The Real Deal vs Barcelona
The undefeated Real Deal took on a red hot Barcelona squad this week in a rematch of week 1. Barca keeper Alex Arkanov, making his much anticipated season debut, showed some rust early on with a miss free kick that deflected off of pressuring Ryan Gonsalves and into the back of the net to open the scoring for Real Deal. Two more goals in the first half from Natasha Trabulsey and Ryan Gonsalves gave Real Deal a comfortable 3-nil lead heading in halftime. The onslaught continued in the second half with a snipe from Ivan Gojmerac, his first of the season. This match was not without controversy though as the speedy Tyler Zeng of Barcelona, carrying the ball over half, seemed to trip, or be tripped, only he knows for sure, leading to a swift counter attack and magical goal by Natasha Trabulsey. Barcelona was furious at the no call. The final dagger came from Metin Guler who potted another giving The Real Deal a commanding 6-nil lead. Then, late in the game, Barca captain Nasim Zoubeiri determined not to be shutout, dug deep to find the back of the net scoring their first and only goal. This tilt ended in 6-1.
Manchester United vs Bayern Munich
Manchester United kicked off to begin the week one rematch against Bayern Munich. Mike Ermakov opened the scoring with a thundering volley into the top right corner off of a missed Bayern clearance. Late in the half Manchester United got a fantastic opportunity after the Bayern keeper picked up the ball of a back pass. On the ensuing kick Andrew Winnett played the ball back to Daniel Newman who fired a shot off of a charging Daniel McNiece. The first half ended Manchester United 1, Bayern Muncich 0. Bayern came out strong in the second half with Dan Newman making several fantastic saves to keep the opposition scoreless. Theo Blanchard picked up a pass at half field and made a strong run up the left wing before firing a shot across Raghavender Maddi’s far side to double the Manchester lead. Bayern quickly responded with a strong attack but the Manchester defense stood strong. Late in the half, off of a Manchester corner kick, Andrew Winnett unleashed a monstrous right footed strike that rung off the post. Mike Ermakov added a second late goal, walking around a Bayern defender and keeper to seal a Manchester victory. A giveaway by David Ashton late in the second gave Daniel McNiece a wonderful opportunity but Dan Newman stood strong to keep his score sheet spotless. This game sees Manchester United earning their first points, as well as the first shutout of the Toronto Champions League. Manchester United 3, Bayern Munich 0.