a relieved Astros’ keeper Arthur Zaslavski— the North York defence nevertheless deserved to come away with the point.

The Astros’ rearguard looked solid, particularly winning aerial duels time and again and well supported by the lofty Zaslavski. What North York lacked up front, they certainly made up for it at the back.

The tie gives Supra a 1-0-2 WLT record and they will see action next Thursday against Toronto Croatia, while the Astros, who are off the mark at 0-2-1 will be at Birchmount Stadium on Sunday for a game with Metro Lions. Game time is 6 p.m.

[Rocket Robin]

Result of the Friday June 18, 2004 CPSL game between Durham Storm and Windsor Border Stars played at Civic Stadium in Oshawa at 8:30pm.

24 min...WBS John Roma GOAL...Roma gets short pass in box and 10 yard shot on left gets by sliding goalie Zane Hendrickson into low right corner of net.

49 min...Storm Domico Coddington GOAL...Coddington gets through ball and rushes 45 yards eluding defender who's even with him and he gets 5 yard shot into left corner of net past goalie Alan Placer while even with right post.

95 min (injury time)...Storm RED card...Richard Lissone for pulling down WBS player about 25 yards out from Storm goal. Referee Zoran Kristo's red card was probably not earned directly because the Storm player was not the last man back but the second yellow came out for possible dissent.

96 min (injury time)...WBS Fil Rocca GOAL...WBS Neil McGill 25 yard freekick from right is low and around Storm player wall, WBS players on left charge into box and Rocca connects off his shin from 7 yards to left corner of net.

97 min...game ends.

Final Score:.....Durham Storm......1........Windsor Border Stars......2....

Attendance was about 60 on this warm evening.

This was a fairly even game with both teams having many chances. The Border Stars had control near the end of the game but the Storm would look threatening in counter attack. Both team's defenses were good at heading the ball out of trouble in their own box.

A long time added on ended the game because of injuries in the second half and more injuries in the the injury time itself.

Eventual red carded Richie Lissone was part of the halftime entertainment performing his 'Freestyling' routine of ball juggling before giving way for a contest of the kids in the stands who were invited onto the field to watch and learn and copy his moves. The Storm have cheerleaders and their halftime dance of Justin Timberlake's "Rock Your Body" I haven't heard since the football Super Bowl halftime incident with Janet Jackson.

Although Danny Stewart was the Durham Flames coach a few years ago and is now coach of the Toronto Lynx Under 19 team, his sons Craig and Mark were starters for the Durham Storm tonight.

I had not seen either of these teams before so it was hard to judge how good or bad they were. The Storm had four players that I recognized from last year's Flames roster. The Storm have lost all four of their games this year but whereas the scores were 5-0 and 4-1 to start the season, their last two games have finished 2-1 so they are obviously improving. The expansion Border Stars raise their record to 3-1 for the year.

Rocket Robin

robing@eol.ca

[Rocket Robin]

from InsideToronto.com (North York Mirror) written before Thursday's game.

Astros hope to rebound from slow start

SAM LASKARIS More from this author

Jun. 16, 2004

All is not well with the North York Astros.

The local Canadian Professional Soccer League (CPSL) squad has dropped its first two regular season starts and a handful of veteran players have already found themselves in the proverbial doghouse.

Though he refused to name them, North York's general manager Bruno Ierullo said four of his players were healthy scratches and did not even make the trip this past Saturday to Windsor as the Astros were downed 3-1 by the expansion Border Stars.

North York was also blanked 2-0 by the Brampton Hitmen during their season opener on June 8.

"I'm having some problems with the older players," Ierullo said. "They're not 100 per cent fit."

Ierullo said a decision on whether the veterans would rejoin the lineup will be made following tonight's (Wednesday) practice.

The Astros' next game is tomorrow on the road against the Toronto Supra. That match, at Etobicoke's Centennial Stadium, is set to begin at 8:30 p.m.

"I will sit them out as long as I have to," Ierullo said.

Ierullo said he's also hoping to see some signs that his benched veterans are improving in their conditioning levels.

"If they didn't get the message, they're going to get released," he said.

Ierullo added though he is not pleased that some of his players are not fit early on this season, he understands why.

"I can't blame them," he said. "Two players decided to play (this season) at the last minute. Their winter preparation was not there."

And even now, Ierullo realizes it's rather difficult for some of his charges to concentrate on soccer full-time.

"Work gets in the way," he said. "Soccer is something they do after work."

The Astros are part of the CPSL's five-team Eastern Conference this season. The conference also includes Toronto Supra, Vaughan Shooters, the Scarborough-based Metro Lions and Oshawa's Durham Storm.

Besides the Border Stars and Brampton, the league's six-team Western Conference also consists of the Hamilton Thunder, St. Catharines Wolves, London City and Mississauga-based Toronto Croatia.

[Rocket Robin]

Soccer Supra hope to remain unbeaten

SAM LASKARIS More from this author

Jun. 16, 2004

The Toronto Supra are hoping a couple of streaks continue tomorrow (Thursday) evening when the Etobicoke-based Canadian Professional Soccer League squad plays host to the North York Astros at Centennial Stadium.

The Supra are undefeated following its first two regular season starts and is sporting a record of 1-0-1. As for the Astros, they lost both of their first two matches.

Supra general manager Victor Cameira said he's obviously hoping his side will still be undefeated following tomorrow's tilt. Game time is 8:30 p.m.

"At this level, anybody can beat anybody on any given night," he added. "We're going to be prepared though. And hopefully we'll come away with the three points."

CPSL squads earn three points for each victory.

Though it did not count in the regular season standings, the Supra have already registered a win against the Astros this season. The two squads participated in an eight-team Toronto tournament last month.

The Supra blanked North York 2-0 in their tournament matchup and kicked off its regular season with a 2-2 draw against the Vaughan Shooters on May 24.

The local side then notched its first win by defeating the host Toronto Croatia 3-1 in a game staged in Mississauga this past Friday.

"We dominated the game," Cameira said. "The outcome could have been much (more lopsided in our favour)."

Cameira added he was pleased with how his charges fared considering they had not played a CPSL game in a couple of weeks.

"We were a little sluggish for the first 15 to 20 minutes," he said. "Then we got it going."

The team was not supposed to have such a lengthy layoff between games but their June 5 matchup on the road against Hamilton was postponed because the home team's field required some maintenance.

The Supra squared off against Boavista, a pro team from Portugal, in an exhibition May 30. Boavista won that match 6-2.

[Rocket Robin]

Lions await fresh troops

SAM LASKARIS More from this author

Jun. 16, 2004

The Metro Lions have posted ones across the board - one win, one loss and one tie in their first three starts.

And the brass of the Scarborough-based Canadian Professional Soccer League (CPSL) squad is rather proud of that record.

Especially since the Lions have yet to field their best lineup.

The squad, which plays its home games at Birchmount Stadium, has three players on its roster that also represent their respective national teams.

They are forward Hayden Fitzwilliams and midfielders Darryl Gomez and Caswain Mason. All three have been recently helping out their national teams in their quests to qualify for the 2006 World Cup.

Fitzwilliams plays for Trinidad and Tobago, Gomez toils for the St. Kitts national side while Mason suits up for St. Vincent and Grenadines.

All three of these players are expected to miss two more games with the Lions before rejoining the squad next week.

The local squad has also being playing without another individual expected to play a key role this season, Romanian import Gabriel Salustius. He's waiting for some paperwork to be completed - an international player transfer - before suiting up for the Lions.

"When these four guys come back, we're going to be really strong," said Lions' president and CEO Goran Zubic.

The Lions kicked off their 2004 regular season campaign with a 1-1 road tie against the Hamilton Thunder on May 27.

The local squad was then edged 2-1 by the host Brampton Hitmen on June 6.

The Lions then entertained the expansion Border Stars from Windsor in their home opener this past Sunday. The host squad overcame a 2-1 second-half deficit and posted a 3-2 triumph.

"That was a huge win for us," Zubic said.

The Lions are back in action on Friday with a road game against London City. The club will then return home and prepare for a Sunday match against the visiting North York Astros.

The opening kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.

[Rocket Robin]

Result of the Sunday June 20th, 2004 CPSL game between Vaughan Shooters and Brampton Hitmen played at The Soccer Centre in Vaughan at 7:30pm.

Final Score:.........Vaughan Shooters............0............Brampton Hitmen............0..............

Attendance was about 110 on this warm evening that got quite cool by the end of the game.

This was an entertaining game but with bad finishing and a lot of justifiable offside calls against both teams. Lots of balls bounced over the sidelines as if the players weren't used to playing on artificial turf. Lots of good sideline runs were made by the wingers but crosses were mostly headed away by defenders or caught by the goaltenders. Plenty of balls sailed over the side fences by defenders clearing. The tackling was rough but I only noticed referee Frank Marcello give out one yellow card the whole game. The second half had five minutes of injury time because there was a lot of time needed for the knocks absorbed by the players.

Goalie Robert Scala earned the shutout for the Shooters and Roy Blanche for the Hitmen. Both goalies had some good saves and were daring coming out of their nets to kick away through balls.

The Hitmen were playing with seven players injured so although they had six subs listed, only Phil Ionadi was used. The team has still not received the international release of the three players from Mexican league team Cruz Azul so so far we have only seen them in exhibition games. Hitmen owner/coach Steve Nijjar will have finished his suspension tomorrow after being out since the playoffs last season.

Rocket Robin

robing@eol.ca