CPSL Playoff Week [R]

[Rocket Robin]

Wednesday October 5th...

Oakville Blue Devils beat Windsor Border Stars 3-1.

ex Toronto Lynx players Shawn Faria and Aaron Steele opened the scoring. Filip Rocca scored for Border Stars and Sergio DiLuca put the game out of reach with three minutes to go.

Sa Brahima Traore was brilliant in the Oakville net turning away four possible goals in five minutes in the second half.

A more detailed post may have to wait until Sunday because my schedule is: Thursday--work; go to soccer quarterfinal, Friday--work; go to soccer wild-card game, Saturday--go to two semi-final soccer games...

less than a week to go!

[elmparker]

In my opinion, Traore was the difference between the teams and without him Border Stars might well have won. I also remember one save late in the first half when he managed to turn a downward header over the bar from a diving position about one foot above the ground - amazing.

It's just a pity there was no one there to see it. I did a headcount at halftime which was not difficult as there were only 27 people plus Phil Ionadi's dog.

Also no PA, no scoreboard/clock, not even a ticket seller - almost a non-match.

Tonight's match should be interesting. For either of these teams to win the Championship they will have to play tonight, tomorrow, Saturday and Monday. If they do, they will have deserved it!

Hard to see how Laval could do all of that with the timing and cost.

[Y]

RR: did you attend the game tonight between TC and LD?

[Rocket Robin]

no time for a detailed report but the game between Toronto Croatia and Laval Dynamites went something like this:

8:30pm scheduled game time...some of the Dynamites players are here and some aren't. The team was booked with WestJet and six of their players and luggage got 'bumped'. Those players had to take a later flight with Air Canada. (a team official says the cost of their trip is $9000).

game starts 10:02pm (the natives were restless! about 125 of them).

3 min...TC goal Leo Laurito GOAL...TC Hayden Fitzwilliams crossed from left 50 yards that has LD defender head to side but Laurito on right send in low blast from right into low corner of net beyond goalie Patrick Geffrord.

The rest of the game was close. LD almost tied a few times with long passes to guys up the middle and George Azcurra had to be sharp.

The game was shortened to 35 minutes per half because the TC officials knew that the lights went off automatically. Three minute intermission. Many complaints from LD about time wasting against TC. 2nd half starts 10:43pm continues with fast action and then......

Hey the lights go out at 11:10pm. That's only a 27 minute second half. Referee Vito Curali makes a pretty swift and wise decision. The game is over...he said he's filling in his report...and let the league decide.

Of course the only one from the league is Stan Adamson who was here before the game but vamooshed when the crowd started jeering and chanting. He said if the game wasn't going to be played they'd just play it tomorrow which would bump the wild card game to Saturday morning and so on and they'd play games on Sunday and have the finals on Monday. Oh brother. how out of touch is that?

Hey I've got to work tomorrow too. It's almost 1:00am. The Dynamites are staying at a hotel tonight because had they (did they?) win they would be 'in town' and ready for tomorrow's wild card game.

It is Friday morning already? snore........

[Y]

Am I dreaming? Should we send that to FIFA? I'm not sure if I'm kidding. You decide...

[DJT]

Oh my. It's fun to see what crazy thing will happen next in this league!

I feel badly for Laval.

[DoyleG]

Reminds me of when the Detroit Rockers decided to travel to Edmonton on the same day of the game. They ended up getting delayed in TO and the game was delayed. They started the game at 10pm with the Rockers getting a police escort. About 2500 stuck around to watch the late game.

[elmparker]

Now read the official CPSL game report on its website...

None of the events described by RR happened, it's all a figment of his imagination. Well that's what the CPSL want you to think. Sadly it's all true.

Similar to when Brampton played Durham earlier this season. The game only lasted about 25 minutes because Durham started with the minimum 8 players then after letting in 4 goals, their goalie had had enough, faked an injury and the game was over. The CPSL report didn't mention it at all.

And just a few of it's own rules that the league doesn't seem to be following:

"A minimum 72 hours notice will be given for a rescheduled game or a new cup or playoff game."

for the teams who had points deducted for fielding non-eligible players:

"Player eligibility must be confirmed by the Match Observer. If the Match Observer is absent, the Referee, or his/her assignee, shall confirm player eligibilit....the home team is to have their player eligibility checked 45 minutes prior to game time."

"Yellow cards are accumulated throughout the season separately for a regular league game, a league cup game or a playoff game. The Discipline Committee will specify the game(s) for which the player is suspended and a least three- (3) day's notice will be given for such suspension"

[Elias]

Lets keep things in perspective here. This is elite amateur soccer. I know it's the CPSL's fault for keeping the "P" in their name, but lets be honest about what this really is.

[elmparker]

Don't forget the fans too. They pay good money to get to games and are charged usually $10 admission. Then to leave as last night not even knowing what the outcome was is just not acceptable.

On what basis did they decide that Croatia won last night's game? Did Laval agree? At one-nil, with the way the game was going Laval might well have grabbed an equaliser. Would the game have been completed if Croatia had not refused to come out of the dressing room before kick-off? We won't get any answers from the league as they just pretend nothing happened and hope it will go away.

[Y]

The game was shortened by 30 minutes or so. It is unacceptable. Neither Toronto Croatia nor Laval won or lost last night, but the league lost.

The league scheduled 3 games in two days for Laval, which did not happen because Durham was suspended. Still...

I wonder what would have happened if TC was behind 1-0??????????

Because anything can happen, I predict a Border Stars – Toronto Supra final on Wednesday!!! Dah!

[DoyleG]

quote:Originally posted by Sigma

Elite amateur soccer it may be, but Laval just spent $9000 on flights.

Ouch.

Seems more that they bought the first tickets that were given to them.

Found an Air Canada ticket for about $270 round trip for same day travel. West Jet can get you for less but that would involve and overnight stay.

[dbailey62]

quote:Originally posted by DoyleG

Reminds me of when the Detroit Rockers decided to travel to Edmonton on the same day of the game. They ended up getting delayed in TO and the game was delayed. They started the game at 10pm with the Rockers getting a police escort. About 2500 stuck around to watch the late game.

That's actually an impressive number considering the circumstances.

db

[dbailey62]

quote:Originally posted by Rocket Robin

no time for a detailed report but the game between Toronto Croatia and Laval Dynamites went something like this:

8:30pm scheduled game time...some of the Dynamites players are here and some aren't. The team was booked with WestJet and six of their players and luggage got 'bumped'. Those players had to take a later flight with Air Canada. (a team official says the cost of their trip is $9000).

game starts 10:02pm (the natives were restless! about 125 of them).

3 min...TC goal Leo Laurito GOAL...TC Hayden Fitzwilliams crossed from left 50 yards that has LD defender head to side but Laurito on right send in low blast from right into low corner of net beyond goalie Patrick Geffrord.

The rest of the game was close. LD almost tied a few times with long passes to guys up the middle and George Azcurra had to be sharp.

The game was shortened to 35 minutes per half because the TC officials knew that the lights went off automatically. Three minute intermission. Many complaints from LD about time wasting against TC. 2nd half starts 10:43pm continues with fast action and then......

Hey the lights go out at 11:10pm. That's only a 27 minute second half. Referee Vito Curali makes a pretty swift and wise decision. The game is over...he said he's filling in his report...and let the league decide.

Of course the only one from the league is Stan Adamson who was here before the game but vamooshed when the crowd started jeering and chanting. He said if the game wasn't going to be played they'd just play it tomorrow which would bump the wild card game to Saturday morning and so on and they'd play games on Sunday and have the finals on Monday. Oh brother. how out of touch is that?

Hey I've got to work tomorrow too. It's almost 1:00am. The Dynamites are staying at a hotel tonight because had they (did they?) win they would be 'in town' and ready for tomorrow's wild card game.

It is Friday morning already? snore........

Cary Kaplan must really be wondering why he got himself involved with the CPSL.

Utter farce.

db

[dbailey62]

quote:Originally posted by dbailey62

Cary Kaplan must really be wondering why he got himself involved with the CPSL.

Utter farce.

db

I want to add something. I really like Stan Adamson. He is an incredibly nice man and has done a lot for Canadian soccer through the years. I'm not sure why he has stuck with the CPSL for so long but he must honestly believe in the league and its future. I hope he's right but equally, I hope he can help them straighten themselves out!

db

[Rocket Robin]

Wild Card game result:

Toronto Croatia beat North York Astros in overtime with a goal at 102 minutes to win 1-0.

Player/coach Velemir Crljen blasted a 28 yard freekick from right that curved just under the bar in center of net over goalie Arthur Zaslavski who'd played brilliantly until then.

Super fan Harry Gauss (manager of London City) said Crljen caught Zaslavski while he was still lining up his player wall. Hector Marinaro (Brampton Stallions) said Crljen is 40 years old and came to Toronto Croatia in 1985 after playing in the Bundesliga. He had played the entire game.

Toronto Croatia played better in the second half when you'd expect they'd tire after playing a game late last night but they dominated. George Azcurra earned the shutout for Toronto Croatia but wasn't tested for long periods of the game.

North York Astros had been undefeated in their last eight games with four wins and four ties. Their last loss was August 14th when they lost 3-1 to....Toronto Croatia!

Attendance was about 120 on this wet night with rain getting harder in the second half. The temperature really dropped rapidly as the game wore on. The game had started 20 minutes late and there was a rumour that the stadium lights would cut off at 11:00pm. That would have been a close call if the 30 minute overtime had been needed plus penalty kicks. This game ended at 10:36pm.

Toronto Croatia now plays Vaughan Shooters at 5:00pm tomorrow as the second semi-final of the afternoon.

[elmparker]

So Croatia won on a golden goal. Sorry to be a bore, but what happened to the "new 2004 FIFA Rules, any and all Open Canada Cup, and Playoff games tied at the end of regulation time will play two 15-minute overtime periods"" as per the CPSL website?

(By the way, RR, Hector's not actually with Brampton this season.)

[dbailey62]

quote:Originally posted by Rocket Robin

Wild Card game result:

Toronto Croatia beat North York Astros in overtime with a goal at 102 minutes to win 1-0.

Player/coach Velemir Crljen blasted a 28 yard freekick from right that curved just under the bar in center of net over goalie Arthur Zaslavski who'd played brilliantly until then.

Super fan Harry Gauss (manager of London City) said Crljen caught Zaslavski while he was still lining up his player wall. Hector Marinaro (Brampton Stallions) said Crljen is 40 years old and came to Toronto Croatia in 1985 after playing in the Bundesliga. He had played the entire game.

Toronto Croatia played better in the second half when you'd expect they'd tire after playing a game late last night but they dominated. George Azcurra earned the shutout for Toronto Croatia but wasn't tested for long periods of the game.

North York Astros had been undefeated in their last eight games with four wins and four ties. Their last loss was August 14th when they lost 3-1 to....Toronto Croatia!

Attendance was about 120 on this wet night with rain getting harder in the second half. The temperature really dropped rapidly as the game wore on. The game had started 20 minutes late and there was a rumour that the stadium lights would cut off at 11:00pm. That would have been a close call if the 30 minute overtime had been needed plus penalty kicks. This game ended at 10:36pm.

Toronto Croatia now plays Vaughan Shooters at 5:00pm tomorrow as the second semi-final of the afternoon.

I did a bit of a double take when I saw Velemir Crljen's name. I remember him from my days of covering Italia in the mid 80's. To be honest, I was wondering if it might be his son.

db

[elmparker]

Just to scoop RR, today's results were Oakville 2-0 winners and Vaughan 4-0 winners.

Today's funny story concerns Hamilton. Four of the players on their teamsheet were deemed ineligible and were not allowed to take part, so Hamilton had just their starting eleven. The funny thing is that these ineligible players played in the game against Oakville last weekend which was awarded to Hamilton due to Oakville's ineligible player!

[dbailey62]

quote:Originally posted by elmparker

Just to scoop RR, today's results were Oakville 2-0 winners and Vaughan 4-0 winners.

Today's funny story concerns Hamilton. Four of the players on their teamsheet were deemed ineligible and were not allowed to take part, so Hamilton had just their starting eleven. The funny thing is that these ineligible players played in the game against Oakville last weekend which was awarded to Hamilton due to Oakville's ineligible player!

That is rich! Oh man. I'd like to hear this explained. Presposterous is the word that comes immediately to mind.

db

[Rocket Robin]

Just putting a bit more story in each post this week now that I have some time:.....

Result of the Wednesday October 5th, 2005 CPSL game between Oakville Blue Devils and Windsor Border Stars played at Centennial Stadium in Etobicoke at 9:00pm. This was the semi-final game of the Western Conference.

42 min...Blue Devils Shawn Faria GOAL...OBW Igor Prostran cornerkick from right is high and Faria on leaping header from 8 yards pounds ball into left side of net beyond goalie Anthony Santilli.

53 min...Blue Devils Aaron Steele GOAL...OBW Steele 22 yard freekick up the middle is low and into low right corner of net.

78 min...Border Stars Filip Rocca GOAL...WBS player centers pass into box from right that has OBD defender slip and Rocca boot ball from 10 yards into low center of net beyond goalie Sa Brahima Traore.

90 min...Blue Devils Sergio De Luca GOAL...De Luca put away loose on pass and falls but gets away shot from right that sliding goalie gets a piece of the ball at 15 yards at point blank range but the ball tips past him and rolls into left corner of net. OBD Phil Ionadi was injured at the center line on the play.

91 min...WBS Red card...Kevin McLelllan earns this card directly by elbowing OBD player before play resumed. The referee's assistant noticed this infraction and pointed it out to referee Alex William. The WBS players were infuriated that goalscorer Sergio De Luca turned back around and did the Locomotion, taunting the goalie who'd gone to pick the ball out of the net.

Final Score:.............Oakville Blue Devils...........3.................Windsor Border Stars............1...........

Attendance was about 30 on this warm humid night. Centennial Stadium's field was in really good shape. I had to telephone the CPSL offices during the day and was initially told there would be no games today.

My biggest surprise was learning where the game would be played on a few hours notice and that Oakville Blue Devils would be one of the teams to play. The standings a day earlier had them winning the Conference and therefore earning a bye into the next round meaning Hamilton Thunder would be the opponents. This was changed because Oakville was deducted three points and Hamilton were given two for the Oakville team using an illegal player in their last regular season game which was against Hamilton Thunder and had ended 0-0. I asked Blue Devils coach Duncan Wilde before the game what had happened and he said it was using Kevin Ricketts who had accumulated three Yellow cards and the misunderstanding that he had to sit out one game or three.

Blue Devils goalie Sa Brahima Traore was brilliant in the Oakville net turning away four possible goals within five minutes in the second half. Just two minutes before the Blue Devils first goal, WBS Marcus Chorvat's 40 yard freekick that WBS Jason Hamilton had connected on a flying header from 10 yards on right post and diving Traore got a hand to on the left corner of net and pushed it over his net. That could have turned the game around right there.

Except for the Red card, the game wasn't really rough or choppy and there'd only been two Yellow cards during the night and one of them was for time wasting.

Only 30 fans but that included owners Italo Ferrari (Hamilton Thunder, which was understandable as he'd be scouting his next round opponent) but also Harry Gauss and his wife (from the non-playoff bound London City) and John O'Neill (from the disgraced Durham Storm, currently suspended by the league).

Rocket Robin

robing@eol.ca

[Rocket Robin]

Result of the Thursday October 6, 2005 CPSL game between Toronto Croatia and Laval Dynamites played at Memorial Park in Streetsville at 8:30pm. This was the semi-final of the Eastern Conference.

For reasons listed below the game didn't start until 10:00pm. The teams agreed to some rule modifications because there was a danger the game wouldn't be completed until the lights went out by a timer set by the City of Mississauga. Half's would be reduced to 35 minutes each; no intermission except to switch ends; no golden goal overtime--the teams would go right to Penalty kicks in case of a tie in regulation time.

The game starts 10:02pm (the natives were restless! about 125 of them).

3 min...TC goal Leo Laurito GOAL...TC Hayden Fitzwilliams crossed from left 50 yards that has LD defender head to side but Laurito on right send in low blast from right into low corner of net beyond goalie Patrick Geffrord.

The rest of the game was close. LD almost tied a few times with long passes to guys up the middle and George Azcurra had to be sharp.

The game was shortened to 35 minutes per half because the TC officials knew that the lights went off automatically. Three minute intermission. Many complaints from LD about time wasting against TC. 2nd half starts 10:43pm continues with fast action and then......

Hey the lights go out at 11:10pm. That's only a 27 minute second half. Referee Vito Curali makes a pretty swift and wise decision. The game is over...he said he's filling in his report...and let the league decide.

Final Score:.........Toronto Croatia..........1..........Laval Dynamites...........0......

Attendance was about 125 on this mild night.

The reason for the late start went something like this: At 8:30pm, the scheduled game time, some of the Dynamites players are here and some aren't. The team was booked with WestJet and six of their players and luggage got 'bumped'. Those players had to take a later flight with Air Canada. (a team official says the cost of their trip is $9000).

Of course the only one from the league is Stan Adamson who was here before the game but vamoosed when the crowd started jeering and chanting. He said if the game wasn't going to be played they'd just play it tomorrow which would bump the wild card game to Saturday morning and so on and they'd play games on Sunday and have the finals on Monday. Oh brother. How out of touch is that?

The Dynamites are staying at a hotel tonight because had they (did they?) win they would be 'in town' and ready for tomorrow's wild card game.

I'd really wonder if the Dynamites will return to the CPSL next year. As I've heard, they didn't like making the eight trips to the GTA (Greater Toronto area) this year. They just can't play a road game during the week. That would be the same for any team going to Montreal during the week as well. The players have jobs or school the next day. Some officials from GTA teams have said Dynamites fan support is only a few dozen so they wondered if Laval would think it's worth joining a local Quebec league.

Rocket Robin

robing@eol.ca

[Rocket Robin]

Result of the Friday October 7th, 2005 CPSL game between North York Astros and Toronto Croatia played at Esther Shiner Stadium in North York at 8:00pm. This was the Wild Card game in the CPSL Championship Cup playoffs.

102 min (1st golden goal overtime period)...Toronto Croatia Velemir Crljen GOAL...Crljen blasts 28 yard freekick from right that curved just under bar in center of net over goalie Arthur Zaslavski outstretched arm.

Final Score:.........North York Astros.........0 (OT)............Toronto Croatia...........1 (OT)..........

Attendance was about 120 on this wet night with rain getting harder in the second half. The temperature really dropped rapidly as the game wore on. The game had started 20 minutes late and there was a rumor that the stadium lights would cut off at 11:00pm. That would have been a close call if the 30 minute overtime had been needed plus penalty kicks. This game ended at 10:36pm.

Player/coach Velemir Crljen blasted a 28 yard freekick from right that curved just under the bar in center of net over goalie Arthur Zaslavski who'd played brilliantly until then. Super fan Harry Gauss (manager of London City) said Crljen caught Zaslavski while he was still lining up his player wall. Hector Marinaro (Brampton Stallions) said Crljen is 40 years old and came to Toronto Croatia in 1985 after playing in the Bundesliga. He had played the entire game.

Toronto Croatia played better in the second half when you'd expect they'd tire after playing a game late last night but they dominated. George Azcurra earned the shutout for Toronto Croatia but wasn't tested for long periods of the game. Astros general manager Bruno Ierullo said the next day that they were playing for the penalty kicks to decide the game when the second half and overtime momentum turned against them.

North York Astros had been undefeated in their last eight games with four wins and four ties. Their last loss was August 14th when they lost 3-1 to....Toronto Croatia! Toronto Croatia now plays Vaughan Shooters at 5:00pm tomorrow as the second semi-final of the afternoon.

Rocket Robin

robing@eol.ca

[Rocket Robin]

Result of the Saturday October 8th, 2005 CPSL game between Hamilton Thunder and Oakville Blue Devils played at Esther Shiner Stadium in North York at 2:00pm. This was the final of the Western Conference.

31 min...Blue Devils Ian Sinclair GOAL...Sinclair is threaded pass from OBD Sergio De Luca up the middle. His first touch looked too bar forward but he gets to ball and his 12 yard shot is pounded into the center of the net just under bar over goalie Roberto Ferrari.

75 min...Blue Devils Marko Bedenikovic GOAL...OBD Dragisa Klisara steals pass attempt by HT Nikola Vorkapic at 40 yards on left sideline and rushes in passing to left to Bedenikovic and his 15 yarder is rolled into right corner of net.

86 min...Thunder RED card...Adrian Ramos picks up his second Yellow card of the game for a tackle near the right corner flag in the HT end and referee Mike Roeken ejects him.

Final Score:..........Hamilton Thunder...........0.............Oakville Blue Devils..........2...............

Attendance was about 120 on this mild afternoon with a bright sun in the west.

Sa Brahima Traore earned the shutout for Blue Devils. He was good but was fortunate to have backup including a chance at 82 minutes when a Thunder player was running around the goalie near the right edge of the box and he crossed to center where another HT player kicks a 25 yard shot that OBD Aaron Steele headed away from 5 yards off the goal line.

I thought there was something wrong when I saw a long list of Thunder players before the game and all but a dozen were scratched off the list. During the game Thunder forward Kadian Lecky was called to the press box and said he was told 15 minutes before the game that he couldn't play. Yep, he was one of the scratched off players. Later I asked Thunder owner Italo Ferrari what had happened. This had happened to about five players. The Thunder were using some players from Woodbridge Azzuri (which are in the York Region). They were told their association with the team was no longer valid and these players couldn't play. So who did this? Some accused Shooters owner Tony DeThomasis because Vaughan has the territory of York Region. After the next game of the day, I asked DeThomasis and he said he had no objection to the Thunder's association and he wouldn't have cared if those players had been used against his team. (Yeah! I'd have thought the strategy would have been to let Thunder play at full strength against Oakville and then Shooters to play this card before the Championship game on Monday). The league commission did the dirty work but then the finger points at the Blue Devils who would wish to play against a weakened Thunder team. Maybe revenge for losing the conference title after fighting to a 0-0 tie but then having three points deducted for using a player that had accumulated too many Yellow cards? Lots of politics in this league. This game was being played by Hamilton Thunder under protest.

Rocket Robin

robing@eol.ca

[Rocket Robin]

Result of the October 8th, 2005 CPSL game between Vaughan Shooters and Toronto Croatia played at Esther Shiner Stadium in North York at 5:00pm. This was the final of the Eastern Conference.

28 min...Shooters Matthew Palleschi GOAL...VS Stalin Cardenas in middle taps ball to Palleschi who blasts 15 yard rocket shot into top right corner of net.

40 min...Shooters Matthew Palleschi GOAL...VS Frankie Bruno cross from 55 yards up middle catches Palleschi on left and his 25 yard shot is a bullet under sprawling goalie George Azcurra into right corner of net.

56 min...Shooters Matthew Palleschi GOAL...VS Fitzroy Christie on left from 60 yards pushes ball forward and Palleschi rushes down left side and his 15 yard shot as he cuts towards net is into short left side of net.

74 min...Shooters Desi Humphrey GOAL...VS Joey Todaro on right rolls ball over to Humphrey and he dekes goalie charging out at 28 yards as he goes down sprawling to block the ball and he walks in alone to blast 3 yarder into empty net.

86 min...Toronto Croatia RED card...Leo Marasovic picks up his second Yellow card for mouthing off to the referee and Joe Fletcher ejects him.

Final Score:..............Vaughan Shooters............4...............Toronto Croatia............0.........

Attendance was about 100 on this mild afternoon with a bright sun in the west but the temperature did start to fall rapidly as the game wore on. Matthew Palleschi in only his third game of the season after a series of operations on his arm and hand scored three goals in this game. He could really blast the ball and was so fast on his rushes that he'd have to hold back so he wouldn't jump offside. Before the game Peter Pinizzotto, an assistant coach with the USL Montreal Impact, said they had Palleschi on the team earlier in the year and liked him but they didn't keep him after he was injured.

Both Palleschi and his father have goatees. Now it looks like Danny Sanna is looking like his father because for the first time I saw him with a brush cut.

The three games in three days finally caught up with Toronto Croatia as they looked tired in the second half. They had to play Laval Dynamites in the Eastern semi-final on Thursday which by strange circumstance had a 10:00pm start then last night played an overtime Wild Card game and won over the playoff hosts North York Astros. It shows how important last Friday's game was when Shooters beat Croatia 2-1 and locked up the first place bye and skip two games.

The 4-0 score line was revenge for last year's playoff final when Toronto Croatia beat Vaughan in Brampton which ended 4-0 for Croatia.

Rocket Robin

robing@eol.ca