Steven Sandor's Blog, page 113

PLASTIC PITCH 3 is available now! “The Walking Reds” on the cover!

The third issue of PLASTIC PITCH, our national soccer magazine, is out as of right now.

How to get PLASTIC PITCH? If you’re a subscriber, just update the Plastic Pitch app in your Android or IOS device. If not, you can get the App and magazine through iTunes, Apple Newsstand, Google Play and Amazon.

Halloween is coming up, so we decided on a Halloween cover. “The Walking Reds” cover combines soccer and zombies. Why? Because soccer and zombies were meant to be together. And it looks cool.

What will you find inside?



• Interviews with Alen Marcina and Adrian Cann, as they talk about Canada’s unofficial team in the NASL, the San Antonio Scorpions.

• NASL Commissioner Bill Peterson addresses NASL Canada rumours, the future of the league in Canada and if his league will one day recognize Canadians as full domestics. (Interestingly, Peterson says that the issue of having Canadians recognized as domestics on American teams is a “federation issue” and he didn’t bring up labour law)

• We look back at the U-20 Women’s World Cup, and assess just how much we can expect from Canada at the Women’s World Cup in 2015

• An in-depth look at David Monsalve and Dominic Oppong, teammates at AC Oulu

• FC Dallas’s Tesho Akindele on playing for Canada… when will it happen?

• Toronto FC coach Greg Vanney looks forward to the future

• John Molinaro gives MLS some advice on how it can fix its marquee game, the MLS Cup

• Mike Wyman looks at the Montreal Impact’s penchant for promoting its Quebec kids to the senior roster

• We talk to Kyle Porter, who has bounced between D.C. United and Richmond of USL-PRO

• Grassroots soccer in Quebec, and how it sets an example for semipro soccer across Canada

• What is it about Brampton? From Peter Roe to Atiba Hutchinson to Paul Stalteri to Kadeisha Buchanan, why is it the centre of Canadian soccer?

Whew.

Oh yeah — and make sure to look through the issue to find the link so you can enter to win a $200 prize pack from Umbro Canada!

FC Edmonton expands Academy, adds U-16 program

Jeff Paulus

According to owner Tom Fath, FC Edmonton won’t break even until Clarke Stadium is expanded and the team is drawing an average of 8,500 fans a game.

Since an expansion of the stadium isn’t in the cards yet — and the team has broken the 4,000-ticket mark just twice this season — the fact that the NASL club continues to grow is a testament to the Fath family’s commitment to the game in Canada.

On Wednesday, the club announced it is expanding its Academy program. It is adding a program for U-16s. So, next season the team will have both a U-18 wing and a U-16 section to develop local soccer talent.

“The addition of a U-16 program is another positive step in the growth of the FCE Academy,” said assistant coach and FCE Academy supervisor Jeff Paulus in a release issued by the club. “Not only is this positive step froward for the future goals of FC Edmonton, but it also cements FCE as an important member of the Canadian Soccer Associations player development pathway.”



The club announced the rosters for the U-16 and U-18 teams for the coming season:

U-18

Thomas Shores 1997 FCE Academy

Shamit Shome 1997 FCE Academy

Matt King 1997 FCE Academy

Noah Cunningham 1997 FCE Academy

Cole Kramer 1997 FCE Academy

Vladimir Tadic 1997 FCE Academy

Christian Kaiswatum 1997 FCE Academy

John Andrew Koe-Kulig 1997 FCE Academy

Armin Binder 1997 FCE Academy

Zach Rochat 1998 FCE Academy

Yusuph Kalenga 1998 FCE Academy

Amer Halilic 1998 Inter

Morgan Graham 1998 Inter

Gabriel Milo 1999 Astra Academy

Tyrell Leslie 1999 Inter

Abush Shiribu 1999 North Extreme

Johnathan Holbein 1999 Strikers

Nathan Klapstein 1999 Sherwood Park

Oscar Miranda 1999 Strikers

U-16

Alejandro Suarez 1999 Inter

Scott Hornbeck 1999 Scottish

Henry Jeong 1999 Southwest

Riju Roy 1999 Southwest

Logan Williams 1999 Southwest

Jean Pierre (JP) Jaera 1999 Drillers

Wren Henley 1999 Inter

Sheldon Prassad 1999 Inter

Anthony Carecas 2000 Juventus 00

Austin Couture 2000 Juventus 00

Jose Hernandez 2000 Juventus 00

Stefan Gajic 2000 North Extreme

Abraham Dukuly 2000 North Extreme

Jefferson Alade 2000 North Extreme

David Doe 2000 St. Albert Impact

Nathan Caroca 2000 Juventus 00

T-Boy Fayia 2001 Sherwood Park

Prince Amanda 2001 Sherwood Park

Abraham Jones 2001 Sherwood Park

Ivan Hirankunda 2002 Strikers

NASL Commissioner Peterson: Canadian expansion talks in next 60-90 days

Bill Peterson

NASL Commissioner Bill Peterson was in Edmonton for Sunday’s game between the Eddies and the Tampa Bay Rowdies. He was on hand to thank Edmonton City Council for approving the new $1.25-million permanent-football-line free turf that was installed at Clarke Stadium in July.

Of course, when he met with the press, the subject of expansion and a rumoured NASL Canada league came up.

And he said some expansion conversations are heating up.

“We have had discussion in San Francisco and Los Angeles, and over the next 60 to 90 days we expect to have more discussions in Canada,” said Peterson.



Peterson said he spoke with Canadian Soccer Association officials when the Board of Governors met in Ottawa last week, and the league is open to finding ways to better partner with the CSA. But he wouldn’t come out and talk directly about a rumoured NASL Canada division — saying instead that “it (the Canadian league) is a CSA agenda item.”

He said, though, that the NASL is interested in keeping those lines of communication open, and it will help identify potential partners who could be interested in bringing Canadian franchises to the league. In fact, Peterson said there could be as many as 10 Canadian markets that could possibly be NASL cities down the road.

READ PLASTIC PITCH TODAY. SUMMER ISSUE FEATURES A 16-PAGE LOOK AT CANADA’S BID TO HOST THE 2026 WORLD CUP!

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Laing’s moment of magic the difference as FCE edges Tampa Bay

Kareem Moses, right, clears a ball away from the path of Tampa Bay’s Willie Hunt. FC EDMONTON/TONY LEWIS

During the first half of Sunday’s match between the Tampa Bay Rowdies and FC Edmonton at Clarke Stadium, NASL Commissioner Bill Peterson came into the broadcast booth and compared the two teams to heavyweight fighters. They were pushing each other, feeling each other out, looking for weaknesses.

And, like many heavyweight bouts, one punch changed the fortune of the fight. And it was a left hook from Lance Laing that sent the Rowdies to the mat. (OK, it was a left-footed shot, and it sorta hooked as it went into the net… but I’m trying to work an analogy here. Sue me.)

Laing’s second-half goal was the difference as the Eddies beat the Rowdies 1-0 in front of an announced crowd of 4,392 at Clarke Stadium.

It came off a goal kick that Rowdies keeper Matt Pickens struck into a stiff 30 km/h wind. Laing won the ball on the Rowdies’ side of half, and played it to teammate Neil Hlavaty. Laing continued his run, Hlavaty spotted it, and then lofted a ball behind the Tampa Bay backline. Laing beat defender JP Rodrigues to the ball then unleashed a left-footed drive the Pickens couldn’t stop.



It was the exclamation mark on a scrappy game which saw the wind play havoc with the teams. It looked to affect the Rowdies more than the Eddies. Tampa Bay won the toss and decided to take the wind in the first half, which led to 45 minutes filled with long balls played out of the reach of the strikers. The Rowdies couldn’t adjust to how strong the wind was at their backs, and played ball after ball that ended up as goal kick after goal kick. At halftime, Rowdies coach Ricky Hill lamented how the wind advantage had made his team “too impatient.”

Still, the Rowdies got one great chance; and it didn’t come off a long ball. Beto Navarro, playing at right back for the Eddies made an ill-advised back pass that was intercepted by Tampa’s Blake Wagner. But FCE keeper John Smits came off his line, took away the angle, and made a great save.

In the second half, Smits was called upon to make a great save to preserve the win. Tampa’s Lucky Mksoana’s pass was deflected by Luciano Olguin towards goal, but Smits went into a butterfly pose, almost like a hockey goalie, to block the chance.

FCE Coach Colin Miller admitted that the game wasn’t the prettiest to watch, but it showed the home team’s resolve.

“You have to be committed to the job that’s required.”

And, after giving up a poor goal to Indy last week, Smits’ performance was proof that commitment.

While Miller was still critical of his keeper’s distribution (“he kicked it out to the bagpiper a few times in the first half”) he praised his keeper for the saves. “If you’re a keeper, your first job is to keep the ball out of the net.”

And while Laing got the glory, some unsung hero awards need to go to Eddie Edward, who moved from his regular right back spot and played 75 minutes as a holding midfielder, as the Eddies coped with injuries. And Kareem Moses’s play at left back is what allowed Laing to be able to roam up and down the pitch.

Miller said that Moses’s improvement since he came to the Eddies last February has been remarkable.

“For big Kareem, the standard here is far more consistent. But he’s very coachable. And he just cares so much about the club.”

READ PLASTIC PITCH TODAY. SUMMER ISSUE FEATURES A 16-PAGE LOOK AT CANADA’S BID TO HOST THE 2026 WORLD CUP!

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MLS announces a major rebrand: Should the league have considered changing its name?

Major League Soccer has a new logo. Refreshingly, it does not have a soccer boot crashing into a ball, as the outgoing one did.

(For two decades, it was nice to be reminded by a soccer league that has “Soccer” in its name that, indeed, its teams do play soccer.)

The new logo is remarkably simple, with “MLS” in a simple wordmark on a stylized shield split into two halves. One half bears three stars — and the other is left blank. The shield’s colour scheme can be altered to match any of the league’s teams — and the cynic will say that’s a reminder of the fact that, even though you may have a club to call your own, in the end it’s the league office that controls contracts and calls the shots.

It’s also incredibly bold for a league to announce a change in the way it markets itself, going into a year where a new Collective Bargaining Agreement needs to be negotiated. The current CBA expires after this season.

“Our new brand and crest are the result of an iterative process that has helped us better understand the world in which we operate in. The outcome is not an evolution, but a revolution,” Howard Handler, the league’s chief marketing domo, said at a news conference held Thursday in New York.

But there’s something I hope came up at the marketing meetings. If MLS has decided to go ahead with a major rebranding of itself, it should tackle what is maybe its own worst enemy. And that’s its name.

Major League Soccer.



Sure, changing the name of the league would cause some bumps and bruises. The MLS Cup would need to become the ______ Cup. For long-time followers of the league, MLS works just fine, thanks.

But the purpose of a rebrand is to excite potential new fans — to attract new blood and new eyes to the league. And, let’s face it, to people outside of our soccer community, “MLS” means one thing…

Real-estate listings.

I just pumped MLS into a Google search. Eight of the top 10 hits were for house listings or real-estate advice. Pump “Toronto MLS” into a Google search and, voila, the top hit links you to realtor.ca. Try “Kansas City MLS” and, at least the first non-sponsored hit you get is Sporting Kansas City. But, after that, a ton of real-estate sites. If you’re looking for a home in Brooklyn, type in “New York MLS,” because a Brooklyn property site is the first thing that will come up.

This happened to me in Toronto: I had discussions where I would say “I cover MLS” and people thought I wrote about homes. Seriously.

But, it’s not just about brand confusion. There is something inherently awful about a league calling itself “Major League.” It helps build the mentality that North Americans must constantly apologize for our soccer, or worse, be insecure about it. Nothing turns off a potential MLS convert like a thin-skinned MLS devotee going off on Twitter or Facebook or on-air about how this league, c’mon, is good enough, really it is. By calling itself “Major League Soccer,” it’s as if the league has to remind us over and over that, yes we should consider it to big-league. And the cynic would argue it has the counterintuitive effect; if the league really has to call itself “Major League,” then maybe it isn’t.

Yes, someone will bring up Major League Baseball. That’s not a problem, is it? But that name reflects an old union between what had been two rival leagues; and it’s not like MLB has to distinguish itself in a tough global market. Baseball is a totally different animal than soccer.

A switch to something like North American Premier League (of course, the NASL has dibs on the simplest and best name of all: “North American Soccer League”), NA League 1 or SPONSOR NAME HERE League, well that would be radical. But it would also really say something about soccer’s place in North America. A new name without “Major” would show the world that the league does indeed have a new sense of confidence.

Yes, the adoption of a new name would take time. A wordmark would need to be registered in a variety of jurisdictions. Lots of hurdles would need to be cleared. But, I’m sorry, while it may have worked in the mid-‘90s, the term “Major League Soccer” in 2014 comes off as cartoonish. It feels like a league where Team Evil from Shaolin Soccer would play.

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Eddies expect season-best crowd for this weekend’s Tampa Bay tilt

Eddie Edward is seen in action from a game against the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. PHOTO: FC EDMONTON/TONY LEWIS

Tickets are 97 per cent sold for Sunday’s match. FC Edmonton’s front office reports that there are just “100 to 150” tickets left for sale. And, for the first time this season, ESPN3 will simulcast a broadcast from FC Edmonton’s crew.

FC Edmonton will be on its biggest stage of the season (at least when it comes to a home game) this Sunday when it hosts the Tampa Bay Rowdies. And, coming into the weekend, it is just four points out of fourth place in the NASL overall table. Securing a fourth-place spot would mean a berth in The Championship — the league’s official brand for something most of us refer to as “playoffs.”

The Eddies have seven games left to make up that four-point gap. Four of those games — including three of the next four — are at Clarke Stadium. And, one major advantage the Eddies have over the field is that they are done with the league’s top two teams — Minnesota United and the San Antonio Scorpions — on the schedule.

But, not so fast. Coach Colin Miller said the one thing that the NASL has proven this year is that it has been wildly unpredictable. For example, last week, Tampa Bay hosted Ottawa, and lost. It was just Ottawa’s second win of the fall season. In the fall season standings, third through ninth is separated by, ahem, a whopping five points.

“The league has been just tremendous this season,” said Miller. “You can’t look at any game and say that is a sure three pointer.”



Right back Eddie Edward agreed. He said that, even though the Eddies don’t have to face the Loons or the Scorpions again in the regular season, that the team knows that “anything can happen” in the upcoming matches.

“That’s why it’s important like we play every game like we’re playing against those top teams,” said Edward.

Edward had a little stint in midfield during training Thursday. While he’s usually the Eddies’ right back, he played in midfield against the Montreal Impact in the Amway Canadian Championship. Where Edward might play on Sunday could depend on several players who are game-time decisions in terms of their health. Miller wouldn’t say which players are walking the fitness-test tightrope — as coaches are going to play it close to the vest as the games wind down and the stakes are higher. But we do know that keeper Lance Parker, midfielder Ritchie Jones and striker Daryl Fordyce all missed last weekend’s game against the Indy Eleven. So, with several players as question marks, the team does need to experiment in training to be ready for a variety of possibilities.

One thing is for sure; strike Frank Jonke is out. He suffered a concussion last week in Indianapolis and was not on the practice field on Thursday.

The Eddies officially sold out their home opener against the Cosmos, but there were many no-shows on a blustery evening. With temperatures expected in the mid-20s C this weekend, the conditions are good for this to be the biggest crowd of the season at Clarke.

READ PLASTIC PITCH TODAY. SUMMER ISSUE FEATURES A 16-PAGE LOOK AT CANADA’S BID TO HOST THE 2026 WORLD CUP!

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USL-PRO silent on status of Canadian MLS teams’ bids for affiliates

The deadline to apply for a new USL-PRO franchise fell on Sept. 15.

A day later, the USL brass won’t say much about which MLS teams will have new affiliate teams in place for the 2015 season. That includes the three Canadian MLS sides.

In 2013, USL forged an to become the developmental league for MLS. In 2014, the Vancouver Whitecaps and Montreal Impact confirmed their wishes to have USL affiliates for the 2015 season. Toronto FC has been rumoured to also be looking at having a direct affiliate in 2015, after failing in an earlier bid to secure an affiliate team in Hamilton.

But, when asked about who could be in and who could be out, USL President Tim Holt said Tuesday that the process of adding teams is still ongoing.

“USL PRO remains in the process of determining the roster of teams for the 2015 season, including any additional expansion teams. This includes several MLS clubs evaluating the opportunity to launch a USL PRO franchise. Any such official announcements will occur once agreements have been finalized.”



This grey area looks to give the Whitecaps the wiggle room they need to find a new home for their USL affiliate. On Monday, New Westminster’s city council voted unanimously to reject a plan that would have seen millions of civic dollars poured in to a plan to revamp Queen’s Park for a Whitecaps-affiliated USL-PRO franchise. But, after the no vote, the Whitecaps pledged to go forward with plans for a USL-PRO affiliate in another community.

The Canadian Soccer Association has given the three MLS teams under its jurisdiction the provisional go-ahead to have USL-PRO affiliates. In an August meeting, the CSA board agreed to sanction USL-PRO teams, with some very strict conditions attached.

Here is the exact wording from the CSA:

At a regularly planned meeting in August 2014, the Canadian Soccer Association Board of Directors approved the sanctioning of USL Pro but only applicable for reserve teams of existing Canadian MLS franchises.

• The sanctioning will be subject to conditions that are consistent with the Canada Soccer Pathway efforts towards a unified player development system:

• A minimum of 50% of the active USL Pro roster must consist of Canadians eligible for Canada’s National Teams programming;

• A minimum of six (6) Canadians eligible for Canada’s National Teams programming must be named to the starting XI (exceptions will be considered in case of injuries and international duties absences).

• The sanctioning will be reviewed on an annual basis

USL-PRO is the only fully professional North American league that fully recognizes Canadians as domestic players. NASL and MLS only recognize Canadians as domestics if they play on Canadian teams. In USL-PRO, there is no distinction made; Canadians are domestic players across the board.

USL-PRO is recognized in Canada and the United States as the third division, behind MLS (1) and NASL (2).

READ PLASTIC PITCH TODAY. SUMMER ISSUE FEATURES A 16-PAGE LOOK AT CANADA’S BID TO HOST THE 2026 WORLD CUP!

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Breaking down Michael Bradley’s comments, by the numbers: Do Canadian refs really favour American teams?

Dave Gantar: Even though he got the call wrong, is he owed an apology?

Toronto FC midfielder Michael Bradley crossed a line on Saturday night.

After Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Chicago, which saw Edmonton-based referee Dave Gantar rule out what would have been Gilberto’s winning goal for a phantom push on a Chicago defender, Bradley vented his frustration. And it was captured on the TFC’s official video feed (CLICK HERE).

“They continue to assign Canadian referees whenever an American team is playing against an Canadian team… they are going to go make a conscious effort to show that they are not being biased one way or another. It’s not the first time we’ve had this guy this year. What can I say? He’s just not good enough?”

A player moaning about officials is nothing new. But it wasn’t that Bradley was simply calling out Gantar for missing a call. He was suggesting that there was a motive behind the call. He suggested that Canadian referees are making “conscious efforts” to call their games a certain way.

It’s one thing to challenge a referee’s eyes or even a referee’s judgement. But the second you challenge the official’s character, you need to back that up.

Did Gantar make the wrong call on Glberto? Yes. Even the opposing coach, Frank Yallop, allowed that his Fire side was fortunate.

“It didn’t look like it was a foul, or whatever the ref called. We got lucky on that one,” Yallop said after the game.

But, let’s make this clear. There’s a big difference between a blown call and a blown call because of bias. And Bradley suggested the latter.



Let’s take a step back. Bradley suggested that Gantar was “in over his head” doing MLS games, but Gantar is one of North America’s most decorated officials. He’s done World Cup qualifiers, Gold Cup matches and, ahem, the infamous 2011 Amway Canadian Championship final, second leg, which saw him make the call to abandon the match during a punishing thunderstorm.

And there’s an even bigger issue here. Bradley suggested Canadian refs can’t fairly call games between Canadian-based teams and American-based teams. But is it true?

Well, the only thing to do is crunch the numbers; to sift through all of the matches in 2014 — both MLS and NASL — and isolate all the games where a Canadian referee has watched over a meeting between a Canadian-based side and an American-based side.

In MLS, it’s happened 16 times so far this season (go to the end of the article for game-by-game summaries). Canadian teams are 5-7-4 (W-L-D) in those matches. But that includes games that involve the Montreal Impact, so don’t read too much into the overall records.

Here’s what counts. In those sixteen matches, 203 fouls were called against the U.S. teams; 196 against the Canadian sides. Pretty well even.

Yellow cards? A total of 17 yellows were shown to players on the Canadian teams. Guys on the American teams saw 15 cards. Again, pretty close to even.

Red cards? Only two have been shown in those 16 games, and both went to the Canadian teams. But, that sample size is really too small to say anything about. Unless, of couse, you wonder why no U.S.-team player saw a red.

Penalties are the only area where the Bradley conspiracy theory could have some merit. American teams have been awarded six spot kicks; Canadian teams have only got two awarded to them.

But, based on total fouls called and cards, there’s no way that Bradley’s theory is proven by the numbers.

In NASL, the assignment strategy is a little different. PRO, the organization that assigns refs for MLS matches, only assigns refs for NASL games based in the United States. For games in Edmonton or Ottawa, the Canadian Soccer Association assigns the matches. So, that means every game on Canadian soil has a Canadian ref. But PRO has assigned Canadian Mathieu Bourdeau to games in the United States, as well.

So, in NASL, so far 19 games have been played between Canadian teams and American teams that have been officiated by a ref from north of the border.

The fouls — 243 called against the American teams, 230 against the Canadian teams.

Yellow cards — 42 against the American sides, 32 against Canadian sides.

Red cards — 2-1, with the Canadian teams getting one more.

Penalties — 6-5, with the American teams having the slight edge.

So, nothing in the NASL stats, absolutely nothing, to suggest bias.

Gantar made a poor call. Canadian officials have made poor calls. But we’ve also seen American officials make poor calls in games involving Canadian teams. Ted Unkel, Sorin Stoica, Fotis Bazakos, Balodomero Toledo — check the message boards of Canadian-team fans and see how many times those names pop up. It comes with the territory — refs are always the first target for scorn.

But, the stats don’t look to indicate any bias. And, as much as it hurts in the wake of the missed call, Bradley has to do the right thing and apologize. Or, PRO has to do the right thing and give Gantar another Toronto FC assignment as quickly as possible. ??

Detailed stats are below.

MLS

Canadian teams’ record: 5-7-4 (21-25)

Fouls: US 203, CAN 196

Yellows: CAN 17, USA 15

Red cards: CAN 2, USA 0

Penalties: US teams 6, CAN teams 2

March 22 2014

Silviu Petrescu

TFC 1, DC United 0

Yellow cards: DCU 1, TFC 1

Fouls DCU 20, TFC 12

April 5, 2014

Silviu Petrescu

NYRB 2, Montreal Impact 2

Cards: None

Fouls NY 9, Montreal 9

Penalties: NY 1 (missed)

April 12, 2014

Dave Gantar

Colorado 1, TFC 0

Yellow cards: TFC 1, Colorado 0

Fouls Col 12, TFC 10

April 19, 2014

Silviu Petrescu

Vancouver 2, Los Angeles 2

Yellow cards LA 1, Vancouver 1

Fouls: Vancouver 13, LA 10

May 3, 2014

Drew Fischer

Vancouver 3, San Jose 2

Yellow cards: Vancouver 1, SJ 1

Fouls: Vancouver 19, SJ 14

Penalties: Vancouver 1, SJ 1 (both converted)

May 17, 2014

Silviu Petrescu

TFC 2, NYRB 0

Yellow cards: TFC 2, NY 2

Fouls: NY 13, TFC 12

May 31, 2014

Silviu Petrescu

Montreal 2, New England 0

Yellow cards: NE 2, Montreal 1

Fouls: Montreal 13, NE 12

July 5, 2014

Dave Gantar

DC United 2, TFC 1

Red cards: TFC 1

Fouls: TFC 8, DCU 7

July 19, 2014

Dave Gantar

Columbus 2, Montreal 1

Yellow cards: Montreal 1

Fouls: Montreal 9, Columbus 7

July 24, 2014

Drew Fischer

Real Salt Lake 3, Montreal 1

Yellow cards: RSL 1, Montreal 1

Red cards: Montreal 1

Fouls: Montreal 13, RSL 9

July 27, 2014

Silviu Petrescu

Portland 3, Montreal 2

Fouls: Montreal 20, Portland 5

Yellow cards: Montreal 3, Portland 0

Penalties: Portland 1 (converted)

Aug. 10, 2014

Dave Gantar

Vancouver 2, Sporting KC 0

Yellow cards: SKC 2, Vancouver 2

Fouls: SKC 25, Vancouver 9

Penalties: Vancouver 1 (missed)

Aug. 16 2014

Drew Fischer

Sporting KC 4, TFC 1

Yellow cards: 0

Fouls SKC 15, TFC 12

Penalties: SKC 2 (both converted)

Aug. 30 2014

Silviu Petrescu

New England 3, TFC 0

Yellow cards: NE 3. TFC 1

Fouls: NE 22, TFC 13

Sept. 6 2014

Drew Fischer

DC United 0, Vancouver 0

Yellow cards: DCU 1

Fouls DCU 14, Vancouver 8

Sept 13. 2014

Dave Gantar

Chicago 1, TFC 1

Yellow cards: TFC 2, Chicago 1

Fouls: TFC 16, Chicago 9

Penalties, Chicago 1 (missed)

NASL

Canadian teams’ record: 5-11-3 (29-29)

Fouls: USA 243, CAN 230

Yellow cards: USA 42, CAN 32

Red cards: CAN 2, USA 1

Penalties: USA 6, CAN 5

April 19, 2014

Mathieu Bourdeau

New York 1, FCE 0

Yellow cards: FCE 2, NY 2

Fouls: FCE 23, NY 15

April 19, 2014

David Barrie

Minnesota 2, Ottawa 1

Yellow cards: Minnesota 2, Ottawa 2

Fouls: Ottawa 15, Minnesota 11

April 26, 2014

Yusri Rudolf

Ottawa 4, Carolina 0

Yellow cards: Carolina 2, Ottawa 1

Fouls: Ottawa 15, Carolina 12

May 3, 2014

Alain Ruch

Fort Lauderdale 3, FCE 1

Yellow cards: FTL 3, FCE 1

Red cards: FCE 1

Fouls: FTL 12, FCE 9

Penalties: FTL 1 (converted)

May 10, 2014

Justin Tasev

Tampa Bay 1, Ottawa 1

Yellow cards: Ottawa 2, TB 0

Fouls: TB 12, Ottawa 11

Penalties: Ottawa 1 (missed), TB 1 (converted)

May 24, 2014

Chris Grabas

San Antonio 3, Ottawa 2

Yellow cards: SA 3, Ottawa 2

Fouls SA 18, Ottawa 12

Penalties: Ottawa 1, SA 1 (both converted)

May 24, 2014

Robert Schaap

Atlanta 2, FCE 1

Yellow cards: Atlanta 3, FCE 0

Fouls Atl 13, FCE 9

June 8, 2014

Francis Latulippe

FCE 6, Carolina 1

Yellow cards: Carolina 2, FCE 0

Fouls: Carolina 14, FCE 12

Penalties: FC Edmonton 1 (converted)

June 8, 2014

Mathieu Bourdeau

New York 1, Ottawa 0

Yellow cards: Ottawa 4, New York 2

Fouls: Ottawa 15, New York 14

July 20, 2014

David Barrie

New York 1, Ottawa 0

Yellow cards: New York 3, Ottawa 0

Fouls: New York 16, Ottawa 10

July 27, 2014

Chris Grabas

Indy Eleven 1, FCE 0

Yellow cards: None

Fouls: FCE 7, Indy 6

August 3, 2014

David Barrie

FCE 3, San Antonio 1

Yellow cards: SA 3, FCE 2

Fouls: FCE 18, SA 14

Penalties: SA 1 (converted)

August 9, 2014

Marie Soleil-Beaudoin

Fort Lauderdale 2, Ottawa 1

Yellow cards: FTL 3, Ottawa 1

Fouls: FTL 13, Ottawa 13

August 9, 2014

Mathieu Bourdeau

Minnesota 3, FCE 2

Yellow cards: FCE 2, MNU 1

Red cards: MNU 1

Fouls: FCE 15, MNU 11

Penalties: MNU 1, FCE 1 (both converted)

August 17, 2014

Robert Schaap

San Antonio 1, Ottawa 1

Yellow cards: SA 3, Ottawa 3

Fouls: SA 19, Ottawa 12

Penalties: Ottawa 1 (missed)

August 24, 2014

Sheena Dickson

FCE 2, Fort Lauderdale 1

Yellow cards: FCE 7, FTL 4

Red cards: FCE 1 (2nd yellow)

Fouls: FTL 19, FCE 12

Penalties: FTL 1 (converted)

August 30, 2014

Yusri Rudolf

Tampa Bay 2, Ottawa 0

Yellow cards: TB 3, Ottawa 2

Fouls: TB 17, Ottawa 11

August 31, 2014

Alain Ruch

FCE 2, Minnesota 1

Yellow cards: MNU 1

Fouls: FCE 16, MNU 6

September 7, 2014

Justin Tasev

Carolina 2, Ottawa 2

Yellow cards: Carolina 2, Ottawa 1

Fouls: Carolina 12, Ottawa 10

FCE coach Miller looks at Indy draw as point gained, not two points dropped

FCE’s Milton Blanco, left, battles for the ball with Indy’s Mike Ambersley.

Thanks to injuries and suspensions, Neil Hlavaty regained his spot in FC Edmonton’s starting 11.

And, his spectacular free-kick goal allowed the Eddies to draw the Indy Eleven 1-1 Saturday night in Indianapolis. Hlavaty also came oh so close to scoring what would have been a match winner in the second half with another free kick. But, Indy keeper Kristian Nicht dove to make a fingertip save.

“It’s not just the free kicks, I thought Neil played his best game of the season for us tonight,” FCE coach Colin Miller said after the match. “And it’s not a fluke, he practices those free kicks every day.”

Hlavaty’s free kicks weren’t the only bright spots for the Eddies; so was the play of the makeshift back four. With right back Eddie Edward suspended, youngster Mallan Roberts got his first start at centre back since the spring season, while centre back Beto Navarro moved to Edward’s spot on the right. Kareem Moses (left back) and Albert Watson (centre back) held their regular spots.



In fact, outside of Hlavaty’s free-kick equalizer, the two best offensive chances the Eddies created came from the back line. Off a corner, Navarro’s sneaky back-heel effort forced Nicht into a sprawling save. Off another corner, the ball came out to Watson, whose off-balance volley crashed off the post.

Yes, the Eddies gave up a goal, but that couldn’t be pinned on the defenders. The blame on that falls to keeper John Smits, who was back in goal after Lance Parker couldn’t recover from a shoulder injury suffered in last week’s loss to San Antonio.

Indy’s Sergio Pena took a shot from outside the box that was aimed right at the centre of goal, and towards Smits’ bread basket. The ball took a bit of an awkward bounce, but one that a pro keeper has to handle. Smits couldn’t control the shot; the rebound bounced to Victor Pineda, whose bicycle kick found the back of the net. Full marks to Pineda for the finish, but the ball should never have got to him.

“Smits put up his hand after the game, he’s such an honest player,” said Miller. “But, I have to say, he did play very well for us after that, had a very good second half.”

Parker was out. Edward and midfielder Cristian Raudales were missing due to suspensions. Striker Daryl Fordyce is still coping with tendinitis in the heel and Ritchie Jones was hurt last week in San Antonio. With five men out, Miller saw the draw in Indy as a glass half-full.

“We were down five starters and I thought we played very well overall. I am going to look at this as one point gained rather than two points dropped.”

After Saturday’s action, the Eddies remained four points out of fourth place in the overall standings, and the NASL’s final playoff spot. The only thing that changed is the team the Eddies are chasing. After Tampa Bay’s loss to Ottawa and Carolina’s win over San Antonio, it’s now the RailHawks who occupy fourth.

The Eddies are expecting a big crowd for next week’s home date to the Rowdies. Reports are that tickets are more than 95 per cent sold.

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FCE’s Blanco hoping injuries are behind him, looks for strong performance in Indy

New York’s Marcos Senna watches as FCE’s Milton Blanco gets a foot to the ball in action from earlier in 2014. PHOTO FC EDMONTON/TONY LEWIS

Milton Blanco feels guilty. He came to FC Edmonton with high expectations for the team and for himself. He knew that FCE owner Tom Fath has a reputation for treating the players well, and Blanco wanted to repay that faith with a standout season.

But, after being a cornerstone of the Atlanta Silverbacks lineup last season, injuries have prevented Blanco from becoming an everyday Eddie. A broken hand robbed Blanco of the majority of the spring season. Then, after a bright start to the fall season, Blanco hurt his knee in an early August game against the New York Cosmos. And, for another month, Blanco was on the shelf, wearing the red shirt in training.

“I feel bad,” says Blanco. “I feel like I have not contributed as much as I wanted to. I feel bad because of all the faith Tom Fath and the coaching staff here put in me when they brought me here. Unfortunately, I broke my hand and, then after I got the chance to play again, then it was my knee.”

But Blanco will be back in the lineup this weekend, as he’s been cleared to travel to Indianapolis with the Eddies for this Saturday night’s match against the Eleven. He’ll be needed; because of red cards issued in last week’s 3-0 loss to the San Antonio Scorpions, holding midfielder Cristian Raudales and right back Edson Edward are suspended. And coach Colin Miller is waiting on the status of two players who might not make the trip — but he wouldn’t publicly say which players are questionable for the game.



We’re in that part of the season, after all; the stretch run — and coaches will play it even closer to their vests than normal. The Eddies are just four points behind the Tampa Bay Rowdies for fourth in the overall standings — which comes with a spot in the four-team post-season.

Michael Nonni, who missed last week’s loss to San Antonio, is fit again — so he’s not one of the two in question.

With so much on the line in term of the post-season race, and with lineup headaches, there’s no way the Eddies will take the game for granted, even if the Indy Eleven have the worst overall record in NASL this season. After all, the Eleven beat the Eddies 1-0 in Edmonton earlier in the fall season, in a bizarre game which saw the home side miss a shocking number of sitters.

“They (Indy) went to Atlanta and they won there; I watched the game and they deserved to win,” said Miller.” “We played them here, we outshot them something like 27 to 11, and we still lost the game. When we beat them in Indy (in the spring season) we played well for three quarters of the game and them tried to throw it away at the end.”

And, Miller and the Eddies are looking forward to playing in front of a full house in Indianapolis. The support for the expansion Eleven has been fantastic — but there’s one thing; great atmosphere in a stadium also fires up the road team.

“It’s great going there, it’s a great occasion,” said Miller. “The guys have been there, they know what to expect. But there will be lots of people, and we have plenty of incentive.”

And Blanco has his own personal incentives He wants to be more of a contributor to the FCE season. When asked if he could go 90 on Saturday if that’s what the coach needed, Blanco nodded.

“I am ready. That’s the thing, you work even harder when you’re injured than when you’re not injured. You’re doing extra sprints and extra work, not just games.”

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