Steven Sandor's Blog, page 19

Clanachan: Victoria group still needs to be vetted

Could the CanPL be coming to Vancouver Island?

After Thursday’s launch of the new Cavalry FC at Calgary’s Spruce Meadows facility, I had the chance to ask Canadian Premier League commissioner David Clanachan if Victoria is indeed on the radar of the nascent league, which is set to kick off in 2019.

He said that the Victoria group is one of 22 that is talking with the league, which is looking to launch with eight-10 teams, including the Cavalry and York 9, which was unveiled last week, The CanPL is looking at a 28-game schedule and is aiming to have its league champion go to the CONCACAF Champions League, though that is a goal that is still being worked on.

“They have to go through a vetting process,” Clanachan said of the Victoria interest. He said, though, as the league continues to do its due diligence on potential markets and investors, it is also getting quicker in determining if the boxes are being ticked off.

According to a report from the Victoria Times Colonist, a group that includes former national-teamer Josh Simpson is gearing at having a team play out of Westhills Stadium in Langford, B.C.

Radzinski: CanPL “will give hope to any boy who dreams of wanting to play and wanting to compete”

Tomasz Radzinski was a teenager when he arrived in Canada, via Germany, from his native Poland. But, when he arrived, he was shattered when he saw no mention of soccer in the sports news.

“There was no games, no schedule, no league, and I believed that my dreams of being a professional soccer player had been kind of crushed,” he said.

But then, his dad found out more about the Canadian Soccer League, the pro circuit that existed in Canada from the late 1980s to early 90s. And Radzinski found a home with the North York Rockets.

That time in North York was Radzinski’s springboard towards 46 national-team appearances, club glory in Belgium, Champions League appearances and stops in Everton and Fulham in the English Premier League. Radzinski was named to Canada’s Soccer Hall of Fame last week, and will be honoured in a ceremony later this year.

Radzinski, who is now working as a consultant for agency, Atticus Sports Management, in Belgium, is watching the Canadian Premier League from afar. And he believes that the nascent league, which is set to kick off in 2019, is absolutely a must for Canadian players.

“I think, for young Canadian players, it will be the same story for them like it was for me,” Radzinski said. “It will give hope to any boy who dreams of wanting to play and wanting to compete. Of course, it has to be done the right way. It has to be done right the first time. They are in a lot of the same cities that the CSL was. There will be lots of travel for the players, but they’re going to get to see a lot of the country. I think it’s important for Canada to develop its own Premier League, apart from MLS.”

Radzinski is confident when he speaks to the media. He should be. Part of his job with his agency is to consult some of its young clients, including many members of Belgium’s youth national sides, on how to deal with being in the public eye.

“I try to make sure they don’t do stupid things,” he says. “It’s not a very happy world for young players with big contracts.”

He said the pressure of money and the media spotlight can be too much for some players. And he said players need to understand that, within a flash, a career can end. An injury, a bad run of form, and that one big contract is the last one you’ll have.

Before that, he was technical director at SK Lierse, a club which just declared bankruptcy.

“It’s very sad, it’s very touchy right now,” Radzinski said of the Lierse situation. But he said that, when he was there, there were no signs the club was in financial trouble or wasn’t well-run.

“I never would have considered that there would be any financial difficulties,” he said.

As for the Hall of Fame nod, Radzinski said he was “shocked” when he got the call.

“It was very sudden, but the look of joy was on my face. I just couldn’t believe it would be me. And it was very special that I would be inducted the year following my friend and captain, Paul Stalteri.”

Radzinski rates a 2000 Champions League run with Anderlecht as his best-ever club experience. Included in that was a 2-1 win over Manchester United in which Radzinski bagged a brace. He scored on one the break, another on a one-touch effort that went just inside the post, and if not for a fantastic save from Fabien Barthez on a point-blank shot, the Canadian would have had the hat trick.

“No one gave us a chance whatsoever,” Radzinski recalled. “But we won the group with Dynamo Kyiv, PSV and Manchester United. Then we went on to play Real Madrid, Leeds and Lazio in the next group, and we just missed the cut. To be involved in something like that, for me, it was precious.”

But, enough dwelling on the past. Radzinski is looking forward to the near future, when he will be heading to France to watch the Toulon U-21 tournament. Canada will be participating, and he is thrilled to have the chance to watching this country’s best young players in action.

“For me, it will be a chance to continue my great footballing adventure.”

Comparing the new Canada jersey to the greatest Canada jersey of all time

Google Analytics has taught me one thing. When you write about kits, you get way more interest than writing about players, games or, well, pretty well anything else connected to soccer. If a team launches a new kit on the same day Messi announces he’s leaving Barcelona to play in the Canadian Premier League, the kit story might win when it comes to views.

I am pretty sure, judging by how kit news makes soccer supporters slightly bonkers, that all of us are secretly huge fashion fans, in a way that other sports fans can’t understand.

So, yes, I am going to write about Canada’s new home kit — released today by Umbro Canada — because, well, I need to cash in a bit.

It’s a simple, red kit, with the same number and letter font from Canada jerseys before. Gone are the stripes, replaced by images of maple leafs embedded into the fabric of the shirt. It’s a good, crisp, clean look.

Nick Dasovic in the Greatest Canadian Jersey,

But, let’s compare that to the Greatest Canada Kit of All Time (as decided by a jury of one, namely, me. Hey, I edit a magazine where we regularly feature fashion trends, so I’m qualified!).

And that’s the white Canada kit of the mid-90s. During this cycle, Canada also had a red home kit and a black third jersey, but it was the white kit that’s never been repeated in terms of sheer awesomeness.

First off, in the 1990s, the trend was to put as many different colours and designs into a jersey as possible. If you could get chevrons, stripes and polka dots — in five different shades of red, — on a shirt… good! This was the high point for busy soccer jerseys, before all the big manufacturers decided to clean things up and go with simple looks to start the new century.

Alex Bunbury in the Greatest Canadian Jersey

The white kit was awesome for a number of reasons.

A red maple leaf emerged from a black line that ran diagonally across the shirt.
There was taping across the shoulders and sleeves, with the word “Canada” repeated on it, just in case anyone who saw the big maple leaf on the front wasn’t yet convinced that, yes, this was a Canadian national-team shirt.
Woven into the white fabric were the crests of all the provinces and territories. You had to get nice and close to notice them, but they made for the Busiest (and Greatest) Canada Jersey of All Time.

I still have mine; I bought it at Commonwealth Stadium during a Canada game. It was the first Canada shirt I bought It’s a prize possession. It’s the antithesis of what soccer shirts are today. But, as we welcome the new maple-leaf red shirt, let’s toast that fantastic maple-leaf shirt of 20 years ago.

Inescapably Canadian Power Rankings: MLS Week 11/USL Week 9

After starting the USL season on a six-game winless skid, the Ottawa Fury won twice in the past week, righting the ship with a lot of Canadians on hand.

In this weekend’s wind over Atlanta United’s “2” team, Canadians played a total of 607 minutes, and Carl Howarth found the net. While there is still a long way for the Fury to go in order to overcome a brutal start to the campaign, things look a lot rosier in the nation’s capital than they did at this time last week.

The Fury’s performances highlight what was a very busy week in MLS and USL, with plenty of midweek games meaning that a lot of clubs played twice over the seven-day period.

Here are the rankings after the 11th week of MLS play/ninth week of USL action:

 

MLS MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS

Samuel Piette, Montreal, 990 (11)
Will Johnson, Orlando, 899 (10)
Mark-Anthony Kaye, LAFC, 832 (10)
Alphonso Davies, Vancouver, 817 (11)
Marcel de Jong, Vancouver, 616 (8)
Jonathan Osorio, TFC, 611 (7)
Michael Petrasso, Montreal, 475 (8)
Ashtone Morgan, TFC, 459 (6)
Russell Teibert, Vancouver, 440 (6)
Dejan Jakovic, LAFC, 405 (5)
Raheem Edwards, Montreal, 368 (6)
Jay Chapman, TFC, 352 (6)
Anthony Jackson-Hamel, Montreal, 337 (8)
Ryan Telfer, TFC, 315 (4)
Jordan Hamilton, 309 (5)
Tosaint Ricketts, TFC, 262 (6)
Liam Fraser, TFC, 189 (3)
Brett Levis, Vancouver, 152 (2)
Richie Laryea, Orlando, 114 (3)
Louis Beland-Goyette, Montreal, 109 (4)
Julian Dunn-Johnson, TFC, 104 (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, 2613/9 (290.3)

Montreal, 2311/11 (210.1)

Vancouver, 2025/11 (184.1)

LAFC, 1237/10 (123.7)

Orlando City, 1013/10 (101.3)

FC Dallas, 23/9 (2.6)

NYCFC, 3/10 (0.3)

 

USL MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS

Jordan Schweitzer, Colorado Springs, 920 (11)
Jordan Murrell, Reno, 900 (10)
Skylar Thomas, Charleston, 810 (9)
Paris Gee, Tulsa, 734 (9)
Robert Boskovic, TFCII, 720 (8)
Bradley Kamdem-Fewo, Fresno, 720 (8)
Aidan Daniels, TFCII, 660 (8)
Jordan Dover, Pittsburgh, 614 (7)
Kyle Bekker, NCFC, 611 (7)
Amer Didic, Swope Park Rangers, 570 (7)
Maxime Crepeau, Ottawa, 540 (6)
Eddie Edward, Ottawa, 540 (6)
Chris Mannella, Ottawa, 540 (6)
Karl Ouimette, Indy, 540 (6)
Carl Haworth, Ottawa, 528 (8)
Malik Johnson, TFCII, 512 (8)
Jamar Dixon, Ottawa, 493 (8)
Mauro Eustaquio, Penn FC, 462 (7)
Angelo Cavalluzzo, TFCII, 450 (5)
Josh Heard, Real Monarchs SLC, 447 (6)
Tyler Pasher, Indy, 440 (5)
Adonijah Reid, Ottawa, 406 (6)
Noble Okello Ayo, TFCII, 403 (5)
Keven Aleman, Sacramento, 396 (6)
Luca Uccello, TFCII, 370 (7)
Rocco Romeo, TFCII, 352 (4)
Ryan James, Nashville, 338 (5)
Mastanabal Kacher, Real Monarchs SLC, 306 (5)
Matthew Srbely, TFCII, 298 (5)
Mark Anthony Gonzalez, Reno, 278 (4)
Julian Dunn-Johnson, TFCII, 270 (3)
Zachary Ellis-Hayden, Fresno, 270 (3)
Doneil Henry, Ottawa, 270 (3)
Darrin MacLeod, Swope Park Rangers, 270 (3)
Michael Cox, Nashville, 264 (5)
Thomas Meilleur-Giguere, Ottawa, 239 (3)
Zak Drake, Las Vegas, 234 (5)
Ryan Telfer, TFCII, 207 (3)
Daniel Haber, FC Cincinnati, 200 (6)
David Edgar, Nashville, 200 (5)
Shaan Hundal, TFCII, 184 (5)
Callum Irving, Ottawa, 180 (2)
Kyle Porter, Ottawa, 173 (2)
Alessandro Riggi, Phoenix, 169 (6)
Kunle Dada-Luke, TFCII, 147 (4)
Luca Ricci, Phoenix, 119 (3)
Liam Fraser, TFCII, 90 (1)
Steffen Yeates, TFCII, 90 (1)
Chris Nanco, Bethlehem Steel, 70 (5)
Jordan Hamilton, TFCII, 63 (1)
Daniel Da Silva, TFCII, 59 (1)
Monti Mohsen, Ottawa, 45 (1)
Terran Campbell, Fresno, 24 (4)
Jordan Faria, TFCII, 15 (1)
Luca Petrasso, TFCII, 11 (1)
Gabriel Wiethaeuper-Balbinotti, Ottawa, 6 (1)

 

TEAM RANKINGS, USL MINUTES PLAYED BY CANADIANS IN 2018

TFCII, 4901/8 (612.6)

Ottawa, 3960/8 (495)

Indy Eleven, 1160/8 (145)

Reno, 1178/10 (117.8)

Swope Park Rangers, 840/9 (93.3)

Fresno, 1014/11 (92.2)

Charleston, 810/9 (90)

Nashville, 802/9 (89.1)

NCFC, 611/7 (87.3)

Real Monarchs SLC, 753/9 (83.7)

Colorado Springs, 920/11 (83.6)

Tulsa, 734/9 (81.6)

Pittsburgh, 614/8 (76.8)

Penn FC, 462/9 (51.3)

Sacramento, 396/10 (39.6)

Las Vegas, 234/8 (29.3)

Phoenix, 288/10 (28.8)

FC Cincinnati, 200/9 (22.2)

Bethlehem Steel, 70/8 (8.8)

 

Canadian HOFer Chapman reflects on the high and lows of a storied career

One of Candace Chapman’s proudest moments was being part of the 2012 Canadian women’s national team that won bronze at the London Olympics.

The 2018 Canada Soccer Hall of Fame inductee ranks that right up there with the 2011 Women’s World Cup opener in front of more than 73,000 in Berlin, and getting the call from then-coach Even Pellerud to play for Canada in the 2007 WWC.

All in all, 114 caps for Chapman, who now runs a private coaching business in Maryland.

But, going back to that Women’s World Cup in 2011, Chapman recalls how low the team was after finishing last in the field. Yet, under new coach John Herdman, the team healed and was able to get to a podium just a year later.

“I wasn’t thinking about winning a medal after that World Cup,” she recalls. “There were a lot of hardships that our team went through. We had different stages, different lessons to learns as a team. A lot of hardships and there were a lot of bad losses.”

And she thinks Herdman, appointed as the coach of the men’s national team earlier this year, can help build that program in much the same way he was able to find a way to bring the women’s program from lowest low to highest high.

“Of course, losing him is a blow for the women’s team,” she says. “He meant a lot to us, and he’s a fantastic person. But he’s the type of coach who us going to have success wherever he goes.”

Chapman had ups and downs in her club career, as well. Not because of her performances on the field, but because of the volatility of the women’s professional game. She was part of FC Gold Pride team that ran out of cash and folded. She saw the WPS, the precursor to the NWSL, pull the plug. By the time the NWSL was launched, she was in her 30s. She played for the Washington Spirit at the tail end of her career.

But she’s excited for what North American pro soccer holds for the next generation of Canadian players. NWSL has also seen franchises fold and franchises move, but, compared to leagues that came before, there’s no comparison in terms of stability.

“I think the women’s game has grown a lot,” she says. “It looks sustainable, now. The quality of the players in the league is fantastic.

“Even back when I was playing for FC Gold Pride, there was always a sense of hope because we knew the quality was there.”

After hanging up her boots, Chapman was coaching in the Canadian youth ranks, but has since opted to move into private coaching. The appeal of being able to call one spot home, after years of traveling, was simply too appealing. After a career filled with hotel stays, plane tickets and buses, for Chapman it’s nice to have a home address.

She’ll be honoured in a ceremony along with fellow inductee Tomasz Radzinski later this year.

 

York 9 reveals its colours

And so it begins.

York 9 is the first set-to-start-in-2019 Canadian Premier League club that has publicly revealed its name and logo. The primary colour is electric green, which we are told is meant to represent the lush forests of the regions north of Toronto, and not the GO Trains that carry thousands of commuters back and forth between York and the city every day.

(My first thought was GO Train green, by the way. My bad).

Last week, Canadian Premier League commissioner David Clanachan announced that, once a week over the next six to seven weeks, the CanPL clubs would be revealing their identities. And, in Vaughan, Ont. Thursday afternoon,  former national-teamer and Toronto FC Day-One player Jim Brennan, the director of soccer for York9, was on hand to show off the new colours. Also in the VIP group are Greenpark CEO Carlo Baldasarra and Preben Ganzhorn, the CEO of the newly minted York Sports and Entertainment group.

Brennan can boast that he was in on the ground floor with both TFC and, now, the first officially announced CanPL club, though a second one, as per Clanachan’s schedule, is on tap for next week. Hamilton, Winnipeg, Port City, Calgary and Halifax are other CanPL cities whose clubs have received sanctions from Canada Soccer. As well, FC Edmonton is looking to push towards the CanPL, and already have an existing pro sanction from its NASL days. The Ottawa Fury currently plays in USL.

The team will begin play at York University, which offers connections to those throughout the GTA via the expanded subway line.  The new Pioneer Village stop is only a couple of blocks away from the facility. The plan is to eventually move into a new soccer stadium that will be built in the York region.

The irony is that Toronto FC and the Argos had originally targeted York as the target for a shared stadium; that deal fell apart, leading to the decision to build a soccer stadium on Toronto’s Canadian National Exhibition grounds. And, now, BMO Field also has the Argos as a tenant, too.

“We are thrilled to welcome York 9 FC to the Canadian Premier League and give this region’s passionate sports fans a club of their own,” Clanachan said in a release. “The initial support for the CPL in York has been overwhelming. Having the involvement of local business leaders like the Baldassarra family, who have greatly helped to develop and build this region, will help ensure York 9 FC becomes an integral part of the region’s cultural landscape.”

“I have spent my whole life in here, the time is right for York Region to develop its own identity,” said Brennan. “This is a booming area that is diverse, youthful, and passionate about football. It is our goal to ensure that when York 9 FC steps on to the pitch, it will reflect what our community is all about.”

 

Annual report shows significant drop in registered Canadian soccer players

Maybe those of us who call soccer “Canada’s fastest growing participation sport” need to tone it down a bit.

As Canada Soccer held its annual general meeting this past weekend, the organization also released its annual report, covering 2017. And, the registration numbers across the country are sobering.

Registration numbers are down in 12 of Canada’s 13 provinces and territories. The only province to see an uptick was Alberta, and that was a slight one. In Ontario, there were more than 24,000 fewer registered players in 2017 than there were in 2016.

What’s interesting is that in the 2016 annual report, Canada Soccer published a number of 818,940 registered players in the country. In the new report, it had a participation number of 834,363. Yes, on first glance, it seems like numbers went up — but, in the new report, Canada Soccer also included coaches and referees in the participation number.

Take the coaches and referees out, and you get this: The number of registered players fell from 818,940 in 2016 to 776,176 in 2017. That’s almost 43,000 fewer players in 2017 than had been registered the year before. 

More and more kids are choosing to specialize in one sport, year-round. So, if a kid played hockey in the winter and soccer in the summer, (s)he boosted registration numbers in both sports. But more kids are choosing to play only soccer or only hockey or only (place sport here), and that hurts numbers.

What also jumps out is that the Women’s World Cup looks to have no appreciable impact on girls registering in youth soccer. In all of the jurisdictions that had data available, all showed decreased in youth female registrations. Ontario itself shed more than 8,000 girls players over the course of one year.

Manitoba’s information was not available, though The 11 has contacted Canada Soccer for some clarification on that province’s numbers.

 

Ontario

TOTAL REG. PLAYERS IN 2016: 326,959

TOTAL REG. PLAYERS IN 2017: 302,664 (DOWN 24,295)

SENIOR MALES IN 2016: 38,449  2017: 36,696

YOUTH MALES IN 2016: 160,738  2017: 147,971

SENIOR FEMALES IN 2016: 38,449 2017: 36,696

YOUTH FEMALES IN 2016: 106,586  2017: 98,457

 

Quebec

TOTAL REG. PLAYERS IN 2016: 179,928

TOTAL REG. PLAYERS IN 2017: 173,879 (DOWN 6,049)

SENIOR MALES IN 2016: 14,705 2017: 13,471

YOUTH MALES IN 2016: 99,298  2017: 97,084

SENIOR FEMALES IN 2016: 9,647 2017: 8,201

YOUTH FEMALES IN 2016: 56,278 2017: 55,123

 

British Columbia

TOTAL REG. PLAYERS IN 2016: 121,828

TOTAL REG. PLAYERS IN 2017: 114,823 (DOWN 7,005)

SENIOR MALES IN 2016: 13,227 2017: 11,205

YOUTH MALES IN 2016: 62,426  2017: 59,131

SENIOR FEMALES IN 2016: 8,181 2017: 8,702

YOUTH FEMALES IN 2016: 37,994 2017: 35,785

 

Alberta

TOTAL REG. PLAYERS IN 2016: 95,181

TOTAL REG. PLAYERS IN 2017: 95,406 (UP 225)

SENIOR MALES IN 2016: 15,074 2017: 13,925

YOUTH MALES IN 2016: 43,062  2017: 45,957

SENIOR FEMALES IN 2016: 10,039 2017: 10,312

YOUTH FEMALES IN 2016: 27,006 2017: 25,392

 

Saskatchewan

TOTAL REG. PLAYERS IN 2016: 23,659

TOTAL REG. PLAYERS IN 2017: 21,964 (DOWN 1,695)

SENIOR MALES IN 2016: 3,392 2017: 3,136

YOUTH MALES IN 2016: 10,956  2017: 9,939

SENIOR FEMALES IN 2016: 2,062 2017: 1,762

YOUTH FEMALES IN 2016: 7,249 2017: 7,127

 

Nova Scotia

TOTAL REG. PLAYERS IN 2016: 22,866

TOTAL REG. PLAYERS IN 2017: 21,539 (DOWN 1,327)

SENIOR MALES IN 2016: 1,884 2017: 1,948

YOUTH MALES IN 2016: 10,583  2017: 9,774

SENIOR FEMALES IN 2016: 1,481 2017: 1,520

YOUTH FEMALES IN 2016: 8,918 2017: 8,297

 

New Brunswick

TOTAL REG. PLAYERS IN 2016: 15,057

TOTAL REG. PLAYERS IN 2017: 13,383 (DOWN 1,674)

SENIOR MALES IN 2016: 1,185 2017: 978

YOUTH MALES IN 2016: 7,646  2017: 6,907

SENIOR FEMALES IN 2016: 570 2017: 547

YOUTH FEMALES IN 2016: 5,656 2017: 4,951

 

Manitoba

TOTAL REG. PLAYERS IN 2016: 14,161

TOTAL REG. PLAYERS IN 2017: 13,789 (DOWN 372)

BREAKDOWN N/A: SASKATCHEWAN INFO REPRINTED UNDER MANITOBA SECTION IN REPORT (HAVE ASKED FOR PROPER NUMBERS)

 

Newfoundland and Labrador

TOTAL REG. PLAYERS IN 2016: 11,339

TOTAL REG. PLAYERS IN 2017: 11,181 (DOWN 158)

SENIOR MALES IN 2016: 869 2017: 1,062

YOUTH MALES IN 2016: 5,732  2017: 5,516

SENIOR FEMALES IN 2016: 579 2017: 603

YOUTH FEMALES IN 2016: 4,159 2017: 4,000

 

Prince Edward Island

TOTAL REG. PLAYERS IN 2016: 5,155

TOTAL REG. PLAYERS IN 2017: 5,122 (DOWN 33)

SENIOR MALES IN 2016: 267 2017: 421

YOUTH MALES IN 2016: 2,337  2017: 2,188

SENIOR FEMALES IN 2016: 216 2017: 300

YOUTH FEMALES IN 2016: 2,335 2017: 2,213

 

Yukon

TOTAL REG. PLAYERS IN 2016: 1,360

TOTAL REG. PLAYERS IN 2017: 1,247 (DOWN 113)

SENIOR MALES IN 2016: 212 2017: 257

YOUTH MALES IN 2016: 715 2017: 629

SENIOR FEMALES IN 2016: 101 2017: 74

YOUTH FEMALES IN 2016: 332 2017: 287

 

Northwest Territories

TOTAL REG. PLAYERS IN 2016: 1,194

TOTAL REG. PLAYERS IN 2017: 948 (DOWN 246)

SENIOR MALES IN 2016: 281 2017: 236

YOUTH MALES IN 2016: 359 2017: 355

SENIOR FEMALES IN 2016: 148 2017: 110

YOUTH FEMALES IN 2016: 406 2017: 247

 

Nunavut

TOTAL REG. PLAYERS IN 2016: 253

TOTAL REG. PLAYERS IN 2017: 231 (DOWN 22)

YOUTH MALES IN 2016: 119 2017: 119

YOUTH FEMALES IN 2016: 134 2017: 112

 

Inescapably Canadian Power Rankings: MLS Week 10/USL Week 8

Well, it was quite a weekend for Canadians in MLS and USL. There were goals aplenty from Canadians in the North American professional leagues.

In Montreal, Anthony Jackson-Hamel registered a brace, while Raheem Edwards added a goal. Jay Chapman scored for Toronto FC.

In USL, Phoenix’s Alessandro Riggi has now scored in two consecutive games. Chris Nanco scored for Bethlehem Steel and Shaan Hundal bagged one for TFCII.

Here are the rankings after the 10th week of MLS play/eighth week of USL action:

 

MLS MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS

Samuel Piette, Montreal, 810 (9)
Will Johnson, Orlando, 809 (9)
Alphonso Davies, Vancouver, 727 (10)
Mark-Anthony Kaye, LAFC, 660 (8)
Marcel de Jong, Vancouver, 526 (7)
Russell Teibert, Vancouver, 440 (6)
Jonathan Osorio, TFC, 431 (5)
Dejan Jakovic, LAFC, 405 (5)
Ashtone Morgan, TFC, 369 (5)
Michael Petrasso, Montreal, 302 (6)
Jay Chapman, TFC, 223 (4)
Raheem Edwards, Montreal, 197 (4)
Liam Fraser, TFC, 189 (3)
Tosaint Ricketts, TFC, 182 (4)
Jordan Hamilton, 188 (3)
Ryan Telfer, TFC, 180 (2)
Anthony Jackson-Hamel, Montreal, 169 (6)
Brett Levis, Vancouver, 152 (2)
Richie Laryea, Orlando, 114 (3)
Julian Dunn-Johnson, TFC, 104 (2)
Louis Beland-Goyette, Montreal, 92 (3)
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, 1878/7 (268.3)

Vancouver, 1845/10 (184.5)

Montreal, 1602/9 (178)

LAFC, 1065/8 (133.1)

Orlando City, 923/9 (102.5)

FC Dallas, 23/8  (2.9)

NYCFC, 3/10 (0.3)

 

USL MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS

Jordan Schweitzer, Colorado Springs, 830 (10)
Jordan Murrell, Reno, 720 (8)
Skylar Thomas, Charleston, 720 (8)
Robert Boskovic, TFCII, 630 (7)
Paris Gee, Tulsa, 617 (7)
Kyle Bekker, NCFC, 611 (7)
Aidan Daniels, TFCII, 570 (7)
Bradley Kamdem-Fewo, Fresno, 540 (6)
Chris Mannella, Ottawa, 540 (6)
Jordan Dover, Pittsburgh, 524 (6)
Amer Didic, Swope Park Rangers, 480 (6)
Mauro Eustaquio, Penn FC, 462 (7)
Malik Johnson, TFCII, 453 (7)
Karl Ouimette, Indy, 450 (5)
Tyler Pasher, Indy, 440 (5)
Keven Aleman, Sacramento, 396 (6)
Angelo Cavalluzzo, TFCII, 360 (4)
Maxime Crepeau, Ottawa, 360 (4)
Eddie Edward, Ottawa, 360 (4)
Luca Uccello, TFCII, 358 (6)
Rocco Romeo, TFCII, 352 (4)
Carl Haworth, Ottawa, 348 (6)
Ryan James, Nashville, 337 (4)
Noble Okello Ayo, TFCII, 325 (4)
Jamar Dixon, Ottawa, 313 (6)
Mastanabal Kacher, Real Monarchs SLC, 306 (5)
Adonijah Reid, Ottawa, 273 (4)
Zachary Ellis-Hayden, Fresno, 270 (3)
Darrin MacLeod, Swope Park Rangers, 270 (3)
Josh Heard, Real Monarchs SLC, 267 (4)
Michael Cox, Nashville, 264 (5)
Zak Drake, Las Vegas, 234 (5)
Matthew Srbely, TFCII, 229 (4)
Ryan Telfer, TFCII, 207 (3)
Daniel Haber, FC Cincinnati, 200 (6)
David Edgar, Nashville, 191 (4)
Mark Anthony Gonzalez, Reno, 188 (3)
Julian Dunn-Johnson, TFCII, 180 (2)
Callum Irving, Ottawa, 180 (2)
Kyle Porter, Ottawa, 173 (2)
Kunle Dada-Luke, TFCII, 147 (4)
Shaan Hundal, TFCII, 141 (4)
Luca Ricci, Phoenix, 119 (3)
Alessandro Riggi, Phoenix, 102 (5)
Liam Fraser, TFCII, 90 (1)
Doneil Henry, Ottawa, 90 (1)
Steffen Yeates, TFCII, 90 (1)
Jordan Hamilton, TFCII, 63 (1)
Daniel Da Silva, TFCII, 59 (1)
Thomas Meilleur-Giguere, Ottawa, 59 (1)
Chris Nanco, Bethlehem Steel, 45 (4)
Monti Mohsen, Ottawa, 45 (1)
Terran Campbell, Fresno, 24 (4)
Jordan Faria, TFCII, 15 (1)
Luca Petrasso, TFCII, 11 (1)
Gabriel Wiethaeuper-Balbinotti, Ottawa, 6 (1)

 

TEAM RANKINGS, USL MINUTES PLAYED BY CANADIANS IN 2018

TFCII, 4280/7 (611.4)

Ottawa, 2747/6 (457.8)

Indy Eleven, 1070/7 (152.9)

Reno, 908/8 (113.5)

Nashville, 792/7 (113.1)

Swope Park Rangers, 750/8 (93.8)

Fresno, 834/9 (92.7)

Charleston, 720/8 (90)

Tulsa, 617/7 (88.1)

NCFC, 611/7 (87.3)

Colorado Springs, 830/10 (83)

Real Monarchs SLC, 573/7 (81.9)

Pittsburgh, 524/7 (74.9)

Penn FC, 462/7 (66)

Sacramento, 396/9 (44)

Las Vegas, 234/7 (33.4)

Phoenix, 221/8 (27.6)

FC Cincinnati, 200/8 (25)

Bethlehem Steel, 45/7 (6.4)

 

Four more make it official: Canada Soccer sanctions more CanPL clubs

The Canadian Premier League took four major steps towards its planned 2019 kickoff.  At the Canada Soccer annual general meeting Saturday in Yellowknife, four more CanPL clubs received their official professional sanctions: York (Toronto Area), Port City (Vancouver area), Calgary and Halifax.

Those four join Winnipeg and Hamilton, which received their sanctions last year.

FC Edmonton, which has put its current professional operations on hiatus after withdrawing from NASL in 2017, is looking towards joining CanPL as well — if a stadium agreement with the City of Edmonton can be reached, and enough fan support is drummed up. As the board meeting was held, Calgary Foothills hosted FCE’s Academy in the second leg of the “Al Classico” rivalry. Last week’s first leg, with the incentive of free tickets, drew more than 3,000 in Edmonton.

FCE does not need to re-apply for sanctioning. Its sanction from its NASL days is still valid. It does not need to re-apply in order to join the CanPL.

On Friday, at the CanPL board of governors meeting in Edmonton, CanPL commissioner David Cranachan said that official announcements regarding “six to seven” teams would start being rolled out this week. The plan is to do one team announcement per week.

Cranachan said that the league was still on target to have 8-10 teams in its inaugural season. When asked about how many ownership groups were at Friday’s meeting in Edmonton, he smiled and said “more than eight.”

Canada Soccer President Steven Reed said the association was pleased that Canadian pro-team numbers have swelled to 11, with the six CanPL teams, plus FCE’s existing sanction, then the USL’s Ottawa Fury and three MLS teams.

“It has been another landmark year for Canadian soccer as we continue to grow the game from coast to coast to coast with our North Star Rising now more than ever. We would like to thank the membership for their commitment and passion to ensure that as a collective we are a Leading Soccer Nation,” Reed was quoted in a release.  “Today’s acceptance of four new professional clubs bringing the association to its highest ever total of 11 is a clear indication of the strength and potential for the game in our country”.

Field of dreams? As CanPL owners meet in Edmonton, commissioner turns eyes towards baseball stadium

Is there a new home in sight for FC Edmonton?

As the Canadian Premier League’s Board of Governors meeting in downtown Edmonton wrapped up Friday afternoon, Commissioner David Clanachan suggested that Clarke Stadium may not be the only option on the table.

He said that the club may also want to have a look at Re/Max Field, the close-to-downtown baseball facility that holds 9,200. It’s the former home of the Pacific Coast League’s Edmonton Trappers, but currently houses the Edmonton Prospects, an elite amateur team that plays in May, June and July.

“(Edmonton) is pretty close,” said Clanachan. “We’re looking at the facilities. As you know, when you’re going to do a new club and you need a place to play, you need somewhere to call home. It’s got to be right for the fans. You need a good experience for the fans and it needs to set up properly with the actual club itself. We’re working through that right now. Certainly there are some issues with the existing facility that FCE uses today. We’re working through that. At the end of the day (Clarke) doesn’t necessarily check off all the boxes that the league wants, but having said that, maybe there are some other venues that we could use in the city. I think of the old baseball stadium. I just love that field. I love what’s happening there. And I love the position of it, and I think it does check off a lot of the boxes. We just need to work through that with the city and the club and make sure it’s the right thing for fans and engagement in the city.”

As members of the NASL, FCE called Clarke Stadium home from 2012-17. Owners Tom and Dave Fath purchased stands to nearly quadruple the capacity of the stadium to just over 4,000. But, the city owns the facility and FCE was a tenant. That meant FCE had to schedule against minor football and Eskimos practices — and other community users. FCE would not get first right of refusal on dates, even if television was involved.

The team suspended first-team operations in 2018, but are working towards re-launching the first team in the new CanPL, which is set to kick off in 2019. CanPL requirements are for stadiums to have capacities of at least 7,000 and for their teams to be primary tenants of those stadiums. Those proposals, when recently brought to City Hall, received significant push-back from minor football and the CFL’s Edmonton Eskimos, who have a multi-year agreement in place to use Clarke as a practice facility.

So, enter Re/Max, which already has the capacity needed.

“Why not?” asked Clanachan. “We’re looking for the right place to play that’s going to be great for the fans and for the supporters and for the team.”

But Tom Fath was far more cautious when talking about the baseball stadium.

“We haven’t talked to the City about RE/MAX Field,” he said. “There’s a different tenant in RE/MAX Field. So, we haven’t brought up RE/MAX Field. Other people may have mentioned it, but we’re neutral on that because there’s another tenant in there and we believe in sports it doesn’t matter what sport it is — they are good for the community and they are good for the kids.”

Clanachan said he wasn’t worried about a CanPL vs. football narrative changing to a CanPL vs. baseball story.

“It’s not a battle of one versus the other. The city’s a great city. It’s a sports city. We want to fit in. We want to move in, we want to be a good neighbour.”

In terms of the talks over Clarke, Clanachan said that FCE’s brass is having good discussions and “the City is trying really hard to work things out. There’s a lot of support for professional soccer in this town.”

WHAT’S NEXT: After Friday’s Edmonton meetings wrapped, the ownership groups and CanPL execs began their treks to Yellowknife, site of this year’s Canada Soccer Annual General Meeting. Clanachan said many of the teams are up for sanctioning at the meetings.

How many ownership groups met behind closed doors? Clanachan smiled and said “more than eight.” He said the league is still on track to kick off with 8-10 teams in 2019, and that team announcements are set for one per week over the next six to seven weeks.

AL CLASSICO: Clanachan said that all the staff at CanPL headquarters in Toronto were paying close attention to the first-ever Al Classico. Last Sunday at Clarke, Calgary Foothills’ PDL squad faced a group of FCE Academy players along with some returning veterans. More than 3,000 people came to the free event.

The teams face each other in Calgary on Saturday.

“It  was amazing,” said Clanachan.” Everybody at the office  was talking about it. It was a great event and you could see the passion is there. And so, we’ve just got to keep building on that passion and it’ll work well.