Steven Sandor's Blog, page 11

Edwini-Bonsu set to play for FCE in Al Classico

In Saturday’s Al Classico at Calgary’s Spruce Meadows, Randy Edwini-Bonsu will be wearing FC Edmonton’s colours.

Edwini-Bonsu, who has played for various German clubs since 2011, is what FCE coach Jeff Paulus calls a “priority player” for the club.

“He’s got a chance to be a key guy in the CPL,” Paulus said. “He’s the sort of player everyone else will be worrying about.”

But, just because REB is going to be an FCE player on Saturday, and has already been training with the club, it does not guarantee he’ll be an Eddie when the CanPL season kicks off in April.

“He’s also got options overseas,” said Paulus. “Obviously, he’s going to do what’s best for him.”

FCE visits Cavalry FC on Saturday, and the two will play at Edmonton’s Clarke Stadium on Oct. 20. These games, at least from Edmonton’s side, feature Academy products, trialists and pros who could legitimately be part of the roster in April. This weekend’s game is so vital, in fact, that Paulus skipped the CanPL’s Montreal combine to prepare. FCE did not send any staff to Montreal.

Other names that jump out: Both keepers: Dylon Powley, the former MacEwan University standout who had been playing in Sweden; and Will Sykes, the Edmontonian who had played for Lincoln Red Imps in Gibraltar. Paulus said each will get a game in the Al Classico series.

Paulus said that keeper Connor James, currently with the University of Alberta, is also in the mix, but the coach does not want to call him in at this point and disturb the keeper’s collegiate schedule. So, Powley and Sykes will be in the spotlight.

“I’ll be looking at how they make decisions on crosses, because I like to force teams outside, and how they play with their feet. We’ll be announcing a goalkeeper coach soon, and I know any keeper who will be with us will only get better.”

Three defenders will come from the PLSQ — Andre Bona, Kevin Bandundi and Patrick Nsamzimfura  — and another, Marcus Lees, comes from Sigma FC in League1 Ontario; so it’s clear Paulus hasn’t been ignoring the Eastern part of the country. Paulus is getting videos in the “tens and twenties” every day, and the PLSQ players stuck out, so they’ll get a look; they began training with FCE earlier in the week.

And, Amer Halilic, who was in the FC Edmonton Academy but moved to Germany in 2016, is back in the Alberta capital. Like REB, Paulus thinks Halilic could be a difference-maker in CanPL.

“He’s a big, strong kid, and since he came back from Europe, he reads the game a lot better,” said Paulus, who added that Halilic is good with both feet.

TRIALS

As mentioned up above, FCE didn’t send a representative to the CanPL’s open trials in Montreal. But Paulus said he was “pleasantly surprised” by the level of play in Halifax, and that a couple of players stood out.

But he tempered that by stating that what the coaches were seeing was a group of players, all from the same region, playing against each other. So, it’s hard to judge how well the Halifax crew really did until the coaches see the trialists from other parts of the country. When the coaches see trialists in Quebec and Ontario and in the West, then they’ll have somewhat of a better idea of how the Atlantic Canadian players stacked up.

FCE’s Al Classico Roster

GK Dylon Powley – FC Gute (Sweden)

GK Will Sykes – Lincoln FC (Gibraltar)

D Jackson Farmer – Calgary Foothills FC (PDL)

D Andre Bona – CS Longueuil (PLSQ)

D Kevin Bandundi – CS Mont-Royal Outremont (PLSQ)

D Patrick Zsamzimfura – CS Mont-Royal Outremont (PLSQ)

D Marcus Lees – Sigma FC (League1 Ontario)

D Isiah Tekie – FC Edmonton Academy

D Luke Withers – FC Edmonton Academy

D Carson Janzen – FC Edmonton Academy

D Zsombor Sarok – FC Edmonton Academy

M Allan Zebie – FC Edmonton

M Ajay Khabra – University of Alberta/Green and Gold (USports/AMSL)

M Bruno Zebie – Calgary Foothills FC (PDL)

M Edem Mortotsi – Green and Gold (AMSL)

F Randy Edwini-Bonsu – FC 08 Homburg (Germany)

F Amer Halilic – NK Vitez/Korona Kielce (Bosnia/Poland)

F Marcus Velado-Tsegaye – FC Edmonton Academy

F Prince Amanda – FC Edmonton Academy

F Ousman Maheshe – FC Edmonton Academy    

 

Shirts we’ll love, shirts we’ll hate — Macron and CanPL make it official

So, the Canadian Premier League has confirmed that it has made Italian sports apparel manufacturer, Macron, the official provider of kits for the circuit’s seven teams.

Of course, when the open trials kicked off in Halifax, we already knew this to be true, as the CanPL staff on the field were all photographed wearing Macron-branded gear.

The league and Macron promise that each team will have bespoke kits — which I think we can all take to mean that we won’t see the same pattern being worn by Forge FC and, say, some Serie B team. Or maybe they’ll be truly bespoke, custom-kit fittings for everyone!

What can we expect? Well, if the launch of the team branding is any indication, the release of every new kit will generate raves or defensive reactions from the home fans, and those in the other six cities will mock the colour schemes, the designs and ask what the hell the marketing people were thinking.

And that’s not a bad thing. I mean, no FC Edmonton fan is going to say “wow, Cavalry FC, your new shirts are really well done. Clean lines, nice colour scheme.” And vice versa.

But, if each team’s shirt — home, away and, where warranted, thirds — is going to be truly custom-designed, what can we hope for?

Look, if the CanPL can get its kits into a Mundial fashion spread, that’s the measure of success, isn’t it?

Please, No Chevrons

Chevrons are everywhere right now. Tiny chevrons. Large chevrons. Chevrons on sleeves. Chevrons up the sides of shirts. Players look like they’re giving directions with all of the chevrons they’re sporting on modern kits.

Just because they’re so common, can we have, like, no chevrons? Bring them back in a decade or so. Maybe.

The Number’s the Thing

I speak from my experience as a broadcaster. I have seen numerous examples of fancy new kits that look nice close up but, on the field, are disasters. That’s because the design of the fonts or the colours of the numbers and namebars make them hard for fans and broadcasters to see.

In NASL, San Antonio Scorpions unveiled a jersey that was white, with white numbers. Sure, up close, you could see the black outlines of the numbers. But, in the broadcast booth, you saw 10 outfield players wearing white kits. When the lights went onto them for night games, the white reflected and it was all that much worse. Don’t put numbers in squarish, digital fonts, where it’s hard to tell a zero from an eight when you’re more than 10 feet away.

Make sure there’s lots of contrast between the numbers on the back and the base colour of the shirt. There is no excuse not to make sure of it.

Size For the Fans

Athletes look fine when wearing form-fitting shirts. Many fans do not. I am a fat person. I know a lot of other, shall we say, large people. I like to buy football shirts. But nobody needs to be able to make out the outlines of the nipples of their fellow fans. So, make sure there are smaller fan kits for the ones who look good in those things and more modest, larger sizes for those of us who ate all the pies.

Please, No Narratives

The crest can tell a story, but it should be self-evident. If it needs to be curated, it’s too much. This goes double for the shirts. Look, no one really cares why there are triangles on the jersey and why they’re supposed to be raindrops or that you picked forest green for a shirt to represent the stand of trees across the street from the stadium.

If you need a guidebook to, ahem, “understand” what the jersey is about, stop now. Step away from the computer. Walk out of the studio. Get your head clear. Come back with a simpler plan. If you come back and say, “blue and white stripes would look good,” without any back story to it, you’re winning.

 

Smile

Look, when the kit is unveiled, no matter if you are the Coco Chanel of soccer-kit designers, Twitter is going to respond with vitriol. You have to grin and bear it. For every “shut up and take my money” response you get, you’re going to hear “what the HELL is that” 10 times. Laugh. In the end, it’s a kit.

Edmonton gauges level of support for 2026 World Cup

The City of Edmonton has posted an online survey that asks residents to declare their level of support for the 2026 World Cup.

The survey will be active until Oct. 10. Residents are asked if they support, oppose or are indifferent about the city’s push to host matches at Commonwealth Stadium.

Edmonton is one of three Canadian cities on the final shortlist to host games in 2026. The World Cup is split between the United States, Mexico and Canada for 2026, with Canada getting host rights to 10 of the matches. Montreal and Toronto are the two other Canadian cities left on the shortlist, as Vancouver was eliminated after the British Columbia government refused to sign off on FIFA’s conditions for hosting. As the province administers BC Place, the NDP government’s refusal to sign killed Vancouver’s bid.

In Edmonton, the city government has so far been committed to the hosting process, but the provincial NDP has not committed funds towards the effort. The issue for the province is that it can’t earmark funds for any 2026 sporting event until it knows where Calgary’s Olympic bid for that same year stands.

In the survey, residents are asked if they’re supportive of Edmonton needing to spend $35-$55 million to host a few World Cup matches, but that the economic impact is expected to be $170 million. But, the survey notes that the $35-$55 million estimate does not include infrastructure costs for stadium and training facilities. While Commonwealth Stadium, structurally, is ready for the World Cup, it would need a grass field, and we would need to know what technology will be like eight years from now to know what the stadium will need to provide in terms of amenities and broadcast facilities. As well, costs to expand training grounds are not part of the estimate, either.

The timing of the survey is interesting, to say the least. The City of Edmonton’s council and administration is looking at finances for 2019, and Mayor Don Iveson has already promised that it will likely be an austerity budget. He has warned that this will be “the city’s toughest budget in a decade.” The City is expecting a deficit of more than $14 million for 2018. There has been talk that some projects will need to be cut in order to save funds.

The renovation/expansion of Clarke Stadium is part of the budget deliberations, as well, as FC Edmonton is looking to raise capacity from the current 4,500 to bring it up to the Canadian Premier League standard. The Eddies are part of the seven “original” CanPL teams that will kick off in 2019. City councillors had already told the Eddies that any final decisions on Clarke would need to wait until after the budget process is done.

A proposed capital budget is expected for Oct. 23.

Whitecaps need to evaluate more than just the coaching position

The Whitecaps will wait no longer, as the team announced Wednesday that it had “released” coach Carl Robinson, assistant Martyn Pert and goalkeeping coach Stewart Kerr.

“With five games left, we remain focused on our opportunity to make the playoffs,” said Whitecaps President Bob Lenarduzzi in a release. “As we look to 2019 and beyond, we are committed to being a championship contender and a global search for a coach to lead this vision will start today.”

One has to wonder if the start to the search was accelerated with ESPN reports that the San Jose Earthquakes have asked for permission to approach LAFC assistant Marc Dos Santos about their open coaching gig. MDS, of course, is the Canadian coach who steered the Ottawa Fury to an NASL final, then Swope Park Rangers to a USL final, then won a NASL championship with a lame-duck San Francisco Deltas side — all in three consecutive years. MDS will surely be one of the hottest properties in the coaching market.

The Whitecaps, sit  in eighth place in the West, and have the fifth-worst defensive record in the league. The team’s marquee player, Alphonso Davies, leaves for Bayern Munich in the New Year.

It’s not unfair to say that the new coach will be needing to do what amounts to a full-scale rebuild. And, that might only be attractive to a marquee candidate if he knows he’s going to get the keys to the kingdom. In the past, the Whitecaps have had a lot of cooks in the kitchen when it comes to decision-making about players and the direction of the organization, and the question has to be asked, are the Whitecaps looking for a staff member or a leader?

The more power the Whitecaps are willing to cede to the new coach/manager, the better the field of candidates will be.

Look to Toronto FC as a prime example. TFC had the power of MLSE behind it, but stagnated for nearly a decade, as coach after coach was lost in the corporate structure. When Tim Bezbatchenko was brought in as general manager, he was given license to build the team, and, well, things turned around — despite this season’s stumble.

Now, Bezbatchenko is a GM and vice-president, not a coach, but the lesson is there. Give good people a project, give them something to build, then stand out of their way.

But, if the Whitecaps are looking for a yes man, well, maybe it doesn’t matter who coaches the team, because the structure remains the same.

This is an excellent time for the Whitecaps not to only reevaluate the coaching position, but to reevaluate how decisions are made and the club is run. The Whitecaps have for, too long, been a team without identity. It’s time to allow a new coach the chance to finally put a stamp on the team, rather than shift around moving parts and there being no consistency from one game to the next.

The fans in Vancouver have been patient, but the empty seats are becoming more noticeable at BC Place.

 

Tabla says he “can’t wait to fight” for Canada again

When it comes to the Canadian men’s national team and the “will he or won’t he?”story, we’ve all grown pretty accustomed to the “won’t he” ending.

But that looks not to be the case with Ballou Tabla, the Canadian-Ivorian dual citizen who moved from the Montreal Impact to Barcelona.

On Tuesday, Canada Soccer posted a video of Tabla in a Canada jersey. In it the player says, “see this jersey? Can’t wait to fight for it again.”

And, considering Tabla’s picture is now being used to promote Canada’s Oct. 16 CONCACAF Champions League home match against Dominica, we can assume he’s going to be on the roster for the game at BMO Field.

The thought of Tabla linking up with winger Alphonso Davies and striker Jonathan Davis… well, Canada hasn’t had this many young talents playing in the national-team fold since, since, well, as Eddie Izzard would say “people weren’t alive, then.”

Tabla was Canada’s U-20 player of the year in 2016, but refused then-U-20 coach Rob Gale’s invitation to join the Canadian side — and the team, already overwhelmed by injuries to key players, failed to qualify for the U-20 World Cup. Tabla’s refusal began the will-he-or-won’t-he debate; would he choose Cote D’Ivoire or Canada?

In a recent press availability, national team coach John Herdman had even allowed that choosing Cote D’Ivoire over Canada might be a better choice for Ballou, and that he wasn’t going to beg the player to come on board. He said that the sympathized with dual citizens, and the push and pull of two loyalties. While Herdman marked his line in the sand, he also came off as sympathetic.

Inescapably Canadian Power Rankings: MLS Week 30/USL Week 28

Toronto FC has, yet to be mathematically eliminated from the MLS playoff chase, but this weekend’s loss to New York Red Bulls basically ended the meaningful part of their season. The Vancouver Whitecaps sit in eighth place in the Western Conference. The Montreal Impact are clinging to the sixth and final playoff spot in the East, but the team doesn’t control its destiny, because D.C. United, sitting in seventh, has two games in hand.

So, once again, we’re focusing on Canadians in USL (though Ottawa’s chances of making the playoffs took a major hit with a 4-0 loss to Louisville over the weekend).

Focusing on the good news: Kyle Bekker scored for NCFC in a 6-1 win over Atlanta United 2; Chris Nanco scored for Bethlehem Steel in a rout of TFCII and Zachary Ellis-Hayden found the net for Fresno, the Whitecaps’ USL affiliate.

Here are the rankings after the 30th week of MLS play/28th week of USL action:

 

MLS MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS

Samuel Piette, Montreal, 2640 (30)
Jonathan Osorio, TFC, 2252 (26)
Alphonso Davies, Vancouver, 2085 (27)
Will Johnson, Orlando, 1867 (24)
Mark-Anthony Kaye, LAFC, 1582 (20)
Raheem Edwards, Montreal/Chicago, 1349 (22)
Russell Teibert, Vancouver, 1223 (18)
Marcel de Jong, Vancouver, 1200 (16)
Dejan Jakovic, LAFC, 1027 (13)
Ryan Telfer, TFC, 865 (15)
Jay Chapman, TFC, 848 (17)
Ashtone Morgan, TFC, 833 (15)
Doneil Henry, Vancouver, 810 (9)
Jordan Hamilton,TFC, 803 (13)
Michael Petrasso, Montreal, 692 (13)
Brett Levis, Vancouver, 615 (10)
Tosaint Ricketts, TFC, 596 (16)
Anthony Jackson-Hamel, Montreal, 580 (16)
Tesho Akindele, FC Dallas, 563 (16)
Liam Fraser, TFC, 458 (8)
Shamit Shome, Montreal, 249 (5)
Brian Wright, New England, 201 (8)
Richie Laryea, Orlando, 154 (6)
Kwame Awuah, NYCFC, 143 (6)
Louis Beland-Goyette, Montreal, 109 (4)
Julian Dunn-Johnson, TFC, 104 (2)
Mathieu Choiniere, Montreal, 26 (2)
David Choiniere, Montreal, 12 (1)
Aidan Daniels, TFC, 12 (1)

 

TEAM RANKINGS, MLS MINUTES PLAYED BY CANADIANS IN 2018

Toronto FC, 6773/29 (233.6)

Vancouver, 5933/29 (204.6)

Montreal, 4841/30 (161.4)

LAFC, 2609/29 (89.7)

Orlando City, 2021/29 (69.7)

FC Dallas, 563/29 (19.4)

Chicago, 543/29 (18.7)

New England, 201/29 (6.9)

NYCFC, 143/30 (4.8)

 

USL MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS

Jordan Schweitzer, Colorado Springs, 2714 (31)
Maxime Crepeau, Ottawa, 2520 (28)
Paris Gee, Tulsa, 2410 (29)
Karl Ouimette, Indy, 2303 (26)
Jordan Dover, Pittsburgh, 2296 (26)
Kyle Bekker, NCFC, 2263 (28)
Eddie Edward, Ottawa, 2259 (26)
Robert Boskovic, TFCII, 2149 (25)
Jamar Dixon, Ottawa, 2137 (27)
Thomas Meilleur-Giguere, Ottawa, 2129 (24)
Amer Didic, Swope Park Rangers, 2010 (23)
Skylar Thomas, Charleston, 1970 (23)
Carl Haworth, Ottawa, 1966 (26)
Matthew Srbely, TFCII, 1713 (24)
Adonijah Reid, Ottawa, 1673 (27)
Chris Mannella, Ottawa, 1668 (25)
Drew Beckie, OKC Energy, 1620 (18)
Bradley Kamdem-Fewo, Fresno, 1584 (18)
Luca Uccello, TFCII, 1529 (20)
Zachary Ellis-Hayden, Fresno, 1477 (17)
Josh Heard, Real Monarchs SLC, 1447 (21)
Nana Attakora, Ottawa, 1434 (17)
Dante Campbell, TFCII, 1409 (18)
Aidan Daniels, TFCII, 1403 (23)
Malik Johnson, TFCII, 1400 (25)
Jordan Murrell, Reno, 1286 (19)
Noble Okello Ayo, TFCII, 1205 (17)
Mastanabal Kacher, Real Monarchs SLC, 1169 (21)
Chris Nanco, Bethlehem Steel, 1121 (27)
Noah Verhoeven, Fresno, 1066 (22)
Shaan Hundal, TFCII, 1051 (21)
Rocco Romeo, TFCII, 1014 (12)
Mallan Roberts, Richmond, 900 (10)
Ryan James, Nashville, 872 (13)
Julian Dunn-Johnson, TFCII, 810 (9)
Keven Aleman, Sacramento, 691 (14)
Tyler Pasher, Indy, 641 (9)
Liam Fraser, TFCII, 630 (7)
Jordan Hamilton, TFCII, 622 (9)
David Edgar, Nashville/Ottawa, 605 (10)
Kyle Porter, Ottawa/Tampa Bay, 560 (8)
Jordan Faria, TFCII, 549 (14)
Jeremy Gagnon-Lapare, Ottawa, 544 (8)
Michael Cox, Nashville/Saint Louis, 518 (12)
Daniel Haber, FC Cincinnati/Ottawa, 486 (16)
Mauro Eustaquio, Penn FC, 462 (7)
Angelo Cavalluzzo, TFCII, 450 (5)
Darrin MacLeod, Swope Park Rangers, 450 (5)
Gianluca Catalano, TFCII, 434 (5)
Luca Petrasso, TFCII, 418 (7)
Ryan Telfer, TFCII, 401 (6)
Terique Mohammed, TFCII, 399 (7)
Alessandro Riggi, Phoenix, 342 (14)
Zak Drake, Las Vegas, 296 (6)
Mark Anthony Gonzalez, Reno, 278 (4)
Doneil Henry, Ottawa, 270 (3)
Marco Bustos, OKC Energy, 266 (6)
Matthew Baldisimo, Fresno, 264 (3)
Steffen Yeates, TFCII, 196 (4)
Callum Irving, Ottawa, 180 (2)
Daniel Kinumbe, Ottawa, 166 (3)
Kunle Dada-Luke, TFCII, 148 (5)
Luca Ricci, Phoenix, 124 (4)
David Monsalve, Ottawa, 90 (1)
Ashtone Morgan, TFCII, 63 (1)
Daniel Da Silva, TFCII, 59 (1)
Terran Campbell, Fresno, 53 (5)
Clement Bayiha, Ottawa, 50 (2)
Gabriel Wiethaeuper-Balbinotti, Ottawa, 50 (2)
Maxim Tissot, Ottawa, 48 (2)
Monti Mohsen, Ottawa, 45 (1)
Malyk Hamilton, TFCII, 42 (2)
Jordan Perruzza, TFCII, 23 (1)
Jordan Dunstan, Nashville, 1 (1)

 

TEAM RANKINGS, USL MINUTES PLAYED BY CANADIANS IN 2018

TFCII, 18105/29 (624.3)

Ottawa, 18095/31 (583.7)

Fresno, 4443/31 (143.3)

Indy Eleven, 3124/30 (104.1)

Colorado Springs, 2714/31 (87.5)

Real Monarchs SLC, 2616/31 (84.4)

Tulsa, 2410/30 (80.3)

Pittsburgh, 2296/29 (79.2)

NCFC, 2263/29 (78)

Swope Park Rangers, 2460/32 (76.9)

Charleston, 1970/30 (65.7)

OKC Energy, 1886/31 (60.8)

Reno, 1564/29 (53.9)

Nashville, 1337/29 (46.1)

Bethlehem Steel, 1121/31 (36.2)

Richmond, 900/30 (30)

Sacramento, 691/30 (23)

Phoenix, 466/30 (15.5)

Penn FC, 462/30 (15.4)

Tampa Bay, 360/30 (12)

Las Vegas, 296/29 (10.2)

Saint Louis FC, 254/30 (8.5)

FC Cincinnati, 201/30 (6.7)

 

Nash, Santiago join Cavalry FC coaching staff

Martin Nash and Jordan Santiago have been unveiled as members of the Cavalry FC coaching staff.

Nash, the former Ottawa Fury assistant (and, hey, Edmonton Drillers alumni!) and long-time national teamer (Gold Cup winner) will not only be the assistant coach under Tommy Wheeldon Jr., but will also be the club’s technical director. Nash has been around the club for a while now, and was at Cavalry FC’s official launch earlier this year.

Santiago, a Calgary native who moved to Europe at age 16 but retired at the age of 22, will be the first goalkeeping coach in Cavalry history. Santiago had stints with Cardiff City  and Dutch side SC Veendam before making the decision to focus on coaching — a decision many young Canadian players have been forced to make in the past when playing opportunities at home are scarce.

“Everybody across the table is someone you can rely on,” said Wheeldon as the coaching staff was officially introduced to the media at a press conference Tuesday at Spruce Meadows.

The new staff will be getting to work right away, as the Canadian Premier League’s “Got Game” open tryouts begin later this week in Halifax. Six more trials take place across the country over the next couple of months. Wheeldon said that there are only a few of the 200 spots left open for Calgary’s event, which is set for Oct. 25-26. The way Alberta’s “autumn” has gone so far, there should be a couple of feet of snow for the 200 prospects to shovel before they hit the field.

Wheeldon said that the Cavalry’s plan is “to look at local first” when it comes to players, then across Canada and, finally, internationals. As for the internationals he wants: “They have to help the Canadians improve, and put bums in seats.”

He said that local players have a lot to offer, and that many Calgarians are technically proficient because of the long indoor season which forces them to play a lot of soccer at close quarters. He said the work comes in teaching the 11 v. 11 game.

So, as if running a CanPL club and the Foothills PDL side weren’t enough, maybe a winter Calgary team to join Mississauga MetroStars in MASL?*

*I have seen Martin Nash play indoor at the professional level; he’s pretty good. 

 

Cann thinks he can be more offensive with the MetroStars

Adrian Cann has been known as many things in a storied outdoor soccer career, but “goal scorer” is not one of them.

In 4,074 career MLS minutes played with the Colorado Rapids and Toronto FC, the Canadian centre back had no goals and a total of 10 shots on target. In two seasons with the NASL’s San Antonio Scorpions, he scored twice.

But, as a member of the expansion Mississauga MetroStars of the Major Arena Soccer League, Cann knows he’ll be asked to move up in the play, as defenders always do in the turf-and-boards game. He’s going to get to shoot a lot more. And, well, maybe, just maybe, some goals will come.

“The prospect of playing in an area that’s more confined, I like that,” said Cann. “It gives me the ability to move up and be an offensive threat and take shots as well. Throughout most of my career, I’ve been hidden in the back four. I’ve been organizing the back line. So many times, I had the urge to move up in the play, but couldn’t do it.”

So, yes, the chance to be a little more offensive-minded is one of the things that attracted Cann to the MetroStars, where he’ll join former TFC teammate Dwayne De Rosario and Anthony Osorio, formerly of TFCII and brother of Reds star Jonathan Osorio. The expansion side is team no.17 in the MASL, which has teams in the United States and Mexico – and the rosters are chock full of familiar names to those who followed the NASL or know the ins and outs of USL rosters. 

Cann has played for the Canadian national arena team, which has recently played friendlies against Mexico and the United States. On that side, he’s teamed with indoor-soccer stalwarts like goalkeeper Josh Lemos and forward Ian Bennett. They’re with the Milwaukee Wave, one of the most-recognized teams in indoor soccer, a club that’s joined and outlived more leagues than you’d want to count. Giuliano Oliviero coaches both the Wave and the Canadian national side. Expect the Wave (the unofficial “Team Canada” of MASL before the expansion to Mississauga) and the MetroStars to fire up a great rivalry right off the bat. The MetroStars first-ever regular-season home game will see the Wave visit the Paramount Fine Foods Centre.

But why does Cann keep going?

“I still have the energy and motivation to compete, he says.  “If I’m out, I’m playing pick-up somewhere.”

He’s played a little in the unsanctioned Canadian Soccer League over the past couple of years. “It’s a little of this and a little of that,” he says of the independent league that, before it was de-sanctioned, had allegations of match-fixing levelled against it in European courtrooms. “Some of the games are very competitive and some of the games are not so competitive. It’s hit or miss.”

Would he go back to the CSL? He’s not sure — because he’s curious about the new Canadian Premier League. Cann is 38, but he feels he could he still has the energy to play outdoors, professionally. And, if he got a call from a CanPL team, he wouldn’t hang up.

“It’ s hard to separate myself from something I enjoy. Soccer is me. Absolutely, I’d put the boots back on and be ready for battle. I like getting knocked on my ass and I like knocking other people on their asses.”

 

Inescapably Canadian Power Rankings: MLS Week 29/USL Week 27

So, the Ottawa Fury front office’s announcement that it intends to play the 2019 USL season rather than move to the Canadian Premier League, well, it’s stirred up a lot of passions in Canada.

But, this week, let’s focus on the Fury’s 2-0 win over former Fury defender Mallan Roberts and his Richmond Kickers teammates. In the win, Canadian players accounted for 696 minutes of action, and Canadian Carl Haworth found the back of the net.

It’s hard to try to take a moral high ground against the Fury, when the team is providing the playing opportunities that it does for Canadian players. And this weekend’s win is an example of why the Fury/USL/CanPL question isn’t so black and white.

As well, it’s worth noting that Michael Cox scored in Saint Louis’s 4-3 win over fellow Canadian Amer Didic and his Swope Park Rangers mates.

And, in MLS,  of course, we have yet another goal from Jonathan Osorio to celebrate, as he was part of the back-of-the-net festival this past weekend at BMO Field, as TFC kept its slim playoff hopes alive with a 5-3 win over the Los Angeles Galaxy.

Here are the rankings after the 29th week of MLS play/27th week of USL action:

MLS MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS

Samuel Piette, Montreal, 2550 (29)
Jonathan Osorio, TFC, 2162 (25)
Alphonso Davies, Vancouver, 1995 (26)
Will Johnson, Orlando, 1777 (23)
Mark-Anthony Kaye, LAFC, 1582 (20)
Raheem Edwards, Montreal/Chicago, 1322 (21)
Marcel de Jong, Vancouver, 1200 (16)
Russell Teibert, Vancouver, 1133 (17)
Dejan Jakovic, LAFC, 937 (12)
Ryan Telfer, TFC, 865 (15)
Jay Chapman, TFC, 848 (17)
Ashtone Morgan, TFC, 829 (14)
Jordan Hamilton,TFC, 803 (13)
Doneil Henry, Vancouver, 720 (8)
Michael Petrasso, Montreal, 692 (13)
Anthony Jackson-Hamel, Montreal, 580 (16)
Brett Levis, Vancouver, 570 (9)
Tosaint Ricketts, TFC, 554 (15)
Tesho Akindele, FC Dallas, 550 (15)
Liam Fraser, TFC, 458 (8)
Shamit Shome, Montreal, 249 (5)
Brian Wright, New England, 201 (8)
Richie Laryea, Orlando, 154 (6)
Kwame Awuah, NYCFC, 143 (6)
Louis Beland-Goyette, Montreal, 109 (4)
Julian Dunn-Johnson, TFC, 104 (2)
Mathieu Choiniere, Montreal, 26 (2)
David Choiniere, Montreal, 12 (1)
Aidan Daniels, TFC, 12 (1)

 

TEAM RANKINGS, MLS MINUTES PLAYED BY CANADIANS IN 2018

Toronto FC, 6637/28 (237)

Vancouver, 5618/28 (200.6)

Montreal, 4751/29 (163.8)

LAFC, 2362/28 (84.4)

Orlando City, 1931/28 (69)

FC Dallas, 550/28 (19.6)

Chicago, 516/28 (18.4)

New England, 201/28 (7.2)

NYCFC, 143/29 (4.9)

 

USL MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS

Jordan Schweitzer, Colorado Springs, 2624 (30)
Maxime Crepeau, Ottawa, 2430 (27)
Paris Gee, Tulsa, 2230 (27)
Karl Ouimette, Indy, 2213 (25)
Jordan Dover, Pittsburgh, 2210 (25)
Kyle Bekker, NCFC, 2173 (27)
Eddie Edward, Ottawa, 2169 (25)
Jamar Dixon, Ottawa, 2075 (26)
Robert Boskovic, TFCII, 2059 (24)
Thomas Meilleur-Giguere, Ottawa, 2039 (23)
Skylar Thomas, Charleston, 1880 (22)
Carl Haworth, Ottawa, 1876 (25)
Amer Didic, Swope Park Rangers, 1830 (21)
Adonijah Reid, Ottawa, 1645 (26)
Matthew Srbely, TFCII, 1623 (23)
Chris Mannella, Ottawa, 1578 (24)
Drew Beckie, OKC Energy, 1530 (17)
Luca Uccello, TFCII, 1529 (20)
Bradley Kamdem-Fewo, Fresno, 1505 (17)
Josh Heard, Real Monarchs SLC, 1447 (21)
Dante Campbell, TFCII, 1409 (18)
Aidan Daniels, TFCII, 1403 (23)
Malik Johnson, TFCII, 1400 (25)
Nana Attakora, Ottawa, 1395 (16)
Zachary Ellis-Hayden, Fresno, 1387 (16)
Jordan Murrell, Reno, 1282 (18)
Noble Okello Ayo, TFCII, 1115 (16)
Chris Nanco, Bethlehem Steel, 1105 (26)
Mastanabal Kacher, Real Monarchs SLC, 1067 (19)
Noah Verhoeven, Fresno, 1066 (22)
Shaan Hundal, TFCII, 1041 (20)
Rocco Romeo, TFCII, 1014 (12)
Ryan James, Nashville, 872 (13)
Julian Dunn-Johnson, TFCII, 810 (9)
Mallan Roberts, Richmond, 810 (9)
Tyler Pasher, Indy, 641 (9)
Jordan Hamilton, TFCII, 622 (9)
David Edgar, Nashville/Ottawa, 605 (10)
Keven Aleman, Sacramento, 589 (12)
Kyle Porter, Ottawa/Tampa Bay, 552 (7)
Liam Fraser, TFCII, 540 (6)
Jordan Faria, TFCII, 520 (13)
Michael Cox, Nashville/Saint Louis, 518 (12)
Daniel Haber, FC Cincinnati/Ottawa, 486 (16)
Mauro Eustaquio, Penn FC, 462 (7)
Jeremy Gagnon-Lapare, Ottawa, 454 (7)
Angelo Cavalluzzo, TFCII, 450 (5)
Darrin MacLeod, Swope Park Rangers, 450 (5)
Gianluca Catalano, TFCII, 434 (5)
Luca Petrasso, TFCII, 418 (7)
Alessandro Riggi, Phoenix, 342 (14)
Ryan Telfer, TFCII, 342 (5)
Terique Mohammed, TFCII, 309 (6)
Zak Drake, Las Vegas, 296 (6)
Mark Anthony Gonzalez, Reno, 278 (4)
Doneil Henry, Ottawa, 270 (3)
Steffen Yeates, TFCII, 196 (4)
Marco Bustos, OKC Energy, 190 (5)
Callum Irving, Ottawa, 180 (2)
Matthew Baldisimo, Fresno, 174 (2)
Daniel Kinumbe, Ottawa, 166 (3)
Kunle Dada-Luke, TFCII, 148 (5)
Luca Ricci, Phoenix, 124 (4)
David Monsalve, Ottawa, 90 (1)
Ashtone Morgan, TFCII, 63 (1)
Daniel Da Silva, TFCII, 59 (1)
Terran Campbell, Fresno, 53 (5)
Clement Bayiha, Ottawa, 50 (2)
Gabriel Wiethaeuper-Balbinotti, Ottawa, 50 (2)
Maxim Tissot, Ottawa, 48 (2)
Monti Mohsen, Ottawa, 45 (1)
Jordan Perruzza, TFCII, 23 (1)
Malyk Hamilton, TFCII, 11 (1)
Jordan Dunstan, Nashville, 1 (1)

 

TEAM RANKINGS, USL MINUTES PLAYED BY CANADIANS IN 2018

TFCII, 17526/28 (625.9)

Ottawa, 17426/30 (580.9)

Fresno, 4184/30 (139.5)

Indy Eleven, 3034/29 (104.6)

Colorado Springs, 2624/30 (87.5)

Real Monarchs SLC, 2514/29 (86.7)

Tulsa, 2230/28 (79.6)

Pittsburgh, 2210/28 (78.9)

NCFC, 2173/28 (77.6)

Swope Park Rangers, 2280/30 (76)

Charleston, 1880/28 (67.1)

OKC Energy, 1720/30 (57.3)

Reno, 1560/28 (55.7)

Nashville, 1337/27 (49.5)

Bethlehem Steel, 1105/30 (36.8)

Richmond, 810/29 (27.9)

Sacramento, 589/28 (21)

Penn FC, 462/28 (16.5)

Phoenix, 466/29 (16.1)

Tampa Bay, 352/28 (12.6)

Las Vegas, 296/28 (10.6)

Saint Louis FC, 254/29 (8.8)

FC Cincinnati, 201/29 (6.9)

 

River Valley Vanguard: Great turnout on an awful Edmonton night

If not for the Ottawa Fury’s’ announcement that the team wants to remain in USL for the 2019 we’d be in a real lull in the Canadian Premier League’s news cycle.

The seven teams have been unveiled. The logos are out there. The coaching announcements, for the most part, have been made. But, the biggest announcements of all — the signings of players — have yet to begin.

So, we’ve seen membership numbers for all the clubs stall. The hardcore supporters bought in when their local teams were launched. But the so-called casual fan, as I’ve heard over and over from both players and fellow media members, won’t buy in till they know who is actually going to be playing.

This is the time when teams need to build even stronger connections with their supporters groups, with their existing members.

Krystal Dykes was brought in by FC Edmonton to be the club’s manager of ticket sales and service. Last season, she was with Southampton of the English Premier League. She’s an Australian who has experience with pro sports in that country, as well. She knows her rugby and her Australian rules football.

She says that it’s important for teams to build strong ties to their supporters. As in, the teams can’t really have down times.

“You have to be present, so the relationship is there in the peaks and also in the valleys,” she said.

On Saturday night, the YEG4CPL group, supporters who galvanized support for the Eddies to re-launch its professional team in the CanPL, held an event at an Edmonton pub to announce a new name and logo. The River Valley Vanguard was unveiled. New, blue supporters scarves were unveiled. An old soccer shoe was passed around, and supporters put money inside, with funds to go to Free Footie, the soccer program for disadvantaged youth that was once home to Bayern Munich-bound Alphonso Davies.

Honestly, I wasn’t expecting a lot from the event. The weather was the worst Canada can offer. Barely above freezing, so instead of snow you get slush and cold, cold rain. Not a night to be out in the city. Honestly, it’s more comfortable if it’s -15 C and snowing, because you don’t get soaked. It was the kind of night where you stay home and, well, hibernate.

But, the pub was full. Must have been at least 50 Eddies enthusiasts there, which doesn’t seem like a massively high number, but for a supporters event, it was pretty damn good. Dykes was there, engaging with supporters, as was general manager Jay Ball. Coach Jeff Paulus was there.

To me, though, what was important is that I saw faces I’d never seen before. Kids, too. It wasn’t a case of the same old small cadre of guys I’ve known since 2011.

And, in its small way, the launch was an example on how supporters and clubs can keep their teams in the Canadian soccer consciousness when the CanPL’s biggest mission right now is to prep the series of open tryouts which start this coming week — and to control its message over Ottawa (which looks to be, no public pronouncements other than strongly controlled messages on the league site).

The process

While no team has made roster announcements, the coaches and front offices have been working away, identifying players. Coaches are working their connections. They do have some ideas on who might be putting on the kits of their respective teams. So, expect the coaches to go into open tryouts not with blank slates, but with fairly defined goals.

They’re not going in thinking “I will take all of the best players I can” but “I might need some depth at fullback and maybe a third goalie, let’s see if there’s anyone here I can invite to camp.”

My past experiences covering open trials, whether in soccer or other sports, is that they act more as PR exercises for the teams involved. But, since the CanPL mantra is that the league will give new opportunities to Canadian players, it’s important for the league.

But, maybe more importantly, it keeps the league, which has made the majority of its team and coaching announcements, in the eyes of prospective fans (and sponsors). It gives the league’s website plenty of new content opportunities.

Like you all, I’m waiting to see the first player signings.