July 19, 2017 League 1 Ontario vs PLSQ (Quebec) All Star Game

[Rocket Robin]

Result and details of the Wednesday July 19, 2017 All Stars game between
League 1 Ontario and the PLSQ (Quebec) all star teams played at the Soccer Centre
in Vaughan at 7:30pm.

42 min...L1O Giuliano Frano GOAL...L1O Dylan Carreiro takes cornerkick from
left that has PLSQ goalie Gabard Fenelon swat forward to keep a L1O player
from connecting on header. L1O Cristian Cavallini at 8 yards puts leg out
and skies ball towards goal and defender heads off line while bumping with
own goalie when ball drops down and his header is along left end line
to 12 yards. L1O Jarek Whiteman is waiting and leaps and heads ball back
to edge of 6 yard box and Frano kicks 6 yarder down middle over defender
to top right corner of net with goalie who'd just got back up from left post
trapped in middle.

Final Score:......League 1 Ontario......1.....PLSQ Quebec.....0...

Attendance was not announced but I'd estimate was at least 1000 to maybe 1200.
This is better than the USL Toronto FC II games for all but their school
day games. This was a great showing for a weeknight game. There were a lot
of young male fans dressed in their jerseys or windbreakers from their soccer
academies. I figured each team was consigned a number of tickets and did well
to fill the place.

Referee Fabrizio Stasolla gave out no Yellow cards and called a water break
in each half as the weather was at last cooling after a heat wave from earlier
in the day.

There was a quality PA system with Ari Soroka who regularly announces
at Oakville Blue Devils games calling out the numerous subs made during
an All Star game. Four subs for each team at halftime alone!

The PLSQ players had a coach (bus) which would take them back (the driver
estimated five hours). Of course now it's not rush hour as it took me almost
one hour just to cross halfway across Toronto to get here.

The PLSQ league is made up of seven teams mostly around Montreal with one
near Quebec City and one in Gatineau (across the river from Ottawa Ontario).
They had representatives from six of their teams but not the first place
AS Blainville. Maybe a few of added players from that team may have swayed
the result. They brought six subs which they had used by 55 minutes.
One exception was at 85 minutes when they brought back on Sean Rosa who'd
gone off at halftime but came back on to replace starter Mitchell Syla.
Syla looked the most dangerous player for them with his crosses, cornerkicks,
and shots.

League 1 Ontario had announced 34 players as all-stars (a minimum of one
from all 16 teams) but that was whittled down to a more manageable 23 the
week before the game—also freezing out three of the also-ran teams.
All players from their lineup got into the game (except for third goalie
Gianluca Catalano from TFC III). 83 minutes Kembo Kibato replaced halftime
sub Kadell Thomas for the only time a sub replaced a sub. Julian Dunn-Johnson
from TFC III was the only first team all-star who didn't make the game day
roster but it wouldn't surprise me that he will be with the USL TFC II
on their trip to New York to play Red Bulls II on Friday night. He is only
age 16 and has somewhat displaced TFC Brandon Aubrey who the team
is trumpeting for 2017 Fans' Choice USL Midseason Awards as Best Defender
and Rookie of the Year. After Aubrey's own goal against Harrisburg,
Dunn-Johnson subbed in a few minutes later and hasn't given his spot back yet!

I was expecting the Ontario side to win much more comfortably but with
so many players taking the field and the fact that the players are scattered
between so many teams, there were times where it looked like they'd never
played together before, which was true except for a few practices.
Passes were often mistimed and runs were not made after getting called
offside a few times.

Vaughan Azzurri and undefeated Sigma FC were the best represented L1O
teams with four players each.

The L1O team shutout was shared by starter Quillan Roberts from
Woodbridge Strikers who made way for Triston Henry from Sigma at 62 minutes.
I counted Roberts with having three 25 yard shots to save until the minute
before he came off when he made a point blank save from 5 yards off
PLSQ Mitchell Syla. Henry had four stops to make all from the 84th minute on.

Both goalies were greatly aided by their defenders who blocked or poked
away all but that one shot attempt from inside the box.

It was somewhat appropriate that MVP of the game was announced
as FC London defender Aaron Schneebeli. He was the only L1O player to play
the full 90 minutes. Injury time found him doing the splits at 5 yards
to clear a low cross sent into the box.

PLSQ goalies Gabard Fenelon played the first half and Horace Patient
Sobze Zemo played the second.

I was watching from the stands by my choice so I'd have the sun at my back
and could do my own photography. I did miss out on talking with any
of the celebs or the new fan group. Jason Devos was there and Jim Brennan
did the coin toss (although I realized later than may have been awkward
as none of his Aurora FC players were in tonight's game).

I did recognize PLSQ director Kambiz Ebadi from previous years. I asked him
after the game if their league was noticing their rosters were being stocked
with rather older players waiting for the start up of the new Canadian
Premier League as soon as next year. His counterpart Dino Rossi in L1O
and I have discussed that over the months. Yes he said that their mandate
states each team has to have at least nine professionals on the team and
he expects a lot of them will move along to the new league. That's what
I've heard about L1O too from execs and a few players.

Ron Smale, recently reelected president of the Ontario Soccer Association
was handing out pins. I met other writers from the Northern Starting XI
site before the game. Besides another one in the stands that will make
four people rehashing the same story.

How good was the attendance? Although there was only one mobile concession
stand operating tonight—doing BBQ (TFC II usually also brings in an ice-cream
vendor), fans were saying the stand ran out of hot dog buns and change
as they were given so many $20 bills.

There will be no November series to determine the best D3 caliber league
in Canada between the best club teams in these two leagues. It was decided
to wait until a possible matchup now that the Canadian Championships for
the Voyageurs Cup will include the best L1O and PLSQ team qualifying for
the competition next spring.

Tonight made the twenty-ninth L1O game I've attended so far this season.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
twitter @RocketRobin01
 

[Kent]

On 20/07/2017 at 7:39 PM, Rocket Robin said:

There will be no November series to determine the best D3 caliber league
in Canada between the best club teams in these two leagues. It was decided
to wait until a possible matchup now that the Canadian Championships for
the Voyageurs Cup will include the best L1O and PLSQ team qualifying for
the competition next spring.

I'm a huge fan of the involvement in the Voyageurs Cup, but I'm disappointed at the lack of an Inter-Provincial Cup. Especially since this makes it sounds like the champs of both leagues will face off against each other as a kind of preliminary round to get into the Voyageurs Cup proper. I'd rather they get drawn against pro teams. Very curious to see what the format next year ends up being, but I will be a bit disappointed if it's playoff series between L1O vs PLSQ champs, as well as FC Edmonton vs Ottawa Fury, then the winners of those playing off against each other, then finally meeting up with MLS teams after playing 2 rounds already. But that is what seems most likely at this point.

[Gopherbashi]

2 hours ago, Kent said:

I'm a huge fan of the involvement in the Voyageurs Cup, but I'm disappointed at the lack of an Inter-Provincial Cup. Especially since this makes it sounds like the champs of both leagues will face off against each other as a kind of preliminary round to get into the Voyageurs Cup proper. I'd rather they get drawn against pro teams. Very curious to see what the format next year ends up being, but I will be a bit disappointed if it's playoff series between L1O vs PLSQ champs, as well as FC Edmonton vs Ottawa Fury, then the winners of those playing off against each other, then finally meeting up with MLS teams after playing 2 rounds already. But that is what seems most likely at this point.

I imagine you'll have two D2 vs D3 matchups for the first round, then the winner of those two series facing off for the last quarterfinal spot.  Probably just a single game for that first round to cut down on travel costs.

ie.
First Round
Woodbridge @ Edmonton
CSMRO @ Ottawa Fury

Second Round (2-game agg)
Edmonton v Ottawa

Third Round
TFC v Ottawa
Van v Mtl

etc

[Kent]

4 hours ago, Gopherbashi said:

I imagine you'll have two D2 vs D3 matchups for the first round, then the winner of those two series facing off for the last quarterfinal spot.  Probably just a single game for that first round to cut down on travel costs.

ie.
First Round
Woodbridge @ Edmonton
CSMRO @ Ottawa Fury

Second Round (2-game agg)
Edmonton v Ottawa

Third Round
TFC v Ottawa
Van v Mtl

etc

I would definitely prefer that over what I said I thought was most likely. Fingers crossed.

[Blackdude]

I'm hoping that the lower league teams would play at home. That's what they do in the German Cup.