Steven Sandor's Blog, page 103

JDG’s Fury signing official just a week after he confirmed his NASL interest

That didn’t take long.

Last Friday, at a publicity appearance at the West Edmonton Mall, Canadian national-team veteran Julian de Guzman made it public that he was looking at offers from a couple of NASL clubs. (CLICK HERE)

By the middle of this week, the Ottawa Fury hinted that the club would be making a major player-signing announcement — and that said player was a prominent Canadian.

On Friday, a week after JDG’s WEM declaration, it’s official. The Canadian midfielder will play for the Fury in 2015.

And what can we take from this? First, that the West Edmonton Mall is now a legitimate spot for sniffing out soccer scoops. Please, Canadian Soccer Association; have more events at the Mall. But it proves that, as a journalist, you never know when news will come your way. Last week, the scoop came in a store that’s maybe 100 yards from a pirate ship and less than a three-minute walk to a massive indoor waterpark.



Seriously, though: Canadian NASL supporters have bemoaned national-team coach Benito Floro’s seemingly stubborn refusal to bring players from this league onto the squad; he’s skipped over a number of worthy FC Edmonton and Fury candidates and has called players in from League1 Ontario, USL and European leagues or divisions that aren’t exactly top-flight.

We can hope that, by having one of his most respected veterans sign in NASL, Floro will now be more or less forced to consider the league’s Canadian talent more seriously. Maybe this will be the signpost signing needed to showcase the league to the people who make roster decision for the men’s national side.

If anything, it should force Canadian soccer officials to watch more NASL game tape; and that could benefit Kyle Porter, Nana Attakora, Eddie Edward, John Smith, Mason Trafford and Drew Beckie (plus more).

Now, if you’ll excuse me. I’m heading to the Mall. I hear there might be some soccer news happening near the Simons entrance.

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All access: Fury, FC Edmonton road games to be streamed on TSN GO in 2015

FC Edmonton and Ottawa Fury supporters will be able to access the majority of their teams away-game broadcasts this year via TSN GO.

The North American Soccer League announced its broadcast plans for this season and, as expected, the pay-per-view NASLLive platform is gone. ESPN3 is now the base for all U.S. broadcasts save for the New York Cosmos, whose rights are held by ONE World Sports. Canadians can’t legally access ESPN3 streams, but there is a plan in place to ensure the fans on the northern side of the border can see the away games.

When the Eddies or Fury visit eight of the nine U.S. teams (minus the Cosmos), the games will be streamed on TSN GO. Cosmos games can be accessed through ONE World.



For home games, Fury matches will be available on the team’s website, so Canadians from coast-to-coast can see those games. FC Edmonton is back with Citytv/Rogers in 2015 — and I can confirm that Gareth Hampshire and me will be back in the booth. The games will also be available on through the Citytv Edmonton website; so, like the Fury, they can be accessed by a national Canadian audience.

For the supporters south of the border; when U.S. teams visit FCE or Ottawa, those games will be available outside Canada on the ESPN platforms, including ESPN3 in America.

SOME ADDED NOTES: Ottawa Fury has confirmed its home leg of the Amway Canadian Championship first-round series against FC Edmonton will be available on Rogers TV. FC Edmonton has not yet announced any plans for its home leg of that series.

As well, the Fury have confirmed that all NASL, matches, home and away, will be streamed on its website. That differs from the information that came from NASL: “Matches played in Edmonton and Ottawa will be available to U.S. viewers via ESPN3 and Canadian viewers via City TV and OttawaFuryFC.com respectively. Matches played in the U.S. (except New York) will be available to American viewers via ESPN3 and Canadian viewers via TSN GO.”

No matter; the key for viewers is that matches will be available for streaming without surcharges.

MORE ADDED NOTES: As well, I have been told that games between two American teams will be available to Canadian fans on TSN GO. So, if Minnesota is playing Tampa Bay, fans in Edmonton or Ottawa or St. John’s or Victoria can watch that stream via TSN GO.

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Why we in Edmonton should see Minnesota’s move to MLS as bittersweet

Being in Edmonton on the day that the Twin Cities officially gets the nod as the next MLS franchise is well, kinda bittersweet.

Let’s face it; the Eddies used to have a decent rivalry with Atlanta a couple of years back because the teams didn’t necessarily like each other very much. But, really, it’s hard to pinpoint who is supposed to be FCE’s rivalry team. Ottawa? No. Except when we play each other, we all kinda cheer for Ottawa because the club is committed to giving Canadians minutes on the field.

But, with the Flyover Cup — a supporter-driven initiative which sees the winner of the FCE/Loons season series get the award — it should be Minnesota who is our closest rival. But, in a weird way, the Loons are kind of like the Eddies’ best frenemy. We’re the cold-weather cities in a league filled with tropical teams; we’re united in our sense of isolation from the rest of the NASL.

And our matches against each other, well, they’ve been excellent. The interaction between supporters has been great. It won’t be forgotten that the Dark Clouds, the main support group for the Loons, raised money when they found out about the fire that devastated the town of Slave Lake, north of Edmonton, back in 2011.

I have a lot of respect for the organization; whenever they’ve come into Edmonton the team has been great to deal with. Coach Manny Lagos has always been open with our broadcast team.

So, it’s kinda like seeing a best friend get married; you are happy for the guy, but you know your relationship will change.

Minnesota United will move to MLS in 2018; and while there will no doubt be those die-hard factions of NASL supporters who will see the team’s move as some kind of betrayal, the fact is this: The Loons’ acceptance into MLS is very, very good for NASL.



First, here’s the statement from NASL:

“The North American Soccer League was created to provide fans, players, and partners with a professional structure that best aligns with the international game and a model that integrates into the global soccer economy. While Major League Soccer will make an announcement on Wednesday concerning Minnesota United FC possibly becoming an MLS expansion franchise, the NASL will continue on its path to build a league that is in line with the rest of the world and offers North American soccer fans a highly competitive alternative.

“Our soccer landscape has been evolving at an unprecedented pace since the relaunch of the NASL in 2011. As the sport continues to grow, we anticipate making further announcements during the year concerning our own expansion and new partners. The developments in Minneapolis only serve to affirm once again, that the NASL is building high-caliber clubs, both on and off the field, and playing a leadership role in the evolution of professional soccer in North America. The announcement will not affect how we approach our plans for the future. We are as committed as ever to continuing the growth in our existing markets and expanding into new markets where we see great opportunities for our players and fans – the groups our league is built around.

“As we get closer to kicking off our fifth season on April 4, we look forward to another great year on and off the field.”

NASL wants to expand. And there’s no better carrot to dangle to any prospective owner than the hope of moving up. The fact is, MLS and NASL are businesses. No matter what the soccer-war types may say, right now MLS is Div. 1 in Canada and the U.S., and NASL is Div. 2. So, NASL can tell an investor that if he or she comes into the league, and have success, that yes, the chance is there to move on to a bigger arena. NASL loves to advertise the fact that it has no cap and has free agency; it can also brag that it gives its owners the freedom of mobility.

Look, when MLS struck its deal to make USL its official affiliate, the fear was that USL would pick off all the expansion markets, because investors would think that you would now have to go the Orlando City route to get to MLS. USL would be more attractive because NASL would be isolated.

But that hasn’t been the case. NASL teams are still very much in the mix for MLS expansion. Minnesota was selected. San Antonio was considered. So, it’s clear that MLS does what all good businesses do; the league’s brass put emotion aside and made deals that are best for it going forward.

While MLS has a long and rather complicated history of making promises to Canadians, we can put a little bit of faith into the fact that Commissioner Don Garber recently said that he feels there are more markets in the U.S. “and Canada” to which the league can expand. (Of course, the league would need to decide to go to more than 24 teams.) But, if the Canadian Soccer Association’s hopes to form our own “Division 1A” don’t materialize, the next best hope for Canadian soccer development is to become a stronger partner in MLS, with revamped roster rules that open up opportunities for Canadian players and more Canadian clubs. If that happens, those Canadian clubs would likely need to come from NASL.

So, to the soccer supporters in Minnesota, congratulations. We’re really sorta kinda maybe happy for you. We’ll raise a glass for you now, and then cry in our beer when you’re looking away.

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MLS deserves praise for explaining why Morrow’s red card wasn’t rescinded

Justin Morrow

Major League Soccer is regularly criticized over its lack of transparency; allocation money, draws held to assign players to teams, we’re not even 100 per cent sure of the roster rules governing the 2015 season because, well, they haven’t been posted by the league as of yet.

So, when the league does make itself more transparent, it deserves to be pointed out — and lauded.

Case in point; on Wednesday morning, the league announced that it an independent panel had rejected Toronto FC’s appeal of fullback Justin Morrow’s red card. Two weekends ago, Edmonton-based referee Dave Gantar ruled that Morrow’s slide tackle had denied Columbus forward Ethan Finlay of a goal-scoring opportunity and sent off the defender. The replays looked to indicate that Morrow in fact got the ball on the challenge.

The incident was sent to the review panel, made up of three officials — one from the Canadian Soccer Association, one from the U.S. Soccer Federation and one from the Professional Referees Organization (PRO), the body that administers officiating assignments in MLS.

To win an appeal, it’s not good enough to get two out of three votes. The board has to be unanimous.

And, in stating why the appeal was rejected, MLS was clear that the lack of unanimity was the issue. The league stated the panel members “were not unanimous that the referee had made a serious and obvious error in the send-off.”

So what we know from this is that the opinions on the panel were mixed. Some thought that Morrow should be taken off the hook, and others didn’t. It gives fans some needed insight into the obstacles a team or player must overcome in order to overturn a referee’s decision.



And, the statement offers another interesting insight; to overturn, the board members must all feel there was a “serious and obvious error.” Any call that may be deemed close — well, it’s not “obvious,” is it? And that’s the thing: On first view, without the help of replay and in real-time speed, Morrow could be interpreted to have fouled Finlay. It’s when we look at the replay that we say “huh, maybe not.” So, to at least one member of the panel, it was not an obvious mistake.

You can take issue with the panel’s decision. But, in this case, MLS deserves praise for letting fans in on the process. So, the next time your favourite team appeals a referee’s decision, you’ll understand the criteria that needs to be met in order for the card to be rescinded.

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Much-maligned BC Place turf “likely” to be replaced before Women’s World Cup

BC Place

The director of Canada’s Women’s World Cup stadiums said Tuesday that the much-maligned turf at BC Place will “likely” be replaced before the tournament kicks off in June.

Don Hardman, the Chief Stadia Officer for the WWC, was in Edmonton to meet with venue managers from all six Women’s World Cup venues plus 18 training facilities.

Hardman said that negotiations are going well with BC Place’s owner, PavCo, to replace the surface.

“I think it will be replaced,” said Hardman.

He said taking out the old surface and putting in the new turf should take 12-20 days.

“Those are tight time frames, but it can be done.

In February, the World Rugby Sevens were awarded to Vancouver, with BC Place set to host the first of four tournaments in 2016. Rugby requires turf with longer blades than the current Polytan surface. So, when that tournament was confirmed, it was a done deal that new turf would be installed in time for that event. The remaining question was if the new surface would be laid down in time for the Women’s World Cup.



In 2014, national-team coaches who visited the sites ahead of the Women’s World Cup were critical of the BC Place surface.

“I think we have very good turf here in Edmonton and in other cities I hope it’s the same situation, because in Vancouver it’s a problem,” said Martina Voss-Tecklenburg, the former German national-team player who now coaches the Swiss team. “The turf in Vancouver, in my opinion, is not good enough for the World Cup.”

As well, Montreal’s Olympic stadium will get a new shock pad underneath its turf, a recommendation that came out of the hosting of the U-20 Women’s World Cup.

Edmonton will also be getting new turf. Commonwealth Stadium’s turf was deemed unacceptable because of the ghosting of football lines on the surface. The lifespan of the new Commonwealth surface is expected to be eight to 10 years, said Hardman.

Edmonton hosts Canada’s first two matches, including the tournament opener. With such “significant focus” on Commonwealth, Hardman said the decision to change the turf was made to ensure the players could enjoy “the best possible environment.”

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Quintessentially Canadian Power Rankings, Week 3

Marcel de Jong

Four Canadian players made their MLS season debuts (or MLS debuts, period) in the third weekend of the MLS season. That boosts the number of Canadians who have played in the league so far in 2015 to 12.

But, take that with a grain of salt. The two strong leaders in minutes played by Canadians may never ever suit up for the Canadian national side — Philadelphia Union defender Steven Vitoria and FC Dallas strikes Tesho Akindele, who scored this past weekend. Because there is still more than a snowball’s chance in hell that either could play for Canada down the road, they are included in the list.

And five of the remaining 10 have seen nothing more than substitute minutes.

But it is encouraging to see Marcel de Jong get his second straight start (and full 90) for Sporting Kansas City, which puts him in the minute lead for Canadian players who actually have senior national-team caps. And Toronto FC had a bye week, so take the Reds’ numbers with a grain of salt.



MLS MINUTES BY PLAYER:

1. Steven Vitoria, PHI 270 (3)

2. Tesho Akindele, FCD 256 (3)

3. Marcel de Jong, SKC 180 (2)

4. Sam Adekugbe, VAN 165 (2)

5. Russell Teibert, VAN 154 (2)

6. Jonathan Osorio, TFC 135 (2)

7. Maxim Tissot, MTL 90 (1)

8. Ashtone Morgan, TFC 45 (1)

9. Kianz Froese, VAN 23 (1)

10. Cyle Larin, ORL 18 (1)

11. Kyle Bekker, FCD 12 (2)

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

TEAM RANKINGS, MINUTES PLAYED BY CANADIANS IN 2015:

Vancouver 342

Philadelphia 270

FC Dallas 269

Sporting Kansas City 180

Toronto FC 180

Montreal 96

Orlando City 18

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The new Canada kit

Victor Montagliani, Emily Zurrer, Julian de Guzman, Desiree Scott, Mike Shoemaker

Canadian national-teamers Desiree Scott, Emily Zurrer and Julian de Guzman posed in the team’s new kits Friday. The new Umbro kits were unveiled at the flagship SportChek store at West Edmonton Mall.

Edmonton will have more games at the Women’s World Cup than any of the other host cities, including the first two Canada group-stage matches.

The men’s team begins World Cup qualifying in June and then will be in the Gold Cup, with a potential berth in the centennial edition of the Copa America on the line.

Since The 11‘s readers have always flocked to stories about new kits, here are some pics from the event, also featuring Canadian Soccer Association President Victor Montagliani and Umbro Canada Vice-President Mike Shoemaker.



It’s worth noting that the shade of red on the sleeves of the shirt differs slightly than the red on the body of the jersey. Shoemaker said that previous incarnations of the jersey had shades of red that were more “aggressive” in how different they were from each other but, in the end, the choice was made to go with crimson tones that were only subtle in how they varied.

The jerseys also feature new fonts for names and numbers. Gone is the bubbly look of the letters and numbers, replaced with a more angular scheme.

Julian de Guzman says he is considering a couple of “concrete” offers from NASL clubs

Julian de Guzman, centre, is flanked by Canadian women’s national-team players Emily Zurrer and Desiree Scott at the West Edmonton Mall.

Julian de Guzman has played in Germany and Spain; he’s been a Designated Player in Major League Soccer.

Is his next stop the North American Soccer League?

The veteran Canadian national-team midfielder, at the West Edmonton Mall Friday for the launch of the new red Canada kit, said he hopes to have a new team at the end of March. He’ll be with the Canadian national team for its upcoming Florida camp and its March 27 friendly against Guatemala and its March 30 match at Puerto Rico.

He confirmed that the “most concrete” offers he has on the table come from a couple of NASL teams. He wouldn’t name which NASL clubs have put offers forward, but he said he’s giving them some serious consideration.



He’s also had heart-to-hearts with Canadian national-team coach Benito Floro.

“I have to be what’s best for me, and what’s best for the national team,” said de Guzman.

He said he would love the chance to go back to Europe or play in MLS, as well. He recently had a short trial with the Columbus Crew.

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Put your money where your mouth is: Would you support a Canadian Div. 1 soccer league?

The latest issue of Plastic Pitch has certainly ignited a lot of Twitter debate and comments. Our look at Canada’s role in North American leagues certainly has more than a few of our readers calling for a Canadian-only first division or conference.

To get the issue: CLICK HERE for our Shopify Store

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Last year, we heard the rumours about the North American Soccer League, the Canadian Football League and the Canadian Soccer Association discussing the formation of a domestic league or division. But, as NASL Commissioner Bill Peterson told us in Plastic Pitch #3, “It really is too early to talk about a Canadian division, but it is not something we think is out of the question. There is enough interest in Canada for pro soccer, I think it is something that could possibly work, but I don’t know when.”

Others have told me that it’s vital that a major title sponsor (think of Barclay’s and the Premiership) would need to come forward, with money that would help offset the massive travel costs. If the travel costs are mitigated, then more potential investors might come forward. But, without that big sponsor, it’s hard to get investors interested in losing the millions they’d need to lose for a decade or so as the league got off the ground. They wouldn’t see a light at the end of the tunnel.



We know that we’d need sponsors and investors before we can even talk about players, teams and academies.

So, if we’d want a true Canadian Division 1, we’d need to prove that there is a market. If we can’t prove the market, then we’d need to accept there is no burning desire for a Canadian league outside of a few diehards. And so, in keeping with the theme of PP‘s fifth issue, we ask: Would you pledge to spend $500 for a season ticket if a local club joined a Canadian Division One league?

Let’s face it. Moral support is nice, but it doesn’t pay the bills. I only want you to tick off a box on the survey below if you’ve got the means — and the will — to spend that kind of dough on a ticket. Spread the word and ask your friends and fellow fans to check this out.

To measure a show of support, a sponsor or investor would need to know that there are at least 50,000-60,000 people who would be willing to spend on season tickets. Those numbers would need to be spread out nationwide, but also be prevalent in big media markets. You can’t have a number of fans concentrated in one region, but very little support in the rest of the country. A nationwide league’s support has to be, well, nation-wide. (I’m not expecting to get those kind of numbers on this survey, I’m just interested in seeing what the numbers are like among the readership).

All you do is this: If you would spend $500 a ticket (yes, I know some tickets would be less, some would be more, but this is a good median figure), then go down and click off a box that corresponds to your region. If you wouldn’t support a league, just ignore the box below. Please don’t vote more than once. I have this poll policed, but technology is never 100 per cent efficient.

And thanks again for reading Plastic Pitch.

#qp_main270045 .qp_btna:hover input {background-color:rgb(99,185,255)!important}


Yes! I pledge to buy a season ticket for my local club if it played in a new Canadian Division-One Soccer league. (Check off the appropriate region)



Newfoundland
Nova Scotia
PEI
New Brunswick
Quebec City
Montreal
Ottawa
Kingston
Hamilton/Niagara
Windsor
London
Toronto central
Toronto west
Toronto east
Northern Ontario
Winnipeg
Saskatoon
Regina
Calgary
Edmonton
Fort McMurray/Northern Alberta
Kelowna
Vancouver
Victoria
Kitchener/Waterloo

Poll Maker

Johann Smith had to keep his FC Edmonton contract a secret

Johann Smith

Five years ago, after parting ways with Toronto FC, American Johann Smith was with Croatian side, HNK Rijeka.

In his first training session, the former Bolton Wanderers youth team prospect learned a lot about the importance of keeping the ball. In Croatia, far more emphasis was put on keeping the ball than in North America. He was in Croatia from 2009-10, and he said that it was there where he really grew as a played.

“It was my first day, and we did five v. two for an hour,” says Smith, the forward/left winger whose FC Edmonton deal was made official on Tuesday. “I think for 45 minutes out of that hour I was in the middle.”

The Croats emphasized keeping the ball and moving the ball. Smith always had the athleticism; growing up in Connecticut he was a high-school track phenom. And Toronto FC fans will remember him best for his blistering pace, though he didn’t score an MLS goal for the team in 14 appearances.

From Croatia, Smith went on to play in Sweden, Finland and Australia. But he always wanted to return to North America. Even though the Eddies don’t play in the United States, he continually referred to coming back “home.”



“I have been wanting to come back home for a while. I Europe, you’re always seen as a foreigner, you’re always against the numbers. The odds are always against you. And I think coming here is a good way to show myself to MLS, NASL and the U.S. Soccer Federation, to show them what I can do.”

Even though the deal was announced on Tuesday, it was signed well before the Eddies left for their three-week Florida-based portion of their training camp. (The Eddies’ last day in Edmonton was last Friday). But, paperwork in the soccer world can move so darn slow, so the deal couldn’t be made official till after the team had left for the United States.

So, Smith had to tell almost everyone who knew him that he was still a “trialist” when he’d already signed the deal.

“It was great to sign and I had keep it quiet. I told one or two family members, one or two friends, but that was it. That’s because I know that nothing in for sure, not just in soccer, but in life.”

The Eddies confirmed that there are no trialists in camp with the club at the moment. Everyone with the Eddies in Florida is under contract to the club. Former Whitecaps Residency product Sebastian Cabrera was released from FCE camp last Friday.

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