Steven Sandor's Blog, page 66

You decide: Did Calgary Foothills deserve their PDL-final fate?

The PDL final was decided not by a stunning passing sequence, or a cracker of a goal. It was not even left to the lottery of spot kicks after extra time.

No, the final was decided in the worst way a game of such magnitude can be decided; with a controversial penalty. Trust me, if you lose, you’d rather lose because the opponents beat you with a wonderful goal — or, if it has to be on a penalty decision, that it’s stone-cold clear.

But, late in the second half, Calgary Foothills was tied 2-2 with the Michigan Bucks. Then, the game changed for the final time — as Calgary defender Jonathan Wheeldon was called for hauling down Michigan forward Adam Najem. The referee pointed to the spot.

Now, in the past, whether it’s in my writing or on FC Edmonton broadcasts, I’ve been vocal about how referees have to do more to ensure that defenders don’t get their hands all over opposing forwards. Clutching and grabbing is an epidemic in soccer at the moment.

I’m just not sure if that call on Wheeldon fitted the bill. Did he impede his opponent; did he push? And there’s little doubt that Najem sold the referee with a pretty ambitious fall to the turf.

Michigan converted the ensuing penalty, and took the PDL title with a 3-2 win. It’s often said — and most of the time, it’s true — that calls even out. But the cases where that doesn’t hold true are when a controversial calls costs teams championships or eliminates teams from competitions.

What do you think of the call? Click on the featured video. Go to the 2:07:30 mark. Tough justice, or did Calgary get hosed?

Whatever way you lean, it’s not a great way to end what should have been a great final.

Superhero cape: After Eddies beat Puerto Rico, is it time to start MVO-for-MVP talk?

As Matt VanOekel made one of his series of very good saves on Saturday, Puerto Rico’s play-by-play announced declared that the FC Edmonton keeper was wearing his “superhero cape.”

And, as the NASL season progresses, the discussion will become more animated; is VanOekel not only the Eddies’ team MVP in 2016, but the MVP of the entire NASL?

The Eddies boast the best goals-against mark in the league; but, week after week, MVO makes saves that either hold the Eddies in games or preserve points.

It was the script again Saturday; VanOekel made some excellent saves, and then the Eddies got a late goal to take all three points. Tomi Ameobi headed home a cross from Dustin Corea after Shawn Nicklaw did some great work down the right side to create space. The 75th-minute goal gave the Eddies the 1-0 win.

“Big Matt made two or three very good saves to keep us in it,” said Eddies’ coach Colin Miller. The coach said the team played too loosely in the first half, and adjustments were made to tighten things up in the second.

For Ameobi, who has helped set up three goals in the previous two Eddies’ victories, it was only fitting that he finally got his first marker of the season.

“I had said to Tomi that I knew that it would come,” said Eddies’ Miller. “He can be a real handful. And if he can get to the form of the Tomi Ameobi we had last year before he got injured, well the sky is the limit for us.”

The victory has the Eddies tied atop the NASL fall-season standings with the Indy Eleven, but with a game in hand. But, remember that being tied with Indy is academic; the Eleven, as spring-season champions, already has its playoff spot. In the overall standings, the Eddies are a point behind Indy, but with that game in hand.

Eddies’ captain Albert Watson in action against Puerto Rico FC. PHOTO: NASL

The game kicked off in 34 C heat (with the humidex). And, Puerto Rico’s Orange Agents had several good chances to open the scoring. But VanOekel, he of the superhero cape, made a sprawling save to deny Tyler Rudy’s volley attempt. He then made another good stop on a free kick before Cristiano Dias.

But his third big save of the first half was his best. Jorge Rivera got the ball unopposed down the left wing. MVO first came well out of the goal to challenge for the ball, realized he wasn’t going to get there, and retreated. Rivera came into the box, VanOekel stood tall, and deflected the shot away from goal.

Once again, Matt VanOekel will be an NASL play-of-the-week candidate. He could be the league’s player of the week, week after week after week. You get the feeling that the brass at NASL is just being nice, letting other players have the awards.

And, as the game went on, the Eddies’ defence tightened; Puerto Rico’s pressure was no longer paying off in chances. And, if anything, it looked like the home team might be struggling with fatigue more than the visitors.

Still, Puerto Rico had two late chances to get an equalizer; centre back Albert Watson got a last-ditch block in to ruin a scoring chance, then Orange Agent Rudy Dawson headed a ball just wide.

“I have to say, the heat and humidity down here was unbearable,” said Miller. “We simply don’t get conditions like this in Edmonton. And it speaks to the hard work the players had to put in.”

He said that it was so hot, that the Eddies who played in the game stayed behind after the whistle to cheer on the unused subs who had to run their laps after the match. They understood just how hard it was to be physically active on a steamy Bayamon night.

The Eddies left Edmonton Wednesday morning, and didn’t get to their hotel until 1 a.m. Thursday. But the Orange Agents played in Minnesota Wednesday, and got back to the Caribbean after FC Edmonton had arrived. Before the game, Colin Miller had said that FC Edmonton owners Tom and Dave Fath deserve a lot of credit for allocating the budget needed to allow the Eddies to embark earlier than they normally would for a road trip — to give the team the best chance possible at getting vital road points.

In the past two weeks, we’ve found out that Fort Lauderdale Strikers bused from Cincinnati for a road game at Indy, and that Rayo OKC’s, ahem, revamped front office has suggested that its team might have to bus to a lot of its road games — so the financial commitment the Eddies made to this 5,600-km (each way) road trip should be noted.

And it was visible in the second half, when the Eddies looked to have better legs than the home team.

Buchanan’s second yellow highlights why suspension rules need to be changed

After beating world No. 5-ranked Australia in their Olympic tournament opener, the Canadian women were expected to walk all over Zimbabwe.

And that’s pretty well how it unfolded Saturday. The Canadians got a 3-1 win over the Zimbabweans in Sao Paulo.

Really, the only true man-bites-dog moment in the game came early in the second half, when centre back Kadeisha Buchanan got a yellow card for not yielding 10 yards on a Zimbabwean free kick. The question: Was it a brain freeze, or did she do it to be clear of card trouble when Canada goes to the quarters? With her second yellow in two games, Buchanan will be suspended for the group stage finale against the Germans. But, with Canada’s spot in the quarters all but assured, was it a Beckham yellow — getting a card intentionally so you can miss a lesser match and be clear of card trouble for the elimination game?

It’s an illustration of just how ridiculous the rules on yellow-card accumulation are. Two yellows over the space of several games in a tournament — really, it’s not worthy of a suspension. It takes players that fans want to see out of games. It is rule that serves no one. And, it is a rule that can be gamed. Look, if discipline is the key — why not move to a suspension for three yellows in a tournament, with no amnesties? At least, with three cards, there’s at least a greater pattern of misbehaviour.

Other than the card issue, it was smooth sailing for Canada.

In the seventh minute, Christine Sinclair’s clever turn lured two Zimbabwean defenders to both go to the space where the Canadian used to be; they crashed into each other. Sinclair was free to cross the ball into Beckie, who had her first shot saved but then stuck the rebound into the goal.

Replays indicated that there was some fortune to the goal, as Beckie looked to be a step offside on the initial cross from Sinclair.

After Diana Matheson hit the post, she got another chance in the penalty area after Zimbabwean defender Nobuhle Majika made a total hash of a simple defensive header. Instead of heading the ball out of the area, it grazed off the top of Majika’s head and went right towards Matheson. Zimbabwean keeper Chido Dringirai grabbed a hold of Matheson and the referee pointed to the spot — and Sinclair made it 2-0 with ensuing penalty kick.

Feeling charitable, the referee only have Dringirai a yellow for what looked to be a red-card offence. Considering that Beckie was likely offside on the first goal, no Canadian could really complain that Dringirai wasn’t sent off.

But, really, it felt like Zimbabwe could have had 15 players on the pitch and it wouldn’t have mattered. In the 34th, Beckie got her second, half-volleying Josee Belanger’s cross into the goal.

Canada didn’t score in the second, but Jessie Fleming and Belanger both picked up yellow cards, so it will be interesting to see if coach John Herdman chooses to protect them by not playing them against Germany.

Yet, Canada did yield a late goal. Sabrina D’Angelo got the start in goal and got caught wandering way out of her goal. After Buchanan gambled on a long ball into the Canadian half, she got caught out of position, as well. In the end, a series of errors led to Mavis Chirandu having nothing but an open net. The Canadians got caught playing the game in a state of cruise control, and a series of lazy mistakes was punished.

Ingham loaned from FCE to TFCII: A sign of more to come?

There were some hints dropped Friday that suggest that the loan of Canadian keeper Nathan Ingham from FC Edmonton to TFCII could be the beginning of something greater.

Ingham, who was signed by the Eddies at the start of 2016, became part of a goalkeeping logjam as Matt VanOekel established himself as the top keeper in NASL. FC Edmonton has the best goals-against mark in the league. Ingham, who was behind MVO and Tyson Farago on the goalkeeping depth chart, needed a place to play.

On Friday, the move was made to loan out Ingham, who was named the MVP of 2015 PDL championship weekend, where he backstopped Kitchener-Waterloo to the league title. He made a conscious decision to avoid the MLS combine process to take FC Edmonton’s contract offer.

But Eddies coach Colin Miller said a few interesting things about the loan.

“I think it’s a compliment that a Major League Soccer (MLS) club is coming and looking to take one of our players on loan and possibly more if we can build a strong relationship,” he said in the release issued by the club.

And…



“Nathan’s loan shows that we are doing the right thing at the club and shows the quality of the players that we have,” Miller added. “It also shows that we are a good place for an MLS player to come on loan or for one of our younger players to go help fill out a USL roster.”

Does this signify that the Ingham deal could signal that FC Edmonton is establishing closer ties with Toronto FC? In the past, the Eddies have taken players from the much-more-geographically convenient Vancouver Whitecaps on loan — Corey Hertzog, Carlyle Mitchell come to mind. But the Whitecaps and Eddies haven’t had any loan dealings of late — and, the Whitecaps actively look for players in Edmonton that they can sign directly; Alphonso Davies is the most obvious example.

It will be interesting to see if the Ingham deal is indeed a sign of closer ties between the Reds and the Eddies.

Released by FC Edmonton in July, Sadi Jalali faces cocaine-trafficking charges

In 2011, Sadi Jalali scored for Canada against England at the U-17 World Cup. He was a promising striker from Edmonton who earned interest from both FC Edmonton and the Whitecaps. He went from the Eddies to the Whitecaps Residency, then back to the Eddies.

He scored his first NASL goal in 2014.

But, this year, he was hardly seen at Eddies training sessions and was quietly released by the club in July.

Now, Sadi Jalali and his brother, Saidkheyam, face a slew of drug trafficking and weapons charges.

In a release issued Thursday, ALERT (Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams) states that the Jalali brothers were arrested in south Edmonton Wednesday. ALERT states that Sadi’s Infiniti was pulled over, and that police found 16 bags of cocaine and $5,285 in what it calls “proceeds of crime.”

That same night, Saidkheyam was pulled over; ALERT states he was carrying $3,950 in cash and a Beretta handgun with the serial number removed.

Sadi has been charged with possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking.

Both brothers have been released on bail but will appear in court August 18.

ALERT is a collaborative effort between Alberta police forces to tackle organized crime.

After he signed with the Eddies in 2013, Jalali said: “I hope to have a couple of strong years here at home. After having a couple of good years here, I hope to get sold to another club, to move on to have a shot at MLS or a club in Europe.”

Travel woes: MLS needs to find ways to help away teams become more competitive

In Major League Soccer — with its varying climates, altitudes and great distances between stadiums — has always offered more of a home-field advantage to its members than most other league in the world.

Last season, only one team was able to boast that it won as many as it lost on the road; the Vancouver Whitecaps went 7-7-3. In the 2013 and 2014 campaigns, only one team each season could boast a winning road record.

But this year is showing signs that road trips are becoming more difficult for MLS teams. So far, road teams have a combined record of 35-113-71.

Five MLS teams — a quarter of the league — have yet to a record a road victory. Six more have just one road win each. Put that together, and 11 of 20 teams — 55 per cent of the league — have zero or one home win each in 2016.

Player after player has told me about how difficult it is to play a summer game in Houston’s oppressive heat and humidity, or try and survive the thin air of Salt Lake City. Or, dealing with the fact that playing surfaces vary wildly from city to city. That’s life. But, when travelling, teams should be trying to mitigate those home advantages. And, for the most part, they don’t.

MLS has always banked on the fact that the league is very competitive. So, at some point, you have to wonder if the league will have to find a way to give road teams more fighting chances,

Ironically, one of the rules designed to ensure the league is competitive is what is hurting the road teams. In the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the number of charter flights a team can take is limited to four in the regular season. For the rest of the season, teams are expected to fly coach.

Well, “limited” isn’t the right word. Because the CBA says that MLS has the power to say “voila!”and change the charter-flight policy at any time.

This language comes right from the CBA: “MLS shall continue its policy of allowing Teams to provide chartered air transportation for four legs of flights per year, and nothing in the CBA shall prohibit MLS, in its sole and absolute discretion, from providing additional chartered air flights.”

The reason charter flights are limited is simple; it dates back to the early days of MLS. Not only did it limit travel costs, it created an all-things-being-equal travel schedule. Basically, a rich owner who wanted to splash cash wouldn’t get the competitive advantage of charter flights over a most cost-conscious owner.

But, in 2016? It is MLS 1.0 thinking that is still being applied today. In fact, you could argue that allowing teams to spend more on travel will do more to increase the quality of soccer than using that money to splash on Designated Players.

MLS teams, for the most part, arrange their travel the same way NASL teams do; they fly coach. One advantage MLS does have is that the league has more teams in the largest North American metropolises; so there’s better chances of getting direct flights. But, flying coach and trying to make road trips as short as possible — well, if you’ve ever had to fly somewhere for a day-long business trip and then jet back, you know how much of a grind that can be.

And the CBA doesn’t allow for administrators go onto Expedia and find the cheapest fares possible with umpteen connections.

From the CBA: “When traveling by air on commercial flights, Teams shall use reasonable efforts to fly without connecting flights, and shall make reasonable efforts to ensure that all Player seats on such flights are aisle or window seats.”

But it’s not enough. The road teams’ records are proof of that. None of those 11 one- or zero-win-on-the-road teams has worse than a .500 record at home. It’s not like they’re bad both home and away.

So, why do travel restrictions not work in the modern MLS? Geography. Teams in the Eastern Conference are bunched together. MLS does not require teams to fly when the opposing stadium is less than 250 miles away. And, if teams do fly, they have a lot of puddle jumps. But, for a team like Vancouver, an in-conference trip to Los Angeles is a flight of about three hours. Salt Lake City and Denver are pretty isolated in the mountain time zone. The fact that they can only access the same number of charters as New York City FC is, well, an Animal Farm kind of equality.

Now, I’m not wishing to add to the travel budgets of MLS teams without their approval; all that I am trying to illustrate is that, more and more, MLS, is win all your games at home, lose them all on the road, everyone ends up fairly close in the standings. But, at some point, MLS will understand that boosting TV ratings will mean that you have to give Toronto FC fans a reason to stay up when their team plays in Los Angeles at 10:30 p.m. local time. It means giving Vancouver fans a reason to leave work early when their team goes to the East Coast for a midweek game.

A perfect 10: Canada opens Olympic tourney with win over Australia

Canadians hunched at their desks watching the stream, Canadians who knocked off for extended breaks at the pub, Canadians nervously watching in their living rooms… they could all sing on Wednesday afternoon.

We’ve only got 10! We’ve only got 10!

Despite having defender Shelina Zadorsky sent off in the 18th minute, despite a penalty miss, the Canadian national women’s team opened the Olympic soccer tournament with a 2-0 win over the world No. 5-ranked Australians in Sao Paulo.

Basically, anything that could go wrong for the Canadians did end up going wrong, and they still won.

The Canadians got their dream start. Just seconds after the opening kickoff, Christine Sinclair and Janine Beckie found themselves on a two-on-one break. Sinclair slotted the ball across the penalty area for Beckie, and the ball was slammed into the goal.

At the 20-second mark, before the nerves had time to settle, Canada had a one-goal lead.

But, in the 16th minute, with the confident Canadians pressing, Australia broke on the counter. Australian forward Sam Kerr rode a challenge from Canadian defender Kadeisha Buchanan, which then sent her side on a two-on-one break. But Kerr, inexplicably, decided to try a shot from outside the Canadian penalty area, and the tame effort was easily stopped by Canadian keeper Stephanie Labbe.

Two minutes later, the Australians hit on the counter again. This time, Michelle Heyman got a couple of steps on Canadian centre back Shelina Zadorsky. The Canadian got her hands all over the Australian attacker, Heyman went down, and Zadorsky saw a red card for the last-defender-back professional foul.

With the ensuing free kick, Elise Kellond-Knight hit the bar.

All before the 20-minute mark, and you didn’t have time to take a breath.

The Australians pressed. They shot wide. They had breaks that were foiled by shots that were sent directly at Labbe. Another chance was foiled by a brave tackle from Rebecca Quinn, who had come on to take Zadorsky’s spot in the back line.

But, at the 70-minute mark, the Australians still hadn’t broken the Canadians, and then began to give up chances, as well.

Canada was gifted a 73rd-minute penalty after a controversial handball call. Replays showed that a Canadian corner kick had gone by a couple of Australian defenders who had waved their arms in the air, but neither had actually touched the ball.

Beckie, who converted the opener, was given the nod to take the penalty rather than Sinclair, Canada’s all-time leading scorer by miles and miles (oops… kilometres and kilometres). Beckie’s penalty was easily saved by Australian keeper Lydia Williams.

That was the last highlight of the game for Williams. There would be lowlights, though. Just a couple of minutes later, she let a shot from Jessie Fleming clang through her legs, and a last-second goal-line clearance saved her from embarrassment.

But, Williams wasn’t done; after Sinclair got the ball on another break, Williams made the strange, Rein Baart-like decision to come 40 yards off her goal line to try and stop the play. The ball bounced off her, back to Sinclair, and the Canadian then launched the ball into an open goal.

With Germany and Zimbabwe also in the group, the opening win is massive if Canada is to achieve a top-two finish and avoid the dreaded third-place wild-card lottery.

The Australians struggled early, looked exhausted late in the match. It looked as if Canada’s fitness level was miles ahead of the Australians. And it played a major part in Canada’s surge in the final 20 minutes.

Calgary Foothills’ Russo: “I know that being a finalist for MVP could open a lot of doors for me”

So, how did the players of Calgary Foothills prepare for last weekend’s 3-0 Premier Development League semifinal triumph over Ocean City Nor’easters?

They went to the beach. Seriously. The players got off the plane, then went to the Jersey Shore; they played a bit of two-on-two beach soccer.

It’s just a sign of just how loose this team is heading into this Saturday’s PDL final against the Michigan Bucks. This is a group of players who are used to being underestimated by their opposition. And forward Dominic Russo, who was named as one of the three finalists for the PDL’s most valuable player award, is a prime example of the team’s devil-may-care attitude.

You look at the rosters of most of the PDL teams, and you see plenty of players attached to NCAA programs. But, the Foothills players are drawn mainly from CIS schools; Russo is expecting to return to the University of Calgary for his final year of soccer and studies after the PDL season wraps up. Looking up and down the player lists, and you see Trinity Western University, MacEwan University. Mount Royal University, the University of Saskatchewan…

In the semifinal, Russo set up the opening goal with a lovely cross to former FC Edmonton (and current MacEwan University) player Ajeej Sarkaria. It was a perfect example of how Canada West rivals have become fast friends in the Foothills program.

“They (the other PDL teams) think we come from these puny Canadian schools and they think ‘we’re going to walk all over them,’” said Russo. “They come from all of these NCAA schools and they train at some of the best facilities in the world. But, certainly, Canada is not that far behind the U.S. in soccer; our issue is that our facilities are not as good.

“So, I think they are overconfident, until maybe they’ve played against us for 20 minutes.”

As for the MVP nomination, it can be a career-changer for Russo. Being recognized as one of the best in the league could lead to professional trials or other offers.

“I’m not sure what the future holds; I know that being a finalist for MVP could open a lot of doors for me,” said Russo. “But until I get that knock on door I plan to continue with my classes. I can’t play soccer when I am 40, but I can have my career going strong. But, if the opportunity comes, I am going to see what that path holds for me.”

And, he believes his individual success isn’t well, so individual.

“I think you can attribute a lot of my success to the way my teammates are playing,” he said. “Lately, I’ve been getting the breaks. The entire team is playing well, I’m just the one who is getting the glory.”

Connecting flights: FCE embarks on 5,600-km trip to Puerto Rico

How long is the road trip between Edmonton and Bayamon, Puerto Rico?

It’s the longest road trip in a North American pro sports league. At just a little more than 5,600 km, it’s about the same distance as a flight between Toronto and London, England, or a jaunt between Ottawa and Oslo, Norway.

The Eddies don’t play NASL expansion side Puerto Rico FC till Saturday; but the Eddies will embark on a 13-hour-plus trip on Wednesday. The Eddies will have Thursday and Friday to recover from the arduous journey — and to get acclimated to the Caribbean heat and humidity.

The Eddies will leave Edmonton International Airport on Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. MT, then get on a two-and-a-half-hour flight to Minneapolis.

The Eddies will spend an hour and a half waiting at the airport there. Then, around 1:45 p.m. CT, their flight to New York will depart. That three-hour flight is scheduled to get to New York at 5:45 p.m. ET.

Then, there’s a one-hour-and-45 minute wait till the team’s flight to Puerto Rico leaves from New York. From there, it’s about a four hour flight. If the flights are on time, the Eddies are set to arrive in Puerto Rico at 11:39 p.m. local time. Puerto Rico is in Atlantic Time but, because it does not observe Daylight Savings Time, it is currently only two hours ahead of Edmonton. So, 11:39 p.m. Puerto Rico time is 9:39 p.m. Edmonton time.

Wait, no Daylight Savings Time? Does that make Puerto Rico the Saskatchewan of the Caribbean?

That’s a little more than 13 hours of travel time, not including the time it takes for the Eddies to get to the airport in Edmonton, or the time it takes for them to get from the airport in San Juan to their hotels.

Overwhelmingly Canadian Power Rankings MLS Week 21/NASL Week 16/USL Week 19

The Ottawa Fury has not only won three NASL matches in a row, the club is spiking in terms of minutes on the pitch it is providing to its Canadian players.

In Saturday’s win over the Tampa Bay Rowdies, not only did Ottawa get a goal from Canadian defender Mallan Roberts — his first since joining the Fury on loan from FC Edmonton — but the team gave 525 out of a possible 990 minutes to Canadian players. For teams in MLS or NASL, this is an unheard-of total.

Of course, with those kind of weekend returns, Ottawa stretches its lead over all MLS and NASL teams when it comes to average number of minutes per game played by Canadian players.

Here are the full, MLS, NASL and USL rankings… note: Because of the unreliable nature of USL’s game reports, some errors have been detected and some stats have been fixed in this weekend’s rankings:

MLS AND NASL MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS

1. Cyle Larin, Orlando City, MLS, 1419 (19)

2. Jonathan Osorio, Toronto FC, MLS, 1304 (17)

3. Nik Ledgerwood, FC Edmonton, NASL, 1284 (15)

4. Eddie Edward, FC Edmonton/Ottawa, NASL, 1272 (15)

5. Will Johnson, Toronto FC, MLS, 1237 (15)

6. Mason Trafford, Miami FC, NASL, 1237 (14)

7. Carl Haworth, Ottawa, NASL, 1151 (14)

8. Drew Beckie, Carolina, NASL, 1129 (14)

9. Tesho Akindele, FC Dallas, MLS, 1081 (22)

10. Fraser Aird, Vancouver, MLS, 1014 (12)

11. Kyle Bekker, Montreal, MLS, 988 (15)

12. Karl Ouimette, NYRB, MLS/Jacksonville, NASL 929 (11)

13. Wandrille Lefevre, Montreal, MLS, 855 (10)

14. Maxim Tissot, Montreal, MLS/Ottawa, NASL, 854 (11)

15. Shamit Shome, FC Edmonton, NASL, 819 (12)

16. Kyle Porter, Ottawa, NASL, 731 (10)

17. Nana Attakora, Fort Lauderdale, NASL, 725 (9)

18. Patrice Bernier, Montreal, MLS, 701 (13)

19. Mallan Roberts, FC Edmonton/Ottawa, NASL, 686 (9)

20. Julian de Guzman, Ottawa, NASL, 683 (10)

21. Jordan Hamilton, Toronto FC, MLS, 658 (9)

22. Marcel De Jong, Ottawa, NASL/Vancouver, MLS, 609 (8)

23. Mo Babouli, Toronto FC, MLS, 567 (14)

24. Jay Chapman, Toronto FC, 533 (13)

25. Russell Teibert, Vancouver, MLS, 447 (7)

26. Allan Zebie, FC Edmonton, NASL, 403 (9)

27. Mauro Eustaquio, Ottawa, NASL, 383 (9)

28. Marcel DeBellis, Ottawa, NASL, 171 (2)

29. Jamar Dixon, Ottawa, NASL, 155 (2)

30. Kianz Froese, Vancouver, MLS, 150 (5)

31. Sam Adekugbe, Vancouver, MLS, 111 (2)

32. Ashtone Morgan, Toronto FC, MLS, 96 (5)

33. Anthony Jackson-Hamel, Montreal, MLS, 68 (4)

34. Mozzi Gyorio, Ottawa, NASL, 65 (2)

35. Marco Bustos, Vancouver, MLS, 50 (2)

36. Tosaint Ricketts, Toronto FC, MLS, 19 (1)

37. Alphonso Davies, Vancouver, MLS, 13 (1)

38. Ben Fisk, FC Edmonton, NASL, 4 (1)

39. Raheem Edwards, Toronto FC, 2 (1)

 

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

Ottawa, NASL, 5178/16 (323.6)

FC Edmonton, NASL, 3461/16 (216.3)

Toronto FC, MLS, 4417/21 (210.3)

Montreal, MLS, 3109/21 (148)

Vancouver, MLS, 1899/23 (82.6)

Miami FC, NASL, 1237/15 (82.5)

Orlando City, MLS, 1419/20 (71)

Carolina, NASL, 1129/16 (70.6)

Fort Lauderdale, NASL, 725/16 (45.3)

FC Dallas, MLS, 1081/24 (45)

New York Red Bulls, MLS, 582/23 (25.3)

Jacksonville, NASL, 347/16 (21.7)

 

USL MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS

1. Janouk Charbonneau, FC Montreal, USL, 1619 (19)

2. Skylar Thomas, TFC II, USL, 1575 (19)

3. Brett Levis, WFC2, USL, 1460 (18)

4. Daniel Haber, WFC2, USL, 1452 (20)

5. Louis Beland-Goyette, FC Montreal, USL, 1441 (17)

6. Anthony Osorio, TFC II, USL, 1402 (17)

7. Shaan Hundal, TFC II, USL, 1346 (21)

8. Thomas Meilleur-Giguere, FC Montreal, USL, 1326 (15)

9. Ryan James, Rochester, USL, 1301 (18)

10. Chris Mannella, TFC II, USL, 1276 (18)

T11. Maxime Crepeau, FC Montreal, USL, 1260 (14)

T11. John Smits, Wilmington, USL, 1260 (14)

13. Aron Mkungilwa, FC Montreal, USL, 1248 (15)

14. Michael Cox, Orlando City B, USL, 1221 (18)

15. Dominic Samuel, Rochester, USL, 1214 (17)

16. Amer Didic, Swope Park Rangers, USL, 1207 (18)

17. Ballou Jean Yves Tabla, FC Montreal, USL, 1201 (15)

18. Tyler Pasher, Swope Park Rangers, USL, 1188 (15)

19. Aidan Daniels, TFC II, USL, 1184 (20)

20. Liam Fraser, TFC II, USL, 1168 (18)

21. Kadin Chung, WFC2, USL, 1164 (14)

22. Richie Laryea, Orlando City B, USL, 1125 (17)

23. Raheem Edwards, TFC II, USL, 1108 (14)

24. Mark Anthony Kaye, Louisville City FC, 1029 (16)

25. David Choiniere, FC Montreal, USL, 1011 (13)

26. Mark Anthony Gonzalez, Swope Park Rangers, USL, 987 (17)

27. Bradley Kamdem, Rochester, USL, 974 (17)

28. Marco Bustos, WFC2, USL, 951 (12)

29. Benjamin McKendry, WFC2, USL, 900 (13)

30. Luca Uccello, TFC II, USL, 855 (18)

31. Alessandro Riggi, FC Montreal, USL, 827 (13)

32. Zachary Sukunda, FC Montreal, USL, 802 (13)

33. Malik Johnson, TFC II, USL, 801 (15)

34. Marco Dominguez, FC Montreal, USL, 796 (11)

35. Jackson Farmer, WFC2, USL, 792 (9)

36. Zachary Ellis-Hayden, Orlando City B, USL, 770 (10)

37. Callum Irving, Rio Grande Valley FC, USL, 720 (8)

38. Jordan Murrell, Pittsburgh, USL, 719 (10)

39. Mastanabal Kacher, FC Montreal, USL, 707 (14)

40. Yacine Ait-Slimane, FC Montreal, USL, 665 (13)

41. Quillan Roberts, TFC II, USL, 630 (7)

42. Philippe Lincourt-Joseph, FC Montreal, USL, 614 (16)

43. Giuliano Frano, WFC2, USL, 602 (16)

44. Nevelo Yoseke, FC Montreal, USL, 591 (14)

45. Jeremy Gagnon-Lapare, FC Montreal, USL, 569 (7)

46. Josh Heard, Bethlehem Steel, USL, 563 (14)

47. Alphonso Davies, WFC2, USL, 544 (9)

48. Sean Melvin, WFC2, USL, 540 (6)

49. Brandon John, Sounders FC2, USL, 537 (8)

50. Phil Di Bennardo, TFC II, USL, 537 (7)

51. Kianz Froese, WFC2, USL, 516 (8)

52. Carlos Patino, Sounders FC 2, USL, 501 (13)

53. Matthew Baldisimo, WFC2, USL, 463 (12)

54. Charles Joly, FC Montreal, USL, 450 (8)

55. Anthony Jackson-Hamel, FC Montreal, USL, 420 (6)

56. Thomas Gardner, WFC2, USL, 411 (11)

57. Robert Boskovic, TFC II, USL, 367 (11)

58. Jems Geffrard, FC Montreal, USL, 349 (4)

59. Adam Bouchard, TFC II, USL, 342 (7)

60. Sam Adekugbe, WFC2, USL, 329 (4)

61. Jordan Haynes, WFC2, USL, 321 (9)

62. Sahil Sandhu, WFC2, USL, 303 (11)

63. Chris Serban, WFC2, USL, 273 (6)

64. Marco Carducci, WFC2, USL, 270 (3)

65. Simon Lemire, FC Montreal, USL, 268 (7)

66. Steven Furlano, TFC II, USL, 257 (3)

67. Duwayne Ewart, Pittsburgh, USL, 253 (7)

68. Mackenzie Pridham, Sacramento Republic, USL, 246 (11)

69. Jonathan Grant, Swope Park Rangers, USL, 241 (13)

70. Heikel Jarras, FC Montreal, USL, 186 (11)

71. Angelo Cavalluzzo, TFCII, USL, 183 (3)

72. Jordan Hamilton, TFC II, USL, 182 (3)

T73. James Pantemis, FC Montreal, USL, 180 (2)

T73. David Paulmin, FC Montreal, USL, 180 (2)

75. Mo Babouli, TFC II, USL, 162 (2)

76. Jay Chapman, TFC II, USL, 141 (2)

77. Mitch Piraux, WFC2, USL, 100 (2)

78. Fabrice Mbvouvouma, FC Montreal, USL, 92 (4)

T79 David Edgar, WFC2, USL, 90 (1)

T79. Wandrille Lefevre, FC Montreal, USL, 90 (1)

T79. Maxim Tissot, FC Montreal, USL, 90 (1)

82. Richlord Ennin, TFC II, USL, 89 (4)

83. Karl Ouimette, NYRB2, USL, 87 (1)

84. Andrew Dias, TFC II, USL, 80 (1)

85. Ashtone Morgan, TFC II, USL, 62 (1)

86. Badreddine Boulajoul, FC Montreal, USL, 57 (3)

87. Joel Harrison, WFC2, USL, 50 (2)

88. Raheem Taylor-Parkes, Bethlehem Steel FC, USL, 44 (3)

89. Ethan Beckford, TFC II, USL, 40 (2)

90. Dante Campbell, TFC II, USL, 23 (1)

91. Terran Campbell, WFC2, USL, 19 (5)

92. Jimmy-Shammar Sanon, FC Montreal, USL, 18 (1)

93. Alan Camacho, WFC2, USL, 16 (1)

94. Leonard Sohn, TFC II, USL, 13 (1)

95. Mele Temguia, FC Montreal, USL, 10 (1)

96. Marko Maletic, TFC II, USL, 9 (2)

97. Nick Apostol, WFC2, USL, 9 (1)

98. Nikola Stakic, TFC II, USL, 7 (1)

 

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

FC Montreal, 17142/19 (902.2)

TFC II, 13831/23 (601.3)

WFC2, 11585/20 (579.3)

Swope Park Rangers, 3633/20 (181.7)

Rochester Rhinos, 3499/20 (175)

Orlando City B, 3106/20 (155.3)

Wilmington Hammerheads FC, 1260/20 (63)

Sounders FC 2, 1038/20 (51.9)

Pittsburgh Riverhounds, 972/19 (51.2)

Louisville City FC, 1029/21 (49)

Rio Grande Valley FC, 720/20 (36)

Bethlehem Steel, 607/21 (28.9)

Sacramento Republic, 246/20 (12.3)

NYRB2, 82/20 (4.1)