Steven Sandor's Blog, page 102

“It won’t happen again”: FC Edmonton’s Laing guarantees there won’t be a repeat of last week’s first-half performance

Lance Laing has a made a promise: It won’t happen again.

And what is the “it” to which the FC Edmonton left winger is referring? It’s what happened in the first half of Saturday’s NASL season opener in Jacksonville. The Eddies gave up three goals in the half, including a strike just 12 seconds after the opening kickoff. The Eddies lost the opener 3-1, and the team is back in Edmonton, prepping for Sunday’s home opener against the Carolina RailHawks.

“We know we are better than what we displayed,” Laing said after the Eddies wrapped up training Tuesday at Clarke Stadium, in 0 C temperatures that aren’t close to what the team experienced during its recently concluded trip to Florida. “That was the worst start to a game I’ve ever had with this team; I don’t remember ever giving up three goals in a half like that while I played for (coach) Colin Miller.

“I think it was something weird. And it won’t happen again. I will guarantee that to any media.”

Will Carolina be the tonic for the Eddies? In 2014, the RailHawks were FC Edmonton’s whipping boys; in two visits to Clarke Stadium, the RailHawks were outscored 9-1 (of course, both of them lopsided wins for the Eddies). The RailHawks have made some changes in the off-season, including the signings of former Eddies Neil Hlavaty and Chris Nurse, though the latter has been away with the Guyanese national team.



Laing doesn’t think a lot from last year’s results can be applied to Sunday’s game.

“There’s a lot of new players coming into the picture; for us, it’s about gelling and getting everyone in tune with each other.”

Speaking to the media after the frosty training session, Miller said one bright spot from Saturday’s 3-1 loss to Jacksonville was the play of right back Eddie Edward. He said the Canadian fullback man-marked as well as he’d seen at “NASL or MLS” level.

Edward, like Laing, said that it’s hard to judge this version of the RailHawks by the 2014 side that struggled so mightily against the Eddies.

“It’s a new season, new mindset; it’s not like they are exactly the same team, either.”

He said the Eddies are hungry to show that Saturday’s loss wasn’t a fair representation of the kind of team Edmonton soccer supporters will see this season. But he stopped short of saying that the Eddies will come out wearing their emotions on their sleeves on Sunday.

“I don’t know about coming out angry, because we have to be careful about cards. But the thing about this team is that every time we step on the pitch, we want to prove a point.”

And, after Saturday’s loss, there’s a lot of messages this team needs to send in the home opener.

As of Tuesday, Environment Canada’s seven-day forecast calls for a high of 10 C and a low of -1 C for Sunday’s game. But sunny conditions are expected.

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Quintessentially Canadian power rankings, MLS Week 5/NASL Week 1

Carl Haworth

This week, the NASL enters our weekly ranking of who is getting minutes in the top two divisions in North America.

And, in one week, three NASL teams — Ottawa, FC Edmonton and Atlanta — are at a better minutes-per-game average than any MLS team. Because the NASL season is shorter than MLS, we’ve instituted a new ranking system for the teams, which orders the clubs by the minutes given to Canadians on a per-game basis.

The Ottawa Fury now tops the charts, with a 241-minutes-per game average. Canadian Carl Haworth got 90 minutes in against Carolina, but he’ll rue the penalty he had saved by RailHawks keeper Hunter Gilstrap. Off that save, the RailHawks broke down the field and earned a penalty of their own, with Nacho Novo scoring the goal. In that same game, Julian de Guzman, playing his first-ever NASL game, got 90 minutes in after he was sent off for placing his hands on the match official.

While some of the numbers may seem large, remember that, just to have three Canadians out of 11 seeing regular playing time, you’d need to see per-game minute averages of 180-270 minutes (translating to 60-90 minutes per game for three Canadian players).



In both NASL and MLS, roster rules treat Canadians as foreigners on American clubs, while Americans are domestics on Canadian clubs. With those skewed rules, you have to give an “honorary Canadian” nod to any American club that ranks ahead of the Canadian clubs when it comes to giving our players the chances to play. So, Atlanta, you might have lost your hockey team, but the Silverbacks, at least very early on, are giving Canadians more minutes, on average, than Toronto FC or Vancouver or the Montreal Impact.

(Quirk of Canadian English; we spell it “honour” and “honourable,” but drop the u when we spell “honorary”)

And, because USL does recognize Canadians as domestics league-wide, and the Canadian Soccer Association has roster quotas on place which compels the three USL sides north of the border to have more than 50 per cent Can-con on the field, it’s not fair to include that league’s teams in this study. It’s simply not apple to apples.

MLS AND NASL MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS (MLS AFTER 5 WEEKS, NASL AFTER 1 WEEK):?

1. Sam Adekugbe, VAN 345 (4)

2. Jonathan Osorio, TFC, MLS, 306 (4)

3. Russell Teibert, VAN, MLS, 244 (3)

4. Marcel de Jong, SKC, MLS, 225 (3)

5. Ashtone Morgan, TFC, MLS, 210 (3)

T6. Nana Attakora, SAS, NASL, 90 (1)

T6. Julian de Guzman, OTT, NASL, 90 (1)

T6. Eddie Edward, FCE, 90 (1)

T6. Carl Haworth, OTT, NASL, 90 (1)

T6. Dominic Oppong, ATL, NASL, 90 (1)

T6. Kyle Porter, ATL, NASL, 90 (1)

T6. Mallan Roberts, FCE, 90 (1)

T6. Maxim Tissot, MTL, MLS 90 (1)

14. Cyle Larin, ORL, MLS 86 (2)

15. Drew Beckie, OTT, NASL, 61 (1)

16. Kianz Froese, VAN, MLS, 55 (2)

17. Sadi Jalali, FCE, NASL,35 (1)

18. Patrice Bernier, MTL, MLS 14 (1)

19. Kyle Bekker, FCD, MLS 12 (2)

20. Jeremy Gagnon-Lapare, MTL, MLS, 6 (1)

MLS AND NASL MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIAN MAYBES — PLAYERS WHO COULD BE ELIGIBLE FOR CANADA, BUT ARE ELIGIBLE FOR OTHER NATIONS AND HAVE NOT COMMITTED TO CANADA (MLS AFTER 5 WEEKS, NASL AFTER 1 WEEK):

1. Steven Vitoria, PHI 450 (5)

2. Tesho Akindele, FCD 436 (5)

3. Ethan Finlay, CLB 233 (3)

4. Kofi Opare, DCU 175 (2)

TEAM RANKINGS, MINUTES PLAYED BY CANADIANS IN 2015 (INCLUDES BOTH SUREFIRES and MAYBES); RANKED BY AVERAGE MINUTES PER GAME:

Ottawa, NASL, 241/1 GP (241)

FC Edmonton, NASL, 215/1 GP (215)

Atlanta, NASL, 180/1 GP (180)

Toronto FC, MLS, 516/4 GP (129)

Vancouver, MLS, 644/5 GP (128.8)

Philadelphia, MLS, 450/5 GP (90)

San Antonio, NASL 90/1 GP (90)

FC Dallas, MLS, 449/5 GP (89.8)

Columbus, MLS, 233/3GP (77.67)

Sporting Kansas City, MLS, 225/5 GP (45)

DC United, MLS, 175/4 GP (43.75)

Montreal, MLS, 110/3 GP (36.67)

Orlando City, MLS, 86/5 GP (17.2)

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Armada enjoys record-setting night against FC Edmonton

Jemal Johnson; set a new NASL record with a goal after just 12 seconds.

FC Edmonton spent three weeks in Florida so the team would be as ready as can be for Saturday’s season opener at Jacksonville.

But, the Eddies were down by three goals at halftime — one for every week spent in Florida. The Eddies were like deer caught in the headlights off the opening kickoff, as the expansion Armada — playing its first-ever league game — set a new NASL record for the fastest goal from the opening kickoff. Jemal Johnson’s swerving drive from outside the box hit the back of the Eddies’ net just 12 seconds in.

The Eddies recovered in the second half, but couldn’t do enough to erase the big Jacksonville lead, losing 3-1.

Keeper Matt Van Oekel, who made the move from Minnesota United in the off-season and got the nod over Golden Glove winner John Smits, could only watch, flat-footed, as Johnson’s shot screwballer off the outside of his foot and into the top corner.

Van Oekel would make a habit out of picking the ball out of the back of his net.

Late in the second half, Armada speedster Alhassane Keita pounced on a loose ball after Eddies’ centre back Mallan Roberts couldn’t control it cleanly. He sprinted up the field and hist shot found the corner of the goal.



The Eddies were reeling heading into halftime, but the Armada wasn’t done; Marcos Flores eluded the marking of Johann Smith — who was selected over Kareem Moses to start at left back — and headed home the third just before the halftime whistle was blown.

“We had a very disappointing start; in the first half, we looked like an unorganized group of players,” said FCE coach Colin Miller. “And that’s usually something we take great pride in. At the opening kickoff, we were talking about how are we going to win the ball back, and then, sure, it’s a great shot, but it was criminal defending on our part. Then, the second goal, we can’t clear our lines. On the third goal, that was U-9 or U-10 defending.”

Moses replaced Smith at halftime; Miller confirmed that the change was tactical.

Smith, the former Toronto FC player, struggled to find any link-up play with Lance Laing on the left wing.

You can think maybe, just maybe, things would have been different had referee Marcos De Oliveira decided to send off Armada centre back Fabricio Ortiz in the fifth minute. FCE striker Frank Jonke had got behind Ortiz, chasing a bouncing ball in the area. Ortiz hauled Jonke down, but got a yellow instead of a red — even though Jonke would have been alone if he had got to the ball.

But, when a team is as poor as the Eddies were in the first half, it’s hard to cry about a call. The truth is, the Eddies allowed the Armada to look Barcelona-like.

Just four minutes into the second half, Johnson forced Van Oekel into a diving stop; but then the skies opened and a downpour sent many of the 16,164 in attendance scurrying to find shelter. That number represented a new NASL attendance record, breaking the record set by the Ottawa Fury in its 2014 TD Place opener.

As the rain fell, the Eddies found life; Ritchie Jones scampered down the right wing and managed to slam an attempt into the short side of the goal to cut the lead to two; and, defensively, bringing in Moses helped shore up the back line — and the central defenders had a better time coping with the Armada’s speed.

In the 85th minute, the Eddies had a glorious chance to cut the deficit to one goal. But fullback Eddie Edward, up to join the attack, poked his shot wide after a great cross from Laing.

Miller said he was happy with the team’s response in the second half; but he said the Eddies have to stop a troubling trend that began in preseason; and that’s poor performances early in games.

Still, the team’s poor first-half performance will give their coach a lot to think about in terms of drawing up a starting XI for next Sunday’s home opener against the Carolina RailHawks.

“We’ll have a week of training to look at things; certainly, a lot of players did not do themselves any favours tonight. But we have to remember that there are 29 games to go, there’s no need to panic.”

And Miller wouldn’t criticize the work of Van Oekel in goal.

“I am sure he is disappointed with this result, but as the season goes on he is going to keep us in more games than he’s going to get beat.”

Miller went with a starting lineup that emphasized pace; he went with Smith, a speedster, at left back. Much-talked-about Icelandic right-sided midfielder, Oskar Orn Hauksson, started on the bench, with the speedier Sainey Nyassi getting the call to go on the right side.

Strikers Daryl Fordyce and Tomi Ameobi started on the bench, with Jonke — who didn’t score an NASL goal last season but had an excellent training camp — getting the start. Fordyce and Canadian striker Sadi Jalali came in as second-half subs.

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FCE keeper Smits to go on temporary loan to the Impact

The irony can’t be lost on FC Edmonton supporters.

On Saturday morning, just hours before the Eddies open their 2015 NASL season in Jacksonville, came confirmation that goalkeeper John Smits will go on a temporary loan to the Montreal Impact, where he is expected to be Evan Bush’s deputy when the MLS side takes on Alajuelense in the second leg of their CONCACAF Champions League semifinal.

Smits — who won the NASL Golden Glove last year for posting the best goals-against average in the league — will leave for Costa Rica after the Jacksonville match. His loan only extends to April 8, so he will be back in Edmonton for the April 12 home opener vs. Carolina.

Of course, Smits was the keeper who was beaten by Patrice Bernier’s decisive 96th-minute penalty kick in the second-leg of the 2014 Amway Canadian Championship semifinal. Had Bernier not scored, the Eddies would have upset the Impact — and there would have been no Montreal run to the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions League. Looking back, it’s hard to argue that any team has given Montreal as hard a time as Edmonton did on this run to the CCL semis. That penalty came in the sixth minute of stoppage time, and was the result of a controversial call. In fact, last year, Edmonton players and coaches often told me how hard it was to watch Montreal’s win over Toronto FC in the final, because the loss stung that much.



But, even before the arrival of Colin Miller as the Eddies head coach — and the man who makes the roster decisions — there existed a spirit of cooperation between the Impact and Eddies. In 2012, midfielder Bryan Arguez was loaned to the Eddies by the Impact.

And, at the end of 2012, FCE midfielder Shaun Saiko was scheduled to join the Impact for its tour of Italy — and was set to move to the MLS side on a permanent basis. But, as he revealed in Issue 5 of Plastic Pitch (out now, see below for details on how to get the mag), that deal fell apart at the last second.

But, while Smits isn’t expected to see the field in Costa Rica outside of training sessions, maybe the call-up to an MLS side — even a temporary one — will do something to attract the attention of Canadian national-teach coach Benito Floro, who has so far refused to give the keeper a look.

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Peterson: NASL has “to do a better job” in Canada

Bill Peterson

After the NASL spring season launches, Commissioner Bill Peterson, along with the owners of FC Edmonton and the Ottawa Fury, look to form a task force to help attract more potential investors to the league.

Peterson said in a conference call Wednesday that “we know we have to do a better job there (in Canada).”

Currently, NASL sits at 11 teams, with two Canadian markets included. Peterson said he envisions a future with 20 teams, with four or maybe even more teams being Canadian. But after a series of discussions with the Canadian Soccer Association in August and September of 2014 about expanding the footprint on this side of the border, there hasn’t been much in terms of action.

Compound that news with Peterson’s confirmation that the Virginia Cavalry’s franchise will not go forward until a long-term stadium plan is in place, and the feeling could be very sober. As well, the state of a Los Angeles franchise, originally expected to begin play in the 2015 fall season, is now in limbo. But Peterson is still bullish on expansion, and says he’s never had so many people lined up to get into the league as he does now.

“We’ve never had more interest from potential ownership groups that are qualified to own a team.”



But he says lots of due diligence has to be done; the potential owners need to prove a stadium plan; they need to show commitment to their local soccer community. And, Peterson admitted some have backed out of the process after showing initial interest. He still remains bullish on further expansion into the Pacific time zone and into the American Midwest.

In terms of Canada, he doesn’t believe the plunge in the value of our dollar, which makes it more expensive to operate in a league where most of the teams are in the United States, has curbed interest or the commitment of FC Edmonton or the Ottawa Fury. He says that business people understand that currencies fluctuate, and that there are down and up times.

“This year, it will cost more for FC Edmonton and Ottawa to operate in our league; but in a year or two it could change.”

Peterson said the changes both Ottawa and FCE have made to their lineups are only signs of further investment; there’s no sign that a dollar that’s worth less than US80 cents is forcing those teams to pare down their operations.

“The owners are committed to winning and growing their clubs,” said Peterson.

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NASL Commissioner Peterson would prefer a system that allowed teams to sign as many internationals as they want

NASL Commissioner Bill Peterson doesn’t believe player quotas achieve what’s supposed to be their ultimate goal — to develop domestic players.

“We don’t think it (a limit on international players on rosters) accomplishes what it’s supposed to accomplish,” Peterson said in a season kick-off conference call on Wednesday. “We would like to see it removed.”

But he said the quotas are mandated by the U.S. Soccer Federation, and can’t be removed unless the USSF would give its blessing (not likely).

In NASL, each team can carry seven international players. In Canada, American and Canadian players are domestics. In the U.S.. American players are domestics and Canadians are internationals. But, instead of talking about those distinctions, Peterson would like to see an NASL where there are no quotas; general managers could sign the best players available.

He said an atmosphere of open competition for spots would be the best way to force domestic players to improve themselves.

The open-competition, laissez-faire take on the game was the key theme of his talk with the media. He spoke about how NASL can make itself a destination league by offering players “total free agency;” and how the competitive spirit drives the owners.

He said the NASL model gives players “more opportunities to control their own destinies.”

“We don’t concern ourselves if it is better or worse than Major League Soccer.”



But it is a radically different model than MLS, which just signed off on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement which offers very limited free agency based on age and years of service and boosts the salary floor. While there are many NASL players who get contract offers less than the MLS minimum, there are others who can make comparable money or more. But, in NASL, once a player’s contract is done, there is nothing that ties him to his team. He can move on.

And, because of free agency, Peterson believes more players will follow the lead of Haji Wright, the American teen who just signed with the New York Cosmos.

“You’re going to see more instances where players make that choice,” Peterson predicted.

“They jump into the global soccer economy and they are in control of their own destinies. At the end of his contract, he can test his value.”

He says by coming to NASL, players can “improve their market value” and go on to better deals. And, Peterson stressed there are no strings attached to the player once the contract expires. So, while the commissioner said he’s not concerned about comparing the NASL system to the MLS system — where a player may sign deals with many team options and where free agency is in its infancy and very limited — well, he sorta is.

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Canada’s win over Puerto Rico sorta sets up first World Cup qualifier vs. Dominica

Benito Floro

The stated purpose of Canada’s friendlies against Guatemala (played in a Florida windstorms) and Puerto Rico (played on a bumpy pitch that’s indicative of the fields you’ll find in the Caribbean) was to prepare the Canadian side for its first round of World Cup qualifying, a two-legged series against Dominica.

But, if anything, it shows the paradox that is Canadian soccer.

After Monday night’s win 3-0 in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, the old haunt of the NASL Islanders, Canadian national-team coach Benito Floro made two statements that were sent out to the media.

1. “We are happy but we are professionals and we knew the opponent had a lot of under-23 players with about four experienced players. But it doesn’t matter because our intention was to develop the same tactical subjects like pressing and maintaining a good formation. The victory and performance, we consider those to be good.”

2. “There are two things in which we can focus. First, we are going to play Dominica on a pitch similar to this one tonight in these conditions so it has been a good test. Considering that Puerto Rico is a young team but with three or four good players, we consider this game is a good practice to play against Dominica. We have a lot of respect for Dominica because the most important thing is to win the qualification game.”



So, Canada needed to play a friendly in the Caribbean so it could get used to the conditions and play an opponent close to what it will see in the World Cup qualifier (statement 2). Check.

BUT, Canada played the game with a skeleton squad that won’t likely be all that close to what we’ll see on offer when it faces Dominica in June (statement 1).

The paradox.

This was a Canadian squad without the likes of midfielders Atiba Hutchinson and Toronto FC’s Jonathan Osorio, who was exempted from last weekend’s grand MLS cull. Defender Andre Hainault, originally named to the squad, wasn’t available.

But that’s the life of a Canadian coach, isn’t it? Play a friendly in Europe, and you leave the MLS-based players at home. Play in CONCACAF, and you leave off a few players. Add to that pressure from clubs to leave their players off the national squad. After all, while we may understand how playing Puerto Rico sets up Canada’s first World Cup qualifier, to many club executives, it’s a low-end, time-consuming friendly that isn’t worth risking their players over.

While the WiFi in Bayamon wasn’t consistent enough to get a live stream of the match out to us, we saw that Canada scored three goals against Puerto Rico that were about persistence, not beauty. Tosaint Ricketts smashed home a rebound after his first attempt was blocked; Randy Edwini-Bonsu scored his first goal for Canada’s senior side after a slip from a Puerto Rican defender opened a gap in the penalty area; and Cyle Larin scored his first senior goal by deflecting a low cross.

Highlights below from Canada Soccer’s YouTube channel.

But, to Canadian fans starved for goals that come out of open play, they all looked as good this famous Shaun Saiko sizzler, probably the best goal ever scored by a Canadian in Bayamon.

We can pooh-pooh the quality of the opposition all we want — but, in truth, no one in Canada has the moral right to pooh-pooh anyone this country plays in men’s soccer — but two wins over this past international break, with no goals conceded, is a good thing. It’s just hard to be sold on how much it prepares our A squad for the World Cup qualifiers, when some of them weren’t there.

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Quintessentially Canadian Power Rankings, Week 4

Sam Adekugbe

This is a strange week for the Quintessentially Canadian Power Rankings. As MLS played through the international break, there were a few Canadians who would have been eligible for MLS minutes this week who are still with the Canadian national side, which beat Guatemala 1-0 on Friday and will play in Puerto Rico Monday night.

But, with Sam Adekugbe playing the full 90 and Kianz Froese coming in as a second-half sub, the Vancouver Whitecaps padded their lead when it comes to MLS teams giving minutes to Canadian players. But one word of caution; Toronto FC has one game in hand on the Whitecaps.

We also changed the way we do the list in week four. Why? We have headaches when it comes to four players. Kofi Opare got his first minutes of the season with D.C. United; but the Niagara Falls, Ont.-raised player has been with the U.S. U-20 squad, which puts into question his eligibility for Canada down the road. But D.C. United says, “on the international stage, Opare is eligible to play for the United States, Canadian and Ghanaian national teams.” Columbus Crew forward Ethan Finlay has yet to accept Canada’s overtures to join the national-squad. Tesho Akindele has not closed the door on playing for Canada, and there remains hope for Steven Vitoria playing for Canada down the road, we still count them. So, to deal with this confusion, we’ve created a NEW category for “maybes.” That is, players who aren’t sure-fire Canada-eligible players, but there still remains some hope for eligibility.



MLS MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS:

1. Sam Adekugbe, VAN 255 (3)

2. Jonathan Osorio, TFC 225 (3)

3. Marcel de Jong, SKC 180 (2)

4. Russell Teibert, VAN 154 (2)

5. Ashtone Morgan, TFC 122 (2)

6. Maxim Tissot, MTL 90 (1)

7. Kianz Froese, VAN 55 (2)

8. Cyle Larin, ORL 18 (1)

9. Patrice Bernier, MTL 14 (1)

10. Kyle Bekker, FCD 12 (2)

11. Jeremy Gagnon-Lapare, MTL 6 (1)

MLS MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIAN MAYBES:

1. Steven Vitoria, PHI 360 (4)

2. Tesho Akindele, FCD 346 (4)

3. Ethan Finlay, CLB 233 (3)

4. Kofi Opare, DCU 85 (1)

TEAM RANKINGS, MINUTES PLAYED BY CANADIANS IN 2015 (INCLUDES BOTH SUREFIRES and MAYBES):

Vancouver 464

Philadelphia 360

FC Dallas 359

Toronto FC 347

Columbus 233

Sporting Kansas City 180

Montreal 110

DC United 85

Orlando City 18

Week five is where it promises to get really interesting. That’s because NASL games will start to be counted, and we can get an even better idea of which teams in North America are getting Canadians the most minutes.

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FCE camp update: Lousy weather, great expectations

Ritchie Jones is seen in action against Tampa Bay.

Three down, one to go.

After routing Jacksonville United 6-0, losing to Tampa Bay Rowdies 2-1 and settling for a 0-0 draw with the Carolina RailHawks on Saturday, FC Edmonton has just one last preseason game left on its schedule.

And while no coach will confirm or deny what the starting XI will be ahead of time, there’s a feeling that Tuesday’s preseason curtain-closer against Jacksonville United might give Eddies fans a closer idea of what the lineup will look like when Colin Miller and his troops begin the NASL season April 4 in the first-ever home opener for the expansion Jacksonville Armada.

Playing against JU, a team that likely won’t be out to kick the Eddies, the team can work on the few things ahead of the season opener.

Miller, said his team is impatiently waiting the start of the regular season. This is the third week the team will be spending in Florida ahead of the season opener, after spending three weeks indoors in Edmonton.

“The guys are gong 100 miles an hour and we’re just all waiting for the season to start. We’re ready. I can’t imagine what it’s like for the teams that have been in camp for eight or ten weeks.”



The Eddies and RailHawks drew 0-0, and Frank Jonke finished a Lance Laing free kick late in the game in the 2-1 loss to the Rowdies. Jonke also had a chance ruled out by the offside flag and Ritchie Jones failed to convert a penalty kick.

The bright side: Keeper Matt Van Oekel, acquired in the offseason, still has not surrendered a preseason goal.

Ironically, the Eddies went down to Florida so they could get some NASL-calibre preseason matches in; and, as well, to get acclimated to the steamy un-Alberta-like conditions ahead of the season opener. But the weather hasn’t been steamy.

”The weather has been bad,” Miller said on Saturday. “This morning, we’re seeing puddles all around, it’s supposed to get to 18 or 19; it has been un-Florida like.”

Anyone who watched Friday’s stream of Canada’s win over Guatemala in Fort Lauderdale saw that the teams were playing in gale force winds. Ironically, on that day, temperatures in Edmonton were over 15 C, sunny and barely any wind.

Miller said that while there were a couple of players nursing knocks, the team should be healthy for the opener against the Armada.

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Gone with the wind: Canada’s beats Guatemala in game ruled by the elements

The pregame festivities at Lockhart Stadium

The corner flags were straining. The palm trees in the background were bending.

It was a perfectly windy day in Fort Lauderdale, as the Canadian national team was able to nurse a one-goal lead after an early Marcus Haber goal — and came out with a 1-0 win over Guatemala.

With the wind at their backs, Canada pinned the Guatemalans deep in their own half through the first 20 minutes of the game. Clearances from defenders and Guatemalan goal kicks were knocked down by the wind.

The Canadians got their breakthrough when a Kyle Bekker corner kick was headed into the goal by Marcus Haber. It had the feel of a training-ground goal, as not one Guatemalan defender looked to move after Bekker delivered his swerving ball into the penalty area. Haber was absolutely unchallenged when he leapt to the meet the ball.

A couple of minutes later, midfield veteran Julian de Guzman lashed a volley from outside the box just wide of goal.

While Canada didn’t create many golden chances in the rest of the first half, the real test came in the second half. To play into the teeth of a strong wind, you need to keep possession by playing the ball on the ground.



But, even with the wind in their faces, Haber was able to get behind the Guatemalan back line and into the box before being pulled down from behind. But the referee waved off the penalty appeals; the Guatemalans pushed the ball up the pitch and midfielder Stefano Cincotta’s volley smacked the Canadian goalpost at the end of their sequence.

The wind was so severe that, on their corner kicks, the Guatemalans opted for low drives into the area or playing the ball short. They didn’t want to risk getting the ball into the air and having it take a 90-degree turn over the end line.

A last-gasp effort from Marco Pappa, twisting in the wind, came off the bar. And then an injury-time 35-yard effort from Jose Contreras carried in the wind, and forced Canadian keeper Milan Borjan to leap and tip the ball over the crossbar.

While Guatemala had some late, desperate wind-blown chances, Canada did what you need to do when you get the wind at your back in the first half. With fresh legs, you go out hard early and try to press that advantage, and hope to tire the opposition out enough that they don’t have the same kind of bite in their game when they get the wind in the second 45. Canada came out early, then nursed it home.

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