Steven Sandor's Blog, page 41

“We were robbed” says FCE coach Miller after controversial loss to Miami FC

It seemed like an innocuous play; in the first half of Saturday night’s NASL match between FC Edmonton and Miami FC at Clarke Field, Eddies striker brushed against keeper Daniel Vega. Miami’s goalie hit the turf awkwardly, clutched his shoulder, got some treatment and then bounced up and got on with the game.

But Ameobi said that referee David Barrie didn’t like the collision. Ameobi said that the referee came over to him and told him “I’m watching you.”

In Ameobi’s mind, that would go on to have a huge effect on the second half. With the score 0-0  between the Eddies, playing their third game in eight days, and the first place visitors from Miami, Ameobi leaped to get to a corner from Mauro Eustaquio. He powered the ball into the top of the goal. The Eddies celebrated. But Barrie waved the play off.

He ruled that Ameobi had pushed a Miami defender.

“He said there was a push, but there was just the usual hustle and bustle in the box you usually get every game,” said Ameobi.

So, instead of going up a goal, the Eddies celebrations were cut short. And, with just over 10 minutes left, Miami got the goal that would give it a 1-0 win.

Kwadwo Poku, who has long been an Eddies tormenter, dating back to his days with Atlanta Silverbacks, was able to dash past centre back Albert Watson and squared the ball for striker Vincenzo Rennella, who got to the ball just before Eddies defender Pape Diakite.

It was basically the only time Diakite was beaten all night. For most of the game, he repelled attack after attack, and enjoyed his best game of the season. He wore the captain’s armband due to Nik Ledgerwood being out of the lineup due to injury. And, after the game, Miller said that Diakite might keep the captain’s armband, based on how he led the team on the night.

But Miller’s praise for Diakite came through gritted teeth, as he was still angry about the foul call on Ameobi.

“We put in a shift tonight,” said Miller. “We were robbed.”

He said Barrie made a “disgusting decision. He’s the only one in the park who’s seen it.”

FCE’s Albert Watson got a yellow card for this challenge on Miami’s Richie Ryan. PHOTO: FC EDMONTON

The loss overshadowed a fine performance from Nathan Ingham, making his second start in a row for the Eddies in goal. He made an excellent leaping save to deny Jaime Chavez and a diving stop to deny Renella before he was victimized on a goal he could do little about.

“It was a broken play that became a two-versus-one,” he said of Miami’s goal. “It was well worked by them, but it hurts.”

Ameobi said the Eddies will recover from this; and he’s noticed that the team spirit has been much improved over the last couple of games, including Wednesday’s 4-2 win over the Cosmos.

“It was a bitter pill to swallow, especially after having a disallowed goal. But you can’t fault the guys. Every single one of them, even the guys who didn’t make it on the field, you could see everyone was behind each other, which we probably didn’t have at the start of the season. But, over the last two games, things are definitely on the up for the team.”

FCE coach Miller on Miami FC: “This is not Barcelona that we’re playing”

FC Edmonton coach Colin Miller is expecting a short bench when his team hosts NASL-leading Miami FC Saturday night.

Fullback Netan Sansara, captain Nik Ledgerwood and midfielder Dean Shiels missed Wednesday’s win over the New York Cosmos due to injuries. And, now, midfielder Dustin Corea is a doubt for Saturday. And defender Adam Straith is away with the Canadian national team.

“That’s why we haven’t named the team today,” Miller said after Friday’s training session. “There’s one or two doubts in the guys who trained this morning. Dean Shiels and Dustin Corea are definitely doubtful for tomorrow. It’s one of those things where it doesn’t matter who plays tomorrow, it’s an opportunity for every player that does take the field, because some of worked very hard and haven’t had very much playing time. We’re optimistic one or two might make it, but there’s still a serious doubt about one or two of them. We may have a squad of 16 or 17 tomorrow night.”

Miami FC spends the most money in NASL and is getting bang for the buck in 2017, as Alessandro Nesta’s men have lost just once in 10 matches. The budgets of FCE and Miami don’t compare, but Miller said the league isn’t about comparing payrolls — it’s about what happens on the field.

Miller said we all need to think back to 2012, when an unfancied Glasgow Celtic side beat Lionel Messi by a 2-1 count. It pained Miller to talk about that game, because he’s a former Rangers player and his heart bleeds blue for that club.

“Who would have ever thought that a club from Glasgow would have beaten absolutely one of the best teams, if not the best club team, in the world at that time? Because of the atmosphere, because the crowd was so passionate that night, you have to take your hat off to Celtic. I was just reading about it the other day and it made me think that anything is possible. This is not Barcelona that we’re playing. They’re a good team, they’re well-prepared, they’ve got some terrific players on their team, but so do we. And it’s what we do, again. Our mindset has to be positive. If we sit back and wait to get beat, you’ll get beat.”

More than 3,800 tickets have been sold for Saturday’s game. Clarke Field’s official capacity is 4,096.

FCE keeper Ingham, fresh off his NASL debut, gives credit to his time with TFCII

As Nathan Ingham rose up the goalkeeping ranks, he was always the No. 1. It didn’t take long for the Keswick, Ont. native to take over the starting job at Florida Gulf Coast University. He was the man in goal as K-W United won the PDL title in 2015.

But, when he was signed by FC Edmonton in 2016, he had to learn bide his time. No. 1 keeper Matt VanOekel enjoyed the best season in NASL 2.0 history, setting a league record for clean sheets. He was also behind Canadian keeper Tyson Farago. Eventually, he was loaned out to TFC2 of the USL, so he could get some playing time.

In 2017, he had to wait to some more. Former TFC goalie Chris Konopka was the No. 1, and Farago was again second on the depth chart, getting the starts in the Canadian Championship games against Ottawa.

But, on Wednesday, Ingham got his chance, getting his first NASL start — and a 4-2 win over the New York Cosmos. While coach Colin Miller never confirms who will start in goal in the team’s upcoming game, the safe bet is that Ingham will get another chance when the Eddies face Miami FC Saturday night at Clarke Field.

“I’m excited, it’s been a long time coming,” Ingham said after the Eddies trained Friday. “I had my professional debut last year when I was on loan with Toronto, and this was my first NASL game. I had a bit of nerves beforehand, but once warmup started, it was back into the same rhythm. It’s the first time I’ve had 90 minutes since I’ve been here that I didn’t feel lost. I’m a little bit lost on the bench a lot, I don’t know what to do with myself. I feel a lot more comfortable on the field.”

“Overall, I thought he played well,” Miller said of Ingham’s debut. “There was one or two decisions — he’s a young goalkeeper and his game management will need to improve, of course, but that comes from playing games. I thought it needed a change. I thought we gave away some soft goals (in Saturday’s 3-0 loss at Puerto Rico). I’m not blaming Chris, I thought it was a poor team effort.”

“There’s lots of room for improvement,” Ingham said. “My distribution, I need to complete all my passes. Slowing down the game at the right times and doing those things, communication could always be better. I could give you a list of things that I need to improve on. It was a good first game, a good first start, a step in the right direction and I’m just going to keep building on that.”

Ingham admitted that, when he first arrived in Edmonton, he “didn’t handle it the best” when it came to being the No. 3.

“It’s a list of emotions,” he said of not playing. “There’s times where you’re frustrated, times when you’re angry, times where your patience is tested. It’s just coming from places, growing up, where I was always the starting guy and in university I had maybe, two months where I was sitting behind an older guy and I finally won that spot and took over from there. It’s (sitting) not something that I’m accustomed to, and coming into the pros is just a different beast.”

But he came into 2017 with a new outlook.

“I was ready to start, the first game of the season I was ready to get after it. Between injuries, and Chris and Tyson are both quality, so, just trying to earn my stripes and finally get there.”

But, “getting there” required a detour to Toronto. And, getting the chance to play with Toronto FC 2, and to train with TFC’s first team, well, that was an eyeopener.

“It was good,” said Ingham. “I spent a lot of time with the first team training. I played some games with the second team. It was where I grew up, as well, so being able to debut in front of my parents and things like that, you can’t beat it. Those are memories you’re going to cherish forever. It was a good time there, I think I grew a lot when I was there, and I was able to bring all that back to Edmonton.”

And, facing the likes of Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco in training?

“It was fun,” Ingham smiled. “A lot more fun for them than me, I think, in the shooting drills. But you learn a ton and talk to them. Jon Conway, the goalkeeper coach, was a stud. He was really good. Training with (Alex) Bono and Clint (Irwin), you just learn a ton. It was just being a sponge, soaking up everything. It was quality.”

 

 

 

 

 

Despite not hitting the scoresheet, Beckie plays large part in Canada’s win over Costa Rica

Janine Beckie figured in on Canada’s first two goals of its 3-1 win over Costa Rica Thursday night in Winnipeg, though she didn’t end up on the scoresheet.

Beckie was standing on the doorstep of the Costa Rican net as Jessie Fleming scored the opener just three minutes in. And she drew the second-half penalty that led to Christine Sinclair’s spot-kick conversion.

In the spirit of the friendly, the Costa Ricans didn’t offer too many complaints when Fleming cut in from the wing and lashed a shot into the goal. The linesman’s flag stayed down, even though Beckie was in an offside position, in front of keeper Noelia Bermudez. Beckie never touched the ball, and it was clear that she tried — successfully – to get out of the path of the shot. But, there are likely more than a few officials in the world who would have flagged Beckie for being an active player — and not allowed the goal to stand.

That’s the problem with the offside rule; it has become subjective when it comes to linesmen needing to determine if the offending players are active or not. Beckie doesn’t touch the ball, but she is awfully close to the Costa Rican keeper as the shot is launched. Sometimes, I wonder if the game would not be better off if we went back to a rule that didn’t allow for interpretation — that if any player is offside, the play is whistled dead.

Instead the linesman made the split-second decision that Beckie was passive, not active, and the goal was good.

The second incident between Beckie and Bermudez was more clear-cut. Beckie came into the box with the ball, and lost control of it just before Bermudez made contact with her. Bermudez’s challenge was clumsy and, worst of all, she didn’t need to do it. Beckie wasn’t going to get a shot on goal, the ball was already gone. But the Costa Rican keeper made the decision to come out awfully late, and was punished for her tardy arrival on the scene.

Costa Rica pulled a goal back thanks to some unnecessary charity from the hosts. Keeper Stephanie Labbe made an ill-advised short pass to Desiree Scott. Scott’s touch was heavy, and Costa Rica’s Raquel Rodriguez took the ball. Her attempt hit the post, but Diana Saenz banged in the rebound.

Adriana Leon scored in injury time off a goalmouth scramble to make it 3-1, and the 14,434 in attendance in Winnipeg had reason to celebrate. 

Riyadh’s revenge: Cosmos go down to nine men and FCE score four in Saudi Arabia make-up game

Soccer can sometimes make you sit back and scratch your head. FC Edmonton scored just five goals in its first nine games of the NASL regular season. So, of course the Eddies would score four on the road against the New York Cosmos.

Sure, the Eddies scored two of them after the Cosmos went down to nine men. But, maybe, Wednesday’s 4-2 win can jumpstart what has been, up to now, a disappointing campaign for the Eddies.

“I think the most important thing was the discipline we showed,” said FCE coach Colin Miller. “Our players reacted so positively to everything and played well. I’m disappointed in the goals we gave away tonight, but goodness me I’m proud of these players because Saturday in Puerto Rico was the lowest I’ve been in my career and at the club in a long, long time. We watched the first half of the Puerto Rico match, had a good training session and changed up the system as well and the players all responded very positively tonight.”

Maybe this was just a bit of karmic payback for the Cosmos scrambling to postpone their May 21 home date with the Eddies just so the New York side could jaunt off to Saudi Arabia for a friendly. Prioritizing a friendly over the league — and giving less than two weeks notice that you want to rejig the schedule of the only Canadian team in the league — well, that’s bad karma times a million, right? Wednesday was the make-up date for that postponed match, and boy did the Cosmos do their part when it came to making things up to the Eddies.

The Eddies went with Canadian Nathan Ingham in goal, who made his NASL debut. Ingham replaced  Chris Konopka. Attacking midfielder Dean Shiels, fullback Netan Sansara and captain Nik LEdgerwood were all unavailable due to injuries. And Adam Straith was gone for national-team duty. So, the Eddies looked a much different side than the one that crashed and burned in Saturday’s 3-0 loss to Puerto Rico.

The Eddies went into halftime of this one down 1-0, as centre back Pape Diakite lost Irvin Herrera in the box. Herrera punished the slack defending by heading a cross from Ryan Richter into the goal. One goal was the least that Herrera deserved, as he could have had a hat trick by halftime, but Ingham came up big a couple of times earlier in the 45.

“[Ingham] had one or two wobbly moments but I thought overall he handled the occasion well,” said Miller. “Having your first game against the New York Cosmos, I was happy with his performance.”

But, considering how bizarre the second half would be, the first half, well, it was simply an opening act.

In that second half, it was the Cosmos backline that became awfully shaky — and looked like it was badly missing Dejan Jakovic, who is with the Canadian national side. Sainey Nyassi equalized, beating two Cosmos defenders to a high, floating cross and heading the ball home.

FCE’s Nathan Ingham leaps over defender Pape Diakite and New York’s Darrius Barnes. PHOTO: NASL

Then, the Cosmos got caught ball-watching. The ball went into the box and Tomi Ameobi beat two Cosmos defenders to it, cushioning a header for Mauro Eustaquio, who made his second straight start after spending most of the season on the sidelines. No one on the Cosmos moved, as Ameobi found a dead spot in the penalty area. Eustaquio rolled to the ball into Ameobi’s path, and the striker smashed the ball home.

The game continued on at a breakneck pace. New York’s Darrius Barnes, marked by Diakite, leapt for a ball that was corralled by Ingham. As the keeper played the ball away, Barnes and Diakite came together. The cameras didn’t catch the incident, but Canadian referee Geoff Gamble sent Barnes off. The charge? That he lashed out at Diakite.

“Things happen so quickly and I actually didn’t see the incident with [Diakité] but the players on the bench said [Barnes] had a genuine kick-out, which was great for us because it broke up their back four and we knew that they were struggling at centre-back,” said Miller.

The Cosmos, down to 10, had to press forward in search for the equalizer, and Diakite had to scramble to clear Eugene Starikov’s effort off the line. The Cosmos attacker beat Ingham to a ball just outside the area, and nearly punished the young keeper for being too late to come off his line.

But then a moment of madness from Juan Guerra sent the already shorthanded Cosmos down to nine men, as he headbutted Eustaquio right in front of the ref. Guerra complained to Gamble, claiming Eustaquio had made a meal out of the incident. But, embellishment or not, there was no denying the initial foul — that’s a red card every time.

Up two men, the Eddies piled on. First, Dustin Corea set up Jake Keegan to make it 3-1; then, a giveaway in the Cosmos backline allowed four Eddies to go into the box, with only keeper Brian Holt to beat. Ameobi got the goal that FCE just had to score in that situation.

Crazy as this game was, the Eddies, despite being up two men, managed to yield not one, but two (!) penalties in time added on. Javi Marquez couldn’t convert his penalty, but then a foul was called in Eustaquio in the ensuing scramble, and then Ayoze went to the spot to make it 4-2, capping off one of the most bizarre halves in Eddies’ history.

But, as weird as it was, the Eddies will take it. You could argue that, forcing a postponement of a league game so they could go to Saudi Arabia should have cost the Cosmos a forfeit of their spring-season home date with the Eddies. But, thanks to some ill-advised fouls and some really poor defending, well maybe it was like the Cosmos forfeited, anyway.

 

 

 

 

 

Canada Soccer releases 40-man provisional roster ahead of Gold Cup

The timing was impeccable. On the same day that Canadian national-team coach Octavio Zambrano revealed his 40-man provisional roster for the upcoming Gold Cup, came news that Edmonton-raised teenage phenom Alphonso Davies has got the citizenship test out of the way and will have a Canadian passport very soon. And, that means Davies can wear Canadian colours in an upcoming “A” tournament, which means that all of us who were fretting about cap-tying the teen are just a little bit closer to breathing easy.

(Wait, who am I kidding? If you support Canada, you have forgotten how to breathe easy.)

Zambrano will whittle down the 40-man long list to a 23-man roster after Canada plays Curacao on June 13. Canada will open its pre-Gold Cup training camp June 28 in Ottawa.

“There is a motivation that Canadian players must have — the pride and the passion — in wearing the Canadian shirt,” Zambrano was quoted in a Canada Soccer release. “It is not a shirt that can be given to just anyone, it is something that players need to earn and, once they put it on, they need to feel something different.”

For those keeping score, Unattached FC sent just three players to the 40-man roster.

 

The Montreal Impact placed five players on the roster, including returning veteran Patrice Bernier. The Whitecaps have four, but that shoots to five if you count Sam Adekugbe, on loan top Brighton Hove & Albion. Toronto FC have three on the roster. FC Edmonton has two, and Ottawa Fury failed to get a player onto the 40-man list.

The NASL’s San Francisco Deltas, who have four Canadians on the roster, were also shut out.

CANADA’S 40-MAN PROVISIONAL LIST

GK- Milan Borjan | POL / MKS Korona Kielce

GK- Maxime Crépeau | CAN / Impact Montréal FC

GK- Jayson Leutwiler | ENG / Shrewsbury Town FC

GK- Simon Thomas | NOR / FK Bodø/Glimt

CB- Dejan Jaković | USA / New York Cosmos

CB- Manjrekar James | HUN / Vasas Budapest

CB- Milovan Kapor | Unattached

CB- Wandrille Lefèvre | CAN / Impact Montréal FC

CB- Adam Straith | CAN / FC Edmonton

CB- Steven Vitória | POL / Lechia Gdańsk

FB- Samuel Adekugbe | ENG / Brighton Hove & Albion

FB- Juan Córdova | CHI / CD Huachipato

FB- Marcel de Jong | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC

FB- Andrés Fresenga | URU / Cerro Largo FC

FB- Nik Ledgerwood | CAN / FC Edmonton

FB- Tyler Pasher | USA / Sporting Kansas City

M- Fraser Aird | Unattached

M- Tesho Akindele | USA / FC Dallas

M- Scott Arfield | ENG / Burnley FC

M- Kwame Awuah | USA / New York City FC

M – Patrice Bernier | CAN / Impact Montréal FC

M- Marco Bustos | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC

M- David Choinière | CAN / Impact Montréal FC

M- Alphonso Davies | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC

M- Raheem Edwards | CAN / Toronto FC

M- Kianz Froese | GER / Fortuna Düsseldorf

M- Nicolas Galvis | Unattached

M- David Junior Hoilett | WAL / Cardiff City FC

M- Will Johnson | USA / Orlando City SC

M- Mark-Anthony Kaye | USA / Louisville City FC

M- Jonathan Osorio | CAN / Toronto FC

M- Michael Petrasso | ENG / Queens Park Rangers

M- Samuel Piette | ESP / CD Izarra

M- Tosaint Ricketts | CAN / Toronto FC

M- Russell Teibert | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC

F- Lucas Cavallini | URU / CA Peñarol

F- Marcus Haber | SCO / Dundee FC

F- Anthony Jackson-Hamel | CAN / Impact Montréal

F- Simeon Jackson | ENG / Walsall FC

F- Cyle Larin | USA / Orlando City SC

Intrinsically Canadian Power Rankings: MLS Week 14/NASL Week 11/USL Week 11

Cyle Larin and Will Johnson have run away and hid at the top of the minutes-played-by-Canadians-in-MLS list.

The two Orlando City-based Canadians are the only two Canucks playing in MLS who have played more than 1,000 minutes each this season. Of course, Orlando city continues to lead MLS — including the three Canadian teams — when it comes to average number of minutes given to Canadian players. Orlando City is averaging 169.1 minutes/per game for Canadian players, which is more than double Vancouver’s 81.2 minutes.

And, it needs to be said, by counting Alphonso Davies, who has yet to be cleared to play for Canada, this ranking system is being generous to the Caps. Since Davies has trained with Canada’s youth team and his family is on the path to citizenship, we’re counting him.

Here are this week’s rankings:

MLS MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS

Cyle Larin, Orlando, 1315 (15)
Will Johnson, Orlando, 1241 (14)
Patrice Bernier, Montreal, 844 (12)
Tesho Akindele, FCD, 741 (13)
Raheem Edwards, TFC, 731 (12)
Ballou Jean-Yves Tabla, Montreal,  646 (10)
Tosaint Ricketts, TFC, 544 (12)
Alphonso Davies, Vancouver, 501 (11)
Jonathan Osorio, TFC, 473 (13)
Russell Teibert, Vancouver, 374 (6)
Anthony Jackson-Hamel, Montreal, 294 (8)
Jay Chapman, TFC, 175 (4)
Marcel de Jong, Vancouver, 92 (3)
Ben McKendry, Vancouver, 90 (1)
Maxim Tissot, D.C. United, 90 (1)
Jordan Hamilton, TFC, 52 (3)
Tyler Pasher, Sporting KC, 45 (1)
Wandrille Lefevre, Montreal, 16 (2)
David Choiniere, Montreal, 5 (1)
Kwame Awuah, NYCFC, 1 (1)

 

 

TEAM RANKINGS, MLS MINUTES PLAYED BY CANADIANS IN 2017

Orlando City, 2536/15 (169.1)

Montreal, 1802/12 (150.2)

Toronto FC, 1975/15 (131.7)

Vancouver, 1055/13 (81.2)

FC Dallas, 741/13 (57)

D.C. United, 90/14 (6.4)

Sporting Kansas City, 45/15 (3)

New York City FC, 1/15 (0.1)

 

NASL MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS

Nana Attakora, San Francisco, 900 (10)
Mason Trafford, Miami FC, 900 (10)
Drew Beckie, Jacksonville, 891 (10)
Kyle Bekker, San Francisco, 873 (10)
Adam Straith, FCE, 795 (9)
Dejan Jakovic, New York, 720 (8)
Karl Ouimette, San Francisco, 593 (7)
Nik Ledgerwood, FCE, 521 (7)
Allan Zebie, FCE, 420 (6)
Ben Fisk, FCE, 280 (6)
Maxim Tissot, San Francisco, 139 (3)
Mauro Eustaquio, FCE, 104 (3)

 

TEAM RANKINGS, NASL MINUTES PLAYED BY CANADIANS IN 2017

San Francisco, 2505/10 (250.5)

FC Edmonton, 2120/9 (235.6)

Miami FC, 900/10 (90)

Jacksonville, 891/10 (89.1)

New York, 720/9 (80)

 

 

USL MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS

Mastanabal Kacher, Colorado Springs, 1098 (13)
Mallan Roberts, Richmond, 1080 (12)
Callum Irving, Ottawa, 900 (10)
Ryan Telfer, TFCII, 785 (11)
Ryan James, Rochester, 720 (8)
Ben McKendry, WFC2, 720 (8)
Eddie Edward, Ottawa, 710 (9)
Terran Campbell, WFC2, 675 (9)
Richie Laryea, OCB, 639 (8)
Thomas Gardner, WFC2, 631 (9)
Angelo Cavalluzzo, TFCII, 630 (7)
Daniel Haber, Real Monarchs, 609 (11)
Liam Fraser, TFCII, 588 (8)
Shaan Hundal, TFCII, 586 (8)
Luca Uccello, TFCII, 585 (8)
Jordan Murrell, Reno, 572 (7)
Matthew Baldisimo, WFC2, 571 (10)
Jordan Dover, Rochester, 558 (7)
Jamar Dixon, Ottawa, 544 (9)
Amer Didic, Swope Park, 540 (6)
Gloire Amanda, WFC2, 513 (10)
David Norman Jr., WFC2, 512 (7)
Zachary Ellis-Hayden, OCB, 495 (6)
Sergio Camargo, TFCII, 484 (8)
Bradley Kamdem Fewo, Rochester, 479 (7)
Tyler Pasher, Swope Park, 465 (7)
Kadin Chung, WFC2, 435 (6)
Jordan Schweitzer, OCB, 419 (6)
Maxim Tissot, Richmond, 340 (4)
Dominick Zator, WFC2, 338 (4)
Mackenzie Pridham, Reno, 326 (7)    
Chris Nanco, Bethlehem Steel, 317 (6)   
Skylar Thomas, Charleston, 302 (8)                
Alessandro Riggi, Phoenix, 301 (6)
Michael Cox, OCB, 301 (5)
Chris Serban, WFC2, 283 (5)
Malik Johnson, TFCII, 272 (6)
Sean Melvin, WFC2, 270 (3)
Anthony Osorio, TFCII, 258 (4)
Mark-Anthony Kaye, Louisville, 241 (5)
Marco Bustos, WFC2, 213 (3)
A.J. Gray, Phoenix, 204 (5)
Mark Anthony Gonzalez, Swope Park, 199 (3)
Paris Gee, Tulsa, 190 (5)
Jordan Hamilton, TFCII, 180 (2)
Kyle Porter, Tampa Bay, 156 (2)
Marco Dominguez, FC Cincinnati, 110 (2)
Ashtone Morgan, TFCII, 106 (2)
Aron Mkungilwa, Ottawa, 91 (2)
Jay Chapman, TFCII, 90 (1)
Raheem Edwards, TFCII, 90 (1)
Aidan Daniels, TFCII, 75 (3)
Josh Heard, Bethlehem Steel, 66 (5)
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)
Dante Campbell, TFCII, 8 (1)
Thomas Meilleur-Giguere, Ottawa, 1 (1)

 

 

TEAM RANKINGS, USL MINUTES PLAYED BY CANADIANS IN 2017

WFC2,5236/11 (476)

TFCII,4737/12 (394.8)

Ottawa, 2246/10 (224.6)

Rochester, 1757/8 (219.6)

Orlando City B, 1894/11 (172.2)

Swope Park Rangers, 1204/9 (133.8)

Richmond, 1420/12 (118.3)

Reno, 898/9 (99.8)

Colorado Springs, 1098/13 (84.5)

Phoenix, 505/8 (63.1)

Real Monarchs SC, 609/11 (55.4)

Bethlehem Steel FC, 383/11 (34.8)

Louisville City, 241/9 (26.8)

Tulsa, 220/9 (24.4)

Charleston, 302/12 (25.2)

FC Cincinnati, 172/12 (14.3)

Tampa Bay, 156/13 (12)

 

FCE coach Miller on lopsided loss to Puerto Rico: “The buck stops with me”

Entering Saturday night’s game against FC Edmonton, Puerto Rico FC was at the bottom of the NASL table, winless in nine matches. New coach Marco Velez, a former Toronto FC defender, was still searching for some evidence that the team’s fortunes were changing.

Well, thanks to a goal and an assist to Giuseppe Gentile, and some poor FC Edmonton defending, PRFC got its first win in blowout fashion. PRFC beat Edmonton 3-0, destroying any kind of momentum the Eddies thought they might have built with last weekend’s win over the Indy Eleven.

The shots on goal tally was 9-1 for Puerto Rico. Shot attempts? An ugly 15-4.

FCE coach Colin Miller called it “arguably FC Edmonton’s worst performance” since he took over as the team’s coach ahead of the 2013 season.

“The buck stops with me,” said the coach. “I’m big enough to accept that when things go like that, it’s a reflection on Colin Miller.”

Miller apologized to FCE’s fans and ownership for the team’s performance on the night.

“No player got a passing mark tonight.”

While Velez has preached playing shorter passes on the ground and leaving the physical, direct game behind, the scoring was opened thanks to route-one soccer that was aided and abetted by some poor Eddies defending. In the 25th minute, a long ball was hoofed up the field for striker Giuseppe Gentile, who then dashed at a line of four FC Edmonton defenders, dashed around centre back Albert Watson and then beat keeper Chris Konopka with a poor-angle, near-post shot.

Three minutes later, the hosts doubled their lead. FCE’s Dustin Corea gave the ball away, and that turnover set Puerto Rico FC off on a counterattack. Eddies Mauro Eustaquio and Pape Diakite both missed tackle attempts, which allowed Gentile and Hector Ramos what amounted to a two-on-one break, with only Watson left to foil the scoring attempt.

He couldn’t.

Gentile slotted a square ball to Ramos, and then the ball went into the net.

FCE coach Colin Miller made two changes at halftime, bringing out fullback Netan Sansara, replacing him with Karsten Smith. And forward Jake Keegan was brought in while Eustaquio was taken out.

Eustaquio got the start in place of the injured Nik Ledgerwood, who is nursing a calf problem. Miller said Ledgerwood, FCE’s captain, will be out of Wednesday’s match against the New York Cosmos.

But, two minutes into the second half, Konopka had to dive to keep Jairo Puerta from making it 3-0.

“We weren’t at the races against a team that’s at the bottom of the table,” said Miller. “All respect to Puerto Rico, but they didn’t look like that tonight.”

It would only take until the 52nd minute for Puerto to get his goal, though. It came on a spectacular, curling effort that hooked inside of Konopka’s far post.

Corea, who had a goal and an assist last week,  made his exit in the 63rd, with Sabri Khattab entering in his place. Miller said all three of his changes were tactical. No one was hurt or needed rest.

PRFC, who opted not to wear the familiar orange kits at home, got a four-on-two break in the 67th, but Gentile’s shot found Konopka’s midsection. The keeper then stretched to deny Gentile in the 70th, as the one-way traffic pattern continued.

But the score would remain 3-0, and now the Eddies have an awfully short turnaround ahead of the midweek game at the Cosmos.

“If we got to New York and play like we did tonight, it can be double figures,” Miller warned.

 

 

Buchanan bests Lawrence in Champions League final

The UEFA Women’s Champions League final saw Kadehisha Buchanan’s Olympique Lyon side face Ashley Lawrence’s Paris Saint-Germain.

Even though Lawrence converted her attempt from the spot, it was Buchanan and her Lyon teammates who celebrated after 120 minutes of scoreless soccer and then a shootout that was decided by a 7-6 count. The key moment? When PSG keeper Katarzyna Kiedrzynek was asked to go to the spot, and fired her attempt wide.

Lawrence and Buchanan, now regular starters for the Canadian women’s national side, left the University of West Virginia after the 2016 NCAA season so they could kick-start their pro careers in Europe, eschewing the NWSL route.

Both Lawrence and Buchanan played the full 120 minutes in the final.

For Buchanan, who was named the top young player at the 2015 Women’s World Cup and won the honours as the top women’s player in the NCAA last season, the Champions League medal will only add to a trophy case that’s already collapsing under the weight.

Edmonton punches above its weight when it comes to nurturing MLS-level talent

It’s hard to find a major city in Canada that’s more lacking in soccer facilities than Edmonton. There is no option for teams to play on full-size fields through the winter, as a bubble over a pitch (or pitches) is still in the nice-to-have category. There are several indoor-soccer facilities — the turf-and-boards kind — throughout the city, and they are heavily utilized. As a result, futsal is still limited to school gyms and hasn’t developed like it has in Ontario or Quebec.

The summer soccer season is painfully short.

But, Edmonton, despite the logistical problems its soccer clubs and coaches face, still manages to punch above its weight when it comes to producing talent.

On Wednesday, Sporting Kansas City announced that it had signed centre back Amer Didic to a one-year deal with three add one-year options. Didic joined the team’s USL affiliate, Swope Park Rangers, last season after playing at Baker University. Before that, he was in FC Edmonton’s academy. Last year, Didic got into CONCACAF Champions League action with Sporting Kansas City; but he’s now eligible to play for the big club whenever coach Peter Vermes deems necessary.

What’s interesting is that Sporting Kansas City confirmed that Didic will be classified as a domestic under new MLS rules brought in before the 2017 season. To be a domestic, a Canadian player’s first academy needs to be one that’s “approved” by MLS and the Canadian Soccer Association. So, logic tells us that FC Edmonton’s academy is on that approved list.

Earlier this year, I asked Marc Dos Santos, who coached Didic last year at Swope Park Rangers, about the player.

“For me, I am surprised that he is not playing in Edmonton,” said Dos Santos. “He has the abilities and qualities, in my opinion, over maybe some of the other players who came from their academy and played one or two games for the first team. Now don’t get me wrong. I have a lot of respect for [FC Edmonton coach] Colin Miller and I think he has done a great job there, and it might be a case where Amer needed to develop and wasn’t at that point a couple of years ago. But, this past year, from the first day of training camp to the last day of the season, his development was terrific. Here was a kid who had gone to FC Edmonton’s Academy and had moved on to Baker, a small college. He came to Kansas City on a trial. He goes on to play in a USL final and gets called up for three Champions League games. I think he has the tools to have an excellent future in this game.”

Didic is the fourth Edmontonian in MLS this season.

Shamit Shome, who played with FC Edmonton last season, was given Generation Adidas status, sold to MLS and was taken in the second round of the draft by the Montreal Impact. He has yet to play for the Impact but is on the roster.

Tosaint Ricketts is the best-known Edmontonians in MLS; the long-time Canadian national-teamer joined Toronto FC last season.

And teenage wunderkind Alphonso Davies, whose family is still in the process of getting their passports, has turned heads in Vancouver and has been linked with potential moves to Europe. He could soon be joined by Gloire Amanda, who was called up to the Whitecaps roster for the Canadian Championship. Both Amanda and Davies went to St. Nicholas Junior High, the northeast Edmonton school that’s become a magnet for the Whitecaps’ scouts.

For a city with facility challenges and an extreme winter climate, producing professional-calibre players is indeed a test. And it’s a testament to the clubs, coaches and volunteers in Edmonton who have helped push these kids to achieve more and more with their careers.