Steven Sandor's Blog, page 17

Late winner from Williams gets Canada to U-17 Women’s World Cup

Andersen Williams’s 88th-minute header bounded right through a pack of Haitian defenders before it crossed the line — giving Canada a 2-1 win and a berth in the U-17 Women’s World Cup.

The third-place game of the CONCACAF U-17 Championship is arguably more important than the championship match. The winner of the third-place match gets a berth in the World Cup, the fourth-place side gets, well, nothing.

Williams got the winner after Jordyn Huitema — scorer of Canada’s opening goal, cushioned a header towards her off a corner kick. Williams threw her neck into it, and the ball squirted through the pack and into the goal.

The goal saved some blushes for Canadian keeper Anna Karpenko. She had clearly been Canada’s top performer over the course of the tournament, but made an error in judgment that led to Haiti’s penalty-kick equalizer.

After Canadian Caitlin Shaw gave the ball away in the middle of the park, the Haitians got the ball to forward Melchie Dumonay. The Haitian attacker was angling away from goal and, while she was in the penalty area, the only real risk was that she would be able to do a 360 before she ran herself into touch. But Karpenko came off the line to challenge Dumonay, and held her head in her hands after she brought the Haitian down, giving up a no-debate penalty.

Dumonay converted the spot kick.

While Canada did get to the World Cup, once again its play was anything but convincing. The two goals scored came from route-one football and a set piece. Williams’s winner came off a corner and Huitema’s opener came when Shaw’s long route-one hoof found her teammate running past the Haitian defence.

Canada struggled to create chances by playing the ball out of the back or the midfield, or playing the ball on the ground. If anything, when the team had success, it was because they went back to the old Even Pellerud philosophy of using size and strength to win 50-50 balls.

Inescapably Canadian Power Rankings: MLS Week 15/USL Week 13

Well, that was a hell of a weekend for Canadians in MLS and USL.

As if Jonathan Osorio bagging a brace for Toronto FC in Friday’s win over Philadelphia wasn’t enough, teenage sensation Alphonso Davies put on a one-goal, three-assist performance in a win over Orlando City that dropped the jaws of everyone around MLS.

But, while Osorio and Davies bask in the afterglow of their weekend performances — and the continuing speculation of what teams will come in and make offers for them — the feel-good story of the week took place in USL.

That’s because Saskatchewan-born Drew Beckie took to the field for OKC Energy, shortly after being transferred from the Jacksonville Armada. It capped a great comeback story for the Canadian.

After the 2017 NASL season wrapped, Beckie — like most of the players in the league — was left scrambling. Would the league come back in 2018? (No.) Would he need to find a new job? (Yes.) So, he went to Scandinavia to audition for teams, but fell victim to a strange, dangerous virus. He returned to North America, but the bills piled up. An online funding campaign was launched in order to help Beckie. Fans from both Canada and the United States chipped in, as did former teammates and guys who had played against Beckie. It showed how united the soccer community can be.

The campaign raised nearly $20,000 US, a small sum considering how much community work Beckie has done. In 2015 he was named the NASL’s Humanitarian of the Year.

So, the fact he played this past weekend for the OKC Energy, well, that should have us all smiling.

Here are the rankings after the 15th week of MLS play/13th week of USL action:

MLS MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS

Samuel Piette, Montreal, 1350 (15)
Alphonso Davies, Vancouver, 1194 (16)
Mark-Anthony Kaye, LAFC, 1161 (14)
Will Johnson, Orlando, 1119 (13)
Jonathan Osorio, TFC, 902 (11)
Marcel de Jong, Vancouver, 759 (10)
Raheem Edwards, Montreal, 662 (10)
Dejan Jakovic, LAFC, 604 (8)
Russell Teibert, Vancouver, 601 (9)
Ryan Telfer, TFC, 592 (8)
Jay Chapman, TFC, 565 (10)
Michael Petrasso, Montreal, 565 (9)
Anthony Jackson-Hamel, Montreal, 476 (12)
Ashtone Morgan, TFC, 459 (6)
Tosaint Ricketts, TFC, 428 (10)
Jordan Hamilton,TFC, 373 (7)
Liam Fraser, TFC, 366 (6)
Brett Levis, Vancouver, 227 (4)
Doneil Henry, Vancouver, 180 (2)
Richie Laryea, Orlando, 127 (5)
Louis Beland-Goyette, Montreal, 109 (4)
Julian Dunn-Johnson, TFC, 104 (2)
Tesho Akindele, FC Dallas, 40 (4)
Brian Wright, New England, 27 (2)
David Choiniere, Montreal, 12 (1)
Aidan Daniels, TFC, 12 (1)
Kwame Awuah, NYCFC, 3 (2)

 

TEAM RANKINGS, MLS MINUTES PLAYED BY CANADIANS IN 2018

Toronto FC, 3801/13 (292.4)

Montreal, 2898/14 (207)

Vancouver, 2961/16 (185.1)

LAFC, 1765/14 (126.1)

Orlando City, 1246/14 (89)

FC Dallas, 40/14 (2.9)

New England, 27/15 (1.8)

NYCFC, 3/15 (0.2)

 

USL MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS

Jordan Schweitzer, Colorado Springs, 1280 (15)
Skylar Thomas, Charleston, 1080 (12)
Robert Boskovic, TFCII, 1070 (12)
Paris Gee, Tulsa, 1011 (13)
Jordan Murrell, Reno, 990 (11)
Amer Didic, Swope Park Rangers, 930 (11)
Kyle Bekker, NCFC, 901 (11)
Maxime Crepeau, Ottawa, 900 (10)
Eddie Edward, Ottawa, 900 (10)
Bradley Kamdem-Fewo, Fresno, 900 (10)
Karl Ouimette, Indy, 900 (10)
Carl Haworth, Ottawa, 888 (12)
Jordan Dover, Pittsburgh, 884 (10)
Jamar Dixon, Ottawa, 846 (12)
Aidan Daniels, TFCII, 840 (10)
Luca Uccello, TFCII, 820 (12)
Malik Johnson, TFCII, 814 (13)
Chris Mannella, Ottawa, 720 (8)
Adonijah Reid, Ottawa, 690 (10)
Rocco Romeo, TFCII, 679 (8)
Matthew Srbely, TFCII, 617 (10)
Thomas Meilleur-Giguere, Ottawa, 599 (7)
Noah Verhoeven, Fresno, 594 (10)
Josh Heard, Real Monarchs SLC, 579 (8)
Ryan James, Nashville, 522 (8)
Noble Okello Ayo, TFCII, 502 (7)
Mauro Eustaquio, Penn FC, 462 (7)
Angelo Cavalluzzo, TFCII, 450 (5)
Julian Dunn-Johnson, TFCII, 450 (5)
Tyler Pasher, Indy, 440 (5)
Keven Aleman, Sacramento, 396 (6)
Mastanabal Kacher, Real Monarchs SLC, 394 (7)
Gianluca Catalano, TFCII, 344 (4)
Zachary Ellis-Hayden, Fresno, 337 (4)
Luca Petrasso, TFCII, 328 (6)
Dante Campbell, TFCII, 300 (5)
Zak Drake, Las Vegas, 296 (6)
Shaan Hundal, TFCII, 282 (7)
Mark Anthony Gonzalez, Reno, 278 (4)
Nana Attakora, Ottawa, 270 (3)
Doneil Henry, Ottawa, 270 (3)
Darrin MacLeod, Swope Park Rangers, 270 (3)
Michael Cox, Nashville, 264 (5)
Jordan Faria, TFCII, 239 (5)
Ryan Telfer, TFCII, 207 (3)
Alessandro Riggi, Phoenix, 203 (8)
Chris Nanco, Bethlehem Steel, 222 (9)
Daniel Haber, FC Cincinnati, 200 (6)
David Edgar, Nashville, 200 (5)
Callum Irving, Ottawa, 180 (2)
Kyle Porter, Ottawa, 173 (2)
Jordan Hamilton, TFCII, 153 (2)
Kunle Dada-Luke, TFCII, 147 (4)
Luca Ricci, Phoenix, 119 (3)
Steffen Yeates, TFCII, 110 (2)
Matthew Baldisimo, Fresno, 90 (1)
Drew Beckie, OKC Energy, 90 (1)
Liam Fraser, TFCII, 90 (1)
Daniel Da Silva, TFCII, 59 (1)
Terran Campbell, Fresno, 53 (5)
Gabriel Wiethaeuper-Balbinotti, Ottawa, 50 (2)
Monti Mohsen, Ottawa, 45 (1)
Malyk Hamilton, TFCII, 11 (1)

 

TEAM RANKINGS, USL MINUTES PLAYED BY CANADIANS IN 2018

TFCII, 8512/13 (654.8)

Ottawa, 6531/12 (544.3)

Fresno, 1974/14 (141)

Indy Eleven, 1520/12 (126.7)

Swope Park Rangers, 1200/13 (92.3)

Reno, 1268/14 (90.6)

Colorado Springs, 1280/15 (85.3)

Charleston, 1080/13 (83.1)

NCFC, 901/11 (81.9)

Tulsa, 1011/13 (77.8)

Nashville, 986/13 (75.8)

Real Monarchs SLC, 973/13 (74.8)

Pittsburgh, 884/12 (73.7)

Penn FC, 462/12 (38.5)

Sacramento, 396/14 (28.3)

Las Vegas, 296/11 (26.9)

Phoenix, 322/14 (23)

Bethlehem Steel, 222/13 (17.1)

FC Cincinnati, 200/13 (15.4)

OKC Energy, 90/13 (6.9)

 

Stop the cheerleading: The cracks in the Canadian women’s program are there for everyone to see

Sunday wasn’t what we’d call a banner day for the Canadian women’s program.

The senior team lost 3-2 in Hamilton to the Germans in a friendly, with the 173rd international goal from Christine Sinclair and a marker from Jessie Fleming not being enough to offset yet another worrying team defensive performance.

But, what was even more important — though it wouldn’t have grabbed as much attention — is yet another performance from a women’s youth national side that makes us wonder just where we really are in the CONCACAF pack. A 2-1 loss to the Mexicans at the CONCACAF U-17 Championship puts Canada at risk of missing the U-17 Women’s World Cup.

Let’s start with the senior side, though.

At the recent Algarve Cup, Canada gave up three goals to Sweden; that loss which destroyed Canada’s chances of doing any better than fifth at the tourney. Fast forward to Sunday, and the defence was porous against Germany in Hamilton. The team switched off from the opening kick off. A casual pass from defender Kadeisha Buchanan allowed the Germans to break out two on two. But Svenja Huth ended the chance with a rather wide-open chance to blast the ball in from the right channel. At the 50-second mark, the Germans had the lead.

Goalie Stephanie Labbe was called upon to stop a point-blank header later in the first half, and defender Shelina Zadorsky was luckily in the right place at the right time to block Huth’s goal-bound blast. The teams went to the half with the Germans holding a 1-0 lead; but, it could have been, should have been, worse. Even though coach Kenneth Heiner-Moller’s plan to clog the passages with a five-player midfield, the Germans showed they could counter with relative ease.

After Sinclair and Fleming made it 2-1, the Canadians shut off again. After Fleming’s goal, right off the kickoff, Sara Dabritz dashed through the (ahem) five-player midfield, got to the top of the box, and scored. Buchanan had the best chance to try and stop Dabritz from shooting, but was caught flat-footed when the German shuffled the ball in her feet. It’s easy to point the finger at  Buchanan, but the way Canada allowed Dabritz to make a run up the gut, that’s unforgivable at this level. It’s a team error.

Turid Knaak got the winner on a rebound after Labbe stopped a free kick.

The youth problem

Canada failed to qualify for the 2018 U-20 Women’s World Cup. In 2016, the Canadian U-20s finished last in their World Cup group, scoring just once and surrendering 13 goals.

The Canadian team didn’t make it out of the group stage of the 2016 U-17 Women’s World Cup. And, like the U-20s, the new crop of U-17s are in real danger of missing out on World Cup qualification this time around. After Sunday’s 2-1 loss to Mexico in the semifinals of the CONCACAF U-17 Women’s Championship, the Canadians will need to scratch out a win in the third-place game in order to qualify.

Anette Vazquez scored early for Mexico, as she was left open in the box to hit a header into the top of the goal; Canada equalized thanks to Teni Akindoju, who neatly clipped in a shot from the near post off a pass from Jordyn Huitema.

But a penalty from Nicole Perez before halftime sealed Canada’s fate.

Despite being in a desperate spot, the Canadians didn’t do enough to get significant attempts on the Mexican goal in the second half.

What do recent results tell us?  The rah-rah attitude that follows the women’s program should be wearing thin at some point.

We need to be fair, not cheerleaders. So let’s look at the Canadian performance in a frank fashion. At this U-17 CONCACAF tourney, Canada needed a clearance off the line to keep Costa Rica from getting a late equalizer. Canada was outclassed by the United States, and only Anna Karpenko’s stellar goalkeeping kept the score respectable. And, most recently, Canada was outplayed by Mexico, and Karpenko made a ridiculous point-blank save in that game too.

The fact that Karpenko, the keeper, has been far and away Canada’s best player at this tournament says a lot about the state of the team in front of her. Yes, these are amateur teenagers, so I’m not going to pick them apart player by player. What, though, has to be noted that, over the last couple of years, the youth side of the women’s program has really struggled on the international stage, and it’s clear we’re losing ground to other women’s soccer nations.

And, sooner or later, Canada Soccer has to stop with the highlight packages that only show Canadian high points. We need to stop with the kid gloves. The results have been poor at the youth international level; and it’s not because of bad luck or bad calls. Canada’s level of play isn’t where it needs to be.

You only live twice: FCE’s resurrection is official

On Friday night, at a street party just a drunken whoop away from the Whyte Avenue strip, FC Edmonton officially became team No. 5 in the Canadian Premier League. A new badge was unveiled. The team’s colours will be two shades of blue and, ahem, “Rabbit White.”

The badge is a stylized, interconnected “FCE.” A rendering of the North Saskatchewan River forms part of the letter E. The badge notes the team was established in 2010 — as a nod to its NASL history — and also had a rabbit-paw track, a more subtle homage to the team’s animal talisman than might have been expected.

(Don’t worry. I’ve been told the rabbit will still have a place under the collar of the team’s jerseys.)

Supporters marched down Whyte Avenue, in a shroud of blue smoke, all the way to the street-party space by the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market. (See video at the bottom of the post.) When CanPL Commissioner David Clanachan came to the stage, the supporters greeted him with a joking “who are you?” chant.

“This is fantastic,” Clanachan said after attending his fifth team launch over the last couple of month. “I keep saying this, everybody keeps outdoing the other guy. This is unbelievable. If you told me this was going to be like this when I first met you, this is phenomenal.”

“We have joined forces with the Canadian Premier League,” said FCE general manager Jay Ball. “This is changing the culture of soccer across this nation. We’re fueling a movement, it’s the largest sports community across this country, and across this continent, and across this world. Soccer is in our nation’s DNA.”

Now comes the question: Has FCE finalized details on its home stadium? Not quite yet. FCE played NASL games in Clarke Stadium from 2012-17; after the team announced its withdrawal from NASL (which hasn’t played a game in 2018, anyway) it came to the city asking for seating capacity to be raised from 4,100 to 7,000, the ability to be the prime soccer tenant and the chance to have naming rights to the venue.

The move was initially opposed by the CFL’s Edmonton Eskimos, who pay rent to use Clarke as a practice facility, and minor football groups in the city.

But co-owner Tom Fath said that negotiations with the city — and with other partners such as the Eskimos — are going well.

“The process has been positive,” he said. “How many hundreds of stadiums are there in North America where they share the field? We will work out something that’s best for everyone.”

“Edmonton is in good shape,” said Clanachan. “The City has been very positive.”

City councillor Ben Henderson said that council is “supportive” of Edmonton’s move into the CanPL.

“It seemed like a crime to me, if the Canadian League formed, which it now has, that Edmonton wouldn’t be a part of it.”

The name “FC Edmonton” survives, but the rest of the team’s branding is new for the Canadian Premier League. The team that spent 2011-17 in the North American Soccer League is letting the past be the past — save for the fact the old logo will still be used by the FCE Academy.

This was the second CanPL team launch I’ve attended. I was at Cavalry FC’s, but, as you can imagine, Edmonton’s was far more personal. To know that the club is returning in 2019, well, there are a lot of emotions that come to the surface with that one.

As a journalist, I often have to bury my feelings and have a thick skin. When I work with young writers, I tell them to park their feelings and their politics and their opinions. And, I will say this, with over 25 years in this business, there have been many times when I’ve scared myself at how emotionally detached and I can force myself to become, even when dealing with very heated and/or emotional topics.

So, allow me to indulge myself and allow some feelings to bubble to the surface.

FCE’s Allan Zebie enjoys the festivities.

When I saw FC Edmonton’s new badge unveiled, with my wife and kids at my side, I thought of the years I’ve spent around this club. I thought of all the players I’ve got to know. When you cover NASL, it wasn’t like doing the NHL circuit; you could get to know guys really well. You got to know their families. You went out for lunch. You didn’t see them simply as strikers or fullbacks or goalkeepers.

So, I thought about the many great people I’ve had the chance to meet and get to know through the years I’ve spent covering FC Edmonton, and, of course, broadcasting matches. From the Fath family to the coaches to the players to, of course, the supporters.

When FCE begins anew I will think of Paul Hamilton’s slide tackles, a 25-yard Shaun Saiko screamer, a bendy Lance Laing free kick. I will think of two Northern Irish friends — Albert Watson and Daryl Fordyce — who took the chance to come to Canada and build new lives for their families. I will think of Eddie Edward prepping himself for what will be a long broadcast career. I will remember John Smits’s first clean sheet, that playoff-clinching header from Paul Craig, and Matt vanOekel deciding he could nutmeg Joe Cole. I will think of Kareem Moses dancing and singing, of Rein Baart defying gravity with a two-footed mid-air lunge.I will remember the Montreal Screwjob and Colin Miller talking about cold, blustery days as “Scottish barbecuing weather.”

As this club moves into the future, may we never forget the past. Don’t forget what it felt like when Shaun Saiko unleashed that laser of a shot for the first FCE goal in NASL play. Don’t forget what it felt like when Michael Nonni blasted a game-winner against the Montreal Impact. The NASL had its warts (heck, that would be an essay unto itself), but don’t ever think that the players dogged it or didn’t care. Despite playing in a league where tomorrow was always uncertain, they didn’t mail it in. They cared.

I guess as long as this site is around, readers can search through the old articles and re-live a lot of those FCE memories. I hope the site continues to be a living, breathing record of a club that, well, has kind of become a family to me.

To all of you, and all the people I’ve missed, thank you. Now let’s get this CanPL thing started. It was only fitting that Tom Fath brought bags of carrots to give to the supporters at the afterparty. Cats may have nine lives. I think rabbits may have more.

Karpenko’s heroics not good enough to prevent Americans from defeating Canada

Canada lost its final group-stage game of the CONCACAF U-17 Women’s Championship to the United States by a 1-0 scoreline. But, if not for the heroics of Canadian keeper, Anna Karpenko, the scoreline would have been a lot more severe.

After Friday’s loss, Canada finishes second in Group B. That means the Canadians will face Mexico, the Group A winner, in a Sunday semifinal, while the Americans get Haiti in the other semi.

Both Canada and the United States entered the game knowing they had already qualified for the semifinals of the tourney, which acts as the qualifier for the U-17 Women’s World Cup. But both started strong lineups knowing first place — and avoiding Mexico — was on the line.

Getting to the final means an automatic berth in the World Cup, so dodging Mexico was a pretty large carrot.

But, back to Karpenko. The Americans got a total of 13 shots on target and found the woodwork a couple of times. If not for the work of the Canadian keeper, this one would have been, should have been, over in the first 20 minutes.

Canadian defender Ariel Young’s giveaway allowed American forward Hannah Bebar to sprint in unchallenged, but Karpenko palmed away her shot.

In the 17th minute, Karpenko dove to parry away a laser-beam of a shot from Samantha Meza.

She could only look on as Sunshine Fontes crashed a 25-yard drive off the bar.

Canada did have one chance of note; Serita Thurston’s chip shot went off the bar late in the first half.

But, 65 minutes in, Reilyn Turner’s header off a corner kick got the Americans the goal they needed to ensure first place in the group.

Ho hum, just another stoppage-time winner in the Voyageurs Cup…

The hottest place in Canadian Soccer is Laval, Quebec. There’s smoke on the field, fire in the stands, and a late game-winner!

The road to the Voyageurs Cup got a little longer this year with the addition of an early qualifying round between the champs of League1 Ontario and the PLSQ.  

And it was the Quebec champs who have the advantage after Wednesday’s first leg, as AS Blainville secured a 2-1 win over the Oakville Blue Devils, thanks to a last-gasp goal from former Montreal Impact and Ottawa Fury forward Pierre-Rudolph Mayard.

(For trivia buffs, in 2009, Mayard drew the penalty that led to the Impact’s lone goal in the infamous 6-1 Canadian Championship loss to Toronto FC, better known as the “Miracle in Montreal.”)

Well, now that Mayard has got a Canadian Championship match-winner, he’ll now have a much happier story to recount about the tournament.

But, back to the  beginning. Blainville put the visitors under the gun right off the opening kickoff. It was Mitchell Syla’s well-placed low shot from the right side of the penalty area gave the hosts a 1-0 lead. He was in the right place, at the right time, after Maxime Leconte had the ball poked away by an Oakville defender as he made a spirited run across the top of the penalty area.

Oakville tied the game with just a little more than six minutes left in the first half. A low cross that Blainville keeper Erwann Ofouya should have handled easily was turned into a large misadventure. He lunged for the ball, spilled it, and Anthony Novak pounced on the gift and pounded the unexpectedly loose ball into the net.

Just after the hour mark, the game was delayed when flares lit by the Blainville fans created a massive cloud of smoke that hung over the field and reduced visibility to about the same as a December whiteout.

After the pyrotechnic display from the fans, the home side provided some fireworks of its own in the 93rd minute. Off a corner kick, Blainville’s Nafi Dicko-Raynauld had his first chance stopped, then had an open net for the second. He rifled his attempt off the underside of the bar. But Mayard got to the loose ball, leapt, got perpendicular to the ground, and launched a volley for the most spectacular wide-open-net goal you’ll ever see.

That winner set the home crowd off into grand celebrations, and adds yet another stoppage-time match winner to tournament lore, joining the likes of Will Johnson’s leg-breaker, Patrice Bernier’s penalty, Michael Nonni’s high drive and Matias Laba’s slow roller. It’s ridiculous when you think of how many Canadian Championships games and series have been decided in stoppage time — the tournament has provided so many moments of late drama, heck, we kind of take it for granted.

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Williams’s two-goal effort propels Canada to victory over Costa Rica

Canada resumed play in the CONCACAF Women’s  U-17 Championships on Wednesday, beating Costa Rica by a 2-1 score thanks to a brace from Andersen Williams.

The game was played in Florida (as the rest of the tournament will be). The tourney was originally scheduled to be played in Nicaragua; but, less than a week after it began, it was postponed due to civil unrest in the Central American nation.

Canada beat Bermuda 3-0 in Nicaragua before the tournament was postponed. The games played in Nicaragua count in the standings. The CONCACAF tournament acts as the region’s qualifier for the Women’s U17 World Cup.

Canada took the lead in the 18th minute thanks to route-one football. A long ball was punted into the penalty area, where Costa Rican keeper Fabiana Solano and two fellow defenders should have easily dealt with it. But, all three hesitated, and Jordyn Huitema was able to get the first touch. The ball then rebounded off of Solano and right to Williams, who was not going to miss an empty net.

Williams’s second goal of the day wasn’t as easy. Just five minutes into the second half, she went up the right wing with no help coming. Two defenders were in range, and a third was in the middle of the penalty area. So, she reared back and fired a shot that beat Solano and went inside of the far post.

With five minutes left, Costa Rica made it interesting. Priscilla Chinchilla dashed by Canadian defender Maya Antoine and flashed a shot across the goal that forced keeper Anna Karpenko to dive and get a hand to the ball. But the deflection fell right to Costa Rica’s Maria Paula Salas, who had an open net and finished her chance.

Huitema made a couple of good clearances in the 89th minute after a corner kick was scrambled into the Canadian penalty area.

Valour FC officially becomes team No. 4 in the Canadian Premier League

A then-unnamed Winnipeg club was one of the first two Canadian Premier League teams sanctioned by the Canadian Soccer Association.

On Wednesday, Valour FC became the fourth team to be officially unveiled ahead of the Canadian Premier League’s 2019 launch. It joins teams already announced for York, Halifax and Calgary. 

“We want you playing for this team when you grow up, we want you to be hometown heroes,” said CanPL Commissioner David Clanachan to the supporters and youth players who came to Investors Group Field for the announcement.

The team is owned by the Winnipeg Football Club (the formal name for the Blue Bombers).

Wade Miller, the president of WFC, said that through the Women’s World Cup and friendlies hosted in the Manitoba capital, there is proof that pro soccer will succeed in Winnipeg.

“It is time for us to give young Canadian soccer players the opportunity to play professional soccer in Canada,” he said. “I look forward to seeing which Manitobans are on this pitch next year.”

Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman said the arrival of Valour FC is an “incredibly positive” moment for the city. He said the frenzy in the city over the Winnipeg Jets’ recent playoff run shows how hungry the city is to support pro sports.

Fans gather at Investors Group Field. PHOTO: ROB NOTENBOOM

“Let’s get behind this team, and let’s go!” he said.

The club’s name commemorates Winnipeg’s connection with the Canadian military. Valour Road in Winnipeg honours the memories of three men who lived on the street, who all volunteered for First World War service. All of them received the Victoria Cross from bravery. Only one survived the war.

The team will wear Valour Maroon, Wheat Gold and black.

Valour FC is the second announced CanPL team to have a military-themed name, joining Cavalry FC. Interestingly enough, Valour and Cavalry are the two teams (so far) to not include the name of their cities or regions in their names.

Naming teams for military regiments or military terms in general isn’t at all unusual. In hockey, both the Toronto Maple Leafs and Chicago Blackhawks can trace their names to military regiments who fought in the First World War. In soccer, Arsenal sports a cannon on the crest because the club was founded by workers at a munitions factory that supported British forces.

The launch of the Valour FC is only part of what is a whirlwind tour of the prairies by the CanPL brass. They will be in the Alberta capital Friday for the street party to celebrate the re-launch of FC Edmonton as a CanPL club.

Hamilton and “Port City” (Victoria) have also received sanctions from the Canadian Soccer Association, though details on those coming teams have yet to be announced.

FC Edmonton to host Friday night street party to announce pro team’s return — as a part of the CanPL

Don’t call it a comeback. We’ve been here for years.

OK, apologies to LL Cool J, but those opening lines to “Mama Said Knock You Out” could serve as the theme to the festivities in Edmonton this coming Friday night. An open-air fanfest will be held in the Old Strathcona neighbourhood to officially revive FC Edmonton’s pro franchise and welcome the club to the Canadian Premier League. The event kicks off at 7 p.m. local time.

At that event, more details will be released about what stadium the team will call home in 2019. CanPL officials said Tuesday that talks with the City of Edmonton over Clarke Field “are still in progress.” Repeat. As of right now, there is no finalized stadium deal. But, obviously, enough progress has been made in terms of ticket commitments and a permanent home for the Eddies that the league is confident enough to bring the team back.

Sources have told The 11 that the FC Edmonton name will likely remain; but the question is if team’s blue, white and black uniforms and NASL-era crest to remain untouched. I wouldn’t expect them to remain the same.

FC Edmonton played in the NASL from 2011-17; at the end of the 2017 campaign, owners Tom and Dave Fath announced that the club would not return to NASL, and that the professional program had been suspended, while the academy would continue. He said that the pro team would not return if he didn’t have indications that it could be sustainable. That is, the team needed more fan support, more corporate support and more ways to take revenue out of game days. During that time, negotiations between the Faths and the CanPL were ongoing.

The #YEGforCPL fan movement began, with supporters holding regular events throughout Edmonton to promote FCE and convincing people to put down commitment for season tickets if the Eddies returned. Meanwhile, FCE and the City began discussions on a new deal for Clarke Stadium, which called for an increase in capacity from 4,100 to 7,000, the ability to have naming rights and for FCE to be the primary soccer tenant. In its time in NASL, FCE was simply a tenant at Clarke Field, and often didn’t get first choice when it came to game dates. Minor football groups that also use Clarke have come out in strong opposition of a new agreement for the stadium that would be advantageous to FCE.

CanPL commissioner David Clanachan suggested that FCE could also look at Re/Max Field, the baseball stadium in the river valley. But Tom Fath suggested that there had been no discussions with the City about making that move.

(Again, to repeat, stadium negotiations are “still in progress.”)

And, with the recent announcement of Cavalry FC in Calgary, FC Edmonton’s rise from the ashes means that the Al Classico promises to be one of the best, if not the best, rivalry to kick off CanPL next season. Outside of the Indy Eleven superfan who drove up to Edmonton to see a game, the NASL offered little chance for away dates for FCE fans, or for fans of other teams traveling to Edmonton. Now, with Calgary and Edmonton in the same circuit, expect to see road support whenever the two teams meet.

“For me, personally, this event means a big part of my life is coming back on Friday,” said Dallas Walker of the #YEGforCPL group. “I went to my first FC Edmonton match back in 2012 and, since then, my life has pretty much revolved around this club. For us supporters as a whole, it means getting back together with our small and always growing diverse community, and supporting our club in and outside of games. We all met through this club, created special bonds we don’t see in any many sports. We cant wait to watch the Eddies live again and continue to grow our community larger and stronger than ever.”

 

Inescapably Canadian Power Rankings: MLS Week 14/USL Week 12

This week saw a lot of movement on the USL side of our minutes-played-by-Canadians charts. Because many USL clubs had two games this week — including the Ottawa Fury — we’ve seen a few players make significant moves.

Of course, the Fury, who have been playing Canadians in the 700-minutes-per-game range over the past few weeks, had the most movers and shakers. Four of the top 11 USL players in terms of minutes played by Canadians are Fury players. And they comprise six of the top 20.

Oh, and Canadian Nana Attakora scored on Wednesday against TFCII.

In Canadian soccer circles, both coach Nikola Popovic and general manager Julian de Guzman have created some headlines over their fiery defences of playing so many domestic players. Popovic talked about how players have to be given the chance to not only succeed, but to fail. He reminded us that sport is about taking chances, understanding that taking risks and roads less travelled is what good soccer is about. The Fury has been going against the grain, and had been on a six-game undefeated streak till Saturday’s loss to Charlotte.

 

Here are the rankings after the 14th week of MLS play/12th week of USL action:

MLS MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS

Samuel Piette, Montreal, 1260 (14)
Alphonso Davies, Vancouver, 1104 (15)
Mark-Anthony Kaye, LAFC, 1081 (13)
Will Johnson, Orlando, 1079 (12)
Jonathan Osorio, TFC, 812 (10)
Marcel de Jong, Vancouver, 759 (10)
Raheem Edwards, Montreal, 638 (9)
Russell Teibert, Vancouver, 599 (8)
Michael Petrasso, Montreal, 565 (9)
Ryan Telfer, TFC, 562 (7)
Dejan Jakovic, LAFC, 514 (7)
Jay Chapman, TFC, 505 (9)
Ashtone Morgan, TFC, 459 (6)
Anthony Jackson-Hamel, Montreal, 457 (11)
Tosaint Ricketts, TFC, 419 (9)
Jordan Hamilton,TFC, 373 (7)
Liam Fraser, TFC, 366 (6)
Brett Levis, Vancouver, 227 (4)
Richie Laryea, Orlando, 127 (5)
Louis Beland-Goyette, Montreal, 109 (4)
Julian Dunn-Johnson, TFC, 104 (2)
Doneil Henry, Vancouver, 90 (1)
Brian Wright, New England, 27 (2)
Tesho Akindele, FC Dallas, 23 (3)
David Choiniere, Montreal, 12 (1)
Aidan Daniels, TFC, 12 (1)
Kwame Awuah, NYCFC, 3 (2)

 

TEAM RANKINGS, MLS MINUTES PLAYED BY CANADIANS IN 2018

Toronto FC, 3612/12 (301)

Montreal, 2765/13 (212.7)

Vancouver, 2779/15 (185.3)

LAFC, 1595/13 (122.7)

Orlando City, 1206/13 (92.8)

New England, 27/14 (1.9)

FC Dallas, 23/13 (1.8)

NYCFC, 3/14 (0.2)

 

USL MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS

Jordan Schweitzer, Colorado Springs, 1190 (14)
Skylar Thomas, Charleston, 1080 (12)
Robert Boskovic, TFCII, 990 (11)
Jordan Murrell, Reno, 990 (11)
Paris Gee, Tulsa, 921 (12)
Maxime Crepeau, Ottawa, 900 (10)
Eddie Edward, Ottawa, 900 (10)
Carl Haworth, Ottawa, 888 (12)
Jordan Dover, Pittsburgh, 884 (10)
Kyle Bekker, NCFC, 876 (10)
Jamar Dixon, Ottawa, 846 (12)
Aidan Daniels, TFCII, 840 (10)
Amer Didic, Swope Park Rangers, 840 (10)
Bradley Kamdem-Fewo, Fresno, 810 (9)
Karl Ouimette, Indy, 810 (9)
Malik Johnson, TFCII, 791 (12)
Luca Uccello, TFCII, 730 (11)
Chris Mannella, Ottawa, 720 (8)
Adonijah Reid, Ottawa, 690 (10)
Rocco Romeo, TFCII, 622 (7)
Thomas Meilleur-Giguere, Ottawa, 599 (7)
Noah Verhoeven, Fresno, 594 (10)
Matthew Srbely, TFCII, 584 (9)
Josh Heard, Real Monarchs SLC, 579 (8)
Noble Okello Ayo, TFCII, 502 (7)
Mauro Eustaquio, Penn FC, 462 (7)
Angelo Cavalluzzo, TFCII, 450 (5)
Julian Dunn-Johnson, TFCII, 450 (5)
Tyler Pasher, Indy, 440 (5)
Ryan James, Nashville, 432 (7)
Keven Aleman, Sacramento, 396 (6)
Zachary Ellis-Hayden, Fresno, 337 (4)
Mastanabal Kacher, Real Monarchs SLC, 309 (6)
Zak Drake, Las Vegas, 296 (6)
Shaan Hundal, TFCII, 282 (7)
Mark Anthony Gonzalez, Reno, 278 (4)
Nana Attakora, Ottawa, 270 (3)
Doneil Henry, Ottawa, 270 (3)
Darrin MacLeod, Swope Park Rangers, 270 (3)
Michael Cox, Nashville, 264 (5)
Gianluca Catalano, TFCII, 254 (3)
Luca Petrasso, TFCII, 238 (5)
Dante Campbell, TFCII, 233 (4)
Jordan Faria, TFCII, 228 (4)
Ryan Telfer, TFCII, 207 (3)
Alessandro Riggi, Phoenix, 203 (8)
Daniel Haber, FC Cincinnati, 200 (6)
David Edgar, Nashville, 200 (5)
Callum Irving, Ottawa, 180 (2)
Kyle Porter, Ottawa, 173 (2)
Chris Nanco, Bethlehem Steel, 158 (8)
Kunle Dada-Luke, TFCII, 147 (4)
Luca Ricci, Phoenix, 119 (3)
Steffen Yeates, TFCII, 110 (2)
Liam Fraser, TFCII, 90 (1)
Jordan Hamilton, TFCII, 63 (1)
Daniel Da Silva, TFCII, 59 (1)
Gabriel Wiethaeuper-Balbinotti, Ottawa, 50 (2)
Monti Mohsen, Ottawa, 45 (1)
Terran Campbell, Fresno, 24 (4)
Malyk Hamilton, TFCII, 11 (1)

 

TEAM RANKINGS, USL MINUTES PLAYED BY CANADIANS IN 2018

TFCII, 7871/12 (655.9)

Ottawa, 6531/12 (544.3)

Fresno, 1765/13 (135.8)

Indy Eleven, 1430/11 (130)

Reno, 1268/13 (97.5)

Swope Park Rangers, 1110/12 (92.5)

Charleston, 1080/12 (90)

NCFC, 876/10 (87.6)

Colorado Springs, 1190/14 (85)

Tulsa, 921/12 (76.8)

Nashville, 896/12 (74.7)

Real Monarchs SLC, 888/12 (74)

Pittsburgh, 884/12 (73.7)

Penn FC, 462/11 (42)

Sacramento, 396/13 (30.5)

Las Vegas, 296/11 (26.9)

Phoenix, 322/13 (24.8)

FC Cincinnati, 200/12 (16.7)

Bethlehem Steel, 158/12 (13.2)