Steven Sandor's Blog, page 44

Miller hopes strong performance in Indy kickstarts FC Edmonton’s season

The Indy Eleven have not lost at home since September of 2015.

On Saturday, based on the balance of play, the Eddies deserved to end Indy’s home undefeated streak, but couldn’t find the necessary goal. FCE had to be satisfied with a 0-0 draw.

But, for an Eddies team playing its third game in seven days, there were plenty of encouraging signs ahead of Wednesday’s crucial Canadian Championship opening-round second leg at home to the Ottawa Fury.

The Eleven really only created one scoring chance of note, as Eddies keeper Chris Konopka earned his first NASL clean sheet. That chance came midway through the second half, when a volley from April’s NASL player of the month, Justin Braun, took a deflection off of Pape Diakite and forced Konopka to tip the ball over the bar.

Other than that, the Eleven, who have drawn every game they have played this season, didn’t get a sniff. The central defensive pairing of Adam Straith and Diakite were assured and remained connected through the night.

Veteran centre back Albert Watson did not play Saturday, as he was sent home to look after a thigh strain.

“We should have Albert back for Wednesday,” said FCE coach Colin Miller. “But Adam and Pape were so good together, they’ve given me a good headache for Wednesday.”

FCE’s Allan Zebie battles Indy’s Brad Ring. PHOTO: Matt Schlotzhauer

In the lead-up to Saturday’s game, the Eddies had to add yet another chapter to their unending novel of Planes, Trains, Automobiles and Alternate Forms of Transportation. After the first leg of their Canadian Championship series in Ottawa, the team flew to Toronto, where they found that their flight to Indianapolis had been cancelled. With no other air options, they got on the bus and made the journey, junior-hockey style.

“After Wednesday’s result, after our journey from hell, I asked the players to show their character,” said Miller. “And they showed that, in abundance. Hopefully, this will kickstart our season. It’s no secret that we haven’t had the start that we wanted.”

And Miller said that, if the Eddies can play as well Wednesday against Ottawa as they did Saturday against Indy, they can make up that one-goal deficit.

“We will have to treat Wednesday like a Cup final.”

The Eddies started off strong, as Diakite headed a free kick from Dustin Corea just over the bar.

With captain Nik Ledgerwood battling through a groin strain, he was only able to play 45 minutes; Sabri Khattab came in for the second half and put together his most impressive performance as an Eddie to date. Late in the second half, he dashed through Indy’s midfield and unleashed a vicious drive at goal that forced Indy keeper Jon Busch into a leaping stop.

Another run from Khattab late in the second forced a professional foul out of Indy’s Brad Ring. He got his second yellow of the night, and Indy was forced to ride out the last couple of minutes with 10 men.

Miller said that Khattab has said to him that he’s still getting used to the pace of the NASL, which is quicker than the lower divisions of Norwegian soccer from where he came. Miller said that he will continue to give Khattab shorter appearances till he gets up to the pace. Miller feels that once Khattab is used to the speedier pace, he will add a lot of the club.

Tomi Ameobi came on as a late sub, and he had a chance to grab a winner, as he deflected Dean Shiels’s shot just wide.

Miller also had a lot of praise for Canadian central midfielder Allan Zebie. The FCE Academy product had another strong game in the middle of the park.

“Every game, every training session, he just gets better and better,” said Miller. “The amount of ground he covers is fantastic.”

 

CanPL era officially begins: New league ratified by the Canadian Soccer Association

Unofficially, it began years ago, with dreams of Canada hosting World Cup matches and the need for better Canadian player development. It moved to boardrooms in Hamilton and Winnipeg and Halifax.

But, officially, the Canadian Premier League era began Saturday in Whistler B.C., as the new league was ratified by the Canadian Soccer Association. The ratification process was on the agenda for the CSA’s annual general meeting, held this year far from prying media eyes. As well, the CSA officially sanctioned two of the new league’s teams — Hamilton and Winnipeg.  In the image provided we got from Canada Soccer, we clearly see Winnipeg Blue Bombers President Wade Miller and Hamilton’s Bob Young, who owns the Tiger-Cats. We know from meetings held in Halifax that an ownership group there isn’t far behind.

The project manager of the league, Paul Beirne, had this to say after the ratification vote passed unanimously.

“We’re excited! It’s a huge day for the game at all levels in this country!”

According to a release from Canada Soccer, on top of Winnipeg and Hamilton, the Canadian Premier League has received “expressions of interest” from eight other Canadian cities.

It said that the CanPL “will look to evaluate those candidates in the next few months.”

Young, owner of the CFL’s Tiger-Cats and the new CanPL Hamilton franchise — and also is the “caretaker” of the new league — issued the following words after the league was ratified.

“The leadership of the Canadian Soccer Association  has shown outstanding commitment to its vision for the future of soccer in Canada with the decision to ratify the Canadian Premier League  today.

“The CPL will fill the existing void in the national Canadian soccer development platform by operating a top level professional league, both on and off the field. The CSA and the CPL’s shared commitment is to foster the development of Canadian players.

“Most importantly, I’m really excited the Canadian Soccer Association has approved Hamilton’s application to become an official member of the CSA. This approval allows our Hamilton team to apply and join the CPL at the appropriate time. When that time comes, our club will play out of Tim Hortons Field, which has proved to be a world-class soccer stadium and has consistently provided a best-in-class live viewing experience for all of its events.”

The ratification brought the reign of outgoing Canadian Soccer Association president Victor Montagliani to a close. When Montagliani was elected to the CONCACAF presidency last year, the clock began to tick on his CSA term. Under the rules, he had one year to step down as CSA president.  On Saturday, the CSA’s membership voted to stay the course; former vice-president Steven Reed was elected to the top job. This choice sees the CSA opt for a true line of succession, as Reed worked closely with Montagliani.

“I look forward to serving the membership and building on the legacy of Victor Montagliani’s leadership of the past five years,” Reed was quoted in a Canada Soccer release.

 

Williams’s late goal, Irving’s wonder save give Fury first-leg win over the Eddies

Ryan Williams’s 89th minute goal gave the USL’s Ottawa Fury a 1-0 advantage over NASL’s FC Edmonton in the first leg of the opening round of the Canadian Championship.

Eddies keeper Tyson Farago came out of goal to block the cross that came in for the Fury’s Tucker Hume, but the ball fell to Williams, who slotted the ball into the goal, bringing the less than 3,000 in attendance at Ottawa’s TD Place to their feet.

“It was a very tough, physical game with few opportunities between the two sides, but it’s disappointing with the manner we gave away the winning goal,” FC Edmonton head coach Colin Miller said in a release issued by the club. “We all win together and when we lose it’s my team. It’s only half-time in the tie, that’s the reality of the situation, and now they’ll come to Edmonton where it’s very difficult for visiting teams to get any sort of result.”

The Eddies will host the second leg next Wednesday, and will be kicking themselves over not getting a precious road goal out of the first game.

Canadian midfielder Allan Zebie had a glorious chance to get the Eddies a goal just before the hour mark, but was thwarted by a crazy-good save from Ottawa keeper Callum Irving.

Fury midfielder Eddie Edward — who spent three and a half years with the Eddies — was stripped of the ball by his former FC Edmonton understudy, Zebie. Then, Zebie played striker Tomi Ameobi into the Ottawa penalty area with a good pass. Irving came out to parry Ameobi’s shot, but the ball sat in the middle of the penalty area. Zebie got there and, for a split second, looked to have nothing to do but tap the ball into an open goal. But Irving dashed back to the middle of the goal and sprawled to block the follow-up shot.

That save, preventing a road goal, could prove to be more important than Williams’s goal.

The  Eddies also had the best chance of a rather conservative first half, It came right before the whistle. Ben Fisk dashed down the right side, and delivered a ball across the box for Dean Shiels. The Northern Irish attacker took a touch to take him away from the Ottawa defender, and then turned to side-foot the bouncing ball. Ottawa keeper Callum Irving came dashing off the line, and got enough of the ball to send it over the bar.

Surely, though, there will be Ottawa Fury supporters out there who would feel that Shiels shouldn’t have been on the pitch, after a late studs-up lunge on Onua Obasi. But Shiels only saw yellow for a challenge that had Fury coach Paul Dalglish jumping on the sidelines.

Williams had an earlier chance to score for the Fury, he looked to be behind the Eddies back line, running onto a through ball, but the play was stopped by a perfect late diving tackle from Edmonton fullback Shawn Nicklaw.

 

Canadian Championship: Fury’s Edward may have “some new tricks” for his former FC Edmonton teammates

The arrivals level at any airport is filled with reunions. Family members greet each other. Old friends reunite. Business associates greet each other.

So, it was only fitting that Eddie Edward got the chance to meet and greet with his old FC Edmonton teammates at Ottawa International Airport. The Eddies were disembarking from their plane just as the Ottawa Fury players were returning from Charleston, S.C., where they drew the Battery over the weekend in USL play.

Edward, who spent three and a half seasons in Edmonton, was happy to meet a lot of old friends at the airport. It will help clear his mind when the Fury hosts the Eddies Wednesday in the first leg of the Canadian Championship opening round.

There are two major prizes at stake. First: The winner gets to meet Toronto FC, the MLS Cup finalist from last season. The second: Bragging rights when it comes to league-vs.-league rivalry. This match will mark the first time that a USL team (Ottawa) and an NASL side (Edmonton) have met in a meaningful game since the USL was granted Division-2 status and equal footing with the rival NASL.

As well, Ottawa left NASL for USL after the 2016 season, so there will be plenty of league politics on hand, sure to ignite more than a few Twitter flame-wars and online trolls. Fun!

But, for Edward, it will no doubt be an emotional game. At the conclusion of the 2016 spring season, the Eddies granted him his free agency, so he could sign with his hometown team, the Fury, so he could be closer to his family.

There’s won’t be any mixed loyalties for Edward Wednesday.

“Just like I know a lot of them, they know me,” Edward said. “I might have to pull some new tricks out of the bag.”

The Fury and Eddies are both enduring difficult starts to their campaigns. At 1-2-2, the Fury are second from the bottom in USL’s Eastern Conference. The Eddies have won just one of their first five NASL matches in 2017.

But Edward said the Fury won’t be fooled by the Eddies’ record so far.

“We know one thing to expect from Edmonton is that (coach) Colin Miller always has his team well-structured,” said Edward. “We know that when they start finding the back of the net, they are going to have success. So we have to limit their chances.”

Edward is still bullish about the Fury’s 2017 season prospects, though.

“It’s been great to have a full start to the season under my belt with my new club,” he said. “But it’s not quite the start we had  pictured. But we’re still very positive and we’re still very optimistic.”

Edward, who was mainly used as a fullback with the odd appearance as a holding mid in Edmonton, has been used in many roles by Ottawa coach Paul Dalglish. He’s been an attacking mid, a wing back, and played both left and right centre back.

The Eddies made some slight alterations to their lineup in Saturday’s loss to Miami FC, as they had Wednesday’s game on their radar. Former Arsenal youth and Rangers star Dean Shiels didn’t start, while captain Nik Ledgerwood, who was nursing a groin strain, was held out. Winger Sainey Nyassi also didn’t start.

“That’s why we’ve assembled the squad that we have,” Miller said. “We will change some bodies as we go along. Of course we have the Canadian Championship game on Wednesday night, which is massive for the club, absolutely massive. The incentive to beat Ottawa is arguably the biggest, best club, professional-wise in Canada, Toronto FC.”

Edward said the style of play in USL is very different from NASL.

“The major difference is just the pace of the league,” he said. “The game (in USL) is played at a faster tempo, which can be a challenge for a player’s fitness. In the NASL, a lot of times one team will try and control the pace of the game and slow it down, where in USL it’s a lot more end-to-end.”

That difference between leagues may be a product of geography. NASL has always leaned heavily on markets in the deep south of the United States. Games, no matter spring, summer or fall, are often played in sweltering heat. And playing in hotter temperatures forces teams to slow down the pace. That’s the challenge of soccer in North America; in the northern states and Canada, the winter is far too harsh to realistically play soccer at that time of year. But, in the summer, it’s really too hot to stage entertaining, fast-paced soccer. But, at least you can get games in during the summer, so it’s the lesser of two evils.

The Fury announced Tuesday that the club had acquired Belizean Michael Salazar on loan from the Montreal Impact. Salazar will not be eligible to play in the Canadian Championship for the Fury, only in USL action. The Fury has an affiliation deal with the Impact in place.

Intrinsically Canadian Power Rankings: MLS Week 9/NASL Week 6/USL Week 6

Usually, as we move further and further into the North American pro soccer season, we see the clubs north of the border take sizeable leads over the American sides when it comes to giving playing time to Canadian players.

Of course, that’s how it should be, right? Canadian academies should produce players for the senior sides.

But, that hasn’t been the case this season. In MLS, Orlando City has given more minutes to Canadians so far this season than any of the three Canadian sides. In NASL, the San Francisco Deltas lead the way in giving playing time to Canadians. And, in USL, Mastanabal Kacher leads all Canadians in minutes played; and the former FC Montreal player now plays his soccer in Colorado Springs.

Here are the rankings:

 

MLS MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS

Will Johnson, Orlando, 630 (7)
Cyle Larin, Orlando, 614 (7)
Patrice Bernier, Montreal, 598 (8)
Ballou Jean-Yves Tabla, Montreal,  393 (7)
Raheem Edwards, TFC, 367 (5)
Russell Teibert, Vancouver, 361 (5)
Tesho Akindele, FCD, 353 (7)
Alphonso Davies, Vancouver, 339 (6)
Jonathan Osorio, TFC, 322 (8)
Tosaint Ricketts, TFC, 215 (6)
Anthony Jackson-Hamel, Montreal, 104 (4)
Marcel de Jong, Vancouver, 91 (2)
Ben McKendry, Vancouver, 90 (1)
Maxim Tissot, D.C. United, 90 (1)
Jay Chapman, TFC, 24 (1)
Wandrille Lefevre, Montreal, 16 (2)

 

TEAM RANKINGS, MLS MINUTES PLAYED BY CANADIANS IN 2017

Orlando City, 1244/7 (177.7)

Montreal, 1108/8 (138.5)

Toronto FC, 928/8 (116)

Vancouver, 881/8 (110.1)

FC Dallas, 353/7 (50.4)

D.C. United, 90/8 (11.3)

 

NASL MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS

Nana Attakora, San Francisco, 450 (5)
Drew Beckie, Jacksonville, 450 (5)
Mason Trafford, Miami FC, 450 (5)
Kyle Bekker, San Francisco, 448 (5)
Adam Straith, FCE, 435 (5)
Karl Ouimette, San Francisco, 434 (5)
Dejan Jakovic, New York, 360 (4)
Nik Ledgerwood, FCE, 296 (3)
Ben Fisk, FCE, 215 (4)
Allan Zebie, FCE, 214 (3)
Mauro Eustaquio, FCE, 45 (1)

 

TEAM RANKINGS, NASL MINUTES PLAYED BY CANADIANS IN 2017

San Francisco, 1332/5 (266.4)

FC Edmonton, 1205/5 (241)

Jacksonville, 450/5 (90)

Miami FC, 450/5 (90)

New York, 360/5 (72)

 

USL MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS

Mastanabal Kacher, Colorado Springs, 561 (7)
Mallan Roberts, Richmond, 540 (6)
Richie Laryea, OCB, 492 (6)
Callum Irving, Ottawa, 450 (5)
Ryan James, Rochester, 450 (5)
Ben McKendry, WFC2, 450 (5)
Terran Campbell, WFC2, 425 (6)
Eddie Edward, Ottawa, 377 (5)
Jamar Dixon, Ottawa, 366 (5)
Angelo Cavalluzzo, TFCII, 360 (4)
Ryan Telfer, TFCII, 351 (5)
Bradley Kamdem Fewo, Rochester, 343 (5)
Maxim Tissot, Richmond, 340 (4)
Jordan Schweitzer, OCB, 329 (5)
David Norman Jr., WFC2, 307 (4)
Matthew Baldisimo, WFC2, 303 (6)
Jordan Dover, Rochester, 288 (4)
Mackenzie Pridham, Reno, 275 (5)
Tyler Pasher, Swope Park, 271 (4)
Amer Didic, Swope Park, 270 (3)
Zachary Ellis-Hayden, OCB, 270 (3)
Michael Cox, OCB, 261 (3)
Anthony Osorio, TFCII, 257 (3)
Gloire Amanda, WFC2, 256 (6)
Thomas Gardner, WFC2, 252 (4)
Sergio Camargo, TFCII, 243 (5)
Luca Uccello, TFCII, 240 (3)
Jordan Murrell, Reno, 212 (3)
Liam Fraser, TFCII, 210 (3)
Daniel Haber, Real Monarchs, 206 (6)
Alessandro Riggi, Phoenix, 181 (4)
Mark Anthony Gonzalez, Swope Park, 180 (2)
Jordan Hamilton, TFCII, 180 (2)
Sean Melvin, WFC2, 180 (2)
Shaan Hundal, TFCII, 159 (2)
Dominick Zator, WFC2, 158 (2)
Malik Johnson, TFCII, 135 (2)
A.J. Gray, Phoenix, 108 (3)
Jay Chapman, TFCII, 90 (1)
Kadin Chung, WFC2, 90 (1)
Raheem Edwards, TFCII, 90 (1)
Kyle Porter, Tampa Bay, 66 (1)
Mele Temguia, FC Cincinnati, 62 (1)
Marco Bustos, WFC2, 52 (1)
Mark-Anthony Kaye, Louisville, 36 (2)
Chris Nanco, Bethlehem Steel, 31 (1)
Skylar Thomas, Charleston, 30 (2)
Brian Wright, Tulsa, 30 (1)
Josh Heard, Bethlehem Steel, 21 (2)
Paris Gee, Tulsa, 16 (1)
Chris Serban, WFC2, 8 (1)
Thomas Meilleur-Giguere, Ottawa, 1 (1)

 

TEAM RANKINGS, USL MINUTES PLAYED BY CANADIANS IN 2017

WFC2,2481/6 (413.5)

TFCII, 2315/6 (385.8)

Ottawa, 1194/5 (238.8)

Rochester, 1081/5 (216.2)

Orlando City B, 1392/8 (174)

Richmond, 880/6 (146.7)

Swope Park Rangers, 721/5 (144.2)

Reno, 487/5 (97.4)

Colorado Springs, 561/7 (80.1)

Phoenix, 289/4 (72.3)

Real Monarchs SC, 206/6 (34.3)

Tulsa, 46/4 (11.5)

Bethlehem Steel FC, 52/5 (10.4)

Tampa Bay, 66/7 (9.4)

FC Cincinnati, 62/7 (8.9)

Louisville City, 36/6 (6)

Charleston, 30/6 (5)

 

Miami scores twice, hits woodwork twice in win over FCE

Last season, the Eddies gave up just 21 goals in 32 games. Their keeper in 2016, Matt VanOekel, set an NASL record for clean sheets in a season.

Now five games into the NASL season, and the Eddies have yet to post a clean sheet.

On Saturday, they lost 2-0 on the road to Miami FC; but, on top of the goals, the hosts hit the woodwork twice, and Eddies’ keeper Chris Konopka made a great save to deny Ariel Martinez, who was in alone on goal late in the second half.

Yes, Eddie Sainey Nyassi came close to scoring, with a shot/cross attempt that slid across the top of Miami’s crossbar late in the second half.

Eddies coach Colin Miller said that, just five games into the season, that it’s too early to panic. He said he knows the Eddies have given up some goals this season where players haven’t tracked runners, or because they were in possession but gave the ball up cheaply. He thinks these are the sorts of mistakes that can be eliminated from the game.

But he also warned that the Eddies’ defensive records from last season were so unusual, that it’s unfair to set them as standards going forward.

“We had a great run last season,” said Miller. “But, if you look at leagues around the world, it’s rare for a team to do something like we did last year. I don’t get carried away by our defensive record from last season.”

Miami’s Stefano Pinho chases FCE’s Pape Diakite. PHOTO: NASL

He said that the fans would “need to cut the players some slack.” He said it was difficult for Edmonton, who have been training outside in temperatures around the freezing mark, to come to Miami and then adjust to steamy conditions. Because of what Miller called the “heavy” conditions, he decided not to risk captain Nik Ledgerwood, who has been limited this week by a groin strain.

Midfielder Dean Shiels didn’t start, and Nyassi came on as a sub. Miller had to make some tough squad decision as the Eddies visit Ottawa in midweek for the first leg of their Voyageurs Cup opener. It will be the first it-count meeting between an NASL side and USL club since the USL got onto equal footing with NASL, getting Div-2 status, over the winter.

“I was disappointed by the goals we gave away,” Miller said. “I certainly don’t want to make excuses but, to me, Miami is the best team in the league. They are the most expensive team in the league.

Michael Lahoud sent a warning sign early in the game when his shot from outside the box hit the frame of FCE’s goal. But, six minutes before halftime, Miami grabbed the lead on a goal from Kwadwo Poku. The play began with midfielder Richie Ryan sliding the ball to Poku, who then played a quick give-and-go with Vincenzo Rennella before beating Konopka.

Miami made it two-nil in the second half. Dylan Mares, who was consistently a thorn in FC Edmonton’s collective side in his time with the Indy Eleven, set striker Stefano Pinho free with a clever through ball. Pinho tucked the shot in the far corner.

Martinez, who scored two fantastic goals against the Eddies last season, lashed a shot just wide and later struck the post, before finally being stoned by Konopka late in the game. Martinez’s finishing wasn’t cool or collected — but it didn’t need to be.

Zebie has impressed at FC Edmonton since he’s made the move to the middle

Before the start of the 2017 NASL season, FC Edmonton coach Colin Miller and Canadian fullback Allan Zebie had a conversation.

How would Zebie feel about a move to the middle of the park?

They tried it out in preseason. Zebie, a product of the team’s academy program, had played 32 NASL games over the previous two campaigns, pretty well all of them at fullback. But he showed real promise in the middle.

Two weeks ago, looking to stop the bleeding in what would go down as a 3-1 loss to North Carolina FC, Miller brought in Zebie to stabilize the midfield. Last weekend, Zebie got the start in the holding midfield spot as Miller went back to basics with a 4-4-2 set-up. The Eddies beat Puerto Rico FC, 2-1, and Zebie did well winning balls and keeping the team moving.

“It’s great. I love it, to be honest,” Zebie said of the position change. “I used to play there when I was younger. But, obviously, I hadn’t played there in so long. I just have to get used to it.”

Look for Zebie to right back in the centre of things this weekend, as the Eddies visit Miami FC.

“He’s got good pace, he’s got excellent energy in the middle of the park — which we need,” said Miller after the Eddies’ training session Wednesday at Clarke Field.

Miller said that Zebie has been intently watching the exploits of Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante, the French international who has become one of the best midfield players in the world.

“I’m not saying he is N’Golo Kante, but he is certainly who has adapted to that position very well,” Miller said of Zebie. “As long as he keeps it simple. There are times when he gets caught ball-watching or he does rush things a little bit. But, if we can keep the reins on him, with that effort and that work-rate, he’s doing a terrific job in there. And, whoever complements him on Saturday should be a good combination. It’s exciting to see a younger guy taking the opportunity. Touch wood, he’s been doing very well for us, so long may that continue.”

“I’m still learning a bit,” said Zebie. “It’s different at this level. The game is faster. But it’s better now that I’ve played my second game.”

 

Paperwork is finally signed: Diakite can resume play with FC Edmonton

It’s been an odd situation: Thanks to visa issues, FC Edmonton defender Pape Diakite hasn’t been able to work in Canada so far this NASL season. He isn’t training with the club and can only join the Eddies when they travel to the United States for road trips.

But, for the reigning NASL Young Player of the Year, it looks as if the work visa soap opera is about to come to a close. Diakite didn’t train with the Eddies on Wednesday at Clarke Field, but will meet the club when it arrives in south Florida ahead of this weekend’s clash at Miami FC.

The good news is that it looks as if Diakite will be good to travel on with the Eddies to Ottawa, where they’ll face the USL’s Fury in next Wednesday’s first leg of their Canadian Championship opening-round series.

“He’ll be standing in Miami when we get to Miami,” FCE coach Colin Miller said of Diakite. “The paperwork is now finally done, dusted and completed and he can now get back to being an FC Edmonton player rather than being on a holiday for the last couple of weeks. It was just an unfortunate situation, it was a visa issue that we found out about very late. And, unfortunately, he wasn’t able to come into Canada. But, now, everything has been cleared, everything should be FedExed from London, and the big fella should meet us up in Miami on Thursday.”

 

The death of yet another World Cup dream: Canada’s U-17s can’t advance after loss to Cuba

When you need to write about kids who aren’t yet at the age of majority, who aren’t getting paid to play soccer, there’s an ethical question: Knowing that many of these kids aren’t ever going to make it as pros, how cutting should your criticism be?

With that in mind, I’ve decided to begin this column with a disclaimer. These are kids. They’re not perfect. Nor should be expect them to be.

But, it’s OK to be terribly disappointed that Canada’s squad has been eliminated from U-17 World Cup contention after just two group-stage games at the CONCACAF Championships in Panama.

Cuba delivered the death blow on Tuesday with a 2-1 win. It was Canada’s second loss in two games.

To make it all the more painful, both Cuban goals were the result of dreadful errors by the Canadians. Really, Canada could have just as easily taken the ball, passed it back to keeper Gianluca Catalano, and have him turn and fire the ball into his own goal.

(OK, calm down, Steve… these are kids you’re writing about).

The opener came after Canada gave the ball away in midfield. Cuba’s Ronaldo Rosette  stormed down the wing and then decided to shoot from a bad angle. Catalano, in the Canadian goal, made the save, but ended up parrying the ball into a dead spot right in front of his own goal. Yandry Romero pounced on it and pounded  the ball into the open net.

The second goal came after Canada’s Steffen Yeates gave the ball away in the final third. A low ball was played into the area, and Catalano elected to come off his line to try and beat Cuba’s Manuel Cruz to it. They got there close to the same time, Catalano couldn’t cover the ball, and it went in.

Canada’s Alessandro Hojabrpour got one back late, but the Canadian kids didn’t have enough time left to outscore their mistakes.

Parts Unknown: From Guam to Canada to Iran, soccer has allowed FC Edmonton’s Shawn Nicklaw to travel the globe

What player in NASL has the most frequent-flyer miles?

There’s a good chance that it’s Shawn Nicklaw. The right back plies his trade for FC Edmonton, a team that, in 2015 and 2016, traveled more than any other North American pro sports team. Later this season, the team will travel from Edmonton to Puerto Rico to San Francisco — a distance of more than 11,000 km — in, get this, six days.

But Nicklaw also represents Guam internationally. Located in the west Pacific, the American territory, like Puerto Rico, participates as an independent nation in FIFA tournaments. But, despite it’s Pacific location, Guam qualifies through Asia, not Oceania.

“We played in some pretty crazy places,” said Nicklaw. “We played in Iran, we played in Turkmenistan, we played in India. We had training camps in Qatar, training camps in Japan. Yeah, I’m a world traveller.”

Nicklaw and his brother, Travis, were both part of the Guam team in the most recent World Cup qualifying cycle. In fact, Shawn set up Travis — who played college soccer at San Diego State University — for a goal in a game against India. They both qualify to play for Guam through their mother.

With a population of just 165,000, you’d expect that Guam would have been out of its depth in qualifying. The island did take it on the chin against Iran, which is an Asian soccer power. But it recorded wins against India and Turkmenistan.

“In the early stages, we were sitting on top of the table in the group stage and we were looking good,” said Nicklaw. “We dropped games that we should have won or could have got a point. We didn’t and it ended up biting us in the butt at the end. It was a heartbreaker but, all in all, we did really well. We showed what a tiny little island can do in a big competition.”

Of course, to most Americans, Iran is a forbidden place. It is a place they hear about through the news. It is a member of what former president George W. Bush famously referred to as the “Axis of Evil.” It is also a nation that is extremely passionate about soccer, and a road game in Tehran’s famed Azadi Stadium is one of the most intimidating trips in the game.

“We had a good atmosphere,” Nicklaw said of the Tehran match. “Due to some complications, there was another qualifier in the city over, I think a couple of the locals went to that game as well. It was still a packed stadium, it was still an intense crowd. On the pitch you really couldn’t hear too much,  it was a great atmosphere and a great experience overall.”

But, he and his Guam teammates knew they had to be careful. After all, Guam is an American territory.

“It was different. Being an American, you kinda felt like you were behind enemy lines. But, our liaison took care of us, it was a good experience overall. We got to learn about the culture, it was an eyeopener, really.

“We got a rundown from our administration on what to expect and the dos and the don’ts and everything. We were well prepared and well mannered and respecting their culture.”