Hooligans of Toronto Football Club

05/23/2017

It's been quiet in here lately, but our midweek TSSL squad plays their first ever game in the Premier Division tonight against Toronto Irish F.C. at L'Amoreaux Field. Good luck to everyone!

09/29/2015

It was a super sunday as both Hooligans sides took to the field in big matches. The TSSL Hooligans were in their Division Cup Finals against Monterey. The Toronto Rush Hooligans were playing in their playoff semi-finals against rivals, Toronto Blues.

The TSSL squad was up first at Cherry Beach, and they had already beaten top sides QPI, TSC, and Area 7 to get into the finals. Monterey was one of the few teams who had beaten Hooligans this season and they proved to be a tough test. Hooligans came out well and controlled possession and the tempo of the game. They created many first half chances but failed to put any away. Close to half, Matt Carr opened the scoring on a very Matt Carr like goal. Heavy pressure from Carr turned the ball over and let to his goal. Hooligans went into the break up 1-0. They increased the lead early in the second half on a goal by Zane Aburaneh who calmly put home a rebound off the post by Craig Black. They seemed to be cruising to victory, but Monterey had other ideas. They immediately upped their game and started applying heavy pressure. 2 goals later the game was tied and headed to extra time.

The TSSL still uses the golden goal rule which added extra pressure to the championship game. After being on the wrong side of everything in the last 20 minutes of the second half, Hooligans regained their composure and started extra time in a very positive manner. Carr missed a couple chances to win the game early. Hooligans were never really pressured in both extra time sessions. The game went deep into the second extra time and Lawrence Bill took a throw in and managed to hit a streaking Charlie Knight in the box. Knight made no mistake heading the ball into the far side of goal on the last play of extra time. Relief and celebration set in as the game was won. It was a well earned trophy for the TSSL side. A top 3 finish in the league, Division Cup sealed and with a quarter-final matchup with the Harps in the League Cup looming, the Hooligans have had a fantastic season.

***

On to the Sunday Hooligans who had their hands full with the Toronto Police Service's finest footballers. These two teams had tied both league matches this year and finished level on 30 points during the season. The match didn't disappoint as both teams went for it. Hooligans were in trouble as they started with 10 men for the first 15 minutes of the game. They also had 4 members of the team who played in the Division Cup finals a few hours earlier. Even with the heavy legs, they competed, and proved to be a stern test for the Blues. The Blues opened the scoring late in the fist half on a Rasih Pala strike and went into the break with a 1-0 lead. Things didn't get better for Hooligans as the second half started. The Blues increased their lead to 2-0 on another decent goal. Hooligans went into desperation mode, and all of a sudden fought back with a goal. A wonderful effort by Brent Lukowski took the ball for a run and got by a couple defenders. He set up Duncan Smith for a tap in to cut the deficit in half. A few minutes later Smith scored his second of the game on some great determination by the Hooligans front line. An almost comical scene trying to put the ball in the net was finally rewarded when Smith powered the ball home from close range. 2-2!!! Hooligans weren't done. A short time later Brent Lukowski scored on a rocket from a free kick in front of goal. An emotional celebration ensued as the team had fought back to take the lead! Before full time, the Blues tied the match up once again on another great strike which sent the game into penalties (no extra time in the privately owned Rush league). Just before the first penalty was taken, the lights went out!! It was probably a fitting end to a really great match. The Blues gracefully took a default loss as they are not able to compete in the finals next weekend as they are due to play in the North American Police Soccer Tournament in San Diego, California.

The Hooligans will move into the playoff final against Sporting Wood who knocked off Barca in penalties in the first semi-finals. Both teams have not faced each other this season as Sporting Wood defaulted both league matches against Hooligans this year. Sporting Wood looked very good against Barca, and should be a great test for the Hooligan side who look to re-claim the playoff title after losing it in 2014. The finals will be on October 4th at 9:45pm at Cherry Beach.

***

Photos are from the Divisional Cup Final, and celebrations at one of our sponsors The Derby on Dundas. A huge thanks to Bellwoods Barbers and The Derby for sponsoring us this year.

09/29/2015

09/25/2015

MATCH REPORTS!

Sept 9th - Hooligans 1, Area 7 FC 0 - After a 10 man Hooligan side knocked off QPI 1-0, Hooligans were back on the field for a game with Area 7 who had been playing some inspiring football over the last half of the season. With Kadis in goal, Hooligans did a great job keeping Area 7's scoring chances held to a minimum while starting the game a couple men short. Hooligans played a very well organized match and started to create chance after chance. They finally broke through early in the second half when legendary Hooligan Matt Carr (returning from injury after a long time off) finished off a great spell to give Hooligans the 1-0 lead they deserved. Area 7 pressed for the equalizer, but Kadis was not going to let anything spoil his clean sheet on the night.

Sept 12th - Hooligans 8, Ballers 0 - Division Cup SF - Next up for the Hooligans was a semi-final against long time rivals The Ballers. Hooligans killed this game off quite early. Ballers started short a couple, and Hooligans made them pay dearly. I can't remember who scored all the goals but there were plenty, in an 8-0 demolition of their noisy rivals. Hooligans are at the end of a great cup run as they have knocked off QPI, TSC and Ballers on their way to the finals where they will play Monterey, a team they split the season series with a win each. The finals will be played on September 27th at 2pm at Cherry Beach. Come out!

Sept 16th - Hooligans 2, Bosnia zilch - After an ugly match in August, the Bosnian side came into this game with a bit of an agenda. They started strong and with a purpose, and it took the Hooligan side a bit of time to get comfortable in the game. Hooligans went ahead at the end of the first half on an excellent Matt Carr header. The second half started and the Bosnian team lost the plot. Booking after booking. Tons of crying, mostly to the ref, and when a hard foul injured one of their players, they completely went nuts. Paul Russell scored one more for the good guys before the game was halted due to the horrible sportsmanship by Bosnia. It was a solid victory for Hooligans who posted their 4th clean sheet in a row.

Sept 20th - Hooligans 2, Euro United 1 - TSSL Cup Round 3 - Hooligans were out for their second weekend game in as many weekends. A trip to the league Cup quarter finals were on the line and this game was never in doubt. Hooligans had many many chances and the only knock against them in this contest was that they probably should have scored 6 or 7. Paul Russell opened the scoring and Tom O'Callaghan put the team in black up 2 late in the first half with an outstanding volley. Euro United pulled one back late in the game, but the second division side never truly threatened the Hooligans.

It's been a great couple of weeks. The team is deep into both cups and are guaranteed a top 3 finish in the league. Up next is the First Division cup finals which is this Sunday against Monterey. Kick-off is 2pm at Cherry Beach. Come on out and support your local Hooligans!

09/04/2015

MATCH REPORT!
September 3rd - Hooligans 1, QPI 0

A 10 man Hooligans side took on title chasers QPI on a wonderful evening for some footy. With multiple Hooligans still on suspension, the team could only field 10 players. The team went on to win for the 4th time this season while playing short handed.

Hooligans effectively killed off Queens Park Irish's chances at tht title with the win last night. Unreal effort from everyone. Remo, welcome back! Outstanding game. All 10 guys played fantastic. Buckley, playing his last game for Hooligans, offers to go in goal for a third of the game, however stays in for the good of the team and records a clean sheet. Well done chap! And good luck in the future. I could talk about the game all night, from Sonsini's missile game winner, to Tom multiplying his body and appearing all over the field, to Eamonn getting destroyed by their keeper twice, but picking himself up and returning to the field, to Zane gasping for air the last 5 minutes of the match, to Tice and Filipuzzi solidifying the wings and allowing nobody to beat them 1 on 1, to Paul working his butt of in the midfield to Dee…….. I will say that playing with 10 players is not ideal, but as Dee mentioned last night, we've won 4 games this year while playing short players. Anyhow I've left you with a nice video of Jemmo's header being cleared off the line by a defender!!

08/13/2015

MATCH REPORTS!
August 5th - Hooligans 0, QPI 3

Hooligans came out flat in their biggest match of the season against a tough QPI squad. The game was 0-0 at half, with QPI applying some pressure. They got a fluke goal to open the scoring in the second half, and they never looked back.

August 9th - Hooligans 3, TSC 1

Much hype was made by TSC for this Divisional Cup game against Hooligans. TSC considers us a rival, albeit, it's their first season in the league. A 5-0 Hooligans win early in the season was overturned by a 2-1 "ref-aided" victory by TSC later on. Most Hooligans remembered the post game TSC celebration and that's all they needed to fuel the fire coming into this cup tie.

Hooligans had no subs, and played a cautious first half. Kadis is goal as well didn't help things, but the team did well to limit the shots on target.

Hooligans counter-attack offence got on the board in the 2nd half with new boy Paul Russell slotting home his first as a Hooligan. TSC started wilting a bit in the heat, and Hooligans applied full pressure on them, causing a bunch of mistakes. Eamonn "Jemmo" Kane popped two in a row on a couple of great efforts to seal this game and a spot in the cup semi-finals. TSC added a late consolation goal for a final score of 3-1 for Hooligans.

TSC has been good this year, and they do still have a shot at winning the league, but on this day, Hooligans of Toronto showed them what they are made of.

The Semi's are not quite set but Hooligans will take on the winner of Ballers and Euro FC. Dates to follow.

08/13/2015

Week 9 Sunday recap. Tough loss all things considered. Well done to the four Hooligans who played earlier in the day for the TSSL team. No subs for both games.

Hello Rush footy players and fans! Hope that you all enjoyed the August long weekend break and are happy to be back playing. I’m sure that you have all tuned in to watch the start of the European leagues seasons and enjoyed the action there. In our league, things have started heating up as we moved…

07/31/2015

Sunday recap. Very pedestrian 4-1 victory over Cholo. Some Hooligans possibly looking ahead to the battle for first place in week 9 against Barca youngsters.

What is up footy heads? Is there anyone else out there as excited as I am about the impending start of the English Premier League? The community shield match kicks off this weekend between League Champs Chelsea and FA Cup Champs Arsenal. Jose Mourinho is snatching headlines throwing shade left right…

07/30/2015

MATCH REPORTS!

July 17th - Hooligans 1, TSC 2

Matt Carr opened the scoring in this one with a very Matt Carr like goal. A strike from way out, from nothing. TSC held much position and scored twice in the second half, the first on a dreadful penalty call, and the winner late on. Hooligans deserved better from this one but it wasn't meant to be. Carr suffered a broken thumb near half time and is said to be out for a number of weeks.

July 20th - Hooligans 2, Queens Park Irish 1 (Division Cup)

These two teams at the top of the table faced each other for the first time this year in a first round division cup match. The QPI team was decent and moved the ball around the field well. The Irish took a 1 - 0 lead early in the second half. Hooligans battled very hard and held their own. They were rewarded with an own goal to draw level late on in the game, and Chaarlesberg scored the winner close to full time on a rebound. A well taken corner by Nick Sonsini found Zane Aburaneh whose shot made it through a sea of bodies. The keeper saved, but Chaarlesberg was there to slot home the rebound. A sound victory for the Hooligans who move into the next round to face TSC once again.

July 22nd - Hooligans 4, Monterey 1

Playing their third game in 6 nights, Hooligans took on a Monterey side who had beaten them in the opening game of the season. The counter attack of the Hooligan side pretty much killed Monterey and this one was pretty much over by half time. Zane Aburaneh, Tom O'Callaghan and Charlie Knight all scored first half goals to build a 3 - 0 lead. Kevin Matthews scored on a PK in the second half in his last game for Hooligans. It was a magical moment. Monterey scored a late one to spoil the clean sheet. It was a workmanlike effort from the squad.

July 29th - Hooligans 4, Euro FC 1

These teams at opposite ends of the table met for the first time this year, and it was the team closer to the bottom of the table that bossed the first half. Euro FC controlled the tempo and wore down the Hooligan side in the first half, but were unable to score. Hooligans gathered their composure for the second half and opened up the scoring early on. Eamonn Kane drew a penalty that was converted by Nick Sonsini. That allowed Hooligans to relax a bit and it started showing. 2 more goals both by Charlie Knight, opened up a 3-0 lead. Euro FC got a late goal, but that wasn't the end of the scoring as Knight completed his hat trick (and 5th goal in his last 3) with another great finish. Final score was 4-1 Hooligans. They move alone into first place with 25 points from 11 games played.

Up next is a titanic matchup with fellow title hopefuls Queen Park Irish on August 5th. Start time is 7pm at Glendon College. I wouldn't want to miss this one.

07/23/2015

A celebratory pint after a clinical 4-1 victory over Monterey. Nice game. Thanks to The Derby for a great evening!!

07/13/2015

9 Hooligans Defeat The Ballers To Claim A Season Sweep.

They are being dubbed "The Nifty Nine". Knowing they had severe numbers issues, the Hooligans walked into Glendon College and took down a full squad of Ballers by a 2-1 scoreline. It was hot and humid, but the plan was to hold out on defence and counter when available. It worked well, as the Ballers couldn't generate any quality scoring chances even though they held about 80% possession. Hooligans started with 8 on the pitch for about the first 10 minutes. Once Zane Aburaneh arrived, Hooligans settled down and played a very composed match. Hooligans opened the scoring just before half time on an own goal which was created by some heavy pressure and hard work.

Ballers came out in the 2nd half and tied the game up fairly quickly on a great strike from well outside the box by Juice from Sons of Anarchy. To make matters worse, goal scoring machine Eamonn Kane pulled up with a hamstring injury early in the half. He refused to leave the field and still managed to provide an important outlet for the tired Hooligan side. About 8 minutes from full time, Kane flicked on a goal kick to a streaking Nick Sonsini who found himself 1 on 1 with the keeper. The veteran Sonsini made no mistake, and Hooligans re-took the lead. Sonsini was a force in the mid-field and was rewarded with the winner. The team held on and claimed a well deserved 3 points to stay at the top of the TSSL First Division standings.

A huge shout out to Buckley, Curic, Tice, Kadis, Sonsini, Aburaneh, Knight, Kane & Bayer. Well well done lads!

Up next is a rematch with TSC on Friday night at Earlscourt Park. Game time is 9pm. Hooligans won the reverse fixture 5-0 back in June.

07/10/2015

Here is the Sunday team recap. A ten-man Hooligans side score 5 second half goals on their way to an 8-2 victory over Code Blue to stay on top of the league. More in the link.

Happy Summer everybody, may your days be warm, your beers be cold, and your nights be filled with footy. First order of business… USA! USA! USA! USA! Congrats to the USWNT for their World Cup victory, completely bossed that final. Honourable mention goes to the Lionesses who finished 3rd exceeding e…