Steven Sandor's Blog, page 61

Reserve teams in CanPL? Thanks, but no thanks

Since Canadian Soccer Association president Victor Montagliani first publicly unveiled a plan to launch a national “Division 1A” (back in issue 2 of Plastic Pitch, Summer 2014), I have been reserved in my writing about the planned Canadian Premier League. There hasn’t been a lot of info out there, and rampant speculation only seems to divide fans into two camps:

The militant “we can do this!” crowd
The “it will never work” or “this will be bush league” crowd.

All of this before any team has been announced.

Last Friday evening, I was invited to the launch meeting of a group calling itself the Edmonton Soccer Project; basically, this is a grassroots initiative that looks to show City Council and other levels of government that soccer is lagging in terms of new facilities — that Edmonton is falling behind because it still doesn’t have a single full-sized covered field, pretty well a must for soccer development in any winter city.

What does this have to do with the CanPL? Well, over and over, the discussion at Edmonton Soccer Project came back to how disorganized and adversarial the various clubs and organizations are in the city; that, because the soccer community isn’t united, other sports and funding initiatives get put ahead of what the clubs and kids need. The message, over and over, was unity, unity, unity. Can the soccer community pull it off?

Tobias Oliva, of FieldTurf of Dreams, created several logos in honour of the #MakeCanPLSoviet discussion on Twitter. Here is VIKTORIA VICTORIA

To me, Edmonton Soccer Project was reflective of the Canadian Soccer scene as a whole. Lots of people pulling in different directions. And I get the nervous feeling that this is the way it might go with the CanPL.

But, before I go on, let’s review what we do know.

The stated goal of “Division 1A” is to co-exist with existing MLS and NASL teams.
Montagliani has publicly stated that there’s a target date (not a for-sure launch date, a target date) of 2018 to get the league off the ground.
During this process, there were actually two league proposals floating across the desks of various investors. In fact, two rival league proposals. The second one wasn’t one to be taken very seriously, but the aggressive nature of the person/people behind it actually hurt the real CanPL start-up.
FC Edmonton has repeatedly stated its opposition of a move to CanPL. Of course, the owners are also shareholders in the North American Soccer League, where the team plays at the moment.
Meanwhile, NASL Commissioner Bill Peterson said earlier this year that the league would not block the Canadian teams from going to CanPL if they felt it was in their best interests to move on. (Now, it needs to be said that a lot is going on with NASL; WRAL reported that Fort Lauderdale will need league support to keep making payroll. Rayo OKC had an ownership split and cleared out the front office. As well, the league — driven by spending by Minnesota, Miami FC and the New York Cosmos — is becoming a have-and-have-not circuit.)
Toronto FC told the Toronto Sun earlier this week that it might be interested in putting a reserve side of some sort in CanPL.



Tobias Oliva, of FieldTurf of Dreams, created several logos in honour of the #MakeCanPLSoviet discussion on Twitter. Here is TRAKTOR SASKATCHEWAN

Now, let’s get to that final bullet point. Because if the Canadian soccer community wants to come together to rally behind its own national league, we can’t have any of the member teams serving more than one master.

The stated goal is to co-exist with the other North American leagues. And that’s the right approach. The three MLS teams and the two NASL teams should not be censured — they’ve put a lot of investment and effort into building their clubs and their academies. Their investors put money forward and waded into an American-dominated system.

But, to allow them to put affiliate teams in a CanPL, as TFC President Bill Manning suggested, would do more harm than good.

Why? First off, the three MLS teams have a hard enough time drawing a national TV audience as is. According to the piece Chris Zelkovich wrote in our latest issue of Plastic Pitch (10, out now), for the first half of the 2016 MLS season, Toronto FC average a TV audience of 38,000 per game on Sportsnet. If the big club does so poorly in national ratings, how would its reserve team be perceived?

As well, placing a reserve team in a national league that’s selling itself as “1A,” well, it’s parochial and arrogant. Put yourself in the shoes of someone living in Edmonton, Calgary or Winnipeg. These cities have NHL teams. They see themselves as major league. In the case of the two Alberta cities, the metro populations are well in excess of one million each. The reaction in these places to seeing a road teams with “2” or “II” (or worse, a “III” or 3) at the end of their names would be extremely negative. It would hammer home the kind of regional divisions and resentment we need to shake off if a Canadian league is to work. People in these cities don’t want to be reminded that those in the largest three Canadian centres see the rest of the country as minor-league or worthy of reserve teams.

To put it bluntly, it would be insulting.

As well, reserve teams would hammer home the notion that the Canadian league is still subservient in some way to the greater American soccer hegemony. A “2” from an MLS is a reminder that a Canadian league isn’t “1A,” that’s it’s not actually coexisting with the North American leagues. No, it hammers home the idea that the Canadian league will never be anything but minor.

Look, no matter what the budget — the first few seasons of Canadian PL aren’t going to be top-level quality. We get that. Heck, if you’re in the stands to see Barcelona or Bayern recreated, well, that’s naive. But the dream has to be there that it can build into something greater — that it can improve year after year. And no glass ceiling should be placed on ambition.

Tobias Oliva, of FieldTurf of Dreams, created several logos in honour of the #MakeCanPLSoviet discussion on Twitter. Here is CHEMOPETROL CALGARY

Now, because of the silence and secrecy surrounding the CanPL, burst with random tweets with unattributed tidbits, Canadian soccer Twitter has turned away from Benny’s and mango ladies to debate the Canadian PL. Of that, I’d be safe in saying 99.9 per cent of us are under-informed on the topic. I’ve said in the past that the process should be a little more transparent — but at least we know have a target date and sense that the wheels are moving.

But we have to give this process time and see how it evolves. We need to accept the fact that, yes, Canada is in fact home to several well-heeled sports investors — and that maybe this league won’t be another CSL. Maybe this league won’t be run by the owner of the local mattress store “who really loves soccer.”

Maybe what we need is a Canadian solution. And not worry about comparing ourselves to any other nation. Maybe it’s about creating our own league with our own rivalries. The 401 rivalry in MLS is wonderful, but we need more of them across our country.

What we need is a united voice on this. No judging a league before it’s hatched.

 

Overwhelmingly Canadian Power Rankings MLS Week 28/NASL Week 23/USL Week 26

Last week, Canadian Soccer Association President (and CONCACAF President, too) Victor Montagliani said a solution to the Canadian-as-domestics question is close to being resolved.

Montagliani has been battling for years for MLS and NASL to change their current roster rules, which allow for American players to be treated as domestics on the rosters of Canadian teams, but that Canadian players take up precious international roster spots on the American teams.

Look at the 40 Canadians who have played in MLS and NASL this year. Only six currently play on American teams.

Mason Trafford (Miami FC); Cyle Larin, (Oriando City); Drew Beckie (Carolina); Nana Attakora (Fort Lauderdale); Tesho Akindele (FC Dallas); Karl Ouimette (Jacksonville on loan from New York Red Bulls).

Six. Compare that to the number of Americans playing as domestics on the five Canadian MLS and NASL teams.

And, of those six, it’s worth noting that at least four of them don’t take up international spots. Trafford was born in the U.S. but is a Canadian citizen; Akindele and Beckie were born in Canada, but grew up in the United States (Akindele is a dual citizen, Beckie has his green card). And, according to the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, Attakora also has legal status in America to be counted as a domestic. So, when you take out the Canadians who, by circumstances, have status to work in the United States, well you can see how the current rules prevent Canadians without the luxury of American status to get work in leagues that are supposedly North American in nature,

HERE ARE THE CURRENT RANKINGS OF MINUTES PLAYED BY CANADIANS:

MLS AND NASL MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS

Eddie Edward, FC Edmonton/Ottawa, NASL, 2064 (24)
Mason Trafford, Miami FC, NASL, 2047 (23)
Jonathan Osorio, Toronto FC, MLS, 2024 (25)
Cyle Larin, Orlando City, MLS, 2020 (26)
Nik Ledgerwood, FC Edmonton, NASL, 1841 (22)
Maxim Tissot, Montreal, MLS/Ottawa, NASL, 1643 (20)
Will Johnson, Toronto FC, MLS, 1566 (20)
Carl Haworth, Ottawa, NASL, 1532 (20)
Drew Beckie, Carolina, NASL, 1498 (20)
Nana Attakora, Fort Lauderdale, NASL, 1445 (17)
Tesho Akindele, FC Dallas, MLS, 1288 (27)
Fraser Aird, Vancouver, MLS, 1276 (16)
Mallan Roberts, FC Edmonton/Ottawa, NASL, 1251 (17)
Shamit Shome, FC Edmonton, NASL, 1174 (18)
Kyle Bekker, Montreal, MLS, 1139 (18)
Karl Ouimette, NYRB, MLS/Jacksonville, NASL  1109 (13)
Marcel De Jong, Ottawa, NASL/Vancouver, MLS,  945 (12)
Wandrille Lefevre, Montreal, MLS, 934 (11)
Patrice Bernier, Montreal, MLS, 876 (16)
Mauro Eustaquio, Ottawa, NASL, 846 (16)
Jordan Hamilton, Toronto FC, MLS, 811 (12)
Jay Chapman, Toronto FC, 779 (18)
Julian de Guzman, Ottawa, NASL, 770 (11)
Kyle Porter, Ottawa, NASL, 731 (10)
Russell Teibert, Vancouver, MLS, 695 (11)
Mo Babouli, Toronto FC, MLS, 567 (14)
David Edgar, Vancouver, MLS, 540 (6)
Jamar Dixon, Ottawa, NASL, 520 (8)
Allan Zebie, FC Edmonton, NASL, 403 (9)
Ben Fisk, FC Edmonton, NASL, 304 (7)
Tosaint Ricketts, Toronto FC, MLS, 288 (8)
Marcel DeBellis, Ottawa, NASL, 261 (3)
Ashtone Morgan, Toronto FC, MLS, 156 (7)
Kianz Froese, Vancouver, MLS, 150 (5)
Alphonso Davies, Vancouver, MLS, 119 (6)
Sam Adekugbe, Vancouver, MLS, 111 (2)
Anthony Jackson-Hamel, Montreal, MLS, 79 (5)
 Mozzi Gyorio, Ottawa, NASL, 65 (2)
Marco Bustos, Vancouver, MLS, 50 (2)
Raheem Edwards, Toronto FC, 2 (1)

 

TEAM RANKINGS, MINUTES PLAYED BY CANADIANS IN 2016, RANKED BY AVERAGE MINUTES PER GAME:

Ottawa, NASL, 8710/25 (348.4)

Toronto FC, MLS, 6194/29 (213.6)

FC Edmonton, NASL, 4673/24 (194.7)

Montreal, MLS, 3525/29 (121.6)

Vancouver, MLS, 3391/30 (113)

Miami FC, NASL, 2047/24 (85.3)

Orlando City, MLS, 2020/28 (72.1)

Carolina, NASL, 1498/24 (62.4)

Fort Lauderdale, NASL, 1445/24 (60.2)

FC Dallas, MLS, 1288/30 (42.9)

Jacksonville, NASL, 527/24 (22)

New York Red Bulls, MLS, 582/30 (19.4)

 

USL MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS

Janouk Charbonneau, FC Montreal, USL, 2420 (28)
Daniel Haber, WFC2, USL, 2236 (29)
Louis Beland-Goyette, FC Montreal, USL, 2143 (25)
Ryan James, Rochester, USL, 2039 (27)
Michael Cox, Orlando City B, USL, 2012 (27)
Skylar Thomas, TFC II, USL, 1925 (24)
Aron Mkungilwa, FC Montreal, USL, 1910 (23)
Brett Levis, WFC2, USL, 1896 (23)
Anthony Osorio, TFC II, USL, 1866 (23)
 Thomas Meilleur-Giguere, FC Montreal, USL, 1776 (20)
Amer Didic, Swope Park Rangers, USL, 1730 (26)
Shaan Hundal, TFC II, USL, 1623 (26)
Maxime Crepeau, FC Montreal, USL, 1620 (18)
John Smits, Wilmington, USL, 1620 (18)
Tyler Pasher, Swope Park Rangers, USL, 1607 (22)
Ballou Jean Yves Tabla, FC Montreal, USL, 1595 (20)
Bradley Kamdem, Rochester, USL, 1556 (25)
Dominic Samuel, Rochester, USL, 1554 (25)
Richie Laryea, Orlando City B, USL, 1549 (23)
Chris Mannella, TFC II, USL, 1545 (22)
Zachary Ellis-Hayden, Orlando City B, USL, 1541 (19)
Raheem Edwards, TFC II, USL, 1513 (20)
Kadin Chung, WFC2, USL, 1484 (18)
Mark Anthony Kaye, Louisville City FC, 1467 (24)
Mark Anthony Gonzalez, Swope Park Rangers, USL, 1436 (25)
Alessandro Riggi, FC Montreal, USL, 1375 (21)
Liam Fraser, TFC II, USL, 1371 (21)
Marco Bustos, WFC2, USL, 1370 (18)
Benjamin McKendry, WFC2, USL, 1353 (19)
Aidan Daniels, TFC II, USL, 1281 (22)
Callum Irving, Rio Grande Valley FC, USL, 1241 (14)
Zachary Sukunda,  FC Montreal, USL, 1208 (21)
Mastanabal Kacher,  FC Montreal, USL, 1174 (21)
Luca Uccello, TFC II, USL, 1092 (19)
Nevelo Yoseke, FC Montreal, USL, 1080 (22)
Jeremy Gagnon-Lapare, FC Montreal, USL, 1078 (13)
David Choiniere, FC Montreal, USL, 1076 (15)
Philippe Lincourt-Joseph, FC Montreal, USL, 1043 (26)
Anthony Jackson-Hamel, FC Montreal, USL, 1027 (14)
Marco Dominguez, FC Montreal, USL, 1004 (15)
Malik Johnson, TFC II, USL, 988 (20)
Giuliano Frano, WFC2, USL, 970 (22)
Carlos Patino, Sounders FC 2, USL, 959 (22)
Josh Heard, Bethlehem Steel, USL, 927 (22)
Jackson Farmer, WFC2, USL, 882 (10)
Yacine Ait-Slimane, FC Montreal, USL, 867 (18)
Kianz Froese, WFC2, USL, 804 (12)
Jordan Murrell, Pittsburgh, USL, 725 (11)
Sean Melvin, WFC2, USL, 720 (8)
David Paulmin, FC Montreal, USL, 720 (8)
Quillan Roberts, TFC II, USL, 720 (8)
Matthew Baldisimo, WFC2, USL, 704 (19)
Alphonso Davies, WFC2, USL, 634 (10)
Marco Carducci, WFC2, USL, 630 (7)
Heikel Jarras, FC Montreal, USL, 580 (21)
Thomas Gardner, WFC2, USL, 569 (15)
Brandon John, Sounders FC2, USL, 545 (9)
Phil Di Bennardo, TFC II, USL, 537 (7)
Mo Babouli, TFC II, USL, 522 (6)
Jems Geffrard, FC Montreal, USL, 490 (8)
Robert Boskovic, TFC II, USL, 460 (12)
Charles Joly,  FC Montreal, USL, 450 (8)
Jordan Haynes, WFC2, USL, 424 (13)
Adam Bouchard, TFC II, USL, 409 (8)
Mackenzie Pridham, Sacramento Republic, USL, 392 (18)
Jonathan Grant, Swope Park Rangers, USL, 373 (17)
Angelo Cavalluzzo, TFCII, USL, 363 (5)
Sam Adekugbe, WFC2, USL, 329 (4)
Sahil Sandhu, WFC2, USL, 303 (11)
Duwayne Ewart, Pittsburgh, USL, 302 (9)
Marko Maletic, TFC II, USL, 297 (7)
Fabrice Mbvouvouma,  FC Montreal, USL, 273 (8)
Chris Serban, WFC2, USL, 273 (6)
Jordan Hamilton, TFC II, USL, 272 (4)
Simon Lemire, FC Montreal, USL, 267 (8)
Steven Furlano, TFC II, USL, 257 (3)
James Pantemis, FC Montreal, USL, 180 (2)
Jay Chapman, TFC II, USL, 141 (2)
Mele Temguia,  FC Montreal, USL, 128 (4)
A.J. Gray, Orange County, USL 125 (6)
Jimmy-Shammar Sanon,  FC Montreal, USL, 118 (4)
Nathan Ingham, TFC II, USL, 115 (2)
Mitch Piraux, WFC2, USL, 100 (2)
David Edgar, WFC2, USL, 90 (1)
Wandrille Lefevre, FC Montreal, USL, 90 (1)
Maxim Tissot, FC Montreal, USL, 90 (1)
Richlord Ennin, TFC II, USL, 89 (4)
Karl Ouimette, NYRB2, USL, 87 (1)
Andrew Dias, TFC II, USL, 80 (1)
Badreddine Boulajoul,  FC Montreal, USL, 77 (6)
Ethan Beckford, TFC II, USL, 65 (3)
Ashtone Morgan, TFC II, USL, 62 (1)
Phillip Reshon, TFC II, USL, 61 (2)
Pierre Lamothe,  FC Montreal, USL, 53 (4)
Joel Harrison, WFC2, USL, 51 (3)
Terren Campbell, WFC2, USL, 50 (8)
Raheem Taylor-Parkes, Bethlehem Steel FC, USL, 44 (3)
Rocco Romeo, TFC II, USL, 28 (1)
Dante Campbell, TFC II, USL, 23 (1)
Alan Camacho, WFC2, USL, 16 (1)
Leonard Sohn, TFC II, USL, 13 (1)
Nick Apostol, WFC2, USL, 9 (1)
Michael Baldisimo, WFC2, USL, 8 (1)
Nikola Stakic, TFC II, USL, 7 (1)

 

USL TEAM RANKINGS, MINUTES PLAYED BY CANADIANS IN 2016, RANKED BY AVERAGE MINUTES PER GAME:

FC Montreal, 25977/29 (895.8)

TFC II, 17713/29 (610.8)

WFC2, 15915/29 (548.8)

Swope Park Rangers, 5156/28 (184.1)

Rochester Rhinos, 5159/29 (177.9)

Orlando City B, 5101/29 (175.9)

Wilmington Hammerheads FC, 1620/29 (55.9)

Sounders FC 2, 1504/29 (51.9)

Louisville City FC, 1467/29 (50.6)

Rio Grande Valley FC, 1241/29 (42.8)

Pittsburgh Riverhounds, 1027/29 (35.4)

Bethlehem Steel, 971/29 (33.5)

Sacramento Republic, 392/29 (13.5)

Orange County, 125/29 (4.3)

NYRB2, 82/29 (2.8)

FCE coach Miller says MVO is “best keeper in North America right now,” after stalemate with Cosmos

The PR departments of sports teams and leagues can post some ridiculous things; but, earlier this week, NASL made an assertion that FC Edmonton keeper Matt VanOekel is an outsider in the MVP race.

Really? Outsider? If MVO isn’t your top candidate, there’s a good chance that a) you don’t watch NASL games b) If you do watch NASL games, your mind is chemically altered at the time.

Once again, VanOekel showed off why he’s the league’s best player so far this year. He made a series of fantastic second-half saves to help preserve 0-0 draw Saturday at the New York Cosmos.

“I actually think Matt is the best keeper in North America right now, the way he has played,” said FC Edmonton coach Colin Miller. That’s right — Miller believes that MVO isn’t just the best keeper in NASL, but his work outshines the play of any keeper in MLS.

The Eddies remain five points behind the Cosmos in the fall standings, with a game in hand. But, considering that this was the Eddies’ third game in seven days — away to a team that had won 12, drawn one and lost none at home so far this season — a draw wasn’t a bad result.

After playing Wednesday night, the Eddies were at the airport Thursday at 4 a.m. in order to begin the long journey across the continent. And, late in the game, when the cumulative effect of three games in seven days began to show, that’s when VanOekel was called in to keep things even.

“If someone had offered me a point before the game, I would have bitten their hand off so I could take it,” said Miller. The FCE coach said that, even though the Cosmos are the defending champs and have employed the likes of Raul and Marcos Senna in the past, he feels that the 2016 version of the Cosmos is the best the modern NASL has seen.

Yet, the Eddies can boast that the Cosmos did not beat them in the regular season. The Cosmos lost twice in Edmonton earlier this year.

And two late-game saves from MVO — on consecutive corners — preserved the point. He dove to his far post to deny a headed effort from Sebastian Guenzatti, then on the next dead-ball situation, dove to deflect a volley from Adam Moffat off the post and out.

He also made a good stop on a Jairo Arrieta free kick midway through the second half. The shot was hit with power, and VanOekel didn’t pick the ball up till it got past the wall in front of him.

FCE defender Albert Watson got a yellow card for this challenge on New York’s Andres Flores. PHOTO: NEW YORK COSMOS

But, honestly, this is yet another story in 2016 that leads with Matt VanOekel’s goalkeeping exploits. Remember, this was a man who won the NASL Player of the Month for the month of August, in which he didn’t give up a single goal. Yes, it’s easy to understand why those at league headquarters don’t talk about VanOekel as NASL’s top player — every league in the world wants to promote its offensive-minded players over the ones who keep the ball out of the net.

But VanOekel, who has given up 14 goals in 24 games this year(!) isn’t an outsider in any MVP conversation.

MVO’s stellar second half erased memories of a cautious first half, which saw the Cosmos and its league-best offence fail to generate a shot on FCE’s goal. Juan Arango did strike the bar with a free-kick effort.

For the Eddies, Sainey Nyassi struck the outside of the post with a shot late in the first half, and Ben Fisk screwed a shot just wide early in the second. Once again, Fisk was the liveliest Eddie, and was the team’s biggest offensive threat in the night. In the previous two games, the Canadian has hit the post. He has yet to score in NASL, but not for lack of trying.

“I never had any grey hair before I started coaching Fiskie,” said Miller. “He seems to be hitting the woodwork all the time.”

But the coach said he’s been impressed with Fisk’s willingness to take on players one-on-one, to shoot, to be creative. The goals will come if Fisk keeps playing this way.

PLASTIC PITCH 10 — Does parity in MLS hurt or help the league’s growth?

We notice more interest from our readers when we try to tackle a big topic over the course of several stories — and issue 10 of Plastic Pitch fits that bill. The MLS standings are always clogged, and 12 of 20 teams (60 per cent) make the playoffs. The No. 1 seed rarely goes on to win MLS Cup. Does the lack of super-team appeal hurt or help the league? We posed the question to Canadian sports-business experts.

AS WELL

• MLS TV ratings; why does a league that does so well in the stadiums do so poorly over the air? Why do TSN and Sportsnet refuse to talk about the ratings? And the numbers that Canadian TV-ratings-expert Chris Zelkovich was able to discover will absolutely stun you.

• Mark Polishuk talks to Toronto FC domo Tim Bezbatchenko on how the club is trying to do what was thought to be impossible — having depth and high-profile DPs at the same time.

• Martin MacMahon on Whitecaps David Edgar and Marcel de Jong.

• Looking back at another failed World Cup qualifying campaign for Canada.

• Why Canada’s bronze medal in 2016 was sweeter than the one the Canadian women’s national team secured in 2012.

• Ben Fisk on why he came back to Canada, to play with FC Edmonton.

PLUS, our new FICTION section. Look for a brand-new piece from noted Canadian author Janice MacDonald.

How to get the mag? Get the app for free for Apple devices or Android. Then, you can enjoy a free 30-minute preview of the issue before deciding to buy or subscribe. Or, get the issue sent to you via e-mail by ordering through our Shopify store!

“It felt like I was in my backyard”: Rayo OKC keeper enjoys stellar Edmonton homecoming

Daniel Fernandes grew up just a couple of blocks away from Clarke Field. He remembers walking past the stadium day after day. He kicked his first ball in Edmonton.

On Wednesday night, now the starting goalkeeper for Rayo OKC, Fernandes returned to his hometown for what he admitted was the most special game of his NASL career. Rayo OKC got out of Edmonton with a 0-0 draw thanks to an outstanding performance from Fernandes, who was a Canadian U-20 player before switching his allegiance to the Portuguese national side.

“It’s a great feeling,” said Fernandes after the game. “A lot of memories of walking down here in the park, going by Commonwealth Stadium [next door to Clarke]. It was fun. I felt like I was in my backyard today.”

The Eddies sure weren’t happy that Fernandes was having so much fun. Coming off only their second home loss of the season, the Eddies pressed OKC early in the first half. Nik Ledgerwood was moved into an advanced position to press the ball. And Rayo OKC fullback Moises Hernandez had a hell of a time trying to contain Sainey Nyassi’s speed on the wing.

Fernandes’s good evening started off with a bit of good fortune. Eddies winger Ben Fisk took a ball from Nyassi, then drilled a shot off the post. It marked the second consecutive game that Fisk had hit the woodwork.

But Fernandes went to work later in the half. Cristian Raudales ripped a shot from 20 yards out that went through a maze of players in the box. It was headed for the bottom corner and, because of bodies in front of him, Fernandes didn’t see it till late. But he stretched as far as he could, got a hand to it, and pushed the shot just outside the post.

Karsten Smith in action vs. Rayo OKC. PHOTO: UWE WELZ/FC EDMONTON

Rayo OKC’s netminder wasn’t done; in the second half, he made what could have been called an even better save, running across his goal and leaping to get a hand to Tomi Ameobi’s shot that was headed for the far corner.

“I thought it was going to sneak into the bottom corner,” said Ameobi. “But the keeper got a great hand to it.”

“I’m disappointed,” said FCE coach Colin Miller. “I thought their keeper stood on his head… It’s the second game in a row where the keeper has been the difference.”

Rayo had one great chance late to steal three points out of its Alberta trip. Former Toronto FC striker Robbie Findley’s shot deflected off defender Albert Watson and looped off the crossbar. But, had it gone in, it would have been cruel to Edmonton, who had created more chances on the evening.

Miller made several changes; Pape Diakite, the centre back who had made some critical mistakes in the last couple of games, was given the night off, with Karsten Smith coming in at centre back. Raudales came in at holding mid for Nico Di Biase, who made an error that led to a Miami FC goal on Sunday. And Daryl Fordyce, after missing Sunday with knee problem, played his 100th game for the Eddies.

But this was Fernandes’s night.

“Today was special, even for my family. They’re in Vancouver, they had no chance [to come to Edmonton] because of work. But it was something. It touches my family and me. It’s amazing, eh? How the soccer world can bring you back right to your backyard. If I didn’t play soccer maybe I’d never come play here and have this moment.”

And it’s bright spot for a Rayo OKC team that’s endured the resignation of a head coach, an ownership dispute, a front office shuffle and even a battle between owner over the artificial turf that makes up the club’s home field.

“I think ‘tough’ defines it all,” said Fernandes. “It’s a new experience. But, at the end of the day, in football you are getting paid by a club and you have to grind through it — and do the best you can. It’s a experience, for sure no one wants to go through it, but you can only learn and nothing more. And hopefully, it doesn’t happen again.”

 

Canadian soccer president confident that MLS, NASL roster reform to come in coming months

Canadian Soccer Association president Victor Montagliani says he’s confident that we’ll see reforms made to roster rules in both MLS and NASL before the end of the year.

For years, Montagliani and the CSA have contended that the roster rules in MLS and NASL are unfair to Canadians. In both leagues, Canadian players don’t take up international spots on Canadian teams — but do take up international slots on the roster of American sides. Meanwhile, American players don’t take up international slots on the Canadian sides.

Montagliani, who is also CONCACAF’s president,  said discussions with MLS have been positive, and he’s expecting some kind of solution to the problem to be announced before the end of the season.

“My confidence is high that we will resolve the issue,” he said.

In the past, MLS Commissioner Don Garber has said that labour laws in the United States don’t allow American employers to give preferential treatment to Canadians over other foreign workers. Meanwhile, NASL Commissioner Bill Peterson has said that roster disparities were “a federation issue.”

Currently, there are only six Canadians playing for American teams in NASL and MLS combined — and some of those have dual citizenships or green cards (Carolina’s Drew Beckie, FC Dallas’s Tesho Akindele, Fort Lauderdale’s Nana Attakora, for example) that allow them to be treated as American domestic players.

USL, which currently has three Canadian teams, has always treated Canadian players as domestics league-wide. So, a Canadian playing for the Chicago Fire or the Fort Lauderdale Strikers would be take up an international slot, but a Canadian playing for Swope Park Rangers or the Rochester Rhinos would have domestic roster designations. (SP Rangers, by the way, has four Canadians on the roster; Rochester has three).

“Seeing the dichotomy that exists between USL, MLS and NASL has always been a head-scratcher,” said Montagliani.

Montagliani said whatever the solution to the issue will be, the changes will affect MLS and NASL.

“Obviously, if it will change for MLS, it will change for NASL.”

Bye bye, Benito: Canada in no rush to find new head coach

The Canadian Soccer Association will take its time in its search for a new coach for the men’s national team.

Canada Soccer President Victor Montagliani confirmed Wednesday that Benito Floro has coached his last game for the national side — the Spaniard’s contract will not be renewed.

Canada failed to qualify for the Hex, and continued a World Cup drought that dates back to 1986. With only friendlies on the horizon for the men’s national side, Montagliani said there is no rush to find a replacement.

“We want to be exhaustive,” he said. “We want to cast a net and not a fishing rod.”

He said that an interim coach will be named in the coming weeks, and Canada does plan to have it’s men’s national side in action on the remaining 2016 dates on FIFA’s international calendar.

Montagliani said the parting of the ways with Floro was “cordial” and that his tenure represented a “first block from the technical and tactical perspective.”

The president said “the program needs another elevation… we need to double down on the program.”

He said that with the CSA’s investment and Floro’s expertise, the standard of the men’s national team rose from a “three-star hotel” to a “five-star” hotel.

Canadian futsal hero Lemos signs with the Milwaukee Wave

Canadian futsal folk hero Joshua Lemos has got a new gig.

The Canadian keeper has been signed by the Milwaukee Wave of the Major Arena Soccer League. That club is also home to Canadian futsal national teamer Ian Bennett. The Wave is coached by Canadian Giuliano Oliviero.

“Josh Lemos has been an integral part of the Canadian national futsal team as the starting goalkeeper the past several years,” said Oliviero in a release issued by the wave. “He has a great work ethic and passion for the game.”

Lemos will battle Rafael Dias for the starting keeper’s job.

Lemos was one of the stars of the CONCACAF Futsal Championships; his heroics in goal got Canada to within one win (or draw) of qualifying for the World Cup. He was in goal for the Canadian team when it eliminated the United States in a two-game tournament-qualifying series.

In 2012, he came out of the net to score a key goal against El Salvador in a CONCACAF Futsal qualifier.

How will he adjust to the turf-and-boards game? In issue 9 of Plastic Pitch, he said there were a lot of similarities between futsal and indoor (arena) soccer.

“The indoor (arena) game, it’s fast,” he said. “The ball doesn’t go out. There’s no rest. They play stop time similar to futsal. The ball is a different size, but the surface is fast and you don’t have a lot of time on the ball.”

(See the issue for the full feature on Lemos; as well, Plastic Pitch Issue 4 has a feature on Oliviero and Bennett with the Wave).

Overwhelmingly Canadian Power Rankings MLS Week 27/NASL Week 22/USL Week 25

We have a new leader when it comes to minutes played by a Canadian in either MLS or NASL.

Ottawa Fury fullback/winger Eddie Edward has taken over the lead, after playing in two games over the course of the week. We are in the time of the year when the NASL players begin their surges up the charts. The MLS calendar is coming close to an end; meanwhile the NASL season still has a lot of games to go. The NASL starts later in the year than MLS, but its regular season goes later into the year.

Already, seven of the 10 players in the top 10 in terms of minutes played are currently plying their trades in the NASL.

Last year, Kyle Porter of the Atlanta Silverbacks was the top Canadian minute getter in either MLS or NASL. Will Edward hang on and make it two years in a row for NASL?

USL is ranked separately because it has different rosters rules than MLS or NASL; in USL, Canadians and Americans count as domestics league wide. In MLS and NASL, Americans count as domestics league wide, but Canadians only count as domestics on the Canadian teams.

HERE ARE THE UPDATED RANKINGS OF MINUTES PLAYED BY CANADIANS SO FAR IN 2016:

MLS AND NASL MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS

Eddie Edward, FC Edmonton/Ottawa, NASL, 1974 (23)  
Jonathan Osorio, Toronto FC, MLS, 1934 (24)
Cyle Larin, Orlando City, MLS, 1930 (25)
Mason Trafford, Miami FC, NASL, 1867 (21)
Nik Ledgerwood, FC Edmonton, NASL, 1675 (20)
Maxim Tissot, Montreal, MLS/Ottawa, NASL,  1553 (19)
Will Johnson, Toronto FC, MLS, 1503 (19)
Drew Beckie, Carolina, NASL, 1462 (19)  
Carl Haworth, Ottawa, NASL, 1447 (19)
Nana Attakora, Fort Lauderdale, NASL, 1355 (16)
Tesho Akindele, FC Dallas, MLS, 1280 (26)
Fraser Aird, Vancouver, MLS, 1276 (16)
Mallan Roberts, FC Edmonton/Ottawa, NASL, 1251 (17)
Shamit Shome, FC Edmonton, NASL, 1150 (16)
Kyle Bekker, Montreal, MLS, 1139 (18)
Karl Ouimette, NYRB, MLS/Jacksonville, NASL  1109 (13)
Marcel De Jong, Ottawa, NASL/Vancouver, MLS,  945 (12)  
Wandrille Lefevre, Montreal, MLS, 934 (11)
Patrice Bernier, Montreal, MLS, 876 (16)
Mauro Eustaquio, Ottawa, NASL, 846 (16)  
Jay Chapman, Toronto FC, 779 (18)
Julian de Guzman, Ottawa, NASL, 770 (11)
Kyle Porter, Ottawa, NASL, 731 (10)
Jordan Hamilton, Toronto FC, MLS, 721 (11)
Russell Teibert, Vancouver, MLS, 695 (11)
Mo Babouli, Toronto FC, MLS, 567 (14)
David Edgar, Vancouver, MLS, 450 (5)
Jamar Dixon, Ottawa, NASL, 430 (7)
Allan Zebie, FC Edmonton, NASL, 403 (9)
Tosaint Ricketts, Toronto FC, MLS, 288 (8)
Marcel DeBellis, Ottawa, NASL, 261 (3)
Ashtone Morgan, Toronto FC, MLS, 156 (7)
Kianz Froese, Vancouver, MLS, 150 (5)
Ben Fisk, FC Edmonton, NASL, 143 (5)
Sam Adekugbe, Vancouver, MLS, 111 (2)
Alphonso Davies, Vancouver, MLS, 100 (5)
Anthony Jackson-Hamel, Montreal, MLS, 79 (5)
 Mozzi Gyorio, Ottawa, NASL, 65 (2)
Marco Bustos, Vancouver, MLS, 50 (2)
Raheem Edwards, Toronto FC, 2 (1)

 

TEAM RANKINGS, MINUTES PLAYED BY CANADIANS IN 2016, RANKED BY AVERAGE MINUTES PER GAME:

Ottawa, NASL, 8355/24 (348.1)

Toronto FC, MLS, 5951/28 (212.5)

FC Edmonton, NASL, 4322/22 (196.5)

Montreal, MLS, 3525/28 (125.9)

Vancouver, MLS, 3282/29 (113.1)

Miami FC, NASL, 1867/22 (84.9)

Orlando City, MLS, 1930/27 (71.5)

Carolina, NASL, 1462/22 (66.5)

Fort Lauderdale, NASL, 1355/23 (58.9)

FC Dallas, MLS, 1280/29 (44.1)

Jacksonville, NASL, 527/23 (22.9)

New York Red Bulls, MLS, 582/29 (20.1)

 

USL MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS

Janouk Charbonneau, FC Montreal, USL, 2330 (27)
Daniel Haber, WFC2, USL, 2155 (28)
Louis Beland-Goyette, FC Montreal, USL, 2057 (24)
Ryan James, Rochester, USL, 1949 (26)
Michael Cox, Orlando City B, USL, 1931 (26)
Skylar Thomas, TFC II, USL, 1925 (24)
Aron Mkungilwa, FC Montreal, USL, 1910 (23)
Anthony Osorio, TFC II, USL, 1866 (23)
Brett Levis, WFC2, USL, 1806 (22)
 Thomas Meilleur-Giguere, FC Montreal, USL, 1686 (19)
Amer Didic, Swope Park Rangers, USL, 1640 (25)
Shaan Hundal, TFC II, USL, 1623 (26)
John Smits, Wilmington, USL, 1620 (18)
Richie Laryea, Orlando City B, USL, 1549 (23)
Chris Mannella, TFC II, USL, 1545 (22)
Dominic Samuel, Rochester, USL, 1539 (24)  
Ballou Jean Yves Tabla, FC Montreal, USL, 1533 (19)
Maxime Crepeau, FC Montreal, USL, 1530 (17)
Tyler Pasher, Swope Park Rangers, USL, 1522 (21)   
Raheem Edwards, TFC II, USL, 1513 (20)
Bradley Kamdem, Rochester, USL, 1476 (24)
Zachary Ellis-Hayden, Orlando City B, USL, 1451 (18)  
Mark Anthony Kaye, Louisville City FC, 1416 (23)
Kadin Chung, WFC2, USL, 1394 (17)
Mark Anthony Gonzalez, Swope Park Rangers, USL, 1374 (24)
Liam Fraser, TFC II, USL, 1371 (21)
Alessandro Riggi, FC Montreal, USL, 1347 (20)
Marco Bustos, WFC2, USL, 1325 (17)
Benjamin McKendry, WFC2, USL, 1308 (18)
Aidan Daniels, TFC II, USL, 1281 (22)
Callum Irving, Rio Grande Valley FC, USL, 1241 (14)
Zachary Sukunda,  FC Montreal, USL, 1177 (20)  
Mastanabal Kacher,  FC Montreal, USL, 1129 (20)
Luca Uccello, TFC II, USL, 1092 (19)
Nevelo Yoseke, FC Montreal, USL, 1080 (22)
Jeremy Gagnon-Lapare, FC Montreal, USL, 1078 (13)
David Choiniere, FC Montreal, USL, 1076 (15)  
Marco Dominguez, FC Montreal, USL, 1004 (15)
Philippe Lincourt-Joseph, FC Montreal, USL, 998 (25)
Malik Johnson, TFC II, USL, 988 (20)
Giuliano Frano, WFC2, USL, 970 (22)
Anthony Jackson-Hamel, FC Montreal, USL, 937 (13)
Carlos Patino, Sounders FC 2, USL, 892 (21)
Jackson Farmer, WFC2, USL, 882 (10)
Josh Heard, Bethlehem Steel, USL, 870 (21)
Yacine Ait-Slimane, FC Montreal, USL, 867 (18)
Kianz Froese, WFC2, USL, 759 (11)
Sean Melvin, WFC2, USL, 720 (8)
David Paulmin, FC Montreal, USL, 720 (8)  
Quillan Roberts, TFC II, USL, 720 (8)
Jordan Murrell, Pittsburgh, USL, 719 (10)
Matthew Baldisimo, WFC2, USL, 704 (19)   
Alphonso Davies, WFC2, USL, 634 (10)
Brandon John, Sounders FC2, USL, 545 (9)
Marco Carducci, WFC2, USL, 540 (6)
Phil Di Bennardo, TFC II, USL, 537 (7)
Thomas Gardner, WFC2, USL, 524 (14)
Mo Babouli, TFC II, USL, 522 (6)
Heikel Jarras, FC Montreal, USL, 490 (20)
Jems Geffrard, FC Montreal, USL, 472 (7)
Robert Boskovic, TFC II, USL, 460 (12)   
Charles Joly,  FC Montreal, USL, 450 (8)
Adam Bouchard, TFC II, USL, 409 (8)
Mackenzie Pridham, Sacramento Republic, USL, 392 (18)
Jordan Haynes, WFC2, USL, 379 (12)
Jonathan Grant, Swope Park Rangers, USL, 365 (16)
Angelo Cavalluzzo, TFCII, USL, 363 (5)
Sam Adekugbe, WFC2, USL, 329 (4)
Sahil Sandhu, WFC2, USL, 303 (11)
Duwayne Ewart, Pittsburgh, USL, 302 (9)
Marko Maletic, TFC II, USL, 297 (7)
Fabrice Mbvouvouma,  FC Montreal, USL, 273 (8)
Chris Serban, WFC2, USL, 273 (6)
Jordan Hamilton, TFC II, USL, 272 (4)
Simon Lemire, FC Montreal, USL, 267 (8)
Steven Furlano, TFC II, USL, 257 (3)
James Pantemis, FC Montreal, USL, 180 (2)
Jay Chapman, TFC II, USL, 141 (2)
Nathan Ingham, TFC II, USL, 115 (2)
Jimmy-Shammar Sanon,  FC Montreal, USL, 114 (3)
Mitch Piraux, WFC2, USL, 100 (2)
A.J. Gray, Orange County, USL 97 (5)
David Edgar, WFC2, USL, 90 (1)
Wandrille Lefevre, FC Montreal, USL, 90 (1)
Maxim Tissot, FC Montreal, USL, 90 (1)
Richlord Ennin, TFC II, USL, 89 (4)
Karl Ouimette, NYRB2, USL, 87 (1)
Andrew Dias, TFC II, USL, 80 (1)
Badreddine Boulajoul,  FC Montreal, USL, 77 (6)
Ethan Beckford, TFC II, USL, 65 (3)
Ashtone Morgan, TFC II, USL, 62 (1)
Phillip Reshon, TFC II, USL, 61 (2)
Mele Temguia,  FC Montreal, USL, 56 (3)
Pierre Lamothe,  FC Montreal, USL, 53 (4)
Joel Harrison, WFC2, USL, 51 (3)
Raheem Taylor-Parkes, Bethlehem Steel FC, USL, 44 (3)
Terren Campbell, WFC2, USL, 41 (7)
Rocco Romeo, TFC II, USL, 28 (1)
Dante Campbell, TFC II, USL, 23 (1)
Alan Camacho, WFC2, USL, 16 (1)
Leonard Sohn, TFC II, USL, 13 (1)
Nick Apostol, WFC2, USL, 9 (1)
Michael Baldisimo, WFC2, USL, 8 (1)
Nikola Stakic, TFC II, USL, 7 (1)

 

USL TEAM RANKINGS, MINUTES PLAYED BY CANADIANS IN 2016, RANKED BY AVERAGE MINUTES PER GAME:

FC Montreal, 25136/28 (896.3)

TFC II, 17713/29 (610.8)

WFC2, 15330/28 (547.5)

Swope Park Rangers, 4911/27 (181.9)

Rochester Rhinos, 4974/28 (177.6)

Orlando City B, 4921/28 (175.8)

Wilmington Hammerheads FC, 1620/28 (54)

Sounders FC 2, 1437/28 (51.3)

Louisville City FC, 1416/28 (50.6)

Rio Grande Valley FC, 1241/27 (46)

Pittsburgh Riverhounds, 1021/27 (37.8)

Bethlehem Steel, 914/28 (32.6)

Sacramento Republic, 392/28 (14)

Orange County, 97/28 (3.6)

NYRB2, 82/28 (2.9)

Miami FC goes into blustery Edmonton and receives two gifts from the Eddies

The mercury sat at the 5 C mark, with wintery winds whipping across Clarke Field. Miami FC coach Alessandro Nesta, thanks to injuries and immigration-paperwork woes, had to juggle his lineup.

All the ingredients were in place for FC Edmonton to extend a home undefeated streak that stretched all the way back to April, right.

No. Not at all. The Eddies saluted Sunday’s awful, blustery weather by giving goals away like it was Christmas, losing 2-0 to Miami FC. Dario Cvitanich and Vincenzo Rennella got the goals, but each were presented what amounted to open-net tap-ins thanks to critical errors from the home side.

The Eddies are the league’s stingiest team, giving up just 14 goals in 22 games. But four have been conceded over the last two.

“I’ve been disappointed with the four goals we’ve given up over the last two games, “ said FCE coach Colin Miller. “They’re schoolboy errors.”

Miami FC was forced to leave Ariel Martinez and Wilson Palacios do to visa issues. Meanwhile, FCE got bad news when striker Daryl Fordyce — set to play his 100th game with the club — didn’t pass a fitness test after tweaking his knee in training on Saturday. So, Canadian Ben Fisk got his first NASL start.

The Eddies, despite playing the first half in the teeth of the wind, started brightly, Nik Ledgerwood, fresh off his man-of-the-match performance for Canada on Tuesday, ripped a volley that forced Miami FC keeper Daniel Vega into an excellent fingertip save.

Fisk thought he’d given the Eddies the lead when he cut off the wing and hammered a shot that beat Vega, but went off the underside of the bar and stayed out.

“I thought it was going in,” he said. “It’s something that I work on in training.”

But the Eddies were undone in the 14th minute. With the wind at their backs, Miami FC consistently pressed the FCE backline, knowing it was impossible for the defenders to hammer a ball down the field. It also made kicking the ball out a challenge for keeper Matt VanOekel. So, with the ball in the box, Van Oekel rolled it out to midfielder Nicolas Di Biase, who was facing goal just outside the area. Di Biase didn’t control the ball well, and didn’t know that Cvitanich was coming from behind. Cvitanich picked Di Biase’s pocket and put the ball into the net.

The goal rattled the Eddies, and another giveaway, created by some errant passing by the defenders, saw Michael Lahoud get good sight of the Eddies’ goal, but he blazed his shot just wide.

Miami goalkeeper Daniel Vega grabs the ball as he’s challenged by FCE’s Tomi Ameobi. PHOTO: TONY LEWIS/FC EDMONTON

“No more messing about in the back,” said Miller at half. “That goals was criminal. You’d think we would have learned from last week.”

FCE striker Tomi Ameobi put the ball in the back of the net late in the first half, but the linesman’s flag was up. Fisk then had a point-blank chance to tie it just before the half, but Vega made an outstanding stop.

Miami FC came out in the second half with two banks of four players defending deep. Nesta made sure that all hands would be on deck to defend against an Edmonton team that would press with the wind at their backs.

Fisk was once again the catalyst, forcing Vega into save at the near post.

But, as the half wore on, FCE had lots of possession in the Miami half, but couldn’t get efforts on target. And, then, they were undone by another error.

Centre back Pape Diakite, who gifted away a goal against Ottawa the week before, misjudged a goal kick from Vega. He leaped to head it, and the ball went over his head, instead. Rennella ran onto it, rounded VanOekel, and made it 2-0.

From there on in, Miami FC did well to kill the game — a professional performance from a team that’s been rebuilt by big spending after finishing dead last in the spring season.

After the game, Nesta said that, both mentally and physically, his team is in a good place. And, he said that Miami FC is good enough to go to the NASL final.

But Miller said he wasn’t impressed by Miami — that the two goals were products of Edmonton’s mistakes.

“I didn’t see a $3-million difference between the two teams today,” he said.

The Eddies remain six points behind the New York Cosmos for the fall-season lead; the Eddies have two games in hand. But the Eddies simply can’t afford to burn those games in hand as they did on Sunday.