After two unsuccessful tries in 2006 and 2007, the
Serbian White Eagles of Toronto discovered that the
third time was a charm after they stifled the explosive
Trois Rivieres Attak of Quebec to win the 2008 CSL
Championship 2-1 on penalty kicks last Sunday.
The White Eagles which had two of the premier players
from the Caribbean Community in Caswain Mason and Darrell Gomez
reached the CSL Championship final after defeating North
York Astros 2-1 and Italia Shooters (the CSL
International division winner) 3-0. Trois Rivieres Attak
advanced to the final by defeating St Catharines Wolves
2-0 and Portugal FC 7-0 respectively.
This year’s final was played at the Ester Shiner Stadium
and as the pro Serbians crowd made their way into the
stadium, the temperature was dropping dramatically as
the wind intensified and the clouds darkened. At one
point during the game the wind blew the advertising
billboards around the field like paper while momentarily
lifting the front of the eastern goal post about a foot
off the ground during the first half.
However in spite of the weather the show went on as
planned and as the game started it was quite obvious to
me after several minutes that the Serbians were more
comfortable in the in climate weather. Maybe it could
have been due to the fact that the Serbians had more at
stake and was determine not to disappoint their fans
after getting a third chance to bring home the bacon
(championship).
As the game progressed it was very difficult to pick one
team without stalling and complimenting the other, since
it was quite evident that the Trois Rivieres Attak had a
very talented team and although the White Eagles was
having the better of the exchanges there was this sense
that if the White Eagle made a mistake, the Attak would
capitalize and may them pay.
With the game tight and testy, the teams seemed to be
fighting more against the elements than their opponent
tactics. The heavy downpour of rain combine with a few
lightening surges managed to blow out some of the
floodlights on the northern side of the stadium and
after announcing the reset of the stadium lights during
the half, the stadium staff wisely decided against
trying to mess with Mother Nature and allow the game to
continue.
The second half started just like the first with the
Serbian White Eagles on the offensive while the Attak
countered to remind the Serbs that they were not going
to go down easy. This trend was the story of the game
and with the pace of the game quickening the White
Eagles took the lead on a goal scored at the 61 minute
by midfielder Alex Braletic,
The Eagles could not hold on to their lead as Attak
forward Nicolas Lesage returned the favor to tie the
game 1-1 just as the Serbian players and supporters was
beginning to see the light. However the lights for the
Serbians was now dwindling and as the game went into
overtime, the Serbian fans were reacting with loud jeers
to any unfavorable calls by the referee.
Then at the 96 minute the Serbian jeers changed to
cheers when their marquee player
Sasa Viciknez scored with a bullet of a shot off a free
kick, that cannon off the cross bar and rebound over the
Attak goal line to give the White Eagles a 2-1 lead.
Trois-Rivieres Attak bounced back as their
midfielder Jean-Phillipe Etienne made well on a failed
Serbian defensive clearance with a well hit shot one
minute before the first half of overtime. The ball found
its way through the crowded Serbian goal mouth and had
the Serbian fans scratching their heads with the score
tied 2-2.
The second 15 minutes of over time produced no
additional scoring as the game went into penalty
kicks.
The Attak played the second half of overtime with 10 men
after Ibrahim Baldeh was ejected for an ill advised
tackle that draw a second yellow card.
With the Eagles kicking first the trend of the game
continued as the Serbians could not convert two penalty
kicks in succession to put away their opponent the
trailing and failing Trois Rivieres Attak kickers. At
the end it was the Attak that self destructed when their
5th kicker missed by hitting the top of the
cross bar as the ball took forever to fall into the
field of play. At last the Serbian White Eagles had the
2-1 win from the penalty spot as they celebrated their
first CSL Championship with their supporters.
T&T player excelled for
Croatia in '07' CSL Championship
Toronto
Croatia won the Canadian Soccer League (CSL)
Championship 2007 after they defeated Serbian White
Eagles 4-1 in the first game of the adapted two game
weekend CSL Championship series, and held the Serbians
to a scoreless tie in the second game. Both games were
played at Ester Shiner Stadium.
With
Toronto’s finest in attendance, the on-field behavior of
the players was not what I considered to be of a
professional nature. The players on both team (whether
in the tackle or not), were appealing and wining to all
four officials on every tackle in an effort to get a man
advantage through ejection and that is not what is
considered to sportsmanlike conduct.
To
avoid a clash of fans the
games were also played with each team having their
supporters for only one of the games due to previous
incidents between the two teams.
The CSL reported that the two-game two day
championship game was decided due to concerns for safety
after two regular season league games in 2006 between
Toronto Croatia and Serbian White Eagles had a clashed
of fans at Lamport Stadium in Toronto and Ivor Wynne
Stadium in Hamilton where there was considerable damage
to the facility.
The
first game with Croatia fans only, started with the
cheers out weighing the jeers as Croatia took an early
lead on a header by Bustamante at 13 minute mark. The
Serbians move down the field on the ensuing touch off
and tied the game with a looping volley by defender
Dragorad Milicevic from way outside. Croatia responded
and struck again from a left footed bullet from 30 yards
by forward Peter Curic put Toronto Croatia 2-1. In an
effort to stay ahead Toronto Croatia scored their third
by Bustamante to give Croatia a 3-1 lead at the
interval.
The
second half was a disaster in terms of the level of play
as the game was played in gusting winds. The Serbians
had the better of the exchanges but for the most part
the play was ragged due to the conditions and no support
for the underdog or losing team.
Things got worst for White Eagles as Trinidad and Tobago
national player and Croatia stand out Hayden
Fitzwilliams, scored a late goal to give Toronto Croatia
a strong 4-1 hold on the series heading into the second
game.
The
Sunday game was played in cold but sunny 7 degree
temperatures, before an almost sold out Ester Shiner
stadium of Serbian supporters. The game started with
Serbian White Eagles in search of at least a 3 goal
margin victory to set up overtime and a chance at the
championship. Their overwhelming number of supporters,
high powered offense, and the fact that anything is
possible in sport was the only thing the Serbians had to
bank on because the law of averages says that a 3 goal
margin in soccer is almost insurmountable.
Croatia
came out with a defensive set and style of play that had
the White Eagles scored early or took the lead before
the half it would have made the game a very interesting
match. However it was not to be and as much as the Serbs
dominated the game Croatia flankers were up to the task
defensively. The standout in this regards was Hayden
Fitzwilliams who was the driving forced behind Toronto
Croatia 2007 soccer season success.
It
has been reported that Fitzwilliams could be on the move
since there are several professional teams (at a higher
level) that are interested in his services. Hayden
Fitzwilliams played for Trinidad and Tobago against
Northern Ireland in a friendly and against the Dominican
Republic during the Soca Warriors 2005 World Cup
qualifiers. He has also represented T&T against Antigua,
Cuba and Guadeloupe in the 2003 Gold Cup. In Canada he
has played for Toronto Olympians (01) and Metro Lions
(02-04) before joining Toronto Croatia for the 2005
season.
Trinidad and Tobago-born 18 year old Anthony Adur,
the youngest player on the field scored the lone
goal at the 62 minute mark to help Italia Shooter
upset Serbian White Eagles to win the Canadian
Soccer League championship. The game was played at
Ester Shiner Stadium on Sunday before a close to
sell out crowd that comprised of predominantly
Serbian supporters.
The
game was a see saw battle with lots of action and
the early surprise was that Italia Shooters was
holding their own against the powerful Serbians
attack. The fact that the Shooters had the better
scoring opportunities after a 0-0 first half was
good for the game. This was the Shooters fourth
attempt at the league championship in as many years
and to sum up their thinking they were of the
opinion that “something had to give” this season.
They
defeated arguably the #2 teams in the Toronto
Croatia to get to the final and by their tenacity in
this game it also appeared that they were well
prepared. Tactically Italia made adjustments to
their team that seem questionable but did work. One
of these moves was moving their offensive player and
2005 League MVP (T&T born) Desmond Humphrey to the
central defense position where he constructed their
offensive plays by spraying long precise passes to
both flankers in the first half. This strategy
seemed to confuse the Serbians coaching staff and
caught their defense by surprise on a number of
occasions in the first half.
The second half was similar to the first with
Serbians turning up the offense a notch and Italia
using the counter attack more frequently. It was
from one of those counter attacks that Anthony Adur
broke free and unleash a volley from close up to
give Italia the lead they never relinquished. In the
dying moments of the game one could tell it was not
the Serbians night when one of their headers from
within the six yard box rebound off the upright with
the Shooters goalkeeper beaten.
However
these chances were not as frequent as the Serbian
White Eagles would have liked due to the defensive
efforts of the Italia Shooters that proved to be the
difference in the game.
Trois-Rivieres Attak bounced back as their
midfielder Jean-Phillipe Etienne made well on a failed
Serbian defensive clearance with a well hit shot one
minute before the first half of overtime. The ball found
its way through the crowded Serbian goal mouth and had
the Serbian fans scratching their heads with the score
tied 2-2.
kicks.
The Attak played the second half of overtime with 10 men
after Ibrahim Baldeh was ejected for an ill advised
tackle that draw a second yellow card.
Toronto
Croatia won the Canadian Soccer League (CSL)
Championship 2007 after they defeated Serbian White
Eagles 4-1 in the first game of the adapted two game
weekend CSL Championship series, and held the Serbians
to a scoreless tie in the second game. Both games were
played at Ester Shiner Stadium.
Croatia
came out with a defensive set and style of play that had
the White Eagles scored early or took the lead before
the half it would have made the game a very interesting
match. However it was not to be and as much as the Serbs
dominated the game Croatia flankers were up to the task
defensively. The standout in this regards was Hayden
Fitzwilliams who was the driving forced behind Toronto
Croatia 2007 soccer season success. 
