CSL GOALKEEPER EXTRA BRAVE
Dick Howard, a goalkeeper with several North American clubs and the Canadian national team, and former England goalkeeper Joe Corrigan, a frequent visiting coach to Canada, often remind young Canadian players who aspire to play between the posts: ‘you have to be brave’.
Howard and Corrigan have not met Austin Litow-Daye, at 17 the youngest player to sign for a Canadian Soccer League team this season. The young goalkeeper makes his first ever CSL appearance in a Second Division match between Scarborough SC B and Halton United B at the OSA Soccer Centre Stadium on Saturday, just five months after brain surgery, a procedure necessary for medical reasons in December.
Corrigan and Howard would consider Litow-Daye extra brave, even while wearing a now trade-mark protective cap, memories of Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech, a Czech Republic international goalkeeper who suffered a serious head injury on October 14, 2006 while playing for Chelsea at Reading in the English Premier League and who has worn the head gear ever since.
“Austin is a super young guy who just loves soccer, has been cleared to play by his doctors and he will be in the line-up and playing on Saturday,” said Eddy Coronel, head coach of Scarborough SC B, who is also with the Carlos Rivas Soccer Academy where Austin Litow-Daye developed his goalkeeping skills.
The Scarborough SC B vs Halton United B game, which kicks off at 7 pm, follows a Friday encounter when Serbian White Eagles reserves host FC Vorkuta second string at Centennial Park in Etobicoke. That’s a 9 pm start.
These two games mark the opening of the CSL Second Division season, which this year lists eight teams: Brantford Galaxy B, CSC Mississauga B, Halton United B, Milton SC B, SC Real Mississauga B, Scarborough SC B, Serbian White Eagles B and FC Vorkuta B.
Serbian White Eagles open their CSL First Division season this coming Friday with a home encounter with FC Vorkuta. Vorkuta won the First Division title in 2017, and is a side looking to repeat its inaugural year achievement by starting the 2018 campaign with two successive wins, including the season opener on May 13. Vorkuta defeated FC Ukraine United 2-1 in the opener and went on to win 3-0 over Hamilton City last weekend.
The Serbian White Eagles vs Vorkuta First Division clash, a 7 pm kickoff at Centennial Stadium in Etobicoke, will be followed at 9 pm by the CSC Mississauga vs Brantford Galaxy game at the Iceland Field in Mississauga. It’s the season opener for both teams.
There is also a First Division game this coming Sunday May 27 when Scarborough SC hosts Hamilton City at Birchmount Stadium. Both teams opened their season last weekend with a loss – Scarborough went down 2-0 to FC Ukraine United and Hamilton City dropped 3-0 to Vorkuta.
The SC Real Mississauga vs SC Waterloo fixture scheduled for the Hershey Centre in Mississauga on Friday night has been postponed due to a delay in players arriving following the end of their season in Europe