Julius Hern - Barrie 360
There was no better billing for Simcoe County Rovers FC’s Canadian Championship debut than “David vs. Goliath.”
Except, Goliath prevailed.
Toronto FC’s dominant 5-0 win at BMO Field Wednesday eliminated the underdog Rovers in the preliminary round.
Nine starters from Simcoe County’s League1 Ontario championship-winning team were in the lineup against TFC, including standout midfielder Orlendis Benítez who scored 15 goals in 19 appearances last season.
Toronto head coach John Herdman shuffled his lineup slightly. The starting XI featured five Canadians compared to just two that started Saturday versus New England Revolution. The Canadian Championship rules require a minimum of three Canadian starters in each lineup.
One of those additions was goalkeeper Luka Gavran, who made his first appearance since a 3-1 loss March 30 at home to Sporting KC.
Herdman stuck with the same starting formation, however (3-4-2-1), that he’s put forth in each match this year.
“Winning the cup is on the agenda for this group of players,” Herdman said in his pregame news conference. “And we'll be coming into this with full commitment to get the job done.”
TFC striker Prince Owusu had the first beautiful opportunity of the match. He just barely put a shot wide left of the Rovers’ goal in the sixth minute.
One soon followed for Simcoe County when Toronto midfielder Kosi Thompson was booked with a yellow card for a foul on Rovers forward Shaun-Claud Lawson. The ensuing free kick nearly found the bottom left corner but was pushed aside.
Toronto held possession from then until striker Owusu’s header from within six yards went off the leg of Simcoe County forward Justyn Thomas for the opening goal in the 18th minute. It was Owusu’s fourth goal in three matches across all club competitions.
Both teams proceeded to trade possessions and dangerous chances for the next few minutes, including a strike by Benítez that was barely tapped over the net by Gavran.
Plenty of dangerous chances for Toronto were eventually satisfied by three goals within nine minutes:
Cassius Mailula potted a strike from the top of the box off an assist by Owusu to double the lead in the 30th minute. It was an uplifting goal for the South African international who’s only seen 11 minutes of playing during the MLS season.
In the 33rd minute, the Reds got just their second goal of the season off a set piece when Jonathan Osorio’s corner kick was headed in by Kevin Long. Osorio soon scored one of his own to make it 4-0 in the 39th minute thanks to another Owusu assist.
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At halftime, first-year Rovers head coach Zico Mahrady installed some adjustments. He changed his formation from 4-4-2 to having five at the back.
The adjustments were challenging for the Reds at the start of the second half, especially since they each used their substitutions. Tyrese Spicer still managed to score the fifth goal in the 76th to deal the killing blow to Simcoe County.
With the win, Toronto advances to the quarterfinals and will host the winner of the preliminary round match between CPL side HFX Wanderers and League1 Quebec champion CS Saint-Laurent. That match will happen May 2 at Wanderers Grounds.
It’s also the second-consecutive clean sheet for TFC, the second time the club has accomplished that. The only time the Reds shut out their opponents in back-to-back matches was March of last year.
The Rovers prepared for this game with exhibition matches against Saint-Laurent (3-2 W) and CPL club York United FC (3-2 L).
“We did our best to match up against competition that would give us the speed and tempo we would figure we would face here,” Mahrady said in his postgame news conference. “But we knew Toronto FC was going to be a bigger jump.”
HOMETOWN SUPPORT
More than 1,500 Rovers supporters made the journey from Park Place to Exhibition Place to witness the first-ever instance of a team from Barrie facing a pro team in a competitive game in any sport.
The north-end bleachers of BMO Field was seemingly taken over with fans that packed two coach buses for the event.
“[The support]'s definitely something we’re going to look forward to having all season,” goalkeeper Rimi Olatunji said postgame. “It doesn’t go unnoticed, and it’s definitely appreciated.”
TAKEAWAYS
Despite the disappointing end to an opportunity that seemed to have just begun, there are many things to look for Simcoe County’s fans and players.
“Playing against TFC will unlock a new fire within the boys,” co-owner and former TFC centre-back Doneil Henry said pregame. “My hope is that after the game, someone gets an opportunity to dream on, and go farther in their football journey.”
“Like anything, it’s a step on a journey,” Herdman said postgame. “They know what the standard is, they know what the level is. When they come here again, they’ll not be taken in by an occasion. We hope to see them back again. I’m sure the next game will be a lot closer.”
“It’s an opportunity that we look for and strive for on a day-to-day basis,” Olatunji said. “Because a lot of us are still pushing to get to that next level.”
UP NEXT
Simcoe County opens their League1 Ontario season on the road April 28 versus Vaughan Azzuri.
Matchweek ten of the MLS campaign has TFC on the road for its first fixture of the season against Orlando City SC.
banner image: The Canadian Press
