Voyageurs Cup Match 20: Toronto vs. Edmonton [R]

[DJT]

<center>Voyageurs Cup 2004

Match 20Toronto Lynx vs. Edmonton FCThursday, August 26, 2004 - 7:30 PM EDT

Centennial Park Stadium, Toronto</center>

Scenarios

[*]Edmonton will finish in second place with a win or draw; Toronto will finish in second place with a win.

Match Previews

[*]Toronto

   » VC:  3-1-3  10-11  10  /  A-League:  9-1-15  34-46  28

   » Lynx media release

[*]Edmonton

   » VC:  3-2-2  10-11  11  /  A-League:  4-6-17  18-53  18

[*]MatchNight!

Voyageurs Cup

[canadiankick97]

Final score of this one 3-1 Lynx. Good game to watch. Chin looked impressive, I thought.

[Rocket Robin]

Result of the Thursday August 16th, 2004 A-League game between Toronto Lynx and Edmonton FC played at Centennial Stadium in Etobicoke at 7:30pm.

26 min...Lynx Vinicius Brito GOAL...Lynx Ali Gerba pass deflects off defender to Brito from 15 yards and his 12 yard shot is low to left corner of net.

60 min...Lynx Charles Gbeke GOAL...Lynx Joe Mattacchione flicks short pass over players at center line sets up 2 on 0 rush with Gbeke running in with Lynx Ali Gerba as a decoy and he runs around sliding goalie Nicola Stankov well outside box and slides 10 yard shot into left corner of empty net.

66 min...Lynx Shawn Faria GOAL...Lynx Jamie Dodds has shot from center that goalie blocks. Faria follow up on big rebound and his 12 yard shot is banked off the right goalpost.

74 min...EFC Gordon Chin GOAL...EFC Sipho Sibiya on 2 on 1 pushes ball forward to Chin who kicks in 12 yard shot over sprawling goalie Brian Rowland.

Final Score:...........Toronto Lynx...........3............Edmonton FC................1............

Attendance was announced as 2075 on this hot wet humid evening.

The Lynx played with Ali Gerba and Vinicius Brito as forwards for the first half of the game. Once again the Brazilians only played one half as this time both Brito and Edmilson De Carvalho were subbed at halftime. The Lynx goalie tonight was Brian Rowland and he had to be sharp to keep the Lynx in the lead. The defenders would keep out many of the Edmonton headed crosses but some passes did get through. Sipho Sibiya almost scored at 89 minutes with a 22 yard freekick blast on a freekick that rattled off the crossbar and stayed in play. Edmonton's goalie Nicola Stankov had to sharp to block repeated chances from Ali Gerba and Charles Gbeke.

The second half brought the Lynx striker Charles Gbeke into the game where he could face his former CPSL Ottawa Wizards teammate midfielder Robin Hart. Hart said he was at the Edmonton training camp at the beginning of the season and was brought into their lineup halfway through the season. The Edmonton team brought only four substitutes for this game. The Edmonton team was named the Aviators and was an expansion club but a few months ago the A-League had to take the club over and it's played as Edmonton FC since then. This reminds me of last year when the Lynx played a late season game against Team Calgary because the Calgary Storm had folded earlier in the year later to become the Calgary Mustangs at the start of this season. Edmonton team stats for goal scoring aren't too impressive but their three leading scorers were not part of tonight's game as starters no subs.

Lynx second goal with a two man break was one of the few times they get a through ball without having a player called offside. Before the game on this evening's theme "Fan Appreciation Night", awards were given out to Lynx players.

1. Public Relations Award presented by Guy Bradbury from the Ontario Soccer Association given to Rumba Munthali. This was for community appearances at schools and camps.

2. Fan Award presented by Drew Kelis of the Lynx Supporters Club given to Shawn Faria. I was surprised because Faria missed much of the beginning of the season.

3. Best Defensive Player presented by James Sharman of The Score television network given to goaltender Bryheem Hancock. I thought that was a good choice.

4. Best Offensive Player presented by Lynx head coach Duncan Wilde given to Darren Baxter. This was a fan choice award.

5. Most Valuable Player which was a Media Award presented by broadcaster Dick Howard given to Ali Gerba. No surprise here as he broke the team record for most goals scored in a season. I voted for Darren Baxter a few games ago as I felt Ali Gerba didn't convert enough of his chances that were given to him while Baxter set up so many chances with crosses, passes and cornerkicks.

The Lynx have two more road games this weekend to finish out their season. I'll probably post an editorial to my web site in the next two weeks summarizing my thoughts on their season. Another season of me taking in every home game. That makes it eight years in a row since the team's inception in 1997.

Rocket Robin

robing@eol.ca

[Rocket Robin]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TORONTO LYNX GAME REPORT

presented by Heineken

Lynx Wrap Up Home Schedule In Style

Toronto Dominates Edmonton In 3-1 Win

Date: Thursday, August 26, 2004

Venue: Centennial Park Stadium, Etobicoke, Ontario

Attendance: 2,075

Kick off Time: 7:30 PM

Final Score: Toronto 3 Edmonton 1

Match Summary:

For the final time this season the Toronto Lynx took to the pitch at Centennial Park Stadium against Edmonton FC on Fan Appreciate Night in front of 2,075 boisterous and supportive fans. Prior to game time the Lynx announced their 2004 Player Awards and recognized their best and brightest stars from this season. The award winners were as follows:

Public Relations - Rumba Munthali

Fan Favourite - Shawn Faria

Best Defensive Player - Bryheem Hancock

Best Offensive Player - Darren Baxter

Most Valuable Player - Ali Gerba

Edmonton came into Thursday's match having spent most of the season in the Western Conference basement, not surprising considering their challenges both on and off the field. The Lynx lost 1-nil to Richmond last Saturday night and were looking to avenge an earlier loss to Edmonton back on July 26th. The opening half saw the Lynx establish themselves at both the offensive and defensive end of the field out shooting Edmonton 12-5. Still looking for the A-League scoring title, star striker Ali Gerba had a chance early on to get Toronto on the board with a hard right footer from the right side of the box but it was stopped by 'keeper Nicola Stankov. He followed that up in the 16th minute by winning a footrace with Stankov but sending his chip just wide of the left post. Fortunately the Lynx did manage to find the mark when Gerba's cross went off a defender and Vinicius Brito buried the loose ball into the low left corner in the 27th minute, for his first goal as a Lynx player and a 1-nil Toronto lead. The Lynx almost added another later in the half when Darren Baxter unleashed a rocket from the top of the circle that Stankov got a glove on and deflected over the crossbar.

The Lynx started the second half the same way as the first dominating both ends of the pitch. In the 61st minute Ali Gerba and Charles Gbeke broke in on a 2-on-none with Gbeke ball handling around a charging Stankov and taping the ball into a wide open goal for a 2-0 lead. Just 6 minutes later Jamie Dodds had his shot stopped but Shawn Faria was there to hammer the rebound into the far corner, 3-nil Toronto. Edmonton finally got on the board in the 75th minute courtesy Eric Chin. He took a pass from Sipho Sibiya and chipped a ball past 'keeper Brian Rowland to cut the deficit to two. It proved meaningless as the Lynx managed to control the remainder of the match and cruise to an easy 3-1 victory. With the victory the Lynx improve to 9-15-1 and will complete the 2004 season on the road with matches against Atlanta on Saturday August 28th and Charleston on Sunday, August 29th.

Highlights:

1st Half

9th min: Gerba with a hard right footer from the right side that was stopped nicely by Nicola Stankov.

11th min: Edmilson DeCarvalho with some fancy footwork inside the box beat a defender but his hard strike was handled by Stankov.

16th min: Gerba in a footrace with Keeper Stankov got to the ball first and chipped a ball that just missed the left post.

19th min: Desmond Tackie hard shot that went wide of the left post.

27th min: Ali Gerba's cross that went off a defender, Vinicius Brito buried the loose ball into the low left corner, 1-0.

35th min: Sibya unleashed a blast from inside the penalty area that was hauled in by a diving Brian Rowland.

43rd min: Darren Baxter's left footer from the top of the circle was deflected over the crossbar by Keeper Stankov.

2nd Half

48th min: Sean Fraser split the defense but he was stopped by a charging Brian Rowland.

61st min: Akoke with a pass to Fraser who delivered a perfect ball to Eric Munoz but once again Rowland came up with a big stop.

61st min: In transition Gerba and Gbeke on a 2-on-none saw Gbeke ball handle around Stankov and tap it into an open goal, 2-0.

67th min: Jamie Dodds had his hard shot from the top left of the penalty area stopped but the rebound found Shawn Faria and he picked the far corner, 3-0.

75th min: Sibiya delivered a sweet ball to Gordon Chin and he chipped it by Rowland, 3-1.

80th min: Jamie Dodds cross to Gerba for the header but it was stopped by Stankov.

Final Score: Toronto 3 Edmonton 1

Lineups:

Edmonton: Stankov, Kassaye (Devlin, 45th min), DeSilva, Bosch (Drummond, 71st min), Hart, Chin, Munoz, Akoke, Tackie, Fraser, Sibiya

Toronto: Rowland, Munthali (Mayard, 55th min), Mattacchione, Steele, Hughes (Bartholomeu, 53rd min)(DiPlacido, 62nd min), Dodds, Faria, Baxter, Brito (Gbeke, 45th min), DeCarvalho (Blois, 45th min), Gerba

Cautions: Edm: Bosch (50th min), Hart (56th min), Munoz (74th min) Tor:

Ejections: None

Shots: Edm: 12 Tor: 22

Saves: Edm: 10 Tor: 4

Fouls: Edm: 7 Tor: 11

Scorers: Edm: Chin (75th minute)

Tor: Brito (27th minute), Gbeke (61st minute), Faria (67th minute)

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

DAVID NUTT, MEDIA RELATIONS

416-251-4625 ext. 30

[Marc]

Attendance 2075? I don't think so...

[Polish_LYNX_Fan]

it was like 1500 ah well maybe next year with new ownership well do better

[nolando]

I find it so strange that Chin started strong (I saw the opener in Vancouver) and is finishing strong but has barely gotten any recognition throughout the year. With all the club problems, I would have thought that the young talent would be a often heard positive spin on the story. Who have the best players been in Edmonton this year?

[DJT]

quote:Originally posted by Sigma

Good to see Robin Hart land with an A-League club... even if the season is almost over.

Actually he played for almost half a season (13 games). His first game was July 13 (VC Match 10: Edmonton vs. Vancouver).

[strobe_z]

quote:Originally posted by nolando

I find it so strange that Chin ..has barely gotten any recognition throughout the year...Who have the best players been in Edmonton this year?

Chin's one of them for sure. I'd probably say that Chin and Fraser have been our primary offensive threat (well such as it is...), with Chris Devlin as probably our most solid defender. beachesl never stops raving about Robin either...

[beachesl]

...I never stop raving period.

[Chet]

quote:Originally posted by nolando

I find it so strange that Chin started strong (I saw the opener in Vancouver) and is finishing strong but has barely gotten any recognition throughout the year. With all the club problems, I would have thought that the young talent would be a often heard positive spin on the story. Who have the best players been in Edmonton this year?

I agree with strobe_z. Chin and Fraser have been Edmonton's best players. Chin has been a rock in the midfield -- by far the hardest working player on the team and the only real playmaker we had all season. Chin has a remarkable ability to know where his teammates are even without looking. He has a pretty decent shot too, but he hardly ever uses it.

I was utterly baffled when Yallop picked Chris Lemire as the Aviators' sole representative on the national B team. Any Edmonton fan would have chosen Chin over Lemire by a mile.