Another home game, another lucky escape for Rabasca’s rabble.

I’m still satisfied the whining about the BTG’s Limonta turf and overeager lines(wo)men are just opposition coaches channelling their inner Fergies. Then again, I dread to think where the kids would be in the standings without the flag-happy assistant referees.

On their first trip to Downsview last Friday, Forward Madison’s offense found themselves called offside a total of 11 times. That puts them second behind North Texas’s record of 14, though the Texans clocked just 5 on their second visit, so safe to say Rabasca’s offside trap can be beat.

Mercifully, Madison didn’t figure that out early enough to hand the hosts their first home defeat, but it was still a bit hairy in the later stages. Playing their first game without the previously ubiquitous Jacob Shaffelburg, chances were few and far between for the Young Reds.

If not for Jordan Perruzza and Madison’s lack of a recognized striker – a pretty glaring oversight given how well-run the team is – this could’ve ended very differently.



Life After Shaff

Hope I’m not jumping the gun declaring Jacob Shaffelburg’s TFC II career over. Even when this elusive TAM winger eventually appears, I’ll be bloody alarmed if Shaff drops any further than Vanney’s bench.

It was getting to a point where the lad was just spinning his wheels hanging around in USL League 1 D3. In some recent games, it’s felt like the the game plan could be accurately summarized as ‘pass to Shaff’. Not an ineffective philosophy, but hardly sustainable.

As for those he’s left behind, the adjustment period may be a bit messy, but there are plenty of players not called Griffin Dorsey capable of feeding Jordan Perruzza.

His Name Is Luca

Luca Petrasso probably stands to gain the most from Shaff’s promotion.

Briefly TFC II’s top scorer before Perruzza and Patrick Bunk-Andersen (!) overtook him, the Shaff/Griff duopoly on the wings saw him crammed into central midfield. Mehdi Essoussi’s addition to the depth chart should free him up to stay out wide.

Luca didn’t assist Perruzza’s goal, but he did provide reminders aplenty that his much-vaunted left foot is just as accurate on the move as it is on set-pieces. He almost set up Matt Srbely twice, and could’ve done the same for fellow winger Jordan Faria.

Should he and Luca be given a chance to build some chemistry, some of those crosses could easily become volleys.

Black Star Rising

Last week, I may have insinuated Gideon Waja was sleepwalking his way to an off-season release with his non-production as Noble Okello’s stand-in. However, rather like how Tsubasa Endoh bought himself some time with that goal against Atlanta, the Ghanaian midfielder finally registered his first assist.

The play was mostly of Perruzza’s making, but Waja was perfectly placed to one-two the ball with the striker, flicking the return pass between Madison’s centre-backs. It was a timely reminder of the Black Star’s keen positional awareness, compared to some team-mates’ more, uh, frenzied behaviour in tight spaces.

If he plays enough, commentators might even reach a consensus on how to pronounce his surname. It’s no “Matthew Sore Belly” but this game’s announcer alone managed “wah-jah”, “wai-jer” and “wager”.

Smart & Manley Strike Again

In case you missed TFC II’s first run-in with the Flamingos of Madison, you won’t have seen how Jamaican veteran midfielder Don Smart and Loons loanee right-back Carter Manley presided over the Young Reds’ first loss of 2019.

Smart was slow to start in this game, thanks in no small part of the aforementioned lineswomen. He was personally flagged on four occassions. Elsewhere, Carter Manley was in irritatingly good form, patrolling Madison’s right side like a Baltimorean Mario Melchiot.

After watching him boss Jordan Faria for over an hour, Rabasca eventually took pity and moved the lad over to right, replacing him with Terique Mohammed off the bench. TeMo managed a couple of dribbles past the manly Manley, but couldn’t capitalize, and Madison’s second-half dominance went on.

Eventually, the inevitable: Josiel Nunez, a fringe Canalero, punted the ball Smart’s way, and the subsequent rebound was pounced on by Ecuadorian substitute Danny Tenorio.

Children Are Our Future…

With his defensive depth gutted by a possible injury to Jelani Peters and Julian Dunn playing bench-warmer for Vanney, Rabasca took the opportunity to load up on youth. Among the three potential debutants was 15 year-old winger Jakheele Marshall-Rutty, fresh off his heroics in TFC U15 squad’s USSDA cup win.

All the way back!



Marshall-Rutty slots the penalty away for the 3-2 lead!#DA2019Playoffs | #TFCLive pic.twitter.com/JKXPTkMk3W — Toronto FC Academy (@tfcacademy) June 25, 2019

In spite of tense end to the game, Rabasca gave JMR his debut with enough time to have a realistic chance of making an impact. Obviously he didn’t or else I would’ve mentioned this much sooner, but he didn’t seem daunted jostling with opponents twice his age.