Steven Sandor's Blog, page 37

Straith’s time with FC Edmonton comes to an end

Last season, Canadian national-teamer Marcel de Jong signed a spring season contract with the Ottawa Fury, but then left the team and joined the Vancouver Whitecaps as a free agent.

FC Edmonton signed Canadian national-teamer Adam Straith to a spring-season contract in 2017 and coach Colin Miller made it clear he hoped that he and Straith could extend the deal to last through the fall campaign. But, that wasn’t to be; so, like De Jong last year, Straith’s NASL stint will last just a half-season.

On Friday, the team announced that Straith would not be back for the fall campaign.

Straith scored once for the Eddies in 11 spring-season  games, and played a mix of matches in central defence and holding midfield.

With Straith gone, that means more responsibility for Canadians Mauro Eustaquio, Allan Zebie and Nik Ledgerwood in the middle of the park. Ledgerwood missed a good chunk of the spring season due to injury, while Eustaquio has worked his way into the starting lineup. Zebie has done well moving from the fullback spot to midfield.

“Originally it was a short-term situation for us and we would’ve liked to work something out long term, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case,” FCE coach Colin Miller said in a release. “It’s a loss to us but if we can’t come to an agreement, it’s just the nature of the sport.”

 

After Gold Cup elimination, what’s next for the Canadian men’s program?

Canada goes out of the 2017 Gold Cup with a 2-1 quarter-final loss to Jamaica and while there are reasons for optimism, the big question now must be asked.

Where does it go from here?

There’s one game scheduled in September in Jamaica and with no World Cup qualifiers or Gold Cup games of any sort for years, the program will have to try and continue developing on friendlies.

“We’re obviously not content. We wanted more,” said midfielder Russell Teibert. “I think for this next couple of months, it’s building for this new era and building for this next couple of months and preparing for the next big tournament.”

Canada is already at a disadvantage to other teams in the region when it comes to playing games that count for big ranking points. It doesn’t have a Copa Centroamericana or a Caribbean Cup that other teams in the region use to put themselves in good positions for World Cup-qualifying seeding.

So now Canada enters the phase where it has to make the most of its friendlies to try and inch up the ranks to get a good draw for the 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign.

“We’re going to try to play the best teams in the world that we can possibly play,” said coach Octavio Zambrano.

“We need to face Brazil. We need to face Argentina, Uruguay. We need to face Ecuador, Colombia, Mexico. All the best countries.”

Against Jamaica, a team in a similar position to Canada already out of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup, Canada was on the back foot almost right away.

Having created a few half chances in the opening minutes, Shaun Francis volleyed Jamaica into the lead off a Darren Mattocks cross where the defenders left too much space for him to finish.

From there, Jamaica sat very deep but still troubled Canada with its pace on the counter.

Canada had plenty of the ball but couldn’t break down Jamaica’s low block. As fast as the Canadians are that quick counter that has proved useful in this tournament was nullified.

Romario Williams struck from distance early in the second half to double the lead.

“It was hard to break them down but once we did in the second half when Junior (Hoilett) gets his good goal and you think by then you’re going to get a second,” said Scott Arfield. “It’s a horrible way to go out and sometimes you just need to hold your hands up.”

There have been no shortage of games where Canada couldn’t put chances away and paid the price and while there are talents like Alphonso Davies who bring new talent to the picture, that can still be said to be a Canadian issue.

After Hoilett pulled Canada back, Jamaica showed little interest going forward and Canada had almost free right to get into Jamaica’s territory.

Teams that qualify for World Cups will find a way through and get all the points it deserves and Canada knows it’s not there just yet.

“I think we always had the run of play, to be honest,” said  Teibert. “I think we keep pushing, we keep trying to put the ball into the back of the net. We could quite easily be up instead of down two goals. I don’t know how many chances they did have but they capitalized on both of their chances that they did have.”

While there is optimism that a new generation could bring some success to the long suffering program and its loyal fans, that will have to be tempered by the notion that there’s little to play for in the coming few months.

The big games are years away and making the most of the coming months and years are vital for Canada to qualify for a World Cup without having the benefit of co-hosting the thing.

“Friendly games are good when you’re putting on the jersey but when it means something like this competition and tournament football, it means so much more than a friendly,” said Arfield. “I think it’s going to take ages for people to get over this, personally. It’s been a long campaign but we certainly thought we were good enough to go all the way. To dominate a game, dominate the ball the way we did and create so many chances—I think the Jamaicans were lucky and we were a better team overall.”

Former FCE forward Sadi Jalali gets arraignment date on drug-trafficking charge

Former FC Edmonton and Canadian youth national team player Sadi Jalali now has an arraignment date of Sept. 8 at Court of Queen’s Bench.

Jalali had his preliminary inquiry on cocaine trafficking charges Thursday in Edmonton provincial court. A publication ban was placed on the evidence presented at Thursday’s court proceedings. The Sept. 8 court date was set after the hearing was cut short before all the witnesses could testify; the Crown and defence agreed to move on to the arraignment.

Jalali and his older brother, Saidkheyam, were arrested on Aug. 3, 2016 after their vehicles were pulled over by police. Sadi was charged with cocaine trafficking, for allegedly having $5,280 and 16 small baggies of cocaine in the car. His brother was allegedly in possession of $3,950 and a handgun.

The arrests came after FCE had released Sadi Jalali.

Jalali played in the U-17 World Cup for Canada, scoring in a game against England. He was also part of the Vancouver Whitecaps Residency before returning home to Edmonton. Jalali made 25 appearances for the Eddies over three seasons, scoring twice and adding three assists.

 

Trafford has become a key piece for the Miami FC juggernaut

Miami FC is unlike any team we’ve seen in NASL 2.0. With a big budget and the inspiration from coach Alessandro Nesta, the team won the 2017 spring season title by 10 points over the San Francisco Deltas. The team’s goal differential, over just 16 games, was a whopping +22. The team has knocked MLS sides Orlando City and Atlanta United out of the U.S. Open Cup. Sure, we’ve talked about the lavish, over-the-top ways of the New York Cosmos in the past, but Miami FC has taken things to a new level.

And, in the midst of it all is Canadian Mason Trafford, who has been a regular starter with Miami FC since the team acquired him from the Ottawa Fury after the 2015 season.

Trafford is a linchpin for the second-year franchise.

“It is fun,” Trafford said of Miami FC’s season so far. “Consider where we came from last year; last year, we had a good team, but we didn’t have the success we wanted. Now, this year, with our experience, they’ve added one or two pieces and everything has clicked.”

He said that from training to sports science to their travel arrangements, Miami FC is a step above.

“This club is not half-assing anything,” he said. “As a club, you set up the players to deliver what the fans want to watch.”

Trafford is visiting family in Vancouver during the break between the spring and fall NASL seasons. But while he enjoys his time back in Canada, he hasn’t had the chance to play for this country’s national side since 2013, when he got a few minutes in for a friendly against Denmark. “I definitely feel a bit passed over,” said Trafford. “It’s something that used to get under my skin,  but it doesn’t bother me now. There really hasn’t been any contact with the national team. And, from what I know, there hasn’t been any contact between the national team and Miami FC. And, well, our coach is Alessandro Nesta, and he was one of the best ever to play the position; I’d think there would at least be an introductory phone call made.”

Miami FC’s Mason Trafford in action against the New York Cosmos. PHOTO: NASL

But Trafford understands that there may have been one game that cemented a negative view of himself with the people in the Canadian soccer hierarchy. When he played for Ottawa two seasons ago, the Fury faced FC Edmonton in the opening round of the Voyageurs Cup. Trafford knew the Canadian brass were watching. He pushed to be in the lineup even though he was probably too sick to play. He had what he called one of his worst-ever games, and wonders if if a low point in his pro career came exactly at the wrong time, in front of the wrong people.

Nesta factor

Being a defender and having “one of the best ever to play the position” as your coach — it’s an interesting position for Trafford to be in.

“He’s incredibly intense and passionate,” Trafford said of Nesta. “He is definitely one of the most intense coaches I’ve ever played for. You have to meet the standards he sets — even at training.”

Trafford said the team is very deep, and that there is intense competition for places, week in and week out. But he also knows the club has confidence in him — when the team can into existence, the staff identified Trafford as one of the players the new Miami FC had to have.

“I was still with Ottawa. I had every intention of staying. But then this possibility of going to Miami just came up, and it was a no-brainer. I had to go and give it a shot.”

Now the question, can Miami FC do the double? An NASL championship and a U.S. Open Cup?  Miami has a big quarter-final match coming up against the USL’s FC Cincinnati. It could be called a battle of Cinderellas, if only it didn’t come off as completely weird to call Miami FC a Cinderella.

“The U.S. Open Cup is something that the owner, the coaches and the players take very seriously,” said Trafford. “The goal of Miami FC is to win. This club wants to make a statement in North American soccer. We’ve played MLS sides and we have showed them what this team is all about. We are bringing something new to the table.”

 

Fordyce returns: FC Edmonton welcomes back team’s all-time leading scorer

FC Edmonton finished the NASL spring season with a league-low 11 goals for in 16 games played. So, getting the team’s all-time leading goalscorer back into the fold is welcome news.

The team has re-signed Daryl Fordyce. The move was made official Tuesday, but the rumours have been out there since Fordyce and USL side FC Cincinnati parted ways earlier this month. Fordyce didn’t see a lot of playing time under FC Cincinnati head coach Alan Koch.

Fordyce was with the Eddies from 2013-2016, scoring 28 times in 95 games. He arrived in Edmonton a little more than four years ago alongside Northern Irish countryman Albert Watson; both have recently become Canadian permanent residents. So, with Fordyce now having his Canadian PR card, he will not count as an international on the FCE roster. That means the team still has three international spots open.

“When Colin gave me the phone call I said ‘Let’s make it work,’ and thankfully [FC Edmonton co-owner] Tom Fath, Colin and my agent made it work quickly,” Fordyce said. “Thank you to everyone at [FC Cincinnati] and head coach Alan Koch and general manager Jeff Berding for their understanding and help with the transition.”

With the departure of Dean Shiels, who signed with Scottish side Dunfermline on Monday, the Eddies are in need of a player who can create chances for the strikers — and fill in as an out and out forward. Fordyce fits those bills and, as he is familiar with coach Colin Miller’s system, should be able to slide back into the club without too much of an issue.

Fordyce said he came to realization fairly quickly that the USL wasn’t for him. Even though the USL is now officially equal to the NASL in having second-division status, Fordyce feels there is a big gap in quality between the leagues.

“After every game, I just wasn’t happy,” said Fordyce. “I have nothing but good things to say about the FC Cincinnati. I can’t say enough about the club. They treated Tina and me really well, and they gave us whatever we asked for. But there is a big difference in terms of quality, and I am, the kind of player who wants to play against better opposition. There are times where the USL felt like an under-18 league. You are playing against a lot of reserve teams, and to me it kind of felt like I was back in England playing on a reserve team.”

There was one moment that brought his discontent into focus.

“There was a game where I tackled a 16-year-old kid. The kid went down and I think he was crying a bit. And then I thought, ‘what am I doing here.’ I am tackling a kid.”

Fordyce also struggled with injuries that kept him out of the team, but he credited Koch for understanding that he wanted to leave — and making the release happen. Fordyce had wanted out for weeks, but the release had to wait until July. He said that the club offered him chances to play after he got back from his injury, but he didn’t feel right about that, knowing that he was looking to be released.

He also has his paperwork in place to travel in and out of the United States, which can be tricky when someone becomes a Canadian Permanent Resident but doesn’t have his or her card yet.

Fordyce and his wife landed back in Edmonton two days ago. “It felt like home. I had a smile on my face,” he said.

“I know everything about the club. I just arrived in Edmonton, and it feels like I’ve never left.”

He spoke with Miller last Wednesday about a return, and it didn’t take much convincing on the FCE’s coach’s part. Fordyce wanted to return. And he knows the tough part is about to begin — helping this team score goals.

“Pressure is pressure,” he said. “It’s a part of football. I like the pressure. I can’t wait to get back at it and see the guys again.”

Intrinsically Canadian Power Rankings: MLS Week 19 (hiatus)/NASL Week 17/USL Week 17

MLS had the week off because of the Gold Cup, so the focus is on division-two soccer in North America.

And, with NASL wrapping up its spring season this past weekend — even though Miami FC ran away and hid at the top of the standings, killing any notion of a “race” for the title — we can look at how Canadians have fared in that eight-team league.

Jacksonville’s Drew Beckie, with 1,383 minutes played, led all Canadians when it came to time spent on the pitch. A total of 14 Canadians played in NASL this spring season. Of course, FC Edmonton led the eight teams when it came to giving minutes to Canadian players; as the only Canadian team left in the league, the Eddies should be the side that offers the most minutes to players from this country.

Five of the eight NASL teams gave playing time to Canadians in the spring season.

Here are this week’s latest rankings:

MLS MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS

Will Johnson, Orlando, 1617 (19)
Cyle Larin, Orlando, 1495 (17)
Tesho Akindele, FCD, 992 (18)
Patrice Bernier, Montreal, 906 (13)
Ballou Jean-Yves Tabla, Montreal,  768 (13)
Raheem Edwards, TFC, 746 (13)
Alphonso Davies, Vancouver, 622 (13)
Tosaint Ricketts, TFC, 544 (12)
Jonathan Osorio, TFC, 501 (15)
Russell Teibert, Vancouver, 433 (7)
Anthony Jackson-Hamel, Montreal, 366 (10)
Jay Chapman, TFC, 224 (6)
Wandrille Lefevre, Montreal, 106 (3)
Ashtone Morgan, TFC, 102 (2)
Marcel de Jong, Vancouver, 93 (4)
Jordan Hamilton, TFC, 91 (6)
Ben McKendry, Vancouver, 90 (1)
Maxim Tissot, D.C. United, 90 (1)
Tyler Pasher, Sporting KC, 45 (1)
Richie Laryea, Orlando, 39 (3)
Brian Wright, New England, 37 (1)
David Choiniere, Montreal, 5 (1)
Kwame Awuah, NYCFC, 1 (1)

 

TEAM RANKINGS, MLS MINUTES PLAYED BY CANADIANS IN 2017

Orlando City, 3131/20 (156.6)

Montreal, 2148/17 (126.4)

Toronto FC, 2208/19 (116.2)

Vancouver, 1236/17 (72.7)

FC Dallas, 992/18 (55.1)

D.C. United, 90/19 (4.7)

Sporting Kansas City, 45/19 (2.4)

New England, 37/19 (1.9)

New York City FC, 1/19 (0.1)

 

NASL MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS

Drew Beckie, Jacksonville, 1383 (16)
Nana Attakora, San Francisco, 1350 (15)
Kyle Bekker, San Francisco, 1309 (15)
Mason Trafford, Miami FC, 1269 (16)
Allan Zebie, FCE, 953 (12)
Adam Straith, FCE, 949 (11)
Ben Fisk, FCE, 871 (10)
Dejan Jakovic, New York, 810 (9)
Karl Ouimette, San Francisco, 683 (8)
Mauro Eustaquio, FCE, 598 (9)
Nik Ledgerwood, FCE, 525 (8)
Nathan Ingham, FCE, 495 (6)
Maxim Tissot, San Francisco, 280 (5)
Tyson Farago, FCE, 135 (2)

 

TEAM RANKINGS, NASL MINUTES PLAYED BY CANADIANS IN 2017

FC Edmonton, 4526/16 (282.9)

San Francisco, 3622/16 (226.4)

Jacksonville, 1383/16 (86.4)

Miami FC, 1269/16 (79.3)

New York, 810/16 (50.6)

 

USL MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS

Mastanabal Kacher, Colorado Springs, 1645 (19)
Mallan Roberts, Richmond, 1620 (18)
Callum Irving, Ottawa, 1530 (17)
Ryan James, Rochester, 1349 (16)
Ben McKendry, WFC2, 1203 (14)
Jordan Murrell, Reno, 1202 (14)
Ryan Telfer, TFCII, 1147 (16)
Jordan Dover, Rochester, 1123 (14)
Amer Didic, Swope Park, 1091 (13)
Eddie Edward, Ottawa, 1071 (14)
Kadin Chung, WFC2, 1007 (13)
Zachary Ellis-Hayden, OCB, 981 (12)
Thomas Gardner, WFC2, 979 (15)
David Norman Jr., WFC2, 959 (13)
Daniel Haber, Real Monarchs, 948 (16)
Bradley Kamdem Fewo, Rochester, 944 (13)
Liam Fraser, TFCII, 935 (12)
Jamar Dixon, Ottawa, 918 (15)
Richie Laryea, OCB, 909 (11)
Angelo Cavalluzzo, TFCII, 900 (10)
Luca Uccello, TFCII, 859 (12)
Jordan Schweitzer, OCB, 847 (12)
Terran Campbell, WFC2, 827 (11)
Tyler Pasher, Swope Park, 825 (11)
Chris Nanco, Bethlehem Steel, 721 (12)
Matthew Baldisimo, WFC2, 685 (12)
Sergio Camargo, TFCII, 642 (10)
Gloire Amanda, WFC2, 630 (15)
Shaan Hundal, TFCII, 600 (9)
Dominick Zator, WFC2, 595 (7)
Marco Bustos, WFC2, 573 (7)
Mark Anthony Gonzalez, Swope Park, 567 (10)     
Sean Melvin, WFC2, 540 (6)
A.J. Gray, Phoenix, 516 (12)
Michael Cox, OCB, 490 (8)
Skylar Thomas, Charleston, 394 (10)  
Carl Haworth, Ottawa, 389 (6)
Paris Gee, Tulsa, 371 (9)     
Mackenzie Pridham, Reno, 340 (11)  
Maxim Tissot, Richmond, 340 (4)
Malik Johnson, TFCII, 303 (8)      
Alessandro Riggi, Phoenix, 301 (6)
Jordan Hamilton, TFCII, 286 (4)
Chris Serban, WFC2, 283 (5)
Anthony Osorio, TFCII, 258 (4)
Kyle Porter, Tampa Bay, 247 (4)
Mark-Anthony Kaye, Louisville, 241 (5)
Aron Mkungilwa, Ottawa, 233 (4)
Dante Campbell, TFCII, 210 (4)
Ashtone Morgan, TFCII, 194 (3)
Jay Chapman, TFCII, 180 (2)
Josh Heard, Bethlehem Steel, 169 (8)
Aidan Daniels, TFCII, 138 (5)
Marco Dominguez, FC Cincinnati, 125 (3)
Julian Dunn-Johnson, TFCII, 109 (2)
Marco Carducci, Rio Grande Valley FC, 90 (1)
Marcel DeBellis, Richmond, 90 (1)
Raheem Edwards, TFCII, 90 (1)
Mele Temguia, FC Cincinnati, 62 (1)
Patrick Metcalfe, WFC2, 45 (1)
Brian Wright, Tulsa, 30 (1)
Nicolas Apostol, WFC2, 17 (1)
Michael Baldisimo, WFC2, 13 (1)
Thomas Meilleur-Giguere, Ottawa, 1 (1)

 

TEAM RANKINGS, USL MINUTES PLAYED BY CANADIANS IN 2017

WFC2,8356/18 (464.2)

TFCII, 6851/17 (403)

Ottawa, 4142/17 (243.6)

Rochester, 3416/16 (213.5)

Orlando City B, 3267/18 (181.5)

Swope Park Rangers, 2483/17 (146.1)

Richmond, 2050/18 (113.9)

Reno, 1542/16 (96.4)

Colorado Springs, 1645/19 (86.6)

Real Monarchs SC, 948/17 (55.8)

Phoenix, 817/15 (54.5)

Bethlehem Steel FC, 890/17 (52.4)

Tulsa, 401/16 (25.1)

Charleston, 394/18 (21.9)

Louisville City, 241/16 (15.1)

Tampa Bay, 247/19 (13)

FC Cincinnati, 187/19 (9.8)

Rio Grande Valley FC, 90/15 (6)

 

FC Edmonton’s attendance has skyrocketed, now pressure is on to reward those new fans with better performances

FC Edmonton coach Colin Miller said Saturday night that the team is close to signing a new player, and that a deal could be “pushed across the line” in the next week.

Miller has a lot of holes to fill. To start the season, the team made the decision to go with a smaller roster than it had in past seasons. And, thanks to a slew of injuries, international call-ups and suspensions, that smaller roster was stretched. During Saturday’s loss to New York, the Eddies had only four players of the bench. One was a goalie. Two could only play 15 minutes each, max. Only one player could have been used as an outfield player in anything other than an emergency situation.

And the Eddies bid goodbye to two international players in the past week. Dean Shiels’s departure was confirmed earlier in the week and, on Sunday, the Eddies announced that Norwegian midfielder Sabri Khattab was going to return home.

Khattab made 11 appearances and didn’t score. He started Saturday’s game against the Cosmos.

“The move suits everybody and everyone at FC Edmonton thanks Sabri for his time with the club,” Miller said in a release issued by the club. “I think he definitely improved from when we first saw him in pre-season back in February as his fitness levels, the speed of his play and his defensive awareness all improved.

The Eddies already had one international roster spot free before the Shiels and Khattab moves. Now they have three. And Miller has a  big job on his hands. The team finished the spring season in second last place. With just 13 points, the Eddies will begin the fall season 11 points out of fourth. Remember that the third and fourth playoff spots in NASL are determined by the combined spring and fall tables, so the Eddies can’t afford to fall any further back.

The Eddies’ 11 goals scored in the 16-game spring season was eight goals worse than the second-from-the-bottom team on the scoring charts, Puerto Rico FC. The Eddies were the only team to average less than a goal a game, and were shut out in five of their final six games of the spring campaign.

Take away a four-goal outburst in New York, and the Eddies have just seven goals in the remaining 15 games.

Miller has a much bigger rebuilding the job in the transfer window than he likely would have imagined back in the spring. But a team that got to the league semifinals in 2016 is going to require quite a bit of fresh blood.

Sabri Khattab signs autographs after Saturday’s game. PHOTO: TONY LEWIS/FC EDMONTON

The Eddies open the fall season July 30 with a home date against the Indy Eleven.

If fullback Netan Sansara and captain Nik Ledgerwood can be in better health for the opening of the fall season, it might feel like two new signings for the Eddies, because both have been missed during their lengthy injury spells. If defender/midfielder Adam Straith can be brought back for the fall season — he was on a half-season contract — that could check another box. If keeper Nathan Ingham can get back sooner than later from his concussion, and midfielder Dustin Corea can get over a foot problem… well you get the idea. There’s a lot of talent that’s in the team’s injury ward.

And, despite the team’s struggles, the business has been humming at the gate. But, the fall season will see a return of the Sunday afternoon games that have been problematic in the past when it comes to drawing fans. The Eddies played the majority of their games on Saturday nights in the spring season, and were rewarded with a bump in attendance — we’re taking sellouts. But the people who came out to their first Eddies’  games didn’t see many goals for the home side. They didn’t see many wins. Miller pointed out Saturday how disappointed he was that the team played so poorly in front of so many enthusiastic home fans. He’s certainly feeling pressure to give those new supporters something to celebrate.

 

Larin added to Canadian roster ahead of Gold Cup knockout phase

The writer of this article feels that the rule that allows national teams to make up to six roster changes after the group stage of the Gold Cup is yet another example why CONCACAF’s championship is so hard to take seriously. Allowing coaches to basically keep players in their pockets for the later stages of the tournament, well, it cheapens the group stage — and it’s not fair to players who have made their nations 23-man rosters that they could later “un-make” the team.

That being stated, because the rules are there, it’s hard to sniff at any national-team program that takes advantage of them. And these rules gave Canadian national team head coach Octavio Zambrano a golden opportunity to deal with his Cyle Larin problem.

Just before the Gold Cup rosters were due, Larin was charged with DUI in Orlando, Fla. He apologized and entered an MLS-mandated substance-treatment program. The national-team program needed to respond, but in a way where “doing the right thing” didn’t veer into the territory of “cutting off the nose to spite the face.”

So, Zambrano left Larin off the roster for the group stage, knowing full well he could burn one of his six allowed changes on the Orlando City star if Canada got out of the group stage.

And, on Sunday, to no one’s surprise, Larin was added to the Canadian roster. Toronto FC midfielder Raheem Edwards was deactivated to make room for Larin.

It’s awfully nice of CONCACAF to have a rule in place that allowed Canada to get tough with Larin, but not too tough.

Eddies lose 1-0 for the fifth time in last six games

FC Edmonton’s roster was depleted; the team had just a keeper and 12 outfield players healthy enough to play. Thanks to omissions, injuries and Gold Cup call-ups, the New York Cosmos brought a squad to Edmonton that looked nothing like the kind of team we see in NASL week in, week out.

Thanks to a 79th-minute goal from Eric Calvillo after a mad scramble in front of the FC Edmonton net, the Cosmos came away with a 1-0 win on Saturday night.

The Eddies debuted a special Canada 150th-themed red third jersey, and Clarke Field was packed in sweltering 30 C conditions. But, despite the big crowd and special occasion, the home side fell flat, and closed out a disappointing spring season with its fifth 1-0 loss out of its last six games.

“We had our biggest crowd of the year and we put in one of our poorest performances in the second half,” said Eddies coach Colin Miller.

The goal wasn’t a thing of beauty. Danny Szetela sent a low ball into the penalty area, and two New York Cosmos players — Calvillo and Juan Guerra — were left unmarked right in front of the FCE goal. Calvillo got a touch on the ball, but it went off Guerra’s shin. The ball spun off of Guerra and slowly towards the FCE goal line. Keeper Tyson Farago reached towards the ball. But, before the keeper could bring his gloved paw down on the ball, Calvillo, on his back, stretched out his leg so he could toe-poke it across the line. The ball rolled oh so slowly across the line and in.

But, referee Juan Marquez waved the goal off. The linesman’s flag was up. Calvillo was offside. Or maybe it was Guerra. Then, Marquez was surrounded by Cosmos players, he went to talk to his linesman, and changed his call. He pointed to the centre circle, giving the Cosmos the goal.

The ball went off Calvillo, Guerra and Calvillo in quick succession. Offside or not, it’s easy to see how a linesman and a referee could have been fooled. The ball took two glancing blows before a player on his back toe-poked it in. It happened so fast, in the midst of a group of players in the penalty area.  

FCE’s Tomi Ameobi puts the ball over Cosmos keeper Jimmy Maurer. The ball went high and wide. PHOTO: TONY LEWIS/FC EDMONTON

But, the cold hard fact is that both Guerra and Calvillo were left unmarked in front of the FCE net. And that’s what Miller focused on in his post-game comments — that it was “shocking defending.”

From his angle in the coaching box, Cosmos coach Giovanni Savarese said he saw “a lot of players behind the ball” and thought right away that his team had scored a good goal.

After a 2-1 win over North Carolina FC last week, Miller had hoped that his team had turned some kind of corner.

“Too many players were the polar opposites of what they were last week,” Miller said after the loss to the Cosmos.

The Eddies began the game with just four players on the bench. Of those, only midfielder/forward Jake Keegan and keeper Chris Konopka were completely healthy. Nik Ledgerwood came in as a late sub, but Miller knew going in that his captain was only healthy enough to play 15 minutes.

With both teams having thin rosters, the heat was an even bigger factor. Neither coach had many options. So, the first half was played at a slow pace. ‘

Ryan Richter had a good chance to give the Cosmos the lead. He was unmarked off a corner, but headed the ball well over.

The Eddies had two very good chances to score in the first half; Sabri Khattab got his head to a Ben Fisk free kick, but Cosmos keeper Jimmy Maurer did well to leap and tip the ball just over the bar.

Then, late in the half, an awful headed back-pass attempt from Cosmos defender David Ochieng was intercepted by Eddies’ striker Tomi Ameobi. Maurer charged off his line and Ameobi elected to try and chip the Cosmos keeper. His attempt went high and wide.

The Eddies went through the second half without generating a real threatening shot on target. Meanwhile, before the Cosmos broke through, keeper Tyson Farago made an excellent stop to deny Calvillo, after the New York attacker waltzed through three FC Edmonton defenders to give himself a fantastic scoring chance.

Draw sends Canada to Gold Cup quarter-finals

Heading into the 2017 Gold Cup, the likely prognostication for Canada would have been to finish in third place and hope that’s enough to get to the knockout round.

A second-place finish in Group A to go with a no-fear sort of performance against both Costa Rica and Honduras will continue to stoke the still small hope that Canada is, indeed, heading in the right direction under head coach Octavio Zambrano.

“It’s a mentality shift for Canada. This is our first step,” said midfielder Patrice Bernier, who continues to provide stable leadership while putting in quality performances with a young group of players. “It’s one objective obtained and now the mission continues.”

After Friday’s 0-0 draw with Honduras in Frisco, Tex., for the first time in a very long time, Canada knows that not only it has advanced to the knockout round of the Gold Cup, but it plays the waiting game to see who it faces. It will face the runner-up in Group C, which is likely to be Jamaica or El Salvador.

That also means there could be roster changes coming with Canada able to swap up to six players from its extended roster and there are some tough decisions to be made.

There have been plenty of good performances to go around so with Cyle Larin as one example of an available attacking player, does his inclusion mess with the chemistry that has been established?

“I think I’m going to have to talk to my pillow tonight about that,” said head coach Octavio Zambrano, drawing laughs from the press conference room. “I don’t want to make that decision tonight. I have to assess a few things, look at the video, see what’s in front of us. We do have players that could come and contribute and other national teams are going to do it.”

The scoreless draw with Honduras also showed a changing versatility to the Canadian squad. Zambrano showed continued faith in Samuel Adekugbe at left back and Michael Petrasso at right back while moving Marcel de Jong into a more advanced role.

That move nearly paid off when de Jong nearly volleyed in Junior Hoilett’s flicked-on cross just past the 20-minute mark.

De Jong also had a well-struck attempt with his right foot in the final moments. He had been used in an attacking role before for Sporting KC and had been an option under Benito Floro but for a lack of other options at left back.

With Adekugbe now seemingly gaining confidence, there are more options and Zambrano has a pleasant headache in dealing with player selection.

“If we play like we have played up until now, I think we are onto something,” said Zambrano. “How much it is, we don’t know yet but I’m willing to bet for something.”

For one night, Canadian men’s soccer fans can enjoy tangible evidence that there is progress—advancement to somewhere that it hasn’t been for eight years.

And while there is still a lot of work to do and a long way to go, this result against Honduras and a quarterfinal berth in Glendale, Ariz., is something to celebrate.