Following last night's shock 12-0 victory over the Argentine U-20 team at Lansdowne Park, the Ottawa Royals have been given a free night to celebrate.
Next training session will be on Monday at 6.30 pm, then back to the routine of Tuesday and Thursday game.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Monday, June 25, 2007
Report: Azzurri Hearts 3, Ottawa Royals 3 aet (Hearts win 5-4 on penalties)
A bitter pill to swallow
June 24, 2007
Ottawa Royals came away from the Esther Shriner stadium in North York with a burning sense of disappointment as they were bundled out of the Ontario Cup at the second round stage.
On a scorching hot day in North York Hearts Azzurri's artificial turf, the Royals played some excellent football and showed immense character.
Leading 2-0, right midfielder Jonathan Brooks was sent off for a second bookable offence (actually, a first bookable offence, but it was the second card) and the Royals were pegged back through two hotly disputed goals.
With Matt D'Angelo and Sylvain Clouthier up front, the Royals had targeted Hearts Azzurri centre back Ruscietta as a weakness and started playing balls on the ground past him. On 3 minutes, with Clouthier sprinting past him and close to being the last man, he scythed the Quebec striker down and got a yellow card.
Clouthier had started the game like a man possessed (which is possibly the case) and was closing defenders down quickly and encouraging his team mates to do the same. On 6 minutes, his pressure earned a corner, which poorly executed, allowed Hearts Azzurri to show their excellence at counter attacking.
With good service from the midfield trio of Kowlessar, Rochon and Maxi Gutierrez, Clouthier and D'Angelo were combining well up front, causing the home side endless problems. On 12 minutes, resulting from a James MacMillan free kick, D'Angelo chested a ball down for Clouthier, but the shot went wide of the target.
There was an exciting ebb and flow to the game. Maxi Gutierrez had shackled Hearts talisman Frank Bruno so effectively that the home team was having to play the ball out wide. On 32 minutes, Dan Deganutti switched sides with Jonathan Brooks, giving a more defensive shape to the right and allowing Brooks more space to attack on the left.
The back line of Mini Gutierrez, James MacMillan and Marc Labrom was holding firm, and with Deganutti and Brooks switching, the team had better balance and snuffed out the home attacks with relative ease.
On 35 minutes, the Royals created a first clear cut opportunity when Matt D'Angelo was released through the centre. Neatly controlling an awkwardly bouncing ball, D'Angelo pivoted and placed a shot low inside the near post. Unfortunately for him, Chencinski (recently signed with Toronto FC's farm team) was up to the task, producing a superb save to keep the scoreline blank.
The Royals now stepped up the pressure in the final ten minutes before half time, forcing a series of corners and keeping the home fans quiet. On 38 minutes, a Brooks corner found the towering forehead of MacMillan, but he was unable to keep his header down and the ball sailed harmlessly over the bar.
On 39 minutes, however, the Royals opened the score. Jonathan Brooks once more got forward on the left and fed a ball in for Matt D'Angelo, who laid it off nicely for Sylvain Clouthier. Clouthier opened up his body and side footed the ball into the corner of the net, giving the visitors a deserved lead.
The Royals continued forward, looking for the vital second goal before half time. Brooks came close with an angled drive on 41 minutes and Clouthier had another chance a minute later.
On 43 minutes, Jonathan Brooks picked up a yellow card for a minor offence, but at the half, the Royals were in the ascendancy and there seemed little to worry about.
Coach Michael Adams was happy enough at half time to keep the formation as it was, while Hearts decided to move Bruno up to centre forward. Marc Labrom moved into the man marking role, which allowed the Ottawa midfield more time to pinpoint accurate attacks.
Hearts were having more of the ball, but despite threatening, they never really managed to trouble Antoine Lagarec in the Royals goal.
On 54 minutes, the Royals gave the home side a taste of its own counter-attacking medicine, when Clouthier broke quickly from a Hearts corner, held the ball up and fed Deganutti on the edge of the 18-yard box. Deganutti fired away a powerful shot that missed the goal by inches.
But then, on 57 minutes, the Royals scored their second goal. Steve Kowlessar, imperious in the middle of the field, won the ball and released Matt D'Angelo through the middle. D'Angelo raced into the box, steadied himself and waited for the advancing Chencinski to commit himself. He then placed his shot in the top left-hand corner of the net from 18 yards.
Hearts launched an all out attack and within 2 minutes were rewarded when the referee penalized Jonathan Brooks for handball outside the box and issued his second yellow card. Brooks can have no complaints about the second card, but his first one was ridiculous and completely undeserved. Forced into a reshuffle, Michael Adams brought off Matt D'Angelo and put on Marc Anthony Viscosi in the right midfield spot.
Having realized that the referee had been somewhat casual in his interpretation of the rules, the home side went for broke. Frank Bruno executed a triple salko and twist in the penalty area, finishing off his exquisite move with a demi-piroutte and shake, before rolling on the ground like Rivaldo near a corner flag. "Penalty!" screamed the crowd. "Yellow card!" replied the referee, booking Bruno either for simulation or for not executing the demi-pirouette correctly.
The home side grew increasingly desperate, and the Royals were creating chances to finish them off. Rotating the three strikers and replacing Dan Deganutti with Jeff Dennis, the Royals created three or four one-on-one situations with Chencinski, but contrived to miss the target or hit the ball straight at him on each occasion.
On 73 minutes, Hearts got back in the game with a hotly disputed goal. Standing two yards offside (and the other side of the linesman), Forno received the ball and controlled it before playing a ball in to Bruno (standing two yards in front of him) to sidefoot into the net. The assistant referee (or maybe the assistant to the referee) didn't move. It was like a scene from Awakenings.
Galvanized by this, the home side poured forward in search of the equalizer. With more missed opportunities up front, the Royals were always susceptible to Hearts' exploitation of the space caused by the extra man. And on 86 minutes, the home side got the equalizer, which again was hugely controversial.
As a ball was played into the top of the Royals box, Luca Forno controlled the ball with his arm, knocking it down into his path before firing a shot past Lagarec. Despite the Royals vehement protestations, the goal was given and the home side was riding a wave of euphoria.
Deflated, the Royals were struggling now, and it took an excellent save from Antoine Lagarec to keep them in the tie, going down low to foil Kyle Hall.
And so to extra time, where the referee once again showed his lack of knowledge by playing two fifteen-minute halves rather than the scheduled golden goal. This proved just as well, because within two minutes of the restart, Luca Forno had given Hearts the lead with a well taken goal past Lagarec's outstretched diving left hand.
The Royals continued to fight, pressurizing the home team and creating a number of half chances. Meanwhile, Lagarec kept the Royals in the match, snuffing out three or four breaks from Bruno and Forno. The game looked set to end at 3-2.
And then on 117 minutes, Matt D'Angelo somehow found an extra spring in his step and let fly from 25 yards, leaving the despairing Chencinski no chance as the net bulged. It was the most dramatic of equalizers and having played for more than an hour with ten men, it was a testament to the courage and strength of the team.
Nothing further happened before the end of the game and so both teams went to the penalty shoot out. Matt D'Angelo was the unlucky player, seeing his shot well saved by Chencinski.
North York Hearts Azzurri qualify for the next round of the competition, while the Royals have to pick themselves up for the coming week's fixtures.
But sometimes, despite the result, the giant strides a team makes are just as important. In previous games, the Royals have shown a weakness when being in front and have conceded soft goals. In this game, there was no weakness. All 19 players that made the trip were committed and focused to the cause and despite coming up short, can be proud of the effort and courage they showed. Playing a man down, against a suspect referee and a suspect assistant to the referee, in torrid conditions, the Royals fought hard and long and clawed themselves back into the game when it was least expected.
The third goal should instil the Royals with a belief in themselves, and a belief in the future of the team.
Man of the Match: Too tough to call. James MacMillan led from the back and was uncompromising in defence, ably backed up by Mini Gutierrez and Agent Morbal, who also made big impressions in defence. Maxi Gutierrez snuffed out the huge threat of Frank Bruno in midfield, to the extent that he had to be shifted up front. Dom Rochon and Steve Kowlessar were tireless in midfield. Antoine Lagarec made a number of big saves late in the game and couldn't be faulted for the goals. Sylvain Clouthier was inspirational up front, demanding more of players and creating space for the hardworking and dynamic Matt D'Angelo. Dan Deganutti and Jonathan Brooks adapted well to new situations and gave key input defensively and offensively respectively. Ryan Devereaux and Jeff Dennis both came into the game and were asked to slot into a system that was working well - it was a testament to their energy and hard work that they improved it and created chances to score. Richard Boyle (Private Dick Tepid) worked hard as a right midfielder/defender and played well against a team with its tail up. Marc Anthony Viscosi and Frank Zegers slotted into defence and strengthened the spine of the team with solid play. The two unused substitutes, Thierry Ntwari and Tyler Wallace, were unstinting in their support, as was Alan Farant, who made the trip to be with his team mates.
Statistics
Hearts Azzurri
14-Tomer Chencinski; 3-Eric Tse, 4-Peyrand Mossavat, 5-Shondell Busby, 6-Gil Vainshstein, 7-Kyle Hall, 8-Luca Zucal, 9-Ryan Fante, 10-Frank Bruno, 13-Frank Morelli, 15-Cameron Alksnis, 16-Mahmoud Mirsadeghi, 20-Jody Forno, 21-Luca Forno, 23-Franco Ruscietta, 11-Pedram Eynolhagh, GK-Shahab Noorafkhan, GK-Stefan Caulfield
Yellow Cards: Frank Bruno, Jody Forno, Franco Ruscietta
Goals: Bruno, 73; Luca Forno, 86, 92
Ottawa Royals
1-Antoine Lagarec; 4-Roberto Gutierrez, 18-James MacMillan, 15-Marc Labrom; 10-Jonathan Brooks, 14-Steve Kowlessar, 6-Jorge Gutierrez, 8-Dominic Rochon, 9-Dan Deganutti; 3-Matt D'Angelo, 7-Sylvain Clouthier; 13-Jeff Dennis, 17-Richard Boyle, 13-Jeff Dennis, 19-Ryan Devereaux, 12-Thierry Ntwari; GK-Tyler Wallace, 5-Marc Anthony Viscosi; 20-Frank Zegers
Yellow Cards: Jonathan Brooks x2 (red card)
Goals: Clouthier, 39 (Brooks assist); D'Angelo, 58 (Kowlessar assist), 117
Penalty Shootout:
Royals 1-0 (Kowlessar) - Hearts 1-1 (Bruno)
Royals 2-1 (MacMillan) - Hearts 2-2 (Vainshstein
Royals 2-2 (D'Angelo) - Hearts 2-3 (Zucal)
Royals 3-3 (R. Gutierrez) - Hearts 3-4 (Mirsadeghi)
Royals 4-4 (Clouthier) - Hearts 4-5 (L. Forno)
Azzurri Hearts win 5-4 on penalty shoot out
Season Tally:
Goals: D’Angelo 11; Kowlessar, Clouthier, J. Gutierrez 2; Boyle, Brooks, Devereaux, Ntwari 1
Assists: Deganutti 3; Brooks, J. Gutierrez, Rochon 2; Boyle, D’Angelo, Dennis, Devereaux 1
June 24, 2007
Ottawa Royals came away from the Esther Shriner stadium in North York with a burning sense of disappointment as they were bundled out of the Ontario Cup at the second round stage.
On a scorching hot day in North York Hearts Azzurri's artificial turf, the Royals played some excellent football and showed immense character.
Leading 2-0, right midfielder Jonathan Brooks was sent off for a second bookable offence (actually, a first bookable offence, but it was the second card) and the Royals were pegged back through two hotly disputed goals.
With Matt D'Angelo and Sylvain Clouthier up front, the Royals had targeted Hearts Azzurri centre back Ruscietta as a weakness and started playing balls on the ground past him. On 3 minutes, with Clouthier sprinting past him and close to being the last man, he scythed the Quebec striker down and got a yellow card.
Clouthier had started the game like a man possessed (which is possibly the case) and was closing defenders down quickly and encouraging his team mates to do the same. On 6 minutes, his pressure earned a corner, which poorly executed, allowed Hearts Azzurri to show their excellence at counter attacking.
With good service from the midfield trio of Kowlessar, Rochon and Maxi Gutierrez, Clouthier and D'Angelo were combining well up front, causing the home side endless problems. On 12 minutes, resulting from a James MacMillan free kick, D'Angelo chested a ball down for Clouthier, but the shot went wide of the target.
There was an exciting ebb and flow to the game. Maxi Gutierrez had shackled Hearts talisman Frank Bruno so effectively that the home team was having to play the ball out wide. On 32 minutes, Dan Deganutti switched sides with Jonathan Brooks, giving a more defensive shape to the right and allowing Brooks more space to attack on the left.
The back line of Mini Gutierrez, James MacMillan and Marc Labrom was holding firm, and with Deganutti and Brooks switching, the team had better balance and snuffed out the home attacks with relative ease.
On 35 minutes, the Royals created a first clear cut opportunity when Matt D'Angelo was released through the centre. Neatly controlling an awkwardly bouncing ball, D'Angelo pivoted and placed a shot low inside the near post. Unfortunately for him, Chencinski (recently signed with Toronto FC's farm team) was up to the task, producing a superb save to keep the scoreline blank.
The Royals now stepped up the pressure in the final ten minutes before half time, forcing a series of corners and keeping the home fans quiet. On 38 minutes, a Brooks corner found the towering forehead of MacMillan, but he was unable to keep his header down and the ball sailed harmlessly over the bar.
On 39 minutes, however, the Royals opened the score. Jonathan Brooks once more got forward on the left and fed a ball in for Matt D'Angelo, who laid it off nicely for Sylvain Clouthier. Clouthier opened up his body and side footed the ball into the corner of the net, giving the visitors a deserved lead.
The Royals continued forward, looking for the vital second goal before half time. Brooks came close with an angled drive on 41 minutes and Clouthier had another chance a minute later.
On 43 minutes, Jonathan Brooks picked up a yellow card for a minor offence, but at the half, the Royals were in the ascendancy and there seemed little to worry about.
Coach Michael Adams was happy enough at half time to keep the formation as it was, while Hearts decided to move Bruno up to centre forward. Marc Labrom moved into the man marking role, which allowed the Ottawa midfield more time to pinpoint accurate attacks.
Hearts were having more of the ball, but despite threatening, they never really managed to trouble Antoine Lagarec in the Royals goal.
On 54 minutes, the Royals gave the home side a taste of its own counter-attacking medicine, when Clouthier broke quickly from a Hearts corner, held the ball up and fed Deganutti on the edge of the 18-yard box. Deganutti fired away a powerful shot that missed the goal by inches.
But then, on 57 minutes, the Royals scored their second goal. Steve Kowlessar, imperious in the middle of the field, won the ball and released Matt D'Angelo through the middle. D'Angelo raced into the box, steadied himself and waited for the advancing Chencinski to commit himself. He then placed his shot in the top left-hand corner of the net from 18 yards.
Hearts launched an all out attack and within 2 minutes were rewarded when the referee penalized Jonathan Brooks for handball outside the box and issued his second yellow card. Brooks can have no complaints about the second card, but his first one was ridiculous and completely undeserved. Forced into a reshuffle, Michael Adams brought off Matt D'Angelo and put on Marc Anthony Viscosi in the right midfield spot.
Having realized that the referee had been somewhat casual in his interpretation of the rules, the home side went for broke. Frank Bruno executed a triple salko and twist in the penalty area, finishing off his exquisite move with a demi-piroutte and shake, before rolling on the ground like Rivaldo near a corner flag. "Penalty!" screamed the crowd. "Yellow card!" replied the referee, booking Bruno either for simulation or for not executing the demi-pirouette correctly.
The home side grew increasingly desperate, and the Royals were creating chances to finish them off. Rotating the three strikers and replacing Dan Deganutti with Jeff Dennis, the Royals created three or four one-on-one situations with Chencinski, but contrived to miss the target or hit the ball straight at him on each occasion.
On 73 minutes, Hearts got back in the game with a hotly disputed goal. Standing two yards offside (and the other side of the linesman), Forno received the ball and controlled it before playing a ball in to Bruno (standing two yards in front of him) to sidefoot into the net. The assistant referee (or maybe the assistant to the referee) didn't move. It was like a scene from Awakenings.
Galvanized by this, the home side poured forward in search of the equalizer. With more missed opportunities up front, the Royals were always susceptible to Hearts' exploitation of the space caused by the extra man. And on 86 minutes, the home side got the equalizer, which again was hugely controversial.
As a ball was played into the top of the Royals box, Luca Forno controlled the ball with his arm, knocking it down into his path before firing a shot past Lagarec. Despite the Royals vehement protestations, the goal was given and the home side was riding a wave of euphoria.
Deflated, the Royals were struggling now, and it took an excellent save from Antoine Lagarec to keep them in the tie, going down low to foil Kyle Hall.
And so to extra time, where the referee once again showed his lack of knowledge by playing two fifteen-minute halves rather than the scheduled golden goal. This proved just as well, because within two minutes of the restart, Luca Forno had given Hearts the lead with a well taken goal past Lagarec's outstretched diving left hand.
The Royals continued to fight, pressurizing the home team and creating a number of half chances. Meanwhile, Lagarec kept the Royals in the match, snuffing out three or four breaks from Bruno and Forno. The game looked set to end at 3-2.
And then on 117 minutes, Matt D'Angelo somehow found an extra spring in his step and let fly from 25 yards, leaving the despairing Chencinski no chance as the net bulged. It was the most dramatic of equalizers and having played for more than an hour with ten men, it was a testament to the courage and strength of the team.
Nothing further happened before the end of the game and so both teams went to the penalty shoot out. Matt D'Angelo was the unlucky player, seeing his shot well saved by Chencinski.
North York Hearts Azzurri qualify for the next round of the competition, while the Royals have to pick themselves up for the coming week's fixtures.
But sometimes, despite the result, the giant strides a team makes are just as important. In previous games, the Royals have shown a weakness when being in front and have conceded soft goals. In this game, there was no weakness. All 19 players that made the trip were committed and focused to the cause and despite coming up short, can be proud of the effort and courage they showed. Playing a man down, against a suspect referee and a suspect assistant to the referee, in torrid conditions, the Royals fought hard and long and clawed themselves back into the game when it was least expected.
The third goal should instil the Royals with a belief in themselves, and a belief in the future of the team.
Man of the Match: Too tough to call. James MacMillan led from the back and was uncompromising in defence, ably backed up by Mini Gutierrez and Agent Morbal, who also made big impressions in defence. Maxi Gutierrez snuffed out the huge threat of Frank Bruno in midfield, to the extent that he had to be shifted up front. Dom Rochon and Steve Kowlessar were tireless in midfield. Antoine Lagarec made a number of big saves late in the game and couldn't be faulted for the goals. Sylvain Clouthier was inspirational up front, demanding more of players and creating space for the hardworking and dynamic Matt D'Angelo. Dan Deganutti and Jonathan Brooks adapted well to new situations and gave key input defensively and offensively respectively. Ryan Devereaux and Jeff Dennis both came into the game and were asked to slot into a system that was working well - it was a testament to their energy and hard work that they improved it and created chances to score. Richard Boyle (Private Dick Tepid) worked hard as a right midfielder/defender and played well against a team with its tail up. Marc Anthony Viscosi and Frank Zegers slotted into defence and strengthened the spine of the team with solid play. The two unused substitutes, Thierry Ntwari and Tyler Wallace, were unstinting in their support, as was Alan Farant, who made the trip to be with his team mates.
Statistics
Hearts Azzurri
14-Tomer Chencinski; 3-Eric Tse, 4-Peyrand Mossavat, 5-Shondell Busby, 6-Gil Vainshstein, 7-Kyle Hall, 8-Luca Zucal, 9-Ryan Fante, 10-Frank Bruno, 13-Frank Morelli, 15-Cameron Alksnis, 16-Mahmoud Mirsadeghi, 20-Jody Forno, 21-Luca Forno, 23-Franco Ruscietta, 11-Pedram Eynolhagh, GK-Shahab Noorafkhan, GK-Stefan Caulfield
Yellow Cards: Frank Bruno, Jody Forno, Franco Ruscietta
Goals: Bruno, 73; Luca Forno, 86, 92
Ottawa Royals
1-Antoine Lagarec; 4-Roberto Gutierrez, 18-James MacMillan, 15-Marc Labrom; 10-Jonathan Brooks, 14-Steve Kowlessar, 6-Jorge Gutierrez, 8-Dominic Rochon, 9-Dan Deganutti; 3-Matt D'Angelo, 7-Sylvain Clouthier; 13-Jeff Dennis, 17-Richard Boyle, 13-Jeff Dennis, 19-Ryan Devereaux, 12-Thierry Ntwari; GK-Tyler Wallace, 5-Marc Anthony Viscosi; 20-Frank Zegers
Yellow Cards: Jonathan Brooks x2 (red card)
Goals: Clouthier, 39 (Brooks assist); D'Angelo, 58 (Kowlessar assist), 117
Penalty Shootout:
Royals 1-0 (Kowlessar) - Hearts 1-1 (Bruno)
Royals 2-1 (MacMillan) - Hearts 2-2 (Vainshstein
Royals 2-2 (D'Angelo) - Hearts 2-3 (Zucal)
Royals 3-3 (R. Gutierrez) - Hearts 3-4 (Mirsadeghi)
Royals 4-4 (Clouthier) - Hearts 4-5 (L. Forno)
Azzurri Hearts win 5-4 on penalty shoot out
Season Tally:
Goals: D’Angelo 11; Kowlessar, Clouthier, J. Gutierrez 2; Boyle, Brooks, Devereaux, Ntwari 1
Assists: Deganutti 3; Brooks, J. Gutierrez, Rochon 2; Boyle, D’Angelo, Dennis, Devereaux 1
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