Steven Sandor's Blog, page 63

International call-ups will have impact on NASL’s fall-season race

The New York Cosmos and FC Edmonton enter this week of NASL play tied atop the fall-season standings. FCE has a game in hand.

The Cosmos play twice this week, at home to the spring champ Indy Eleven and then on the road to Fort Lauderdale on the weekend? FCE plays in Ottawa Friday; they will kick off just as Canada’s World Cup qualifier in Honduras comes to a close. What should be a great rivalry game between the NASL’s two Canadian team will be utterly buried because it begins just as Canada’s biggest World Cup qualifier to date (of this cycle) comes to an end.

The question: Should these NASL teams be playing at all this weekend? Both the Cosmos and Eddies will be affected by international callups. The Eddies will be missing midfielders Nik Ledgerwood (Canada) and Shamit Shome (Canada U-20). Meanwhile, the Cosmos will lost three senior players to international games — including reigning player of the week Andres Flores, who is with El Salvador. Yasmani Duk (Bolivia) and David Ochieng (Kenya) are also gone.

The Jacksonville Armada will lose three players, including Canadian defender Karl Ouimette. Rayo OKC loses two players. The Fury will be without Canadian Jamar Dixon.

In such a tight playoff race, a point gained this weekend could make all the difference in the final table. And games will be influenced by these absences. FCE coach Colin Miller thinks the league should consider breaking during the big international windows.

“I think if they do it in every other league, then they should do it… It’s certainly worth investigating from the league’s point of view.”

For NASL, it’s a great PR coup to be able to show fans that players from this league meet national-team standards. But, for coaches, it creates headaches to have to play through those windows.

“It’s a real positive in one aspect of it, because we’re now such a good standard of league that we’re attracting international football players,” said Miller. “But, at what point does the international call-up affect the standard of the league? When you take two or three of these international players out of their respective clubs, they might not necessarily be as strong in depth as some of the other clubs are.

“If they’re going to make these rules, they can make them pretty early, because it’s been consistent now — clubs in the league are signing international players. I would hate, at some point, for coaches and managers to be saying ‘well, he’s a current international, let’s not sign him because we’re going to lose him for seven or eight games in the season.’ That would be a negative on the league.”

Miller would know — last year, FCE lost Lance Laing to Jamaica duty for about a third of the regular-season schedule. Copa America, Gold Cup, friendlies. The Eddies won just once with Laing out — and it can be argued that it might have cost the club a playoff spot.

Miller said he also understands the club’s point of view: When he played in Scotland, he remembers how difficult it was for his managers to let him go play for Canada. And it’s difficult for the player — he understands the club is paying his salary, but representing one’s country is important, as well.

“For the players, they’re stuck between a rock and a hard place,” said Miller.

And, considering the league takes almost a month off between spring and fall seasons, maybe it’s time to not make its international-caliber players feel like they are caught trying to serve two masters. Maybe it’s time for the league to go dark during at least the major international windows, such as this weekend.

What the hell, Edmonton? What do the Eddies have to do to win you over?

(Last night, I went on a tirade on Dean Millard’s show on TSN1260 and discussed the very topic you’ll read about below. The sound file for that can be found here.)

Last Sunday, FC Edmonton went for its 10th home win in a row — a quest to tie a league record. So, for sure, Clarke Field was packed to see a winning team continue its remarkable streak, correct? After all, everyone loves a winner.

Well, according to NASL, the attendance was at 2,007. Less than half-full in a stadium that — with a capacity of 4,500 — shouldn’t be hard to fill.

Only once this year have the Eddies recorded an attendance of more than 3,000. That came in the final game of the spring season, against the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. And the Eddies are tied for the fall-season standings lead. They’re one point off the overall table lead, and FCE has a game in hand.

If there weren’t other more pressing issues in NASL this year — Minnesota moving to MLS, Fort Lauderdale players missing cheques earlier in the year and Rayo OKC’s ownership dispute leading to one of the partners removing half of the team’s turf tiles from the stadium — the “why doesn’t Edmonton support a winner?” question would be a lot louder around the league.

But it’s time to ask this of you, Edmonton — and, more specifically, of Edmonton’s soccer community. What do the Eddies have to do to make you love them? Clearly, winning isn’t enough.

This is the year where the excuses don’t work. You can’t say “the team isn’t competitive enough.” You can’t say that you’re sick of seeing a losing product. The Eddies are at the top of the league. If fans can’t support a team that’s a winner, what does that say to owners Tom and Dave Fath? What does it say about Edmonton as a “city of champions?” It speaks a lot more loudly than poor attendances where the team is down in the standings, that’s for sure.

Maybe it’s a good thing City Council voted to take down the City of Champions signs.

Supporters honour captain Albert Watson. PHOTO: TONY LEWIS/FC EDMONTON

Sure, FC Edmonton has has bad luck with the weather; there have been thunderstorms in the summer and some blustery days in the spring season. But weather only disrupts walk-up ticket sales. It shouldn’t bring down season- and advance-ticket sales. And no team can depend on walk-up sales — they should only make up a small percentage of the gate. The excitement and demand need to be created so that Edmonton sports fans see the need to buy their tickets well in advance.

Yes, selling summer games in Alberta is tough. With our short summer season, we spend our weekends in the mountains or at the lake or at our buddies’ weddings. Edmonton is arguably the best festival city in the country — so Eddies games have gone head to head against a number of massive-draw events in the city, from the multicultural Heritage Days to theatre’s Fringe Festival. The Eddies have traditionally done better at the gate in the autumn, when the kids are back in school and festival season slows down, than in the summer.

But, at some point, the excuses have to stop. The Eddies want to be in a larger venue; they also want to become the primary tenant at Clarke Field. But when a 4,500-seat stadium is half full to see a team that hasn’t lost a home game since April, what kind of message does that send to Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson and his council?

There should be absolutely no need to do the kind of “support local soccer” campaign people to shame people to support a club because it’s, well, the team down the street. People should want to see a winning product without any sort of guilt-laden marketing attached.

Don’t think the venue, is easy to get to? The LRT stop is across the street. Supporters groups arrange buses. There’s a shuttle to help fans get to games. And, heck, the traffic on Stadium Road on a Sunday, well it’s not bad. Is is the most gorgeous soccer stadium in the world? No. But you make it work; it’s not like every soccer club in Europe plays in a palace.

The supporters who come are fantastic; but more are needed. PHOTO: TONY LEWIS/FC EDMONTON

Right now, there’s more media coverage of the Eddies than at any other time in the club’s history. The stories are fantastic; you have a Northern Irish captain who is looking to make Canada the permanent home for himself and his family. His close friend is the team’s all-time leading scorer. A Canadian teenager is starting every game in midfield, alongside a Canadian national-team regular. You have a goalie that is putting together a season that could rewrite the NASL’s history book.

There really shouldn’t be an excuse left in this city for one blue empty chair at Clarke Field.

The Eddies have a wonderful core of die-hard supporters. But, if this team is to achieve its goal — to eventually get into a venue that can occupy 8,000-9,000 fans, a number which Tom Fath has said in the past represents a break-even mark — it needs to be able to sell out Clarke Field on a regular basis. And, if a team at the top of the standings doesn’t fill a 4,500 seat venue, what does it say about filling a dreamed-of 8,000-seat venue down the road?

Look, I know Edmonton has a history of being a great sports town. The Oilers sell out games despite not being an NHL playoff team for a decade. Eskimos attendance numbers are still the envy of the CFL. And Edmonton does very well to support many one-off events. I was at a standing-room-only Foote Field on a thunderstorm-threatened Saturday night to watch Andre De Grasse run the 100 metres in the national trials.

This isn’t a question about not enough of the population liking soccer. That would be the case if FCE was trying to fill 50,000 seats at Commonwealth Stadium across the street. But we’re talking about 4,500-seat Clarke Field, here. Those involved with Edmonton’s youth, men’s and women’s soccer leagues should be able to fill that stadium three times over. Without having to win over one casual fan, the first-place Eddies should be able to fill one of the smallest stadiums in NASL, just based on the soccer community alone.

But I’ve heard it when I speak to so-called soccer fans in their Barcelona shirts and Arsenal shirts and United shirts and Portuguese national-team shirts. It’s not big-league. It’s not as good as the leagues in Europe. So, tell me, does “not being the NHL” stop Russian fans from going to KHL games or Finnish fans from seeing their hockey teams? Do Serbs and Croats and Greek basketball fans shun their local teams because “it’s not the NBA?” No. For people who want to be just like Europe, not supporting your local team is about the most non-European thing you can do. And, of course, many European fans support their lower-division sides despite the fact that the big stars might be only a short distance away.

Maybe, truth is, you like the stardom that surrounds soccer more than soccer.

FCE needs more corporate ticket buyers. It needs more moms and dads taking their kids out to games. It needs more people who want to chant in the supporters section. The team has put the product on the field. Edmonton, you’ve run out of excuses.

DeVos named new Director of Development: “I want us to qualify for every World Cup… every cycle”

Canada Soccer’s brand-new Director of Development has a simple mission statement, but a bold one.

“I want us to qualify for every World Cup, male and female, every age group, every cycle,” said Jason DeVos as he was introduced in a Tuesday conference call.

“Introduced” may be a bad word to use. DeVos, of course, has long been an advocate for improving the grassroots of Canadian soccer. A former national-teamer, he was part of the team that won the Gold Cup in 2000. He ran Oakville Soccer Club, one of the largest developmental programs in the country. And, of course, he’s been a colour commentator on TSN’s soccer broadcasts. DeVos has been one of the poster children for Canadian soccer over the last two decades.

DeVos will hit the ground running. On Sept. 5, he will meet the technical directors from the provincial associations in Vancouver, ahead of Canada’s World Cup qualifier at home to El Salvador.

And he believes it’s time for all coaches and soccer educators to get on the same page.

“Far too often, we don’t work as a team to develop soccer players in our country,” he said.

And while he sees Canadian players having a pathway that can take them from grassroots to elite-level football, what that map will actually look like is still up in the air. He said he wants to look at best practices around the world, but he said he understands that Canada poses unique challenges.

The first, and most major hurdle, is geography. DeVos grew up in a small town near London, Ont. To get to an elite-level team, his parents had to drive him two hours each way, four times a week, to Metro Toronto. He said this can’t continue to happen; the system must find a way to help kids develop, no matter where they live. He understands that some parents may not have the time off from work — or the savings accounts — to take their kids over great distances for practices and tournaments.

“We have to remove the barriers to participation, and barriers to selection, that are so often talked about from coast-to-coast,” he said.

“We want to give our coaches the biggest pool of players to choose from.”

And he said that means not every program will work in all parts of the country. Some projects will need to be tailored to specific areas of Canada. After all, the needs of coaches in Newfoundland might not be the same as those in metro Vancouver.

Look; Hockey Canada doesn’t really miss players. The provincial hockey organizations have a knack of knowing where to find players, if they play in the Toronto suburbs or a single-general-store prairie town. We aren’t there as a soccer nation.

DeVos repeated the message that a “uniquely Canadian” solution will need to implemented. He’s already on the clock.

Overwhelmingly Canadian Power Rankings MLS Week 25/NASL Week 20/USL Week 23

The Vancouver Whitecaps made club history Saturday night. Coach Carl Robinson named four Canadians to the starting lineup for the match in Carson, Calif. against the Los Angeles Galaxy. David Edgar, Marcel de Jong, Russell Teibert and Fraser Aird all were in the starting XI for the 0-0 draw.

It marked the first time in Whitecaps’ MLS history that the team had started four Canadians in a game.

Other highlights from the week, in terms of Canadian achievements in the North American pro leagues? The Ottawa Fury gave out 540 of a possible 990 minutes in Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with Miami FC. And, also on Wednesday. Canadian national-teammates Tosaint Ricketts and Cyle Larin each scored as TFC beat Orlando City by a 2-1 count.

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

MLS AND NASL MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS

Cyle Larin, Orlando City, MLS, 1869 (24)
Jonathan Osorio, Toronto FC, MLS, 1844 (23)
Eddie Edward, FC Edmonton/Ottawa, NASL, 1708 (20)
Mason Trafford, Miami FC, NASL, 1687 (19)
Nik Ledgerwood, FC Edmonton, NASL, 1600 (19)
Drew Beckie, Carolina, NASL, 1439 (18)
Carl Haworth, Ottawa, NASL, 1421 (17)
Will Johnson, Toronto FC, MLS, 1413 (18)
Maxim Tissot, Montreal, MLS/Ottawa, NASL,  1303 (16)
Tesho Akindele, FC Dallas, MLS, 1190 (25)
Fraser Aird, Vancouver, MLS, 1186 (15)
Mallan Roberts, FC Edmonton/Ottawa, NASL, 1127 (14)
Karl Ouimette, NYRB, MLS/Jacksonville, NASL  1109 (13)
Kyle Bekker, Montreal, MLS, 1087 (17)
Nana Attakora, Fort Lauderdale, NASL, 1085 (13)
Shamit Shome, FC Edmonton, NASL, 1060 (15)
Marcel De Jong, Ottawa, NASL/Vancouver, MLS,  945 (12)
Wandrille Lefevre, Montreal, MLS, 934 (11)
Jay Chapman, Toronto FC, 779 (18)
Patrice Bernier, Montreal, MLS, 770 (14)
Julian de Guzman, Ottawa, NASL, 770 (11)
Kyle Porter, Ottawa, NASL, 731 (10)
Jordan Hamilton, Toronto FC, MLS, 714 (10)
Mauro Eustaquio, Ottawa, NASL, 576 (13)
Mo Babouli, Toronto FC, MLS, 567 (14)
Russell Teibert, Vancouver, MLS, 550 (9)
Jamar Dixon, Ottawa, NASL, 430 (7)
Allan Zebie, FC Edmonton, NASL, 403 (9)
David Edgar, Vancouver, MLS, 360 (4)
Marcel DeBellis, Ottawa, NASL, 261 (3)
Tosaint Ricketts, Toronto FC, MLS, 225 (7)
Ashtone Morgan, Toronto FC, MLS, 156 (7)
Kianz Froese, Vancouver, MLS, 150 (5)
Sam Adekugbe, Vancouver, MLS, 111 (2)
Alphonso Davies, Vancouver, MLS, 89 (4)
Anthony Jackson-Hamel, Montreal, MLS, 79 (5)
 Mozzi Gyorio, Ottawa, NASL, 65 (2)
Marco Bustos, Vancouver, MLS, 50 (2)
Ben Fisk, FC Edmonton, NASL, 42 (3)
Raheem Edwards, Toronto FC, 2 (1)

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

Ottawa, NASL, 7419/21 (353.3)

Toronto FC, MLS, 5701/27 (211.1)

FC Edmonton, NASL, 4056/20 (202.8)

Montreal, MLS, 3367/26 (129.5)

Vancouver, MLS, 2946/27 (109.1)

Miami FC, NASL, 1687/20 (84.4)

Orlando City, MLS, 1869/25 (74.8)

Carolina, NASL, 1439/20 (72)

Fort Lauderdale, NASL, 1085/20 (54.3)

FC Dallas, MLS, 1190/27 (44.1)

Jacksonville, NASL, 527/21 (25.1)

New York Red Bulls, MLS, 582/27 (21.6)

 

USL MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS

 Janouk Charbonneau, FC Montreal, USL, 2060 (24)
Daniel Haber, WFC2, USL, 1888 (25)
Louis Beland-Goyette, FC Montreal, USL, 1877 (22)
Skylar Thomas, TFC II, USL, 1835 (23)
Ryan James, Rochester, USL, 1769 (24)
Anthony Osorio, TFC II, USL, 1731 (21)
Brett Levis, WFC2, USL, 1716 (21)
Aron Mkungilwa, FC Montreal, USL, 1675 (20)
Michael Cox, Orlando City B, USL, 1661 (23)
 Thomas Meilleur-Giguere, FC Montreal, USL, 1596 (18)
Chris Mannella, TFC II, USL, 1545 (22)
Shaan Hundal, TFC II, USL, 1534 (24)
Ballou Jean Yves Tabla, FC Montreal, USL, 1533 (19)
Maxime Crepeau, FC Montreal, USL, 1530 (17)
Dominic Samuel, Rochester, USL, 1432 (22)
Amer Didic, Swope Park Rangers, USL, 1419 (22)
Raheem Edwards, TFC II, USL, 1403 (18)
Richie Laryea, Orlando City B, USL, 1402 (21)
Tyler Pasher, Swope Park Rangers, USL, 1369 (18)
John Smits, Wilmington, USL, 1350 (15)
Kadin Chung, WFC2, USL, 1331 (16)
Bradley Kamdem, Rochester, USL, 1324 (22)
Liam Fraser, TFC II, USL, 1284 (20)
Aidan Daniels, TFC II, USL, 1281 (22)
Mark Anthony Kaye, Louisville City FC, 1265 (21)
Marco Bustos, WFC2, USL, 1242 (16)
Mark Anthony Gonzalez, Swope Park Rangers, USL, 1226 (21)
Benjamin McKendry, WFC2, USL, 1218 (17)
Zachary Ellis-Hayden, Orlando City B, USL, 1181 (15)
Alessandro Riggi, FC Montreal, USL, 1167 (18)
Zachary Sukunda,  FC Montreal, USL, 1076 (18)
Callum Irving, Rio Grande Valley FC, USL, 1061 (12)
Mastanabal Kacher,  FC Montreal, USL, 1059 (19)
David Choiniere, FC Montreal, USL, 1011 (14)
Marco Dominguez, FC Montreal, USL, 1004 (15)
Luca Uccello, TFC II, USL, 1002 (18)
Giuliano Frano, WFC2, USL, 903 (20)
Nevelo Yoseke, FC Montreal, USL, 901 (20)
Philippe Lincourt-Joseph, FC Montreal, USL, 895 (22)
Malik Johnson, TFC II, USL, 892 (18)
Jackson Farmer, WFC2, USL, 882 (10)
Jeremy Gagnon-Lapare, FC Montreal, USL, 836 (10)
Josh Heard, Bethlehem Steel, USL, 761 (18)
Yacine Ait-Slimane, FC Montreal, USL, 750 (15)
Jordan Murrell, Pittsburgh, USL, 719 (10)
Carlos Patino, Sounders FC 2, USL, 672 (17)
Anthony Jackson-Hamel, FC Montreal, USL, 671 (10)
Sean Melvin, WFC2, USL, 630 (7)
Quillan Roberts, TFC II, USL, 630 (7)
Matthew Baldisimo, WFC2, USL, 574 (16)
Brandon John, Sounders FC2, USL, 545 (9)
Alphonso Davies, WFC2, USL, 544 (9)
Phil Di Bennardo, TFC II, USL, 537 (7)
Kianz Froese, WFC2, USL, 516 (8)
Jems Geffrard, FC Montreal, USL, 472 (7)
Charles Joly,  FC Montreal, USL, 450 (8)
Marco Carducci, WFC2, USL, 450 (5)
David Paulmin, FC Montreal, USL, 450 (5)
Mo Babouli, TFC II, USL, 432 (5)
Thomas Gardner, WFC2, USL, 427 (12)
Robert Boskovic, TFC II, USL, 367 (11)
Adam Bouchard, TFC II, USL, 364 (7)
Angelo Cavalluzzo, TFCII, USL, 363 (5)
Jordan Haynes, WFC2, USL, 348 (10) )
Wandrille Lefevre, FC Montreal, USL, 90 (1)
Mackenzie Pridham, Sacramento Republic, USL, 336 (17)
Heikel Jarras, FC Montreal, USL, 329 (17)
Sam Adekugbe, WFC2, USL, 329 (4)
Jonathan Grant, Swope Park Rangers, USL, 320 (15)
Sahil Sandhu, WFC2, USL, 303 (11)
Duwayne Ewart, Pittsburgh, USL, 302 (9)
Fabrice Mbvouvouma,  FC Montreal, USL, 273 (8)
Chris Serban, WFC2, USL, 273 (6)
Simon Lemire, FC Montreal, USL, 267 (8)
Steven Furlano, TFC II, USL, 257 (3)
Marko Maletic, TFC II, USL, 252 (6)
Jordan Hamilton, TFC II, USL, 182 (3)
James Pantemis, FC Montreal, USL, 180 (2)
Jay Chapman, TFC II, USL, 141 (2)
Nathan Ingham, TFC II, USL, 115 (2)
Mitch Piraux, WFC2, USL, 100 (2)
David Edgar, WFC2, 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)
A.J. Gray, Orange County, USL 78 (4)
Ethan Beckford, TFC II, USL, 65 (3)
Ashtone Morgan, TFC II, USL, 62 (1)
Phillip Reshon, TFC II, USL, 61 (2)
Badreddine Boulajoul,  FC Montreal, USL, 57 (3)
Pierre Lamothe,  FC Montreal, USL, 53 (4)
Joel Harrison, WFC2, USL, 51 (3)
Raheem Taylor-Parkes, Bethlehem Steel FC, USL, 44 (3)
Terran Campbell, WFC2, USL, 31 (6)
Dante Campbell, TFC II, USL, 23 (1)
Jimmy-Shammar Sanon,  FC Montreal, USL, 18 (1)
Alan Camacho, WFC2, USL, 16 (1)
Leonard Sohn, TFC II, USL, 13 (1)
Mele Temguia,  FC Montreal, USL, 10 (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, 22444/25 (897.8)

TFC II, 16535/27 (612.4)

WFC2, 13889/25 (555.6)

Swope Park Rangers, 4344/24 (181)

Rochester Rhinos, 4535/26 (174.4)

Orlando City B, 4234/25 (169.4)

Wilmington Hammerheads FC, 1350/25 (54)

Sounders FC 2, 1217/24 (50.7)

Louisville City FC, 1265/26 (48.7)

Rio Grande Valley FC, 1061/25 (42.4)

Pittsburgh Riverhounds, 1021/25 (40.8)

Bethlehem Steel, 805/25 (32.2)

Sacramento Republic, 336/26 (12.9)

NYRB2, 82/25 (3.3)

Orange County, 78/26 (2.8)

 

NASL begins investigation into racial-slur allegations stemming from FCE-PRFC

The North American Soccer League has confirmed that it has begun an investigation into allegations that FC Edmonton midfielder Nico Di Biase uttered a racial slur aimed at Puerto Rico FC midfielder Chris Nurse during Sunday’s 0-0 draw.

From the league: “The NASL has opened an investigation with respect to an allegation that racially abusive comments were made by one player to another player during the FC Edmonton vs. Puerto Rico FC game on August 28, 2016. Per League policy, no further comment will be made while the investigation is ongoing.”

From FC Edmonton: “FC Edmonton was notified, Monday morning, that Puerto Rico FC had filed a complaint this morning regarding an alleged incident that occurred between both clubs during their August 28 match at Clarke Field. FC Edmonton takes these allegations very seriously and is working with the North American Soccer League to investigate the incident. The club will make no further comments while the investigation is ongoing.”

After the final whistle, Nurse, a former FC Edmonton player, had to be shepherded off the field by PRFC back-up keeper David Meves and coach Adrian Whitbread. After the match, Nurse claimed that Di Biase had made a racist remark in Spanish. Nurse said it happened during the second-half scuffle that followed a controversial incident between PRFC’s Ramon Soria and FCE’s Sainey Nyassi, which saw Nyassi given a red card.

Di Biase does not speak English. The Argentine was signed by the Eddies near the close of the recent transfer window.

Di Biase started in the place of Shamit Shome, who was called up to the Canadian U-20 national team and wasn’t available for Sunday’s 0-0 draw.

According to the Canadian Soccer Association’s referee roster, Yusri Rudolf, who officiated Sunday’s game, is fluent in English and French. It does not list if he’s fluent in Spanish or not. The Canadian Soccer Association administers all referees for NASL games played in Ottawa and Edmonton.

Red-card debate the highlight of scoreless draw between FCE and Puerto Rico

Two things stuck out from Sunday’s goalless draw between FC Edmonton and Puerto Rico FC:

• FCE winger Sainey Nyassi was sent off late in the second half for an alleged stomp/punch on Puerto Rico defender Ramon Soria. The defender got up and finished the game — but was seen leaving Clarke Field on crutches.

• And, as referee Yusri Rudolf blew the final whistle, PRFC midfielder Chris Nurse — a former Eddie — had to be restrained by back-up keeper David Meves as he was incensed with both the referee and FCE defender Pape Diakite. Eventually, PRFC coach Adrian Whitbread had to demand that Nurse leave the field of play. Nurse later tweeted with a claim that an FC Edmonton player had uttered a racial slur in Spanish.

Nurse claimed that FCE midfielder Nico Di Biase had made a racist comment in Spanish during the game — at the time Nyassi was sent off. Nurse said that he tried to bring it to the attention of team captan Albert Watson and Diakite.

Di Biase doesn’t speak English.

(UPDATE: As of Sunday evening, FC Edmonton has stated that the club does not have a comment on these allegations.)

On a cool early autumn day in Edmonton (13 C at kickoff), with the trees across from Clarke Field already showing their bright fall colours, the Eddies simply couldn’t break down a Puerto Rico team that looked determined to play for a draw.

How negative was the road side? Even when PRFC was up a man, the players opted for a clock-killing strategy. Late in the game, up a player, the visitors chose to take the ball into the corner and kill time rather than try to create scoring chances.

FCE’s Pape Diakite battles PRFC’s Chris Nurse. PHOTO: TONY LEWIS/FC EDMONTON

The visitors held the Eddies to one shot on target for the game — Dustin Corea’s low first-half drive that forced keeper Trevor Spangengerg into a good fingertip save. The visitors finished with just one shot on target — and that came from distance and couldn’t even be called a decent scoring chance.

“It was just a good, old-fashioned battle between two teams,” said Whitbread, who thought the draw was a fair result.

The Eddies have not given up a goal in 534 minutes of NASL action. But their home winning streak was snapped at nine, one short of the league record. The Eddies and New York Cosmos are tied at top of the NASL fall standings; the Cosmos have the better goal differential, but the Eddies have a game in hand.

Miller said that he didn’t think Nyassi’s sending off cost the Eddies a chance to win the game — he said that, throughout the game, the quality of balls in the final third weren’t good enough. He said that crosses were missing their targets.

“One team was proactive, and the other team was playing for a draw,” said Miller.

But Miller said he wasn’t sure why Nyassi was sent off.

“Sainey couldn’t tackle a fish supper,” said the coach — who couldn’t believe Nyassi could have maliciously taken out Soria. He added that he thought Soria could have been called for a foul on Nyassi.

The replays showed that, away from the ball, the two players shoved each other. Then, Nyassi went for a run and the players’ legs came together. Soria went down — which suggested that Nyassi had stepped on his foot.

Miller said that he would review the game video. And, if he feels that Rudolf erred, he said “I am going to take this to the CSA.”

The Canadian Soccer Association assigns all the refs for NASL games in Ottawa and Edmonton.

Miller said that “we have got to raise the bar” in all aspects of the game, and that includes officiating. “And that’s true of all of North America.”

The Eddies are disappointed that they didn’t re-take sole possession of first place. But left back Adam Eckersley said that how the team bounces back this Friday in Ottawa will say a lot about the side. He said that a championship-calibre team won’t allow one hiccup to derail what’s been a great run.

“You have games like this in a season, you’re disappointed because it’s a game you should have won. But you pick yourself up and dust yourself off.”

Man disadvantage: TFC now up to eight dropped points when opponents see red

Barring some kind of epic collapse, Toronto FC will be a playoff team. So, it’s not like Saturday’s 1-0 Rivalry Week loss to the 10-man Montreal Impact will derail a season of hard work.

Sure, you can argue that the loss puts a serious dent in the team’s push for the Supporters’ Shield. But caring about the Supporters’ Shield — that’s kinda the sports version of being into Coldplay. After all, only three Supporters’ Shield winners in the previous 15 seasons have gone on to win MLS Cup. So the Shield is really a poison chalice, I mean, if a shield can be a chalice, which it can’t.

Yet, there’s a deep sense of foreboding that came with Saturday’s loss. Part of it came with the sight of reigning MLS MVP Sebastian Giovinco limping off the pitch after being kicked and hacked and whacked. The Montreal Impact, it can be argued, took advantage of the red card that was issued to Calum Mallace late in the first half. Once your side goes down to 10 men — you have a pretty good idea that it will take a heck of a lot for a referee to reduce you to nine. So, in a weird but totally logical way, the card opened the door for the Impact to hack away at Giovinco in a way that brought back memories of the whack-and-chop MLS of the 1990s and 2000s that was so often maligned for the cowboy justice on the field.

But, for TFC, comes a second, deeper problem. Why the heck can’t this team win when it goes up a man for a significant portion of the game?

TFC and its supporters can look to three matches this season where the Reds were up by a man — or men — for long periods… and didn’t win.

On Saturday, Mallace went off late in the first half. The Reds lost, yielding the winning goal to Igancio Piatti while up a man.

Back in mid-August, the Reds and the Houston Dynamo were tied 1-1 when Abdoulie Mansally got his walking papers right before halftime. The Reds had a half to take advantage, but had to settle for a point.

And, in mid-July, the Reds were up one man on San Jose in the 30th minute. Early in the second half, San Jose was reduced to nine men. The Reds lost 2-1.

(OK, I see you all. You’re thinking “but you just wrote that you need to pretty well kill someone in order for a ref to put your team down two men.” But remember that the Earthquakes-TFC match had some, ahem, peculiar officiating. The MLS Disciplinary Committee rescinded both of the red cards in question.)

Putting it bluntly, the Reds turned nine points into one.

And, had they earned those eight points more, they’d be so far ahead in both the overall and Eastern Conference standings, supporters could debate if any of the players should actually touch that Supporters’ Shield or not (I say it’s bad luck).

More importantly, had the Reds built a larger cushion, coach Greg Vanney could have more time to get his team playoff-ready. The quicker you clinch, the faster you can sit players so they can get needed rest ahead of the playoffs (see, rest, not the Supporters Shield, should be the main goal, here). With a team that’s suffered as many iniuries as the Reds have this season — resting players down the stretch should be the goal, here.

But, those eight points hurt a bit. It used to be that TFC used to be the butt of every give-up-a-late-goal joke that was out there. And, despite that this has been the club’s best season in its history — top of the East and the Voyageurs Cup already in the bag — we’re gonna see more TFC fans being mercilessly teased about how the key to beating the Reds is taking a red card.

“Even if he’s on a bed, we will take him”: Floro calls in injured de Guzman to provide leadership to CanMNT

Julian de Guzman’s knee injury won’t allow him to take the field for Canada in its two upcoming do-or-die World Cup qualifiers. But he’s still going along for the ride.

De Guzman, though not available for selection, will join the Canadian national team next week in Florida and then will be with the players for Sept. 2’s match in San Pedro Sula against Honduras. The veteran midfielder was hurt in an Ottawa Fury training session a couple of weeks ago

“Even if he’s on a bed, we will take him,” Canadian national team coach Benito Floro replied to a question that had been submitted to Canada Soccer by The11.ca.

Canada will also host El Salvador Sept. 6 at BC Place.

The veteran de Guzman’s presence is important because, as Floro said, it helps the side with “social cohesion.” The veteran is good with young players and can still help the side organize ahead of these two very big matches.

Floro also addressed his decision to leave Toronto FC’s Will Johnson off the roster. This was the biggest surprise when Floro named the team on Thursday.

Floro said that if a player isn’t ready to play for a full 90 minutes, he can’t be selected. And, in Johnson’s case, recovering from a broken leg, Floro was concerned that the player wouldn’t be available to go that long in a match.

He said, to be selected, “a player needs to be in perfect condition to play for the full 90 minutes.”

Floro said that, in fact, Johnson is such an important player for Canada down the road that “it’s important that he have a good recovery.”

Floro also said that Johnson is “good, honest professional. The last injury was a serious injury.”

Changes coming to NASL/beIN schedule

Expect some tweaks to NASL’s beIN television broadcast schedule.

The league confirmed that there will be some changes. The network and the league have a partnership that sees one game per weekend — usually a Saturday-night match — broadcast to American and Canadian viewers. There’s also two remaining Wednesday night matches.

But beIN has been making additions to its schedule. Earlier this year, beIN secured the rights to Conference USA college football broadcasts. And, according to beIN’s schedule, those games are set for Saturday evenings.

Through the beIN’s web streaming service (beinsportsconnect.ca), more than one feed is available.

But a league source confirmed that adjustments will be made to the NASL/beIN Sports package going forward. The Ottawa Fury is scheduled to be on beIN twice more this season. FC Edmonton has no remaining beIN games.

“Previously scheduled NASL games will continue to air live on beIN Sports’ over-the-air and online platforms,” stated the league source. “Details related to small programming changes will be released in the coming days.”

The remaining beIN schedule (as it stands):

Aug. 27

Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. Rayo OKC, 7:30 ET

Sept. 3

Minnesota United vs. Rayo OKC, 8 ET

Sept 10

Fort Lauderdale Strikers vs. Indy Eleven, 7 ET

Sept 17

Puerto Rico FC vs. Jacksonville, 7:30 ET

Sept. 24

Jacksonville vs. Rayo OKC 7 ET

Sept. 28

Miami FC vs. Ottawa 8 ET

Oct. 2

Rayo OKC vs. Carolina 7 ET

Oct. 8

Carolina vs. Fort Lauderdale 7:30 ET

Oct. 12

Carolina vs. Rayo OKC 7:30 ET

Oct. 15

Indy Eleven vs. Carolina 7:30 ET

Oct. 22

Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. Ottawa 7:30 ET

Oct. 29

Puerto Rico FC v. Carolina 7:30 ET

Miller on U-20 call-up for Shome: “If there is a better young player in our league, I have yet to see it”

FC Edmonton coach Colin Miller said he isn’t sure if teenage midfielder Shamit Shome will be available for this Sunday’s match at home to Puerto Rico.

Shome has been called to the Canadian U-20 team’s camp for upcoming matches Sept. 1 and 3 in Costa Rica, as coach Rob Gale preps the team for 2017’s CONCACAF championships, which also serve as the qualifier for the U-20 World Cup.

Miller said it’s “touch and go” when it comes to Shome’s availability for this weekend’s NASL action.

But Miller is more than happy to lose Shome, who looks to be one of the go-to players for the U-20 side. The team will also lose midfielder Nik Ledgerwood to the Canadian senior national side; but he will be available for Sunday’s NASL match before he heads out.

“It’s a great problem,” said Miller. “It’s a compliment to their club, a compliment to their teammates and a compliment to the work that the lads are doing themselves.

“Shamit, and I’ve said this before, if there is a better young player in our league, I have yet to see it. I think he is so consistent and I think he’ll be a big part of the national-team program moving forward.”

For Shome, who is about to enter his second year of electrical-engineering studies at the University of Alberta, the chance to go to Costa Rica — and experience a similar kind of atmosphere that the team will feel at the 2017 Championships.

“It’s a good squad that’s going down to Costa Rica, I’m excited to be a part of it.”

Miller, as a long-time Canadian national-team player and coach, knows all about the rigours of traveling down to Central America. Has he imparted some of that wisdom to Shome?

“He’s talked about it in general with the guys, during when we go down to Puerto Rico, the stuff he mentioned especially that it’s a crazier atmosphere,” said Shome. “I’m kind of prepared for it because he’s mentioned it a couple of times but we’ll see.”

This camp will see a lot of Canadians playing in Europe called to the squad; the goal is to not only assess them for the U-20 program, but as men’s national team prospects going forward. Shome is one of a few of the domestic-based players to keep his spot. And he knows that time is short to get to know his teammates.

“You have such little time to get used to everybody and play with each other and get that team chemistry, but we’ve done all right so far when we go away to these camps. It’ll be a good experience for us.

“It means so much to me. It’s a big deal for me, playing for Canada. It’s my home country. I’m born and raised here.”