Toronto FC II (7W-10L-4T, 25 points) dropped a 2-3 home result against Huntsville City FC (6W-11L-5T, 23 points) at York Lions Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
TFC II Head Coach Gianni Cimini made three changes from his starting eleven that featured in last Sunday’s home win against Philadelphia Union II with Lucas Olguin, Jesús Batiz and Charlie Sharp making way for Marko Stojadinovic, Andrei Dumitru and Hassan Ayari.
Huntsville City FC got off to a flying start and took an early lead with the first attack of the afternoon when Adem Sipić slotted home Woobens Pacius’ pass after only 60 seconds.
Toronto FC II responded fifteen minutes later when captain Julian Altobelli scored a direct free-kick from the edge of the box to level the score at one apiece. The 16th minute effort marked Altobelli’s 16th career goal for TFC II and his third direct free-kick goal of the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro season, following set-piece strikes on the road against Columbus Crew 2 and Atlanta United FC 2 this summer.
The hosts nearly took their first lead of the afternoon when a swift team move resulted in Julian Altobelli’s close-range header from Charlie Staniland’s cross blazing over the target in the 39th minute.
Seven minutes later however, the Young Reds showcased their attacking prowess when Mark Fisher found the back of the net with a guided header from Hassan Ayari’s cross to make it 2-1 moments before the interval. The first-half stoppage time effort marked Fisher’s first goal and Ayari’s first assist for Toronto FC II since the pair joined the club ahead of the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro campaign.
The visitors equalized soon after the restart when Woobens Pacius cut in from the left flank and curled home an effort from Dominic Gasso’s cross-field pass in the 51st minute.
Huntsville City FC spurned two opportunities to go ahead with TFC II goalkeeper Abraham Rodriguez denying Olly Wright with an instinctive kick-save from close-range before Dominic Gasso’s long-range effort rattled the crossbar in the 62nd minute.
The Boys in Blue however took the lead in the closing stages through substitute Tristan Tropeano’s close-range finish from substitute William Perkins’ delivery towards the far-post.
Despite TFC II’s best efforts to find a late equalizer and earn a result in front of the home faithful, Huntsville City FC managed to hold on for all three points with Tristan Tropeano’s 82nd minute strike ultimately standing as the game-winner on the afternoon.
The Young Reds hit the road to face FC Cincinnati 2 next in MLS NEXT Pro action on Sunday, September 1. Kick-off from NKU Soccer Stadium in Highland Heights, Kentucky is set for 8:00 p.m. ET and and will be available to watch on MLSNEXTPro.com and the MLS YouTube channel.
SCORING SUMMARY
HNT – Adem Sipić 2’ (Woobens Pacius)
TOR – Julian Altobelli 16’
TOR – Mark Fisher 45+1’ (Hassan Ayari)
HNT – Woobens Pacius 51’ (Dominic Gasso)
HNT – Tristan Tropeano 82’ (William Perkins)
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
TOR – Adam Pearlman 56’ (caution)
TOR – Marko Stojadinovic 76’ (caution)
HNT – Joey Akpunonu 89’ (caution)
LINEUPS
TORONTO FC II – Abraham Rodriguez; Theo Rigopoulos, Adam Pearlman, Ythallo, Richard Chukwu (Jesús Batiz 65’); Charlie Staniland (Lucas Olguin 65’), Marko Stojadinovic, Andrei Dumitru (Matthew Catavolo 84’); Mark Fisher, Hassan Ayari, Julian Altobelli (C)
Substitutes Not Used: Adisa De Rosario, Kundai Mawoko, Elijah Roche, Joses Chukwu
HUNTSVILLE CITY FC – Ben Martino; Julian Gaines (William Perkins 62’), Christian Applewhite (Isaiah Jones 68’), Joey Akpunonu, Joseph Skinner (Jordan Knight 62’); Jonathan Bolanos (C), Faiz Opande (Fernando Cicéron 80’), Ollie Wright, Dominic Gasso; Adem Sipić (Tristan Tropeano 80’), Woobens Pacius
Substitutes Not Used: Simon Jillson, Tomás Ritondale, Tyler Pasnik
MEDIA NOTES
- With his 16th minute free-kick goal, Julian Altobelli has now scored in four consecutive matches that he has featured in for the first time in his TFC II career.
- Mark Fisher scored his first goal for Toronto FC II, becoming the seventh different player to open his account for the Young Reds during the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro season.
- Hassan Ayari recorded his first assist for the Young Reds.
