The South Stand Report : Toronto v Arabe Unido... or Not dead, just pining for the fjords

The end. Not that phoney end on Saturday that I ditched to go to Montreal for, but the real end of the season. Our season has been one nice steady make-out session where you've gone further than "under the shirt-over the bra" at HER house, only to get denied by YOUR parents. The only release is that of anger and frustration.

Yes, it was elaborate.

As a future attendee of the much hallowed Town Hall, which should be renamed Smoke Blowing, I will choose to save the rage for Tommy. We know how this goes.

Bombing out of Champions League is just like attempts of Young Boys Bern, Panathinaikos and whatever that team Tommy Radzinski played for. One game, nothing to play for and against Wisla Krakow who are in the same boat.

Oh the magic of Champions League.

Predictions
- silence due to protest
- silence due to crap attendance
- a youth team player will have a legit chance at net, then turn to OBW yelling "seeeeee! Like that!"
- Arabe Unido will play dirty and cheat as hard as they can
- Arabe Unido 4, Toronto 2 (in yellow cards)

Starting XI

Conway
Garcia - Attakora - Henry - Gargan
Ibby - Morgan - deGoo - Labrocca
Lindsay - DeRo
(I think)

4 - Attakora takes a knock and goes off for a sip. He's OK.

7 - Ibrahim crosses the ball and gets stopped by a raised arm. No call.

16 - DeRo gets a deep ball into the corner, tries to chip the keeper, but he stops it.

Quote of the match:

I hope you're let go!

- random at Ibby after a few howlers

21 - for 40 seconds, Arabe are just playing with Garcia and Henry right now, how the cheats haven't scored I one yet.

25 - Arabe 11 takes a knock and rolls around like a bowling pin. Seriously piss off cheat.

26 - DeRo has a go from 20 yds out and slams over the north stand.

28 - Lindsay has a go from 25 yds out. Not much behind it but it is a real shot on target and that's a first for this game.

30 - GOAL - set piece from Labrocca, headed textbook style far left by Nana Attakora. Good stuff and well earned.

34 - YELLOW - Garcia for a late tackle though the ref missed an earlier one against TFC.

40 - YELLOW - Arabe player clothes line Labrocca. DeRo free hits the keeper and Ibby misses a sitter. The boy has been playing a howler so far. We need some more academy action soon.

1 min of extra time

Half time mood : youth good, old bad

45 - SUB - Harden in, Nana out. Huh? Nana was having a cracker of a game.

52 - Labrocca has a go from 5 yds out to the left of net and forces a solid save from the keeper.

61 - YELLOW - actually 2, Henry I think and some other blue cheater

65 - SUB - deGoo out, Oscar Cordon in. Sure.


68 - YELLOW - Lindsey for stuff

72 - Morgan is the Toronto Patrice Evra, holding off a defender while moving the ball forward, lays it off to DeRo who shoots, ends back at Morgan and he launches it at the net from 12 yds only to be stopped by the keeper. Killer stuff.

78 - Wow. Just heady stuff. DeRo-Lindsey-Labrocca are just cutting up Arabe right now.

79 - SUB - Lindsey off for OBW. Ummm... Mr. Dasovic... whiskey tango foxtrot?

81 - YELLOW - Gargan for not putting up with the cheaters sh*t

83 - Labrocca lays a pass to Cordon and he skies the ball. Not everyone's first senior attempt at goal goes in...

88 - YELLOW - someone got booked. Labrocca? All I know is my predictions are way off there...

90 - YELLOW - Arabe for dissention

3 min of extra time

FULL TIME : Toronto 1, Arabe Unido 0

Man of the Match : Attakora for the first half, Lindsay for a quarter and Morgan for another quarter.

Goat of the Game : Fuad Ibrahim. Three words kid, "Danish Third Division". What a brutal game. With the chances he was getting, I'd rather see what OBW could've done instead. Super frustrating.

(You should really click on the link all the same... best name ever? Perhaps)

Ref Rating : 3 out of 5. Equally terrible on both sides of the ball but let a few close ones go. Handed out cards like it was invitations to his birthday party.

I was going to tear a strip into Dasovic for his substitutions, but lets be honest folks - it really doesn't matter. In fact, we were pleasantly surprised with the efforts of some of the kids. Morgan and Lindsay have some promise. Perhaps the lack of pressure for a result in the game gave them the perfect opportunity to show us what they're capable of. And for once, I like it and am a little upset I didn't take advantage of watching more Academy games.

It's just too easy to be a pessimist right now. Nothing but bad news coming out of TFC's camp lately and we're all a little disgruntled, to be kind. I wanted something positive out of this game and I got it. Besides, April is a long ways away and there's plenty of time to bitch, piss and moan around here before then.