Steven Sandor's Blog, page 112

Eddies continue their domination of Carolina with three-goal win

FCE’s Tomi Ameobi (centre) gets set to celebrate as the ball slides by Carolina keeper Akira Fitzgerald. PHOTO: TONY LEWIS/FC EDMONTON

For the last week, FC Edmonton defender Mallan Roberts has been in a competition with Lance Laing. As the team worked on finishing in training, Roberts wanted to show Laing that he could score more goals than him.

Roberts came into Sunday’s game with Carolina with one career goal; he scored his second just five minutes into the match, and it spurred the Eddies to a 3-0 win at Clarke Stadium. The win puts the Eddies just four points behind Fort Lauderdale for fourth spot (and the final post-season spot) in the NASL overall standings.

“I’ve been working on my finishing all week,” said Roberts with a wide smile on his face after the game. “I have to give credit to Lance Laing. He’s always saying that I can’t finish. So, we had a competition in training to see who could finish more. I won in training and I think that I won again today.”

After Neil Hlavaty took a free kick, the ball bounded around in the penalty area and Roberts corralled it. He shook off one Carolina defender, then poked the ball past another defender. He then slotted a shot inside the far post. It was a finish taken with the composure of a veteran striker, not a young centre back.



In a game they just had to win, the Eddies got the lead inside of five minutes. But, Carolina wasted a glorious chance to tie it just after the 10-minute mark. Referee Dave Gantar pointed to the spot after he ruled that FCE defender Albert Watson had blocked RailHawk Austin Da Luz’s shot with his arm. Enzo Martinez marched to the spot to take the shot and blasted the penalty well over the ball. And even though Carolina was going into a stiff wind in the first half, Martinez’s effort didn’t come down till it had cleared the fence behind the Eddies’ goal.

To make things even worse for Carolina, the Eddies doubled their lead before the RailHawks could recover from the emotional letdown of the Martinez miss. Chad Burt hit a wonderful ball up the wing for Horace James, who then laid off a great ball to the top of the box for Ritchie Jones, who side-footed the ball inside the far post.

Burt, who was acquired in mid-season, has solidified a spot in the starting XI; and Miller thinks the future could be bright for the player.

“Chad gives us that something different. I am going to be respectful and I will call him a poor man’s Mulholland. Luke Mulholland (now with Real Salt Lake), in Tampa Bay, I thought he was arguably the bet player in NASL last season. I think if Chad can deliver that final ball to the quality that I know that he’s capable of, I think he can go to the next level of football.”

James, meanwhile, enjoyed his best game as an Eddie. Using his pace down the right wing, he was involved in all three of the Eddies’ goals. He won the free kick that led to Roberts’ opening goal. He set up Jones’s goal. And, six minutes into the second half, he — ahem — set up Tomi Ameobi’s marker that ended up being the back-breaker.

After taking another great pass from Burt, James busted down the right wing and, despite being at a bad angle, took a shot that beat Carolina keeper Akira Fitzgerald. The ball went off the post, but caromed right off of Ameobi’s legs and into the net.

James said the team was perfectly set up to face Carolina.

“Colin [Miller] had everything down to the pin with this team… and everything that we worked on in training we executed today.”

From that point on, Eddies’ supporters could start spending most of the second half singing their team’s praises and working out the scenarios for the final three regular-season weekends. Carolina and Fort Lauderdale play each other next week, while the Eddies go to Ottawa. Ideally, the Eddies would hope that the Strikers and Carolina — who are fourth and fifth in the NASL standings — would play to a draw, while FCE goes to Ottawa and wins. If that happens, with the Eddies having to go to Fort Lauderdale in two weeks, the Eddies would be back in control of their post-season destiny.

As for Carolina, the RailHawks are likely happy to see the last of the Eddies. This season, Carolina has played the Eddies three times, lost all three, and given up 12 goals. To put it in perspective, the Eddies have 30 total goals this season. That means 40 per cent of the Eddies’ goals have come against Carolina — in just 270 minutes of football.

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Will Eddies feast on roasted RailHawk this Thanksgiving weekend?

Lance Laing feasted on the RailHawks the last time the two teams met in Edmonton. PHOTO: TONY LEWIS/FC EDMONTON

It feels kinda fitting that, on the Thanksgiving long weekend, the Carolina RailHawks will be visiting Clarke Stadium.

That’s because FC Edmonton has feasted on roasted RailHawk, with a side of potatoes, so far this season. In two previous meetings, the Eddies have got all six available points, and scored a total of, gulp, nine goals. The Eddies scored six on the RailHawks the last time they came to Clarke Stadium.

So, the key on Sunday is to forget all of that. The Eddies certainly won’t be expecting another six-goal eruption against a Carolina team that has made several signings during the fall season that have been designed to make it tougher to play against. This past week, the RailHawks signed former Sporting Kansas City midfielder Alex Martinez.

“We don’t look at past wins or past matches, to be honest,” said Eddies captain Albert Watson. “We’re just taking every match as it comes. Look at the last game against Tampa (a 1-1 draw), we should have won the game. It was a diabolical call by the referee (which gave the Rowdies the equalizer on a penalty kick) and I’ve looked at it again a bunch of times and I still don’t know what he’s called there. That’s the way it’s gone for us this year and we have to get on with it.

“So, we’re not going to look past games. We know Carolina has added strong, strong to their squad over the last six weeks. It seems like they’ve added a player every week. They’re going to be a tough team to play against on Sunday.”



Coach Colin Miller said that the Eddies have to toss the previous two successes against Carolina out the window.

“We’ve not even mentioned them (the previous wins). To be honest with you, it’s a very different Carolina team than came in last time. Colin (coach Colin Clarke) has made changes to his roster and added more stability to their group. They are harder to break down. I watched them play against Fort Lauderdale a couple of times and I watched them when they played recently against Indy, so I don’t expect to see another 6-1 performance. Sure, I’d love to see that for the Eddies, but I don’t see it happening.”

The Eddies are in sixth place in the NASL overall standings. Right now, the fourth spot — and holders of the last available post-season seed — belongs to Fort Lauderdale. With four games left on the season, the Strikers are six points up on the Eddies. The RailHawks are in fifth, five points up on Edmonton.

So, with the games running out, a draw would not serve the Eddies at all. Miller said the outlook on the match is “win at all costs.” Miller said that he and the coaching staff go over the scenarios before all games, planning out possible substitutions depending on if the Eddies are ahead, behind or drawn. He said that, if the game is tied with 20 minutes left to go, the moves will all be “positive,” as it’s clear the Eddies can’t afford a single point.

“For the most part (when team is tied late), we’ve said ‘let’s win.’ There have been times when we’ve said, ‘we’ll take a draw, but we won’t play for a draw.’ I definitely admit that on one or two occasions over the past two seasons. But our substitution plan for Sunday will be a very positive one, I assure you.”

Kareem Moses, who left the Tampa game with an injury, was training yesterday. Initially, the coach was afraid the fullback had done damage to his ribs, but Moses is ready for action. Eddie Edward, the fullback who has played the last couple of game in central midfield, will miss the match because he was sent off last week.

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Unkel’s controversial call, Pickens’s great saves deny FCE a win in Tampa

Tampa Bay’s Blake Wagner, left, tries to shield the ball from FCE’s Eddie Edward.

The Eddies played well enough to leave Tampa with three points and new life in their chase for a post-season spot.

But, a controversial decision from referee Ted Unkel and some very good late stops from Tampa Bay Rowdies keeper Matt Pickens forced FC Edmonton to settle for a 1-1 draw with the Rowdies. Frankly, at this stage of the season, that result doesn’t do much good for either team.

The Eddies entered the second half with a 1-0 lead thanks to a goal from Chad Burt. And, for the first 20 minutes of the second half, the Eddies were able to slow down the game. At halftime, FCE coach Colin Miller said the Eddies weren’t there to entertain the fans in Tampa, they were there to get the job done. And it was so far, so good — the Eddies were able to control the pace of the game down on a choppy surface.

And, then, it all changed with one blow of a whistle. Unkel blew a play dead after a cross went into the FCE area. A few players had gone down in the scrum. The Rowdies players went to complain, as they were sure the foul was being called on them. But Unkel, instead, pointed to the spot, claiming that FCE defender Kareem Moses had impeded the Rowdies’ Keith Savage.

Georgi Hristov buried the penalty kick.

To add insult to injury, Moses had to leave the game shortly after — Miller said he suspects that the fullback has a broken rib; but that’s not confirmed by a medical official. Moses will get X-rays to determine the extent of the injury.



With both teams knowing a draw wouldn’t really serve each of them in the standings, the game opened up dramatically in the final 20 minutes. The Eddies, though, carved out the two best chances. FCE striker Tomi Ameobi got in behind the defenders and had a great look at goal; he tried to push the ball through Pickens’ legs — but the keeper got just enough of it. The ball was directed through the wickets, but took enough of a deflection that it went off target.

Late in the game, Pickens made a great diving stop to deny a headed attempt for Horace James.

Near the end of the match, FCE fullback Eddie Edward picked up his second yellow as he fouled Hristov from behind. He will miss next weekend’s home date with the Carolina RailHawks. Edward was actually going to be suspended after he got the first yellow card, for a shoving match with ex-Toronto FC midfielder Darel Russell. That would have been enough to get him tossed for next week’s game, because of yellow-card accumulation.

“The effort from the players was tremendous,” said Miller. “Both teams were very competitive, and there wasn’t a bad tackle in the game. But, somehow, we’ve got a penalty kick against us and had a man sent off. Look, I know there will be some people who will say, ‘there goes Miller again, having a go at the referee.’ But in this case, I honestly believe that we deserved three points tonight.”

Miller said the Rowdies do deserve credit for playing at a pace “that’s more like the game in the U.K. than anywhere else in the league.”

And, the Rowdies did create the first few good chances of the game; the Eddies had flight issues getting into Tampa on Friday, thanks to the cancellation of a connecting flight to Chicago. But Moses did well to block an effort fromRussell, and in the 25th FCE keeper Lance Parker made an excellent diving stop on a Hristov free kick.

Meanwhile, Pickens did well to come off his line and take the ball off of Ameobi’s foot as he attempted to volley home an attempt.

But, three minutes before halftime, the Eddies got the lead. A low cross from Lance Laing was dummied by Ameobi, and the ball ended up at the far post at the feet of Neil Hlavaty. Pickens made a great sprawling save on Hlavaty’s attempt; but the rebound came to Chad Burt, who played for the Rowdies when they were known as FC Tampa Bay. Burt buried his shot into an open goal.

The Eddies managed to stifle striker Corey Hertzog, who made his Rowdies debut Saturday night. Hertzog played 13 games for the Eddies last season, while on loan from the Vancouver Whitecaps. He also scored for the Whitecaps against the Eddies in the 2013 Amway Canadian Championship.

But, despite all of the positives, the Eddies got only a point. The RailHawks lost, so the gap between the Eddies (in sixth) and Carolina for fourth spot in the overall standings — and the final playoff spot — is down to five points. But Fort Lauderdale, in fifth, one spot ahead of FCE, has 31 points — and a game in hand on both Carolina and FCE. The Rowdies are point behind the Eddies, but have TWO games in hand. That illustrates just how a win in Tampa would have changed things for FCE.

“We will keep fighting,” said Miller. “We were just dead on our legs at the end of this game. The guys’ effort was tremendous. And they are absolutely devastated in that dressing room. You could hear a pin drop. It means that much to them.”

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Unkel’s controversial call, Pickens’ great saves deny FCE a win in Tampa

Tampa Bay’s Blake Wagner, left, tries to shield the ball from FCE’s Eddie Edward.

The Eddies played well enough to leave Tampa with three points and new life in their chase for a post-season spot.

But, a controversial decision from referee Ted Unkel and some very good late stops from Tampa Bay Rowdies keeper Matt Pickens forced FC Edmonton to settle for a 1-1 draw with the Rowdies. Frankly, at this stage of the season, that result doesn’t do much good for either team.

The Eddies entered the second half with a 1-0 lead thanks to a goal from Chad Burt. And, for the first 20 minutes of the second half, the Eddies were able to slow down the game. At halftime, FCE coach Colin Miller said the Eddies weren’t there to entertain the fans in Tampa, they were there to get the job done. And it was so far, so good — the Eddies were able to control the pace of the game down on a choppy surface.

And, then, it all changed with one blow of a whistle. Unkel blew a play dead after a cross went into the FCE area. A few players had gone down in the scrum. The Rowdies players went to complain, as they were sure the foul was being called on them. But Unkel, instead, pointed to the spot, claiming that FCE defender Kareem Moses had impeded the Rowdies’ Keith Savage.

Georgi Hristov buried the penalty kick.

To add insult to injury, Moses had to leave the game shortly after — Miller said he suspects that the fullback has a broken rib; but that’s not confirmed by a medical official. Moses will get X-rays to determine the extent of the injury.



With both teams knowing a draw wouldn’t really serve each of them in the standings, the game opened up dramatically in the final 20 minutes. The Eddies, though, carved out the two best chances. FCE striker Tomi Ameobi got in behind the defenders and had a great look at goal; he tried to push the ball through Pickens’ legs — but the keeper got just enough of it. The ball was directed through the wickets, but took enough of a deflection that it went off target.

Late in the game, Pickens made a great diving stop to deny a headed attempt for Horace James.

Near the end of the match, FCE fullback Eddie Edward picked up his second yellow as he fouled Hristov from behind. He will miss next weekend’s home date with the Carolina RailHawks. Edward was actually going to be suspended after he got the first yellow card, for a shoving match with ex-Toronto FC midfielder Darel Russell. That would have been enough to get him tossed for next week’s game, because of yellow-card accumulation.

“The effort from the players was tremendous,” said Miller. “Both teams were very competitive, and there wasn’t a bad tackle in the game. But, somehow, we’ve got a penalty kick against us and had a man sent off. Look, I know there will be some people who will say, ‘there goes Miller again, having a go at the referee.’ But in this case, I honestly believe that we deserved three points tonight.”

Miller said the Rowdies do deserve credit for playing at a pace “that’s more like the game in the U.K. than anywhere else in the league.”

And, the Rowdies did create the first few good chances of the game; the Eddies had flight issues getting into Tampa on Friday, thanks to the cancellation of a connecting flight to Chicago. But Moses did well to block an effort fromRussell, and in the 25th FCE keeper Lance Parker made an excellent diving stop on a Hristov free kick.

Meanwhile, Pickens did well to come off his line and take the ball off of Ameobi’s foot as he attempted to volley home an attempt.

But, three minutes before halftime, the Eddies got the lead. A low cross from Lance Laing was dummied by Ameobi, and the ball ended up at the far post at the feet of Neil Hlavaty. Pickens made a great sprawling save on Hlavaty’s attempt; but the rebound came to Chad Burt, who played for the Rowdies when they were known as FC Tampa Bay. Burt buried his shot into an open goal.

The Eddies managed to stifle striker Corey Hertzog, who made his Rowdies debut Saturday night. Hertzog played 13 games for the Eddies last season, while on loan from the Vancouver Whitecaps. He also scored for the Whitecaps against the Eddies in the 2013 Amway Canadian Championship.

But, despite all of the positives, the Eddies got only a point. The RailHawks lost, so the gap between the Eddies (in sixth) and Carolina for fourth spot in the overall standings — and the final playoff spot — is down to five points. But Fort Lauderdale, in fifth, one spot ahead of FCE, has 31 points — and a game in hand on both Carolina and FCE. The Rowdies are point behind the Eddies, but have TWO games in hand. That illustrates just how a win in Tampa would have changed things for FCE.

“We will keep fighting,” said Miller. “We were just dead on our legs at the end of this game. The guys’ effort was tremendous. And they are absolutely devastated in that dressing room. You could hear a pin drop. It means that much to them.”

READ PLASTIC PITCH TODAY. AUTUMN ISSUE FEATURES A Q AND A WITH NASL COMMISSIONER BILL PETERSON, LOOKING AT THE FUTURE OF NASL IN CANADA



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17-year-old Boakai’s call-up highlights Canada’s roster for Colombia friendly

Canadian national-team coach Benito Floro is going to give wunderkind Hanson Boakai the chance to play with the big boys.

Boakai won’t celebrate his 18th birthday till later in October, but he will be joining the Canadian national team for its friendly against Colombia at New Jersey’s Red Bull Arena on Oct. 14.

Boakai becomes the first playing member of FC Edmonton to be called up to the senior national side. The call-up comes just days after reports surfaced that the U.S. national team is set to summon Minnesota United’s Miguel Ibarra for its next camp. Ibarra was just named the NASL player of the month for September.

“It’s a compliment to our academy, it’s a compliment to our coaches, it’s compliment to his parents, it’s a compliment to everyone who has helped this young man develop,” said Boakai’s FC Edmonton coach, Colin Miller.

Miller said that Xtreme FC, Boakai’s youth soccer club, deserves massive credit for helping put this teenager on the national soccer map.

Boakai was an integral part of Canada’s squad at the most recent U-17 World Cup; he’s already working ahead of his age group, as he’s in the mix for the current U-20 Canadian squad.



Canadian soccer fans had the chance to really see what Boakai could do in the Amway Canadian Championship semifinal series against the Montreal Impact. While the Impact took a thrilling, down-to-the-wire tie, there was little doubt that Boakai was the best player on the field over the course of their two games.

The Eddies have brought along Boakai slowly — but Miller said it’s all part of the player’s learning curve.

“We have been quite hard on him,” said Miller. “He’s been fined a couple of times, we we all know that he was once late for a game. But, never, at any point, has anyone lost faith in his ability.”

Before the NASL season started, Boakai spent several weeks training with Fortuna Düsseldorf of the German Bundesliga 2.

Miller and his assistant coach, Jeff Paulus, understand how big the call-up is in terms of the NASL being scouted and recognized as a source for national-team talent.

“We have definitely been talking about it. We have seen players called up by Honduras, by El Salvador. I think it shows the strength of our clubs in this league; we have so many teams battling for post-season positions.”

CANADA ROSTER

GK- Lars Hirschfeld | NOR / Valerenga

GK- Milan Borjan | BUL / Ludogorets Razgrad

GK- Quillan Roberts | CAN / Toronto FC

D- Nik Ledgerwood | GER / Energie Cottbus

D- Jeremy Gagnon-Laparé | CAN / Impact de Montréal

D- Andre Hainault | GER / VfR Aalen

D- Doneil Henry | CAN / Toronto FC

D- Adam Straith | unattached / sans club

D- Karl W. Ouimette | CAN / Impact de Montréal

D- Luca Gasparotto | SCO / Glasgow Rangers

M- David Edgar | ENG / Birmingham City

M- Julian de Guzman | unattached / sans club

M- Pedro Pacheco | POR / Santa Clara

M- Kyle Bekker | CAN / Toronto FC

M- Manuel Aparicio | CAN / Toronto FC

M- Issey Nakajima-Farran | CAN / Impact de Montréal

M- Marcel de Jong | GER / Augsburg

M- Dylan Carreiro | SCO / Dundee (on loan at Arbroath)

M- Hanson Boakai | CAN / FC Edmonton

F- Tosaint Ricketts | ISR / Hapoel Haifa

F- Cyle Larin | USA / University of Connecticut

F- Marcus Haber | ENG / Crewe Alexandra

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Flying coach: Cancellation forces FC Edmonton to ad lib travel plans to Tampa

FC Edmonton’s staff and players are over the moon about teenage midfielder Hanson Boakai’s first call-up to the senior Canadian national side. But, soaring to Florida is turning out to be an issue.

The Eddies were all scheduled to leave Friday morning for Chicago and then get a connecting flight to Florida. The Eddies are set to face the Tampa Bay Rowdies Saturday night at Al Lang Stadium.

But, it didn’t go so well. The Eddies found out late Thursday night that the Edmonton-Chicago flight was going to be cancelled. That’s because the incoming flight from Houston on Thursday night, which was supposed to be turned around and used for the Chicago trip the next day, was cancelled because of inclement weather.

So, the Eddies’ staff scrambled late last night to try and find alternate flying arrangements for the team. Most of the team were able to get on one common connecting flight out. Other players are on another route. And the coaches were still in Edmonton late Friday morning, as they will be the last ones to get out.

Ah, the joys of flying coach.



Flight issues aren’t rare in NASL; we have seen road teams come into Edmonton after ridiculous layovers or who have had to deal with severe delays and/or flight cancellations. Last year, the Eddies didn’t get to North Carolina until 3 a.m. on a game day because a connecting flight in Toronto was stuck on the tarmac and was eventually hauled back to the terminal.

Because NASL players tend to be used to travel hardships, the Eddies’ flight issues won’t be a good excuse for a poor performance on Saturday.

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Eddies not sure if unexpected weekend off will hurt or help the Rowdies

Lance Laing puts the ball past Rowdies keeper Matt Pickens. Two weekends ago, the Eddies beat Tampa, 1-0. PHOTO: FC EDMONTON/TONY LEWIS

As FC Edmonton trained Thursday at Clarke Stadium, a winter wind whipped across the field. There were a few snow flurries in the air. The thermometer read 1 C, but the wind made it feel much colder than the freezing mark.

Forward Tomi Ameobi said it was much colder than at any time during the time he played professionally in Iceland.

It won’t be that cold on Saturday, when the Eddies are in Tampa Bay to face the Rowdies, who they defeated at Clarke Stadium just two weeks ago. The stakes are high; the Eddies are six points behind Carolina for the fourth and final post-season spot — based on the overall standings. But Tampa is just one point behind the Eddies, with two games in hand. Fort Lauderdale is one point ahead of the Eddies (in fifth place) with a game in hand.

So, you could argue that the Eddies need to beat Tampa away and then make sure to beat Carolina at Clarke Stadium two weeks from now to remain in the chase.

The game in Tampa will offer an interesting contrast; leading up to a game in Florida, the Eddies have been training in icy Alberta conditions. Meanwhile, the Rowdies had last weekend’s scheduled match against Fort Lauderdale postponed — so they may be rusty (or well-rested, depending on your perspective).



“I don’t know how it will work for them,” Ameobi said off the Rowdies’ unexpected lay-off. “But, I know, as a footballer, all you want to do is play games. So, whether they will be 100 per cent sharp or not, we’ll see. If you ask any player, they’d rather play games than train.”

FCE coach Colin Miller said having that extra week off, like Tampa Bay did, can be both good and bad.

“There’s a bit of both there, to be honest with you. They may have had one or two injuries that they’ve now had the opportunity to get back. I am sure they have had an intrasquad game of some sort, to keep things ticking like we certainly would have if we had inclement weather here. Personally, I think if you continue to play, it keeps the rhythm going. The fact that they had a break may work against them, there may be a bit of rustiness there. It may take a while till they get their legs going so we have to be jumping all over that.”

Two games ago, the Eddies beat the Rowdies 1-0 on a goal from Lance Laing.

“We played well against them, they created some chances — if I remember right — late on in the game because they were throwing bodies forward,” said Miller. “I actually read my report last night and it wasn’t until later on in the game where they created one or two chances, but they were more the result of us going to sleep a bit defensively.”

The Eddies’ draw against the Cosmos last weekend allowed Carolina — who beat Indy — to add a couple of points to its lead over FCE. But Ameobi said that his team still feels the gap can be made up.

“I don’t think we could have a better run-in,” said Ameobi. “We play all the teams that are around us (in the standings). Whoever is the best team will get in.”

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The elephant in the room: CFL is the forgotten partner in the Women’s World Cup turf-vs.-grass debate

When it comes to the looming legal action against FIFA and the Canadian Soccer Association over the decision to stage next year’s Women’s World Cup on artificial turf surfaces, there are some rather large elephants in the room who are choosing to remain quiet.

And those are the Canadian Football League teams. They stand to have further disruption to their seasons if the owners of the multipurpose stadiums being used for the WWC would have to tear up the turf and lay down grass.

On Friday, a deadline imposed by the lawyers for U.S. star Abby Wambach and her cadre of anti-turf allies went by. All FIFA did to, ahem, mark the occasion was to publicly confirm that an independent company has been hired to ensure that all of the game and practice fields in the Canadian host cities will meet the highest standard for artificial surfaces (CLICK HERE). So, the next step would be for Wambach and co. to follow through on their threats and take the Canadian Soccer Association and FIFA to task through a human-rights tribunal or, maybe, eventually to court.

Now, I’ve read through the legal briefs, and I’ve gone through a lot of the pro and con articles out there. But, one thing no one talks about, whether it’s from Wambach’s group or those who say we can lay down grass and then pull it up (CLICK HERE), is how it affects the other users of the stadiums.

There is definitely an arrogance out there amongst the anti-turf crowd; because the movement has been spurred outside of Canada, they have very little idea about the stadiums being used. They don’t seem to understand that these are shared, multipurpose facilities. In 2014, the Canadian Football League was quite accommodating, having the Edmonton Eskimos clear out of Commonwealth Stadium in order for U-20 Women’s World Cup matches to be played there. Next year, the sacrifices will be greater; the Ottawa RedBlacks, the Eskimos, the BC Lions and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers will all have their seasons affected.



Of course, the reason our major multipurpose stadiums use artificial turf — in most cases, FieldTurf — is to offer the most bang for our municipal bucks. The surfaces can take the pounding of multiple sports and non-sport events. And, football tears up grass like no other sport — so the CFL teams want to be on the fake turf, to keep costs down, yet keep players a lot safer than when they played on the old hard neon green carpet we remember from VCR-tape highlights.

The CFL season traditionally begins right on or near Canada Day (July 1), ensuring that the Grey Cup, this country’s biggest annual sporting event, can be played in November. Training camps happen in June. Of course, the Women’s World Cup is played throughout June into early July. So there’s a conflict.

Already, the CFL is making major sacrifices for next year. With four of their stadiums in use by the Women’s World Cup, the schedule will need to be delicately managed. For example, the Edmonton Eskimos will hold a large portion of their training camp in Fort McMurray, five hours north of their home city. They will play a preseason game in Fort Mac. Other CFL teams will need to make alternate arrangements for the beginning of the 2015 season, too.

The world has known since 2011, when Canada won the bid for the WWC, that this tournament would be staged on turf. So, it would be more than a bit unfair to go and change the playing surfaces with just a few months notice to your pigskin partners who have already adjusted their seasons.

That’s the rub, isn’t it? Why has it taken this long to launch legal action, when this was all announced in 2011?

Over the past couple of days, I’ve tried to solicit the CFL front office, plus the Eskimos and Lions — the two teams who will be most affected by the WWC — for comment. They’ve all declined to say anything at this time. They’re being wise: Choosing to let the sleeping dogs lie.

But this is for sure; the Eskimos and Lions will be itching to get back into their home stadiums. They can do that in short order on the turf; but grass would open a series of questions. Can they get into the stadiums within a couple of days of the WWC’s conclusion? If grass would be placed, would they be forced to have to play on it, creating an unforeseen ongoing maintenance cost?

The CFL is big, big business in Canada. So it’s galling to see so many outsiders criticize our Women’s World Cup process without taking the CFL into account. Before telling us what to do, understand our sporting culture first.

How big is the CFL in Canada? According to Yahoo’s Chris Zelkovich, in the last weekend of August, the two most popular sporting programs in Canada were CFL games. (And four of the top six, CLICK HERE) And, in the first weekend of September, despite the NFL kicking off south of the border, the CFL topped the sports ratings list — and took three of the top five spots. (CLICK HERE) The only CFL city where the league struggles for ratings and bums in seats is Toronto; and that’s a moot point, because Toronto’s not a WWC host city.

In North America, the soccer community has always had a problem — of looking down on other sports. Instead of seeing partnerships, we have, far too often, taken a holier-than-thou attitude. Look at how the baseball community rallied in New Westminster when they felt that the Whitecaps were trying to colonize their historic home park by bringing a USL-PRO affiliate into town. (The proposal was defeated by city council). If we want soccer to work, we have to see other sports and leagues as our friends.

If Canada wants a World Cup 2026 bid to work, it will have to get the support of the CFL. It will need to show it’s a good partner, that it can share its stadiums nicely. And, for those who want to criticize Canada’s WWC without taking into account the other tenants in the stadiums, I would like to offer one word of advice. RESEARCH. Do it.

And remember that this WWC is not taking place in soccer stadiums. It is taking place in multipurpose stadiums that are being used for soccer. Big difference. And, if you want to complain about that, well the deadline for that passed some time in 2011, when the WWC was awarded.

READ PLASTIC PITCH TODAY. AUTUMN ISSUE FEATURES A LOOK BACK AT THE U-20 WWC and LOOK AT CANADA’S HOPES FOR THE 2015 WWC!

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Crossbar ensures that Eddies have to settle for draw with Cosmos

Tomi Ameobi gets the shot through the hands of Cosmos keeper Jimmy Maurer for the equalizer. PHOTO: TONY LEWIS/FC EDMONTON

Once again, the woodwork loomed large in an FC Edmonton match.

The Eddies had to settle for a 1-1 draw with the New York Cosmos on a blustery, cool fall Sunday afternoon at Clarke Stadium. But, thanks to two efforts that crashed off the crossbar behind Cosmos keeper Jimmy Maurer, the Eddies can wonder what could have been.

The Eddies played the second half with a gusting wind at their backs, and it played havoc with the game. And, with the score level at 1-1 late in the second half, the Eddies had two wind-assisted efforts go off the bar.

First, a cross from fullback Kareem Moses sailed in the wind and Maurer could only watch, flat-footed, as the ball came back off the bar.

Later in the half, winger Lance Laing, understanding that the wind would cause his shot to swerve, drilled one in from the left wing. It took a wicked hook towards goal, and Maurer leapt to get his fingertips to it and direct it off the bar.



Coach Colin Miller said his team had a “tremendous response” in the second half, even if the Eddies did give up a goal off a corner kick right after halftime.

“We talk about staying tight on set pieces at halftime,” said Miller. “And, lo and behold, we give up a goal on a corner.”

The goal came from Danny Szetela, but was created by Cosmos striker Mads Stokkelien. Off the corner kick, Stokkelien ran across the box, past the near post and towards the corner taker, in order to elude FCE defender Beto Navarro. Despite running towards the corner and away from goal, Stokkelien got enough power and accuracy on the flick to get it all the way to the far post, where Szetela had the easiest finish imaginable.

Stokkelien had given the Eddies enough warnings. In the first half, when New York had the wind at its back, the Norwegian forward had several chances off his head to open the scoring. In the 40th minute, off a corner, on a similar run away from goal, he flicked the ball towards goal. FCE defender Mallan Roberts headed it off the line.

Stokkelien also forced Lance Parker into a difficult save early in the first half, as he got his head to a perfect cross from Jemal Johnson, who had got behind fullback Beto Navarro on the wing. Parker was forced to make the point-blank save with his face, and he had blood coming from his nose after the incident.

Parker also made a good first-half saves on a Danny Mwanga volley from inside the box and then got his fingertips to a 20-yard drive from Szetela.

“In the first half, it was tough for us to get out of our half,” said Parker. “The wind was a factor.”

Johnson caused problems for the Eddies throughout the first half, as Navarro continued his run of games at right back — as FCE’s regular right back, Edson Edward, once against started in the holding midfield position.

But, ironically, the Cosmos didn’t get that opening goal until the visiting team was against the wind.

But the Eddies tied it up thanks to some great teamwork. Chad Burt laid off a ball for Laing on the left wing. He hit a cross into the area, that Horace James nodded across the box for Tomi Ameobi, who ran onto it and smashed it home.

After the equalizer, the majority of chances fell to the Eddies. But the crossbar got in the way.

READ PLASTIC PITCH TODAY. NASL COMMISH BILL PETERSON ADDRESSES NASL CANADA RUMOURS, AND THE LEAGUE’S GROWTH IN THIS COUNTRY. CANADIAN SOCCER. CANADIAN STORIES.

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FIFA to send independent company to “ensure” quality of Canada’s Women’s World Cup turf

FIFA is going to contract an independent inspector to ensure that Canada’s artificial turf fields are indeed good enough to host a Women’s World Cup.

After the Executive Committee wrapped up its meetings in Zurich, FIFA made this announcement: “Regarding the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada, the executive ratified the decision to assign an independent company to travel to Canada in order to test pitches and training fields to ensure they fulfil the FIFA quality requirements.”

The Canadian Soccer Association says it will not make any comments about the timing of FIFA’s announcement, as this was a directive that the Association already knew about. It confirmed that the process of vetting the fields has actually already begun. Surfaces in Edmonton and Moncton are already approved. The goal is to have approval of the match surface and two training fields in each of the host cities.

American star Abby Wambach is leading a group of elite women’s players who have launched legal action against the exclusive use of artificial turf at next year’s Women’s World Cup. They claim the use of turf is a case of gender bias, as no men’s World Cup has ever been staged on artificial turf.

FIFA approves the use of artificial turf for international matches, as long as the surface meets FIFA’s star-rating system.



Under FIFA rules, a senior World Cup (men or women) must be played on consistent surfaces — it either must be all grass or all turf for games and training sessions. The rule does not apply to youth tourneys; for example, this year’s U-20 Women’s World Cup had games on both grass and turf.

The use of artificial turf was part of Canada’s bid for the Women’s World Cup, and has been common knowledge since the spring of 2011. But Wambach and her fellow players didn’t launch their legal challenge until 2014.

Of course, an independent body’s rating — and not FIFA’s own rating — helps a legal defence against claims that the turf isn’t up to world-class standards.

READ PLASTIC PITCH TODAY. AUTUMN ISSUE FEATURES A LOOK BACK AT THE U-20 WWC and LOOK AT CANADA’S HOPES FOR THE 2015 WWC!

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