Steven Sandor's Blog, page 31

WFC2 became the Whitecaps’ own Kobayashi Maru

As Trek nerds know, the Kobayashi Maru is the final test for a Starfleet cadet. It is a battle simulation you can’t win; you get a distress call from a defenceless ship (the Kobayashi Maru) that’s surrounded by Klingon warships. Your starship is no match for the enemy, but still you try to do the right thing and rescue the innocents who have been ambushed. You have to keep your shields up to fight the Klingons, but you also need to drop them so you can beam survivors from the Kobayashi Maru to your ship.

Facing the no-win situation is the final lesson about duty and, yes, death.

The Whitecaps’ front office has faced its own Kobayashi Maru scenario over the past several months. The long-running rumours were confirmed this weekend, as WFC2 played its final game of the USL season in front of less than 1,000 fans. WFC2 will not be back next year.

People who follow this site might have been expecting a column raging about the Whitecaps decision to affiliate with Fresno FC next season — an American USL team that won’t have to take more than eight Whitecaps prospects. As well, there will be no Can-con standards for the Whitecaps to deal with when it comes to their deal with Fresno.

But, no. Frankly, the Whitecaps were backed into a corner. When the USL got its Division-2 status from the USSF for the 2017 season — moving up from Div-3 status — it began a chain of events that really could have only ended this way.

When the Whitecaps, Montreal Impact, Toronto FC all applied to have affiliate teams in the USL, the league held only Division-3 status. It featured an odd mix of teams that were “2” teams of MLS parents, clubs that were affiliated with MLS sides and independent clubs – including some that had aspirations to become MLS teams.

The independent clubs led USL’s push for Division-2 status and, this past season, they succeeded. But, at the same time, the first domino fell. The Impact folded its “2” team, finding a better arrangement in affiliating with the Ottawa Fury. But, really, you couldn’t come close to fielding a team with the number of Impact prospects who actually played for the Fury in 2017.

TFCII and WFC2 continued on this season but, like a lot of the “2” sides, needed waivers for Div-2 status. The Whitecaps played games at  McLeod Athletic Park (capacity: 2,200) and Thunderbird Stadium (capacity: 3,500). The Div-2 rules require a stadium that holds at least 5,000.

Of course, the irony is that these are American Div-2 rules. Canada does not have a Div-2. But these Canadian teams are playing in American leagues, to American soccer politics

USL president Jake Edwards has gone on the record saying that, for 2018, the USL will not ask for waivers. That means no stadiums that hold less than 5,000. So, the Whitecaps would have needed to move WFC2 to a larger venue, pay higher costs and upgrade the team so that it could “feel” more independent.

All for a team that has struggled to attract even 1,000 fans. It would have made no sense.

As well, the pressure was ramped up when NASL got word that it wouldn’t get Div-2 status for 2018 and then decided to sue the USSF. NASL also asked courts for an injunction to restore the league’s divisional status until the court case is heard. That injunction plea goes to court in Brooklyn on Oct. 31.

One of the central pieces of the NASL/USSF dispute is the issue of waivers. NASL has got them every year it has existed, but claims that USL is getting them as well. So, if USL and its teams were to get Div-2 status extended for 2018, and needed waivers to do so, they’d only be aiding and abetting the legal claims of their rival league.

Another hit to the Whitecaps.

In the end, we will see USL as a failed experiment for Canada’s MLS teams. The idea was noble at first, “2” teams that would allow young prospects the chance to get real game time. Canadian content rules would ensure more than half of the players on the field were, well, Canadian.

But, American division politics came into play, and Canada’s “2” teams are collateral damage. The losers, of course, are the prospects. The soon-to-come Canadian Premier League doesn’t have a rulebook yet, so we’re not sure how or if its teams will take players on loan from MLS sides. And Fresno’s ownership isn’t going to want to run out a team that’s mostly Canadian. NASL’s future is uncertain.

In the end, with American soccer politics being what they are, there really was very little chance for a Canadian developmental program to survive in what USL has become.

From a Canadian soccer follower: How Americans can adjust to their new World Cup-less normal

Look, America, it’s tough to miss a World Cup. It stings for now. But, if you’re gonna survive this, you need to learn to laugh about it. You’re going to need to deal with the new reality.

Trust me. I’m Canadian. And, as a Canadian, I know all about missing (men’s) World Cups. Heck, we normally don’t get as close to a World Cup as you got in this latest cycle.

So, as a Canadian, let me give you some advice on how to cope, and all the crap you’re gonna deal with as we get closer and closer to the World Cup.

Iceland

As a country that misses World Cups regularly, we were on top of the Iceland story as the small island nation took over its qualifying group for Euro 2016.

We were constantly reminded about how small Iceland is. And how advanced Icelandic coaches are. And the availability of pitches was touted, even though you have to dodge a White Walker or two. We asked ourselves “why can’t we be more like Iceland?”

Now, my American friends, it is your turn. Join us at the altar of Iceland worship. You are going to hear all about Iceland this and Iceland that. There will be long-form thinkpieces about Iceland’s footballing rise. They’ve been done before, they’ll be done again. I am sure that, by now, Iceland has guided tours of all its football grounds for fawning visitors. By the time the World Cup comes around, you will be so sick of comparisons between tiny Iceland (pop. 13; 18 million if you count the sheep) and your soccer program that the sound of slow claps will cause cold sweats. You will delete all the Bjork and Sigur Ros songs from your Spotify accounts. And, above all else, you will go into the World Cup thinking “ANYBODY BUT ICELAND.”

Trust me, in Canada it’s been blah blah blah blah Iceland blah blah Iceland Iceland Iceland Iceland for a few years now. And, still, Iceland won’t go away.

Don’t feel obligated to cheer for Iceland because everyone else is cheering for that plucky underdog. Those people are only cheering for Iceland because, well, they think they’re obligated to do so because you are cheering for plucky Iceland. If we all stopped to talk about it, we’d all realize we resent the hell out of Iceland.

Dragging you down

One of the great joys of being a non-World Cup country is cheering on when other major soccer nations fail to qualify.

Netherlands, Chile, Cameroon… and maybe Italy! How awesome would it be for them to join us in the pile of near misses and flameouts? Feel bad about Christian Pulisic not making the World Cup? Well, Dwayne De Rosario never made a World Cup. And, so, don’t be afraid to take joy in Dutch tears and Alexis Sanchez’s rage.

If you’re going to go down, you can either hold your head high and say “there’s always the next cycle.” Or, you can go low and revel in the undeniable truth that missing out is so much easier to take when other big names join you in the basement.

No, that wasn’t us you heard cheering from over the border when the scores from the final round of CONCACAF qualifying games all went to full-time. You guys must have been hearing things. Maybe there was a hockey game on.

New rivals

Don’t think of losing to Trinidad and Tobago as falling victim to a terrible upset. Think of it as “finding a new rival.” You’re used to measuring yourselves against Mexico and, well, no one else in CONCACAF.

What fun is that? As a Canadian, I can tell you that not being assured of a win against pretty well any CONCACAF nation is pretty thrilling. You sweat out early-round games against Caribbean minnows. A road games in El Salvador? A draw is good!

Because you always get to skip the early rounds of World Cup, you miss the best of what CONCACAF has to offer. You don’t know that Benny’s is your No. 1 store. You’ve never watched a game from Belize on Channel 5. You’ve never cursed a choppy stream of a game played in Saint Lucia. Nothing brings soccer Twitter together like a good group discussion about the  “buffering” display we’re all watching instead of, well, a game.

See, our Caribbean geography knowledge is pretty good — not because we Canadians all like to vacation there, but because we have to play the likes of Dominica and Saint Lucia and St. Kitts and Nevis in order to move on in World Cup qualifying. Isn’t the risk of sliding down the world rankings exciting? Now you can bite your nails when you face a small nation you can’t find a map. It makes soccer more interesting! Really!

Decisions, decisions

Of course, when your program doesn’t make a World Cup, young players start thinking about other countries. A player gets a passport from a foreign World Cup-bound land because his dad once knew a guy who lived there for, like, six months. Or maybe the player can prove that a great, great grandfather of his best friend once lived in (PLACE COUNTRY NAME HERE), so now said player should be eligible to play for (PLACE COUNTRY NAME HERE).

You see, in Canada, we freak about basically every young player who hasn’t got a senior cap in an “A” game. Wait, did our 17-year-old phenom just tweet that he idolizes Thierry Henry? He must want to play for France!

The problem is, our fears are often realized. We have seen many raised-in-Canada players move on and play for other nations. Bosnia and Herzegovina’s keeper grew up in Edmonton and can pretty well tell you anything and everything about his beloved Oilers. We coulda had a shot at a guy who just got his first cap for Italy. We are freaking about a young talent who could leave the Canadian program for Cote d’Ivoire. You might remember that we once lost a striker to the American program.

Every time a player gets his first Canadian cap, we cheer. We have caught our white whale. Except, as soon as it’s out of the way, we then fret about another player. For us, there’s always another whale.

Now, I know Americans aren’t immune to the “will he play for us?” thing. But, face it. You guys have won a lot more than you’ve lost. That could change. That comes with being a non-World-Cup nation. In a few years, we can get together for beers and talk about the ones who got away.

Cheer for TFC

It’s not quite like watching your favourite players in their national-team jerseys, but Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore will try to rebound from the World Cup failure with a run to MLS Cup with Toronto FC. You can join with a large group of passionate fans in cheering on the Reds. Heck, the U.S. national team had a red kit, as well, didn’t it?

Spoiler alert: Most of the TFC supporters are Canadian. Ugh. I know. We all have to make sacrifices, sometime.

Western Halifax wins national men’s title, while Edmonton Victoria cements a dynasty

The national championships are a wonderful Thanksgiving tradition in Canadian soccer circles. And, congratulations need to go out to Edmonton Victoria, who sealed its fourth national championship in five years by getting a 3-0 win over Newfoundland and Labrador’s Holy Cross in the final game of the schedule.

Victoria is a true Canadian soccer dynasty; it came into the final day knowing it needed to win by two goals to usurp Surrey United at the top of the final-round table. And two goals in two minutes from Heather Lund and Elise Emmott sent the Canadian championship mainstays on their way to another title. Kristyn Shapka got the late insurance goal.

On the men’s side, Western Halifax FC’s Calum MacRae made a deft first touch and then placed a shot inside the post with the outside of his foot, giving his side a goal inside of two minutes. It was all Western Halifax FC would need as it beat FC Winnipeg Lions 1-0 in the Challenge Trophy final.

Winnipeg stuck a ball in the back of the net just seconds after the referee blew the whistle to end the game, but it looked like some of the Halifax players had already gone into celebration mode as the ball went in.

Some familiar names with Halifax: Centre back Shawn Kodejs, a former member of TFC’s Academy; and Jhonattan Cordoba, who was a trialist with FC Edmonton back in 2012.

Now, a lot has been said in the last couple of months over how soccer is covered in Canada; most of that has come from the perceived lack of love for Toronto FC’s run to the MLS Supporters’ Shield. Now, it’s hard to complain about mainstream media coverage (or the lack of it) when the industry has fewer and fewer staff by the day, but it would be nice if Canada’s soccer community as a whole paid more attention to the national senior championships.

Where to start? I’ve advocated for it in the past, and I’ll do so again here: When it comes to the men’s side, the senior national championship winner should have a berth in the Canadian Championship. Western Halifax FC deserves to have a shot at the Voyageurs Cup. Last year, when Edmonton Scottish won the title, the club was strong in its opinion that it deserved a ticket to the Voyageurs Cup.

Without coming off too much like a broken record, every Cup tournament needs its underdogs — it needs the chances for Cinderella stories to unfold. Adding teams from the semi-pro ranks in Ontario and Quebec, that’s a good first step. But, notwithstanding the arrival of the Canadian Premier League teams, the Canadian Championship would only get another added layer of intrigue if the top men’s amateur side was allowed to compete. Many of these winners have players who have been in the past linked to pro and collegiate teams; they surely would enter a Canadian Championship as heavy underdogs, but it’s hard to see them embarrassing themselves.

It won’t happen right away, but it’s something that should be considered for the future. The path for the Challenge Trophy winner shouldn’t, well, end with the Challenge Trophy. Winning a prestigious national championship deserves a greater reward.

Intrinsically Canadian Power Rankings: MLS Week 31/NASL Week 28/USL Week 29

As we near the end of the MLS, NASL and USL seasons, we can look at the rankings of Canadians by minutes played in two ways.

There is the glass half-full approach. And that’s to look at the number of Canadians who have appeared in games.  So far this year, 26 Canadians have got into games in the 22-team MLS; in the eight-team NASL, David Doe became the 17th Canadian to play in the leagye this past weekend, as he came on as a late substitute for FC Edmonton. In the USL, 74 Canadians have taken the field in the 30-team league, with WFC2 and TFCII having to fulfill Canadian quotas that require them to give more than half the playing time available to Canada-eligible players.

There is some crossover — that is, some players have played in more than one league this season. In fact, Ben McKendry and Maxim Tissot have both played in all three leagues in 2017.

Now, the glass half-empty part. How many of these Canadians have seen a lot of time on the pitch? Seven MLS players have played less than 90 minutes or less this season. That’s true of two NASL players from north of the border and nine Canadian USLers. As we get to the end of the season, and the teams are all nearing or have passed their 30-game marks, let’s look at how many Canadians have played 2,000 minutes or more — the equivalent of about 22 games. Basically, players who are used 70 per cent of the time or more by their clubs.

MLS has just two who have passed 2,000; Cyle Larin and Will Johnson from Orlando City. Drew Beckie from Jacksonville is the only Canadian NASL player to push through the 2,000-minute barrier. In USL, there are six — Callum Irving, Mastanabal Kacher, Ryan James, Mallan Roberts, Ryan Telfer and Jordan Murrell.

So, in the end, only nine Canadians have hit the 2,000-minute mark this season. If there’s a better case for a Canadian Premier League… please let me know.

MLS MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS

Cyle Larin, Orlando, 2169 (28)
Will Johnson, Orlando, 2026 (25)
Patrice Bernier, Montreal, 1700 (25)
Tesho Akindele, FCD, 1434 (28)
Ballou Jean-Yves Tabla, Montreal, 1078 (19)
Raheem Edwards, TFC, 1055 (20)
Anthony Jackson-Hamel, Montreal, 1047 (20)
Alphonso Davies, Vancouver, 1036 (25)
Tosaint Ricketts, TFC, 1001 (22)
Jonathan Osorio, TFC, 954 (25)
Samuel Piette, Montreal, 786 (7)
Russell Teibert, Vancouver, 731 (12)
Marcel de Jong, Vancouver, 689 (12)
Jay Chapman, TFC, 375 (11)
Louis Beland-Goyette, Montreal, 293 (6)
Ashtone Morgan, TFC, 193 (4)
Jordan Hamilton, TFC, 142 (8)
Richie Laryea, Orlando, 139 (10)
Wandrille Lefevre, Montreal, 106 (3)
Maxime Crepeau, Montreal, 90 (1)
Ben McKendry, Vancouver, 90 (1)
Maxim Tissot, D.C. United, 90 (1)
Brian Wright, New England, 45 (2)
Tyler Pasher, Sporting KC, 45 (1)
David Choiniere, Montreal,34 (3)
Kwame Awuah, NYCFC, 15 (3)

 

TEAM RANKINGS, MLS MINUTES PLAYED BY CANADIANS IN 2017

Montreal, 5111/32 (159.7)

Orlando City, 4314/32 (134.8)

Toronto FC, 3730/32 (116.6)

Vancouver, 2544/32 (79.5)

FC Dallas, 1434/32 (44.8)

D.C. United, 90/32 (2.8)

New England, 45/31 (1.5)

Sporting Kansas City, 45/31 (1.5)

New York City FC, 15/32 (0.5)

 

NASL MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS

Drew Beckie, Jacksonville, 2011 (25)
Mason Trafford, Miami FC, 1899 (23)
Allan Zebie, FCE, 1783 (22)
Ben Fisk, FCE, 1760 (20)
Kyle Bekker, San Francisco, 1724 (24)
Karl Ouimette, San Francisco, 1657 (10)
Dejan Jakovic, New York, 1620 (18)
Nana Attakora, San Francisco, 1350 (15)
Nik Ledgerwood, FCE, 1189 (16)
Tyson Farago, FCE, 1125 (12)
Maxim Tissot, San Francisco, 985 (16)
Adam Straith, FCE, 949 (11)
Mauro Eustaquio, FCE, 794 (14)
Ben McKendry, FCE, 669 (10)
Nathan Ingham, FCE, 495 (6)
David Doe, FCE, 8 (1)
Abraham Dukuly, FCE, 5 (1)

 

TEAM RANKINGS, NASL MINUTES PLAYED BY CANADIANS IN 2017

FC Edmonton, 8777/27 (325.1)

San Francisco, 5716/27 (211.7)

Jacksonville, 2011/28 (71.8)

Miami FC, 1899/28 (67.8)

New York, 1620/28 (57.9)

 

USL MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS

Callum Irving, Ottawa, 2790 (31)
Mastanabal Kacher, Colorado Springs, 2620 (31)
Ryan James, Rochester, 2593 (30)
Mallan Roberts, Richmond, 2577 (29)
Jordan Murrell, Reno, 2369 (27)
Ryan Telfer, TFCII, 2113 (29)
David Norman Jr., WFC2, 1967 (25)
Amer Didic, Swope Park, 1811 (21)
Jamar Dixon, Ottawa, 1789 (27)
Tyler Pasher, Swope Park, 1783 (23)
Eddie Edward, Ottawa, 1777 (22)
Daniel Haber, Real Monarchs, 1766 (28)
Zachary Ellis-Hayden, OCB, 1753 (23)
Bradley Kamdem Fewo, Rochester, 1725 (24)
Marco Bustos, WFC2, 1724 (20)
Kadin Chung, WFC2, 1719 (23)
Terran Campbell, WFC2, 1714 (24)
Angelo Cavalluzzo, TFCII, 1710 (19)
Jordan Schweitzer, OCB, 1644 (23)
Jordan Dover, Rochester, 1561 (21)
Chris Nanco, Bethlehem Steel, 1552 (25)
Liam Fraser, TFCII, 1486 (19)
Shaan Hundal, TFCII, 1441 (21)
Carl Haworth, Ottawa, 1414 (20)
Thomas Gardner, WFC2, 1343 (20)
Skylar Thomas, Charleston, 1225 (21)
Ben McKendry, WFC2, 1203 (14)
Gloire Amanda, WFC2, 1191 (26)
Matthew Baldisimo, WFC2, 1167 (22)
Alessandro Riggi, Phoenix, 1150 (19)   
Julian Dunn-Johnson, TFCII, 1088 (13)   
Sergio Camargo, TFCII, 1082 (18)
Sean Melvin, WFC2, 1080 (12)
Malik Johnson, TFCII, 1000 (19)
Richie Laryea, OCB, 999 (12)
Mark Anthony Gonzalez, Swope Park, 978 (19)
Chris Serban, WFC2, 972 (16)
Mark-Anthony Kaye, Louisville, 966 (18)  
Luca Uccello, TFCII, 915 (14)
Paris Gee, Tulsa, 864 (18)  
Kyle Porter, Tampa Bay, 863 (11)  
Aidan Daniels, TFCII, 858 (15)
Michael Cox, OCB, 832 (16)   
A.J. Gray, Phoenix, 779 (22)
Jordan Hamilton, TFCII, 734 (9)  
Dominick Zator, WFC2, 685 (8)
Marco Carducci, Rio Grande Valley FC, 540 (6)
Michael Baldisimo, WFC2, 526 (11)
Adonijah Reid, Ottawa, 504 (11)
Anthony Osorio, TFCII, 467 (7)
Ashtone Morgan, TFCII, 464 (6)
Mackenzie Pridham, Reno, 446 (14)  
Maxim Tissot, Richmond, 340 (4)
Dante Campbell, TFCII, 337 (10)
Matthew Srbely, TFCII, 275 (4)
Jay Chapman, TFCII, 270 (3)
Darrin MacLeod, Swope Park, 270 (3)
Josh Heard, Bethlehem Steel, 257 (15)
Aron Mkungilwa, Ottawa, 233 (4)
Patrick Metcalfe, WFC2, 222 (4)
Marco Dominguez, FC Cincinnati, 189 (5)
Brian Wright, Tulsa, 186 (3)
Wandrille Lefevre, Ottawa, 180 (2)
Brett Levis, WFC2, 176 (4)
Daniel DaSilva, TFCII, 94 (2)
Marcel DeBellis, Richmond, 90 (1)
Raheem Edwards, TFCII, 90 (1)
Rocco Romeo, TFCII, 90 (1)
Mark Village, WFC2, 90 (1)
Mele Temguia, FC Cincinnati, 62 (1)
Thomas Meilleur-Giguere, Ottawa, 34 (3)
Noble Okello Ayo, TFCII, 19 (1)
Nicolas Apostol, WFC2, 17 (1)
Noah Verhoeven, WFC2, 16 (1)

 

TEAM RANKINGS, USL MINUTES PLAYED BY CANADIANS IN 2017

WFC2,15809/31 (510)

TFCII,14542/31 (469.1)

Ottawa, 8721/31 (281.3)

Rochester, 5879/30 (196)

Orlando City B, 5268/31 (170)

Swope Park Rangers, 4842/31 (156.2)

Richmond, 3007/31 (97)

Reno, 2822/31 (91)

Colorado Springs, 2620/31 (84.5)

Phoenix, 1929/30 (64.3)

Bethlehem Steel FC, 1892/30 (63.1)

Real Monarchs SC, 1766/30 (58.9)

Charleston, 1225/31 (39.5)

Tulsa, 1050/31 (33.9)

Louisville City, 966/31 (31.2)

Tampa Bay, 863/31 (27.8)

Rio Grande Valley FC, 450/30 (15)

FC Cincinnati, 251/31 (8.1)

 

El Salvador beats listless Canada side in Houston

A guy named Larin made a game-breaking play in Sunday’s friendly between Canada and El Salvador in Houston.

Problem for Canada was that it was El Salvador fullback Alexander Larin, not Canadian striker Cyle Larin.

It was the Salvadoran Larin who delivered a dangerous cross that skipped just past striker Irvin Herrera before it found Denis Pineda, who put the ball past Canadian keeper Simon Thomas. The cross was so good that El Salvador had two cracks at putting it in — and the second man in the box was the one who got the decisive touch.

That goal was the decider in a 1-0 game that saw Canada— a team that had Cyle Larin leading the line for the first 50 minutes — create very little going forward. Yes, this was a bit of experimental lineup, without the likes of Junior Hoilett and Alphonso Davies on the wings, who may have provided some service to Larin and, later, Anthony Jackson-Hamel. The Canadian strikers on the day were isolated and, really, touched the ball very little.

In the second half, Scott Arfield had a half-decent look and Keven Aleman struck a volley right at El Salvador keeper Derby Carrillo — and that was about it for Canada in terms of attacking intent. Raheem Edwards and Fraser Aird were started in advanced positions down either wing, but Canada didn’t really trouble El Salvador down the flanks.

After what was a first half that fans from both sides would probably rather forget, as the game kicked off in temperatures in excess of 30 C. Obviously, by playing an afternoon in south Texas, where any fan who would bother to come would be wearing El Salvador blue, Canada could have a friendly which best replicated the Central American road-game experience without, well, actually going to Central America.

It wasn’t until the second half till the game hit any kind of stride, but it was El Salvador that took the initiative. Jaime Alas’s shot forced Thomas into a leaping save, and Nelson Bonilla followed that up with a curving shot that went just wide. Bonilla would later have a breakaway chance stopped by Thomas.

Kris Twardek, who plays his club soccer with Millwall, got his first Canadian senior cap late in the match. Unfortunately, for Canada, that may have been the most noteworthy thing out this friendly.

 

Here comes Santa Claus: FCE’s defensive lapse gives gift of a winning goal to the Armada

It was halftime of Friday’s match between Jacksonville and FC Edmonton at Clarke Field. The game was tied 0-0. FCE coach Colin Miller said that he was pretty happy about the way his team had played in the first half. He said he was happy about the way the players applied themselves.

Eddies’ forward Jake Keegan had the best scoring chance of that first half, heading a cross from Sainey Nyassi off the bar.

But Miller admitted he was worried that the Eddies would have one of their “Santa Claus moments” and gift the opposition a chance.

Unfortunately for the Eddies, Miller was right to be worried. Santa Claus did indeed show up in the second half.

Ciaran Kilduff was left wide open to head home the only goal of the game, and the Armada got its fourth win over FCE this season. All four of the matches have ended 1-0.

“It’s criminal,” Miller said after the game. “We don’t get tight on the cross and then we give up a free header. It’s the story of our season — poor defending at times.

“It’s devastating. We put so much into these games, and we go down to defeat again.”

Kilduff was being marked by Edmonton centre back Pape Diakite; but, as the cross came in, Diakite decided to leave his man in a vain attempt to try and get his head to the ball. He charged away from Kilduff and leaped for the ball. The ball sailed well over Diakite’s had, and Kilduff was then conveniently wide open to head it home.

The goal came only minutes after FCE keeper Tyson Farago sprawled to save a breakaway chance from Derek Gebhard, off a counter attack that was set in motion by a poor cross-field pass from Diakite. He was well out on the left wing and decided to play the ball out onto the right; the pass wasn’t accurate, Jacksonville countered, and Diakite wasn’t in his normal centre-back spot to shut the door.

With the win, Jacksonville moved back into fourth place in the NASL overall standings, the spot that represents the final playoff spot.

FCE’s Nik Ledgerwood battles Jacksonville’s Tony Taylor. PHOTO: TONY LEWIS/FC EDMONTON

“I guess two wins now in Edmonton in my NASL career,” said Drew Beckie, the Armada’s Canadian centre back, who experience a lot of frustration at Clarke Field as a member of the Carolina RailHawks and Ottawa Fury. “It’s a tough place to play, but we’ve done well. We’ve struggled against Miami and some other teams, we’ve gone up and down. But it looks like, with four games left, that we’re going to battle till the end.”

Beckie admitted that, as is the case with all NASL teams, the Armada’s players are dealing with a lot of distractions. They know that the league will be looking for an injunction Oct. 31 in U.S. federal court that would allow it to keep its Division-2 status for next year. The league has stated that if it doesn’t get the injunction, it won’t survive.

“When you hear about what could happen or what is happening, you have to be professionals and finish out the season. But guys like to plan for their families, guys like to plan for themselves — and what may happen next year is a 50-50 thing. You can’t worry about it now, but it’s going to be a reality in a month. SInce guys only get paid through November on most teams, it’s tough. You’ve got to go through the off-season. I think we deserve to be paid 12 months a year and that’s a frustrating thing for myself and a lot of guys, and, with the insecurity of the league, guys have to start looking elsewhere and do it at the right time. But you have to be professional and finish the season out and go from there.”

The Eddies were without their two leading scorers, Tomi Ameobi (knee) and Dustin Corea (call-up to El Salvador for Sunday’s game against Canada). The team’s all-time leading scorer, Daryl Fordyce, failed a fitness test due to a foot injury.

That meant that teenager David Doe made the bench. And, a week after teenager Abraham Dukuly made his debut, Doe came on as a sub. He made a clever run that drew a free kick opportunity for Nicolas Di Biase. The free-kick forced Armada keeper Caleb Patterson-Sewell to leap so he could get a strong hand to the ball.

It was as close to a comeback as the Eddies would come.

And then there were four: Regina, Ottawa eliminated from World Cup 2026 host-city pool

The dream of hosting 2026 World Cup matches is now dead in Regina and Ottawa.

The United Bid Committee unveiled the 32 finalist cities in Mexico, Canada and the United States that could host World Cup matches. And, from Canada, Toronto’s BMO Field, Vancouver’s BC Place, Montreal’s Olympic Stadium and Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium have made the cut.

Ottawa and Regina were not on the list. Calgary was cut at an earlier stage.

“Having hosted every FIFA competition other than the FIFA World Cup, Canada has built a strong foundation across the country from which we can now draw on as a member of the United 2026 bid,” said Steven Reed, United 2026 Board Member and Canada Soccer president in a release.  “Canada has proven itself to be a soccer nation and we are confident Canadians will come together to show, once again, the wonderful Canadian hospitality that has helped make each of our previous FIFA tournaments successful.”

Commonwealth Stadium and BC Place were slam dunks, considering they already pass the 40,000-seat minimum needed for World Cup stadiums. BC Place was modernized for the 2010 Winter Olympics, while renovations were made to Commonwealth ahead of the Women’s World Cup. Edmonton hosted more Women’s World Cup games in 2015 than any other other city, and Vancouver got the final.

Toronto’s BMO Field  will need to be expanded to meet World Cup requirements, but is the only one of the four Canadian finalists to have a grass surface.

Montreal’s Olympic Stadium will likely need major renovation work, and a grass field.

The release stated that there is still hope for the cities eliminated from the hosting process to have some kinds of roles in the World Cup.

“The United Bid Committee will also continue engaging with the nine cities that are not advancing to the next stage of the candidate host city process. Those cities, along with others, are being considered as possible locations for Team Base Camps or other competition-related events leading up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.”

The united bid is going against Morocco for the right to host the 2026 World Cup.

 

MLS opens a marketing office in Canada: Is it already too little, too late?

Diego Moratorio spent the better part of the last decade marketing Coca-Cola to Canadians.

As the new general manager of MLS’s long-promised and finally delivered Canadian head office, he’s got an awfully big job. On Monday, the league announced that Moratoria would run the league’s Canadian office, and would answer to Soccer United Marketing.

So, the new league office will be an extension of the marketing arm, and right now there’s no sign that that it will have any hand in the competitive aspects of the league — that is, the soccer itself.

Still, there is work for Moratorio to do. Frankly,  the league has done a job so poor in selling the game to people north of the border, that calling its sell job “abysmal” would be a compliment.

This is a league that has fans in Canada despite itself, not because of any outreach work it has done north of the border.

On the marketing side, over the years we’ve seen contests and promotions run by the league that aren’t valid in Canada. We see teams in Canada advertising products that aren’t available in Canada. (When was the last time any of you saw a Bimbo baked product in a supermarket, or drank a can of Sierra Mist?) 

But, where MLS has truly stumbled in Canada is in making itself a national concern. Basically, in this country, interest in the league is restricted to the three metro areas that have teams. The three Canadian MLS clubs have virtually no presence in the rest of Canada. Finding a Toronto FC shirt or a Whitecaps scarf at West Edmonton Mall… well you can’t do that. (But you can find jerseys for all the NFL teams and pretty well every alternate cap used in Major League Baseball). To sports fans outside of the three MLS cities, “Giovinco” sounds like the latest pizza offering from Famoso.

Last season, MLS thought it had its breakthrough; more than a million viewers tuned in to see Montreal face Toronto FC in the playoffs, then see TFC lose MLS Cup.

Did those viewers come back to follow the 2017 regular season? For the most part, no. According to the National Post, TSN’s ratings for MLS are up this season. Toronto FC is averaging 93,000 viewers a game, while the Whitecaps are at 86,000 and Montreal is at 80,000.

They are up, but they are still terrible.

And, more troubling, is that the wide majority of Canadians who gave MLS a shot during last year’s playoffs decided to NOT come back. Maybe it was the fact that the 2016 MLS Cup was one of the most awful games of soccer ever played – a game that gave every person who says “MLS is not nearly world class and that’s why I don’t watch it” the ammo needed to post on a million message boards. Maybe it was the lack of follow-up promotion from MLS and its Canadian teams.

But, if the playoffs and MLS Cup spiked to over a million viewers, and then the audiences are back under 100,000 per game in 2017, that tells us that MORE THAN 90 PER CENT of those who tuned in to MLS for the post-season didn’t come back. That’s a stunning rate of non-retention. I mean, that’s the-entire-marketing-department-is-fired kinda stuff.

And what does that say to potential sponsors? That there’s no loyalty to MLS outside of a relatively small group of core fans in the three largest Canadian metros.

That’s something that gets lost when you’re sitting in BMO Field or at BC Place; that, outside of this group of very passionate fans, there isn’t an army of fans who are following that closely.

It took me leaving Toronto, where I covered Toronto FC for Sun Media from 2007-10, to make me understand how little the rest of the country pays attention to MLS. When you’re going to BMO Field on a regular basis, you’re caught in the tunnel. Great atmosphere, sellout crowds. What you don’t see is how little of this spills over to the casual sports fan. When I left Toronto, I came to understand just how insular and hyper-local MLS interest is.

If anyone covering the TFC beat wants to see how little the sport registers outside of the GTA, please feel free to visit me in Edmonton. I’ll buy the drinks and food. We’ll go from sports bar to sports bar and ask them to put on the TFC game. Or the Whitecaps game. We can do this in Saskatoon. Or Winnipeg. I hope you like curling, because I think that’s what we’ll end up watching.

Now compare MLS’s failure to establish a national reach to the Blue Jays, who, despite being long eliminated from the playoff race in 2017, were drawing more than 750,000 viewers — according to Numeris — to watch each meaningless September game.

Now, the Blue Jays have been around for a lot longer than MLS. They have a head start. But this is a team with a front office that understands how to make itself a national concern, something the three Canadian MLS teams  — and the league as a whole — have failed to do. While MLS is anonymous outside the three Canadian markets in which it has teams, the Jays go to Seattle and sell out the stadium. The annual Seattle pilgrimage has become one of the great traditions in Canadian sport — and it’s not even held on Canadian soil. Tens of thousands of Canadians descending on an American city so they can watch… the Blue Jays. Or, look at how Target Field turns blue when Toronto visits the Twins. These happen because of the die-hard Jays fans that can be found in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. Baseball is a national concern.

And it needs to be noted that the Jays do regular outreach throughout Canada, including player visits, to keep their brand top of mind. I don’t know if anyone in MLS’s head office could find Calgary or Halifax on a map.

Now, it’s not just the continuing interest in baseball that gives MLS problems. In the spring and fall, hockey is an issue. And it will be a bigger issue in the coming years. There’s been a surge in interest because the three youngest stars in hockey — Connor McDavid, Patrik Laine and Auston Matthews — all play in Canadian markets. Canadian teams, as a whole, or on the rise. For Sportsnet and CBC, playoff ratings in 2016 were nearly double that of 2015.

And then there’s the issue of the Canadian Premier League; a league that will try to be a national concern, that looks to make soccer a coast-to-coast sport. With the push for CanPL already gaining momentum, is MLS already too late in opening a marketing arm in Canada?

Intrinsically Canadian Power Rankings: MLS Week 30/NASL Week 27/USL Week 28

Congratulations go out this week to teenager Abraham Dukuly, who made his professional debut Sunday for FC Edmonton. There were a few friends and family with cameraphones on the ready as Dukuly took off his warmup gear and got ready to enter Sunday’s game against San Francisco at Clarke Field. There were cheers as Dukuly got his first touch — and completed his first pass — about a minute after he entered the game.

On the “bad news” side, the Ottawa Fury’s miserable first campaign was punctuated Sunday by confirmation that the team has been eliminated from the playoff race. It’s almost hard to imagine that two years ago, the Fury were playing in an NASL final.

What’s interesting is that, playing time for Canadians has gone down since the Fury moved to USL. This year, Ottawa averages just over 275 minutes a season for Canadians.  In 2016, the team’s final NASL season, that average was at 347.3 minutes per game.

Here are this week’s rankings:

MLS MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS

Cyle Larin, Orlando, 2169 (28)
Will Johnson, Orlando, 2026 (25)
Patrice Bernier, Montreal, 1700 (25)
Tesho Akindele, FCD, 1411 (27)
Ballou Jean-Yves Tabla, Montreal, 1078 (19)
Raheem Edwards, TFC, 1055 (20)
Anthony Jackson-Hamel, Montreal, 1047 (20)
Tosaint Ricketts, TFC, 1001 (22)
Alphonso Davies, Vancouver, 971 (24)
Jonathan Osorio, TFC, 954 (25)
Samuel Piette, Montreal, 786 (7)
Russell Teibert, Vancouver, 731 (12)
Marcel de Jong, Vancouver, 635 (11)
Jay Chapman, TFC, 375 (11)
Louis Beland-Goyette, Montreal, 293 (6)
Ashtone Morgan, TFC, 193 (4)
Jordan Hamilton, TFC, 142 (8)
Richie Laryea, Orlando, 139 (10)
Wandrille Lefevre, Montreal, 106 (3)
Maxime Crepeau, Montreal, 90 (1)
Ben McKendry, Vancouver, 90 (1)
Maxim Tissot, D.C. United, 90 (1)
Brian Wright, New England, 45 (2)
Tyler Pasher, Sporting KC, 45 (1)
David Choiniere, Montreal,34 (3)
Kwame Awuah, NYCFC, 15 (3)

 

TEAM RANKINGS, MLS MINUTES PLAYED BY CANADIANS IN 2017

Montreal, 5111/32 (159.7)

Orlando City, 4314/32 (134.8)

Toronto FC, 3730/32 (116.6)

Vancouver, 2425/31 (78.2)

FC Dallas, 1411/31 (45.5)

D.C. United, 90/32 (2.8)

Sporting Kansas City, 45/30 (1.5)

New England, 45/31 (1.5)

New York City FC, 15/32 (0.5)

 

NASL MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS

Drew Beckie, Jacksonville, 1921 (24)
Mason Trafford, Miami FC, 1719 (21)
Allan Zebie, FCE, 1707 (21)
Ben Fisk, FCE, 1670 (19)
Kyle Bekker, San Francisco, 1632 (22)
Dejan Jakovic, New York, 1620 (18)
Karl Ouimette, San Francisco, 1477 (17)
Nana Attakora, San Francisco, 1350 (15)
Nik Ledgerwood, FCE, 1099 (15)
Tyson Farago, FCE, 1035 (11)
Adam Straith, FCE, 949 (11)
Maxim Tissot, San Francisco, 836 (14)
Mauro Eustaquio, FCE, 794 (14)
Ben McKendry, FCE, 593 (9)
Nathan Ingham, FCE, 495 (6)
Abraham Dukuly, FCE, 5 (1)

 

TEAM RANKINGS, NASL MINUTES PLAYED BY CANADIANS IN 2017

FC Edmonton, 8347/26 (321)

San Francisco, 5295/25 (211.8)

Jacksonville, 1921/27 (71.1)

Miami FC, 1719/26 (66.1)

New York, 1620/27 (60)

 

USL MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS

Callum Irving, Ottawa, 2700 (30)
Mastanabal Kacher, Colorado Springs, 2530 (30)
Ryan James, Rochester, 2503 (29)
Mallan Roberts, Richmond, 2487 (28)
Jordan Murrell, Reno, 2282 (26)
Ryan Telfer, TFCII, 2108 (28)
David Norman Jr., WFC2, 1877 (24)
Amer Didic, Swope Park, 1811 (21)
Tyler Pasher, Swope Park, 1783 (23)
Daniel Haber, Real Monarchs, 1712 (27)
Angelo Cavalluzzo, TFCII, 1710 (19)
Jamar Dixon, Ottawa, 1699 (26)
Bradley Kamdem Fewo, Rochester, 1697 (23)
Eddie Edward, Ottawa, 1687 (21)
Zachary Ellis-Hayden, OCB, 1663 (22)
Jordan Schweitzer, OCB, 1644 (23)
Marco Bustos, WFC2, 1634 (19)
Kadin Chung, WFC2, 1629 (22)
Terran Campbell, WFC2, 1624 (23)
Liam Fraser, TFCII, 1486 (19)
Chris Nanco, Bethlehem Steel, 1475 (24)
Jordan Dover, Rochester, 1471 (20)
Shaan Hundal, TFCII, 1351 (20)
Thomas Gardner, WFC2, 1343 (20)
Carl Haworth, Ottawa, 1327 (19)
Ben McKendry, WFC2, 1203 (14)
Matthew Baldisimo, WFC2, 1156 (21)
Gloire Amanda, WFC2, 1146 (25)
Skylar Thomas, Charleston, 1135 (20)
Alessandro Riggi, Phoenix, 1128 (17)   
Sean Melvin, WFC2, 1080 (12)
Malik Johnson, TFCII, 1000 (19)
Julian Dunn-Johnson, TFCII, 998 (12)   
Sergio Camargo, TFCII, 997 (17)
Mark Anthony Gonzalez, Swope Park, 978 (19)
Mark-Anthony Kaye, Louisville, 966 (18)  
Richie Laryea, OCB, 909 (11)
Luca Uccello, TFCII, 890 (13)
Chris Serban, WFC2, 882 (15)
Aidan Daniels, TFCII, 858 (15)
Paris Gee, Tulsa, 787 (17)  
Kyle Porter, Tampa Bay, 787 (10)  
A.J. Gray, Phoenix, 779 (22)
Michael Cox, OCB, 742 (15)   
Jordan Hamilton, TFCII, 734 (9)  
Dominick Zator, WFC2, 685 (8)
Marco Carducci, Rio Grande Valley FC, 540 (6)
Ashtone Morgan, TFCII, 464 (6)
Michael Baldisimo, WFC2, 447 (10)
Mackenzie Pridham, Reno, 446 (14)  
Adonijah Reid, Ottawa, 433 (10)
Anthony Osorio, TFCII, 377 (6)
Maxim Tissot, Richmond, 340 (4)
Dante Campbell, TFCII, 337 (10)
Jay Chapman, TFCII, 270 (3)
Josh Heard, Bethlehem Steel, 250 (14)
Aron Mkungilwa, Ottawa, 233 (4)
Patrick Metcalfe, WFC2, 222 (4)
Marco Dominguez, FC Cincinnati, 189 (5)
Brian Wright, Tulsa, 186 (3)
Matthew Srbely, TFCII, 185 (3)
Wandrille Lefevre, Ottawa, 180 (2)
Darrin MacLeod, Swope Park, 180 (2)
Brett Levis, WFC2, 131 (3)
Marcel DeBellis, Richmond, 90 (1)
Raheem Edwards, TFCII, 90 (1)
Rocco Romeao, TFCII, 90 (1)
Mele Temguia, FC Cincinnati, 62 (1)
Daniel DaSilva, TFCII, 29 (1)
Nicolas Apostol, WFC2, 17 (1)
Thomas Meilleur-Giguere, Ottawa, 15 (2)

 

TEAM RANKINGS, USL MINUTES PLAYED BY CANADIANS IN 2017

WFC2,15073/30 (502.4)

TFCII,13983/30 (466.1)

Ottawa, 8274/30 (275.8)

Rochester, 5671/29 (195.6)

Orlando City B, 4998/30 (166.6)

Swope Park Rangers, 4752/30 (158.4)

Richmond, 2917/30 (97.2)

Reno, 2728/30 (90.9)

Colorado Springs, 2530/30 (84.3)

Phoenix, 1907/28 (68.1)

Bethlehem Steel FC, 1815/29 (62.6)

Real Monarchs SC, 1712/29 (59)

Charleston, 1135/30 (37.8)

Tulsa, 973/29 (33.6)

Louisville City, 966/30 (32.2)

Tampa Bay, 787/29 (27.1)

Rio Grande Valley FC, 450/29 (15.5)

FC Cincinnati, 251/30 (8.4)

 

Adversity-eating Deltas win in Edmonton: “Hopefully we’ll all have jobs in 2018”

Give coach Marc Dos Santos and his San Francisco Deltas another heaping helping of adversity. Go ahead. Pile on the stress and uncertainty. They eat stress for lunch. Adversity? Meh.

Sunday’s 1-0 win in Edmonton was yet another example why the San Francisco Deltas continue to be one of the most compelling teams in North American second-division soccer. The expansion side has lost just once on the road this season and have the second-best record in the NASL. But, even before the NASL’s do-or-die bid for a U.S. court injunction so it can survive as a second-division league, there were questions if the Deltas would last any longer than one season.

Yet, despite the doubts and the potential distractions, the Deltas keep performing on the field.

“We close the door of our locker room,” said the Deltas’ Canadian head coach, Marc Dos Santos. “We stick together like a family in the locker room. We have an incredible mentality towards each other. Nobody’s bigger than anyone in the locker room. We’re very near to the ground, I do my job as a coach, the players do their jobs as players, we hold ourselves accountable. And, every time we open the door of the locker room and we hear noise, we close it back again.”

Sunday’s win was a summary of San Francisco’s season — the game was played just hours after what Edmonton Police describes “terrorist” attacks in the area near Commonwealth Stadium/Clarke Field and downtown.

Dos Santos said his team was locked down in their hotel last night and remained focused on the task at hand, Sunday’s game.

The game was played in terrible conditions; with huge, gusting winds playing havoc with the ball. The Deltas had chances from Reiner Ferreira and Pablo Dyego go off the bar with the wind at their backs in the first half. But, they got the goal — a bullet header from Kenny Teijsse off a corner from Kyle Bekker — going into the wind, and right after keeper Romuald Peiser stoned FCE’s Sainey Nyassi on a breakaway chance.

When they were odds-on to score, the Deltas didn’t. When Edmonton had the wind advantage, the Deltas found a scrappy goal — and a sweep of the home-and-home set with the Eddies.

“The only thing we can control, me as a coach and them as the players, is the better we perform, the better chance we have to be in another club next year or with the San Francisco Deltas,” said Dos Santos. “If San Francisco continues, good. If it doesn’t, and we do well, hopefully we’ll all have jobs in 2018.”

Defender Karl Ouimette started along with Bekker, giving the Deltas plenty of Can-con, with Maxim Tissot coming in as a late sub.

Bekker had a couple of dangerous free kicks just miss the target in the first half, and was a constant threat from midfield. The former Toronto FC and Montreal Impact man has shown well with the Deltas whenever they’d made trips north to Edmonton.

“We tried to help him a lot,” said Dos Santos. “I can’t judge Kyle on the other coaches that worked with him. My focus is to help Kyle as a coach on what he does with San Francisco. I think that Kyle could even become a little bit better. Kyle, sometimes, is a little bit inconsistent but when he’s at his best he can make a difference. He’s very good with both feet and sometimes you wonder if he’s a right-footer or a left-footer. Sometimes in training he takes corner kicks with the left foot and in a very natural way with a lot of quality.”

Because San Francisco has so many “heavy” targets (Dos Santos used the “heavy” word), having someone like Bekker delivering the kicks into the box is vital for the team.

San Francisco’s Devon Sandoval battles FCE’s Nik Ledgerwood. PHOTO: TONY LEWIS/FC EDMONTON

With the wind at their backs in the second half, the Eddies had a couple of great chances to score, but Peiser dove to stop a swerving free kick from Daryl Fordyce and then made the save when Nyassi took a pass from Jake Keegan and streaked down the field.

FCE coach Colin Miller said that he couldn’t fault his players’ efforts, but that “it felt like every break went San Francisco’s way.”

Miller tried to light a fire by giving teenager Abraham Dukuly his professional debut late in the second half. Dukuly’s first touch brought a roar from the fans who decided to brave the cold, blustery conditions.

FCE captain Nik Ledgerwood said the Eddies, nine points out of a playoff spot, need more from their final six games of the season.

“It’s hard, now everybody’s got to look at themselves, and their future for themselves, right?” he said. “There’s still uncertainty on what’s going to happen next year, so everybody’s got to dig deep for themselves, for their families and where they want to be next year. It’s all about pride and dignity at this point.”