July 10, 2013 PDL--Toronto Lynx vs Chicago Fire Premier

[Rocket Robin]

Result and details of the Wednesday July 10, 2013 PDL game

between Toronto Lynx and Chicago Fire Premier at Hershey

Fields in Mississauga at 4:00pm

49 min...Lynx Sebastien Arrangio GOAL...Lynx Alex Semenets

on right pulls up and crosses into 6 yard box. Lynx Lloyd

Grist ducks and nods 3 yard header on left off left post.

Arrangio gets to rebound and taps 4 yard shot down middle

into center of open net.

56 min...Fire RED card...Collin Fernandez earns a direct

ejection from referee Fabrizio Stasolla for double-foot

cleats-up tackle on Lynx Leigh Veidman injuring him

at Lynx 35 yard line.

60 min...Fire David Selvaggi GOAL...Fire Marco Gutieriez

cross from 28 yards on right finds Selvaggi who takes

22 yard shot that goalie Matt Silva flies up to get hand

to at 12 yards but ball drops before its over bar and

into net.

84 min...Lynx Taylor McNamara GOAL...McNamara crosses shot

from 28 yard on extreme right is over goalie but catches

top left corner of net.

Final Score:......Toronto Lynx..........2.............

Chicago Fire Premier............1..............

Attendance ended up at about 80 before the game ended.

None of them were from the daycamps and summer schools

that usually show up for this game (the location had

been changed on short notice because of the flooding

in Toronto). The number included about eight fans

from Lynx junior teams playing a drum and singing the

whole game. Strangest thing was to see Fire Patrick

Doody get his feet tangled in a streamer as thick as

a tumbleweed thrown or blown across the field.

The weather was hot and humid that the radio said

would be 102F/39C. There was a cooling breeze from

the south that made conditions more moderate. It even

rained for a few minutes in the second half.

Best non-scoring chances were at 23 minutes when

Lynx Taylor McNamara chipped a pass forward from 55

yards on right and Lynx Sebastien Arrangio got to the

ball at 25 yards and his 20 yard shot was just wide

right of net. 24 minutes had Fire Felipe Cortez

bend a 25 yarder around defender and the goalie

punched the ball wide right. A Fire player crossed

back in had Fire Marco Gutieriez leap and flick

a 10 yard header just wide left. 37 minutes had

Fire Brady Wahl rush on the left and roll a centering

pass back and Fire Felip Cortez bend a 22 yard shot

just high wide right of top corner of net. 45 minutes

had Lynx McNamara cross from 30 yards on right that

the sliding Arrangio and his 10 yard shot was saved

by the sprawling goalie. 77 minutes had Lynx Alex

Semenets take a 25 yard shot up the middle that hit

the left post. Lynx Lloyd Grist crossed the rebound

from 18 yards on the left that was caught by the goalie.

88 minutes had Lynx Bruce Cullen on run down left

roll the ball into the box and Lynx Alex Semenets hold

up and roll a 16 yard shot wide left of post. Fire

played two men down during second half injury time

after Gutierrez was injured as they'd used their

five subs.

Starting midfielder Anthony Novak and bench players--

forward Sebastien Arrangio and midfielder Bruce Cullen

had been called up from the U-20s. Regular Macca Wilde

who was in street clothes was serving a Red card

suspension.

This game was originally scheduled for 11:00am at

Centennial Stadium. I had expected I might have

traffic problems because Toronto is still recovering

from the heavy rainfall 110mm in two hours Monday

evening. I thought a five hour home blackout that night

was enough suffering for me so I left very early for

this game. I'd looked up the schedule last night

to reconfirm the time. Pulled into the parking lot

and things didn't look good as the lot was almost empty.

There were some memos posted that the stadium was

'closed until further notice'. I went to the door

of the office but the manager/groundskeeper was not

there. I went into the stadium, ground looked fine.

downstairs to the dressing rooms....ahh floor is wet

but I've seen it 6 inches deep in previous years. A

maintenance guy said it was 12 inches deep the previous

day and it looked like a pumping machine was inside.

OK now knowing the visitors are coming all the way

from Chicago and the schedule only had two more

weeks before the playoffs they'd probably play

somewhere else--but where? Ontario Soccer Centre?

Crescent School? I didn't know the Lynx

phone number as it was on a cell phone that went

through the wash and I never did reprogram that number.

Drove to a mall and had the 411 operator check. Nope

not in Toronto nor the 905 area code. Well back to

the stadium to see if the manager was back. Then

I saw two teen boys crossing the parking lot. One of

them was from one of the Lynx junior teams. He had

the number of the head coach so I phoned and got

the new time and location. Plenty of time to kill

so I visited my father in time for his lunch after

all rather then late afternoon as I'd promised. Just

made a lot of driving. Next worry is for the CSL

for their Friday night game of Serbian White Eagles.

Sure things looked back to normal today but there's

another storm scheduled for Toronto overnight.

Lynx record improves to 5 wins, 5 ties, 2 ties--good

for 3rd place. Fire record drops to 4 wins, 7 ties,

0 ties--good for 5th place. From what I've read,

Lynx have to hold onto to this position to earn the

last playoff spot to play a one-game away semi-final

and the winner plays a one-game away final. Michigan

and London hold the two spots above them.

Lynx next game is their home finale against Forest

City London on Sunday at 4:00pm at Centennial

Stadium (although the stadium is officially 'closed

until further notice').

Rocket Robin

robing@eol.ca

[Rocket Robin]

pictures and lineups from that game:

http://www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com/reports13/13lynx05.htm