Steven Sandor's Blog, page 74

Less than a year after Fort McMurray hosted NASL matches, FC Edmonton to help fire-devastated community

From 2015: SMS Equipment Stadium in Fort McMurray

Last season, FC Edmonton held two of its NASL “home” matches in the Fort McMurray at the new SMS Equipment Stadium, a 5,500-seat venue that can be expanded to hold 15,000.

The facility was almost overwhelming; set in a wonderful island park, next to a state-of-the-art recreation centre and sporting complex, it would arguably the nicest stadium in NASL if it was used regularly. In fact, there were more than a few on social media who championed the idea of using Fort Mac as a venue for a Canadian national-team home match.

Now, less than a year later, it’s difficult to comprehend that much of Fort McMurray has been destroyed by out-of-control wildfires. A city of more than 80,000 that hosted NASL and Canadian Football League games last year has seen its population scattered throughout Alberta. Many don’t know if their homes are still standing. What they do know is that the fire continues to grow.

Sitting in a window seat on a flight into Fort McMurray, you will see nothing but forest on approach. It is incredibly lush. And, in the distance, you’ll see a city that’s basically carved out of the bush. And, I have to admit, quite cynically, that the thought of “what if this place was hit by a forest fire?’ did cross my mind as the plane made its approach. I quickly put that out of my mind.



And it needs to be noted that the Fath family, which owns FC Edmonton, also has business interests in the Fort McMurray area. The Fath Group owns a camp in nearby Anzac, which is under fire threat.

FC Edmonton will be hosting food drives for displaced Fort McMurray residents at its next two home games. In partnership with Canada Soccer, Alberta Soccer, the Edmonton Minor Soccer Association and the Edmonton Food Bank, the Eddies will be collecting food donations at the May 11 Amway Canadian Championship game against Ottawa and the May 15 NASL game against the Cosmos.

“The Wood Buffalo community welcomed our club with open arms last season,” FC Edmonton general manager Jay Ball stated in a release. “Our ‘Footie for Fort McMurray’ campaign will allow both our club and fans to return the kindness that was shown to us during our two matches last season. It is FC Edmonton’s hope that ‘Footie for Fort McMurray’ will help draw attention and support for our neighbours to the north in this time of need.”

If you can’t make it out to the games, CLICK here to support the Canadian Red Cross.

Bye bye, America: Canadian futsal team slays Goliath

The series between Canada and the United States played out like David and Goliath, after all.

David felled the mighty beast; And, Thursday, a Canadian national futsal team made up mostly of amateurs from Ontario and Quebec felled an American side filled with professionals. Thanks to a Robert Renaud hat trick, Canada beat the American 5-3 in Costa Rica Thursday, which gave our national side a 9-7 edge in the two-game aggregate series.

Ian Bennett, one of just three Canadian indoor pros (he plays arena soccer with the Milwaukee Wave of the MASL) on the national-team roster, scored in both legs, as did Nazim Belgendouz, who played for FC Montreal in 2015.

By eliminating the United States, advances to the CONCACAF Futsal Championship, and will face Costa Rica, Curacao and Cuba in Group B action. (Though, really, it should be Group C, shouldn’t it?) The CONCACAF playdowns act as qualifiers for the Futsal World Cup.



But, let’s be honest — Canada would have gone into this series as heavy underdogs. And, in the first game, the Canadians were down 3-0 before rallying. After the Americans took a big lead, the Canadians outscored them 9-4 through what was left of the first leg and the entirety of the second leg. So, not only was this a major upset — but one that required a stirring comeback.

Ontario and Quebec have developed amateur futsal programs, and the core of the team comes from those circuits. Hopefully, Canada’s success against the Americans will spur other regions to do more when it comes to futsal — even though the indoor game with boards tends to be the winter game of choice.

Diakite’s volley leads Eddies to win over Jacksonville on a woeful field

Pape Diakite NASL PHOTO

A few minutes before he volleyed home his second-half match-winning goal, FC Edmonton central defender Pape Diakite got into an aerial battle with two Jacksonville Armada players.

After Diakite won the ball, two Armada players lay crumpled on the ground.

It is becoming clearer with every FC Edmonton match that Diakite is a real diamond-in-the-rough signing for the Eddies. He may be one of the meanest tacklers NASL has ever seen. He’s dominant in the air. He’s unorthodox at times, but he’s an absolute shutdown defender.

And, on Wednesday, he could celebrate his first-ever NASL goal, a volley off a Pablo Cruz corner that gave the Eddies a 1-0 win on the road over the Jacksonville Armada.

The Eddies now have won two in a row and have seven points through five matches.



Diakite is represented by Alex Bunbury, the former striker who teamed for years with Eddies coach Colin Miller. Bunbury recommended Diakite so highly, and because Bunbury and Miller have a relationship that stretches back years, there was an unusually high level of trust between coach and agent.

“If he keeps his discipline, the way he’s playing for us right now, he can do some very good things,” said Miller. “It took him some time to settle in, but if he can keep his feet on the ground, he can be a big part of the team. He was in Scandinavia, he could have signed for a bigger team there, but Alex felt that he could really develop here.”

Miller said that, on the way to the Community First Park in Jacksonville, Diakite and fellow central defender Albert Watson were ribbing each other; Watson had noted that, in their scoring race, he was up 1-0 on Diakite on the basis of his match-winner against Ottawa two Sundays ago. At the end of the game, Diakite noted that the two were now even.

The Armada may have enjoyed more than 60 per cent of the ball, but created precious little going forward. It took 50 minutes for Eddies keeper Matt VanOekel to be even troubled wth having to make a save — and that came off a rather timid effort fro Armada fullback Matt Bahner.

The Eddies got the best chance of the first half, a shot from teenage Canadian Shamit Shome that grazed the outside of the goalpost. Shome got a start, while Jason Plumhoff and Cruz got into the starting eleven as the Eddies were carrying a short squad because of injuries and Sainey Nyassi’s unavailability because of his scheduling conflict with a U.S. immigration appointment.

The Eddies started the game with just three subs available on the bench — and that included back-up keeper Nathan Ingham. Mallan Roberts was listed as a fourth player on the bench, but was really unavailable because of injury.

Eddies keeper Matt VanOekel on the,ahem, pristine playing surface in Jacksonville.

And the Eddies’ shortened squad was called upon just six minutes into the game, when midfielder Cristian Raudales had to leave the game with a calf injury.

Miller called the field conditions in Jacksonville “the worst it’s been. We weren’t even allowed to warm up in certain areas of it.”

Miller said three quarters of the field was in perfect condition, but about a quarter of the field, which has new grass over the baseball diamond, had plenty of seams. It was uneven. And it was pockmarked with dead spots.

The coach said Raudales landed on one of the seams; fears were that he’d reinjured his ankle, but he’ll be sent back to Edmonton to have his calf examined.

On the bright side, the Eddies should welcome back midfielders Nyassi and Dustin Corea for Saturday’s game against the Indy Eleven, while striker Tomi Ameobi is questionable.

Overwhelmingly Canadian Power Rankings MLS Week 9/NASL Week 5/USL Week 6

Maxim Tissot: Shooting up the charts

Last season, the Montreal Impact fielded a starting XI in the CONCACAF Champions League final that had no Canadians in it.

A year later, the Impact have done an about face. Over the courses of two games this week, Maxim Tissot, Patrice Bernier, Kyle Bekker and Wandrille Lefevre found places in the starting lineup. Under the leadership of Canadian coach Mauro Biello, there has been a real surge in the number of minutes the team is offering to Canadian players. The Impact is still not equal to Toronto FC when it comes to giving first-team minutes to Canadian players, but Montreal’s average has shot up significantly over the last few weeks.

And, when it comes to Canadians getting minutes at the USL level, no team comes close to FC Montreal, the Impact’s affiliate. FC Montreal is well ahead of TFCII and the WFC2 when it comes to Canadian minutes at the USL level. Of course, the cynic will point out that FC Montreal currently has the worst record in USL; but, as an affiliate team, wins and losses are secondary to developing talent. And that’s what USL is for the MLS parent clubs — a developmental circuit.

Last season, this site (and Plastic Pitch mag, too) was critical of the lack of first-team minutes that the Impact gave to Canadian players. Now, it’s only fair that we highlight what looks to be a very different philosophy from the club. The jury is out if the Impact of 2016 will be better than the Impact of 2015; but there is absolutely no doubt that this year’s version of the team is a hell of a lot more likeable.

HERE ARE THE RANKINGS:



MLS AND NASL MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS

1. Fraser Aird, Vancouver, MLS, 758 (9) (-)

2. Will Johnson, Toronto FC, MLS, 719 (8) (-)

3. Karl Ouimette, NYRB, MLS 582 (7) (-)

4. Jonathan Osorio, Toronto FC, MLS, 511 (6) (-)

5. Cyle Larin, Orlando City, MLS, 468 (7) (+1)

6. Tesho Akindele, FC Dallas, MLS, 439 (9) (-1)

7. Kyle Bekker, Montreal, MLS, 414 (6) (+5)

8. Drew Beckie, Carolina, NASL, 412 (5) (+2)

T9. Eddie Edward, FC Edmonton, NASL, 360 (4) (-2)

T9. Nik Ledgerwood, FC Edmonton, NASL, 360 (4) (-2)

T9. Kyle Porter, Ottawa, NASL, 360 (4) (-2)

T9. Mason Trafford, Miami FC, NASL, 360 (4) (+3)

13. Julian de Guzman, Ottawa, NASL, 278 (4) (-2)

T14. Nana Attakora, Fort Lauderdale, NASL, 270 (3) (+1)

T14. Marcel De Jong, Ottawa, NASL, 270 (3) (-2)

16. Carl Haworth, Ottawa, NASL, 255 (3) (-1)

17. Maxim Tissot, Montreal, MLS, 250 (3) (+6)

18. Wandrille Lefevre, Montreal, MLS, 225 (3) (+10)

19. Patrice Bernier, Montreal, MLS, 221 (4) (+8)

20. Russell Teibert, Vancouver, MLS, 153 (3) (+5)

21. Mallan Roberts, FC Edmonton, NASL, 142 (2) (-4)

22. Kianz Froese, Vancouver, MLS, 140 (3) (-4)

23. Sam Adekugbe, Vancouver, MLS, 111 (2) (+9)

24. Mo Babouli, Toronto FC, MLS 106 (5) (-3)

25. Allan Zebie, FC Edmonton, NASL, 100 (2) (-6)

26. Shamit Shome, FC Edmonton, NASL, 96 (2) (-6)

27. Mauro Eustaquio, Ottawa, NASL, 81 (4) (-5)

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

29. Mozzi Gyorio, Ottawa, NASL, 65 (2) (-3)

30. Marco Bustos, Vancouver, MLS, 45 (1) (-2)

31. Jay Chapman, Toronto FC, 30 (3) (-1)

32. Ashtone Morgan, Toronto FC, MLS, 28 (4) (-1)

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

FC Edmonton, NASL, 1058/4 (264.5)

Ottawa, NASL, 1309 /5 (261.8)

Toronto FC, MLS, 1394/8 (174.3)

Montreal, MLS, 1158/9 (128.7)

Vancouver, MLS, 1207/10 (120.7)

Carolina, NASL, 412/5 (82.4)

Miami FC, NASL, 360/5 (72)

Fort Lauderdale, NASL, 270/4 (67.5)

New York Red Bulls, MLS, 582/9 (64.7)

Orlando City, MLS, 468/8 (58.5)

FC Dallas, MLS, 439/10 (43.9)

USL MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS

1. John Smits, Wilmington, USL, 540 (6) (-)

2. Richie Laryea, Orlando City B, USL, 462 (7) (-)

3. Raheem Edwards, TFC II, USL, 450 (5) (-)

4. Dominic Samuel, Rochester, USL, 437 (5) (+1)

5. Janouk Charbonneau, FC Montreal, USL, 436 (5) (-2)

6. Brett Levis, WFC2, USL, 423 (5) (+1)

7. Skylar Thomas, TFC II, USL, 421 (5) (+1)

8. Daniel Haber, WFC2, USL, 419 (5) (-2)

9. Louis Beland-Goyette, FC Montreal, USL, 389 (5) (-)

10. Thomas Meilleur-Giguere, FC Montreal, USL, 360 (4) (-)

11. Aron Mkungilwa, FC Montreal, USL, 357 (4) (+5)

12. Mark Anthony Kaye, Louisville City FC, 347 (4) (+9)

13. Jordan Murrell, Pittsburgh, USL, 344 (4) (+4)

14. Michael Cox, Orlando City B, USL, 342 (5) (+16)

15. Charles Joly, FC Montreal, USL, 303 (5) (+7)

16. Alphonso Davies, WFC2, USL, 300 (4) (+3)

17. Marco Dominguez, FC Montreal, USL, 277 (4) (+3)

18. Malik Johnson, TFC II, USL, 273 (5) (+5)

T19. Kadin Chung, WFC2, USL, 270 (3) (-9)

T19. Maxime Crepeau, FC Montreal, USL, 270 (3) (-9)

T19. Zachary Ellis-Hayden, Orlando City B, USL, 270 (3) (-9)

T19. Jeremy Gagnon-Lapare, FC Montreal, USL, 270 (3) (-9)

T19. Anthony Osorio, TFC II, USL, 270 (3) (-9)

24. Tyler Pasher, Swope Park Rangers, USL, 264 (3) (+7)

25. Ballou Jean Yves Tabla, FC Montreal, USL, 262 (3) (+2)

26. David Choiniere, FC Montreal, USL, 259 (4) (-)

27. Aidan Daniels, TFC II, USL, 237 (4) (-9)

28. Adam Bouchard, TFC II, USL, 220 (4) (+4)

29. Shaan Hundal, TFC II, USL, 219 (4) (-5)

30. Benjamin McKendry, WFC2, USL, 212 (4) (+6)

31. Chris Mannella, TFC II, USL, 204 (3) (-7)

32. Chris Serban, WFC2, USL, 189 (4) (+6)

T33. Jems Geffrard, FC Montreal, USL, 180 (2) (+7)

T33. Sean Melvin, WFC2, USL, 180 (2) (-6)

35. Yacine Ait-Slimane, FC Montreal, USL, 179 (3) (-6)

36. Ryan James, Rochester, USL, 168 (3) (+13)

37. Marco Bustos, WFC2, USL, 156 (2) (+14)

38. Mastanabal Kacher, FC Montreal, USL, 155 (4) (-5)

39. Thomas Gardner, WFC2, USL, 138 (3) (-5)

40. Mark Anthony Gonzalez, Swope Park Rangers, USL, 128 (4) (-5)

41. Alessandro Riggi, FC Montreal, USL, 116 (2) (+15)

42. Jordan Hamilton, TFC II, USL, 104 (2) (+13)

43. Jordan Haynes, WFC2, USL, 104 (2) (-6)

44. Bradley Kamdem, Rochester, USL, 100 (3) (+19)

45. Giuliano Frano, WFC2, USL, 91 (3) (-6)

T46. Mo Babouli, TFC II, USL, 90 (1) (-6)

T46. Jackson Farmer, WFC2, USL, 90 (1) (-6)

T46. Wandrille Lefevre, FC Montreal, USL, 90 (1) (-6)

T46. James Pantemis, FC Montreal, USL, 90 (1) (DEBUT)

T46. David Paulmin, FC Montreal, USL, 90 (1) (-6)

T46. Quillan Roberts, TFC II, USL, 90 (1) (-6)

T46. Maxim Tissot, FC Montreal, USL, 90 (1) (-6)

53. Mackenzie Pridham, Sacramento Republic, USL, 87 (3) (-3)

54. Heikel Jarras, FC Montreal, USL, 86 (4) (-)

55. Mitch Piraux, WFC2, USL, 86 (1) (-8)

T56. Jay Chapman, TFC II, USL, 80 (1) (-8)

T56. Andrew Dias, TFC II, USL, 80 (1) (DEBUT)

58. Matthew Baldisimo, WFC2, USL, 69 (3) (-6)

59. Carlos Patino, Sounders FC 2, USL, 68 (2) (DEBUT)

60. Ashtone Morgan, TFC II, USL, 62 (1) (-7)

61. Liam Fraser, TFC II, USL, 53 (2) (-4)

62. Nevelo Yoseke, FC Montreal, USL, 39 (2) (+3)

63. Amer Didic, Swope Park Rangers, USL, 25 (3) (-5)

64. Robert Boskovic, TFC II, USL, 22 (3) (-4)

65. Philippe Lincourt-Joseph, FC Montreal, USL, 19 (2) (-3)

66. Fabrice Mbvouvouma, FC Montreal, USL, 16 (2) (-7)

67. Luca Uccello, TFC II, USL, 15 (1) (DEBUT)

68. Josh Heard, Bethlehem Steel, USL, 11 (2) (-8)

69. Terren Campbell, WFC2, USL, 10 (2) (-6)

70. Sahil Sandhu, WFC2, USL, 9 (1) (-7)

71. Jonathan Grant, Swope Park Rangers, USL, 4 (1) (-5)

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

FC Montreal, 4412/5 (882.4)

TFC II, 2891/5 (578.2)

WFC2, 2736/5 (547.2)

Orlando City B, 1074/7 (153.4)

Rochester Rhinos, 715/5 (143)

Wilmington Hammerheads FC, 540/6 (90)

Swope Park Rangers, 431/5 (86.2)

Pittsburgh Riverhounds, 344/5 (68.8)

Louisville City FC, 347/7 (49.6)

Sacramento Republic 87/6 (14.5)

Sounders FC 2, 68/7 (9.7)

Bethlehem Steel 11/6 (1.8)

Six games over the course of less than three weeks: FC Edmonton set for toughest part of its schedule

FC Edmonton’s Sainey Nyassi, shown battling for the ball against Ottawa’s Kyle Porter, is out for Wednesday’s game against Jacksonville. PHOTO: TONY LEWIS/FC EDMONTON

FC Edmonton have a bye this weekend; but, beginning next Wednesday, the Eddies begin the most hellish part of their schedule.

From next Wednesday (May 4) to May 22, the Eddies will play six games. That works out to an average of a game every three days for the better part of a month. Beginning with next Wednesday’s date in Jacksonville, the Eddies will play four NASL matches and two Amway Canadian Championship matches in the span of a little less than three weeks.

“The squad will be tested for sure, that’s why we’ve got the squad that we’ve got,” Miller after Thursday’s training session. “And that’s why we topped up the fitness this morning, just to keep everyone working.”

The team will play an intrasquad game Saturday at Clarke Field.

And the Eddies may lose some players to international duty during this stretch. Midfielder Shamit Shome could be on the radar for the Canadian U-20 side. As well, fullback Adam Eckersley and midfielder Ritchie Jones are still coming back from long-term injury issues. Striker Tomi Ameobi missed last weekend’s win over Ottawa due to a training-ground injury; FCE coach Colin Miller is “optimistic” that Ameobi can be with the team for next week’s two-game trip which takes the Eddies to Jacksonville and then Indianapolis. Fullback Allan Zebie is coming back from injury, as is central defender Marko Aleksic.

And winger Sainey Nyassi, whose corner set up Albert Watson’s winning goal last weekend against Ottawa, will definitely be out for the Jacksonville match. While the Eddies are in Florida, he has to go to Rhode Island to meet with U.S. immigration officials about his green card application.



“Unfortunately, we play Wednesday night and Sainey’s appointment is at eight o’clock in the morning,” said Miller. “So, unless there’s a bus or a train — it’d have to be a very fast bus — he won’t be available for the Jacksonville game.”

But Miller said the players will get the benefit of more games and fewer training sessions over the next few weeks.

“As a player, I wanted to play. I didn’t want to train, I wanted to play in the game. From that point of view, it’s positive. It’s nothing new to us, with the Amways and the midweek games. I think it’s an exciting time for the team. We play well away from home, touch wood, so far. We’ve been hard to break down on the road. It’s a spell of games we really look forward to, here.”

The Eddies are 0-1-1 on the road so far this season, but missed a last-minute penalty-kick in the 1-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rowdies a couple of weeks back — so the team feels like it should have at least two draws to show for its two road efforts so far this season.

David vs. Goliath: Canadian futsal squad to face an American team filled with pros

Vahid Assadpour

The American national team has a roster filled with professional players — only three members of its current team is listed as unattached.

The Canadian national team has only three professionals on its roster — the rest of the team is made up of amateurs from Ontario and Quebec.

So when the two teams meet in Costa Rica for a two-game play-in series at the CONCACAF Futsal Championships, it will be David vs. Goliath. The Canadian national futsal squad plays the Americans May 4 and 6 in Costa Rica; the winner of the series gets placed in Group B for the CONCACAF championships; the losing team gets plane tickets home.

The CONCACAF championships act as the qualifier for the Futsal World Cup.

All but three of the American players are under contract to teams in the Major Arena Soccer League, including Danny Waltman, who was named the MASL’s goalkeeper of the year in 2016. Canada has three MASL vets: Ian Bennett of the Milwaukee Wave, Frederico Moojen of the St. Louis Ambush and Vahid Assadpour of the Missouri Comets.



But, the three pros who are making the trip are top players in the MASL. Assadpour was named to the MASL’s first-team all-star team in 2015/16; Bennett was on the second team. Moojen scored 10 goals in 12 games for the St. Louis Ambush this past season.

(Both Moojen and Bennett have been profiled in past issues of Plastic Pitch).

Canadian coach Kyt Selaidopoulos and the national squad leave Thursday for Costa Rica; they’ll spend six days prepping for the first of the two games against the United States. Included in that schedule is a friendly against Honduras. The Americans will prep for the games with a camp in Argentina and a friendlies against Argentina’s senior and U-20 national futsal squads.

Selaidopoulos said that the three indoor-soccer vets will play big roles on the Canadian side.

“They will bring another side to the game, they have the experience. The have joined the Quebec and Ontario players we have, and they understand that we are on a mission. Bringing in the pros has made the team even better; things are more positive.”

Now, it needs to be said that the American players — and the three Canadian pros — play the majority of their soccer old-school arena style. They are on the turf and the boards with a ball that’s the same size as one you’d find in the outdoor game. It’s an adjustment to go to futsal, with the smaller ball and, well, no boards.

But Selaidopoulos said that the adjustment between traditional indoor soccer (or at least what we in North America think of as traditional indoor soccer) and futsal isn’t that difficult. They both require quick thinking on a very fast playing surface.

“I don’t think it’s something that really affects these guys,” he said. “They’re playing on a straight surface, and I don’t think there are any issues.”

For months, Selaidopoulos looked at the futsal leagues in Ontario and Quebec, looking for players. But this is where the schism between futsal and arena soccer become apparent. In Quebec and Ontario, leagues have risen that develop futsal players. In the rest of Canada, arena soccer is still king.

Selaidopoulos long-listed 30 players, and picked the roster from that, adding in the three MASL pros. Included in the team is keeper Vincent Cournoyer, who led Beauport to a senior men’s outdoor amateur title in 2012, which it won in a penalty shootout.

But, Selaidopoulos is hopeful that futsal evangelists will succeed in other parts of the country.

“Since I took over, there has been a lot of interest from the other provinces,” he said. “I’ve seen interest from Alberta, New Brunswick, Vancouver. They are looking to build towards futsal. Now that the CSA is invested into this, others will pick it up.”

CANADA ROSTER

1- GK- Joshua Lemos | CAN / Toronto United Futsal

2- GK- David Campusano | CAN / Futsal Club Toronto

3- M- Desmond Humphrey | CAN / Futsal Club Toronto

4- D- Eduardo Jauregui | CAN / Futsal Club Toronto

5- M- Matias Dimarco | CAN / Toronto Idolo Futsal

6- M- Ian Bennett | USA / Milwaukee Wave

7- D- Vahid Assadpour | USA / Missouri Comets

8- M- Nazim Belguendouz | CAN / FC Grenadiers

9- T- Frederico Moojen | USA / St. Louis Ambush

10- M- Marco Rodriguez | CAN / Toronto United Futsal

11- D- Daniel Chamale | CAN / Futsal Club Toronto

12- M- Jacob Orellana | CAN / Toronto Idolo Futsal

13- T/M- Robert Renaud | CAN / Albiceleste Futsal Club

14- GK- Vincent Cournoyer | Unattached

Overwhelmingly Canadian Power Rankings MLS Week 8/NASL Week 4/USL Week 5

Fraser Aird

Here is some good news on the Canadian player front, at least when it comes to those looking to get minutes in MLS or NASL.

At this time last year (MLS Week 8/NASL Week 4), 26 Canadians had seen the field for their MLS or NASL clubs. This year, 32 Canadians have played in MLS or NASL games so far this season.

At this time last year, the top minute-getter (Sam Adekugbe of the Whitecaps led at the Week 8 stage in 2015) had played 615 minutes. Only two players had got more than 500 minutes. This year, Fraser Aird of the Whitecaps leads the way, with 668 minutes played, and four Canadians have played over 500 minutes each.

On the USL side, 66 Canadians have played so far this season. Keeper John Smits leads the way, playing every minute of every game so far this season for the Wilmington Hammerheads.

HERE ARE THE RANKINGS:

MLS AND NASL MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS

1. Fraser Aird, Vancouver, MLS, 668 (8)

2. Will Johnson, Toronto FC, MLS, 629 (7)

3. Karl Ouimette, NYRB, MLS 582 (7)

4. Jonathan Osorio, Toronto FC, MLS, 511 (6)

5. Tesho Akindele, FC Dallas, MLS, 425 (8)

6. Cyle Larin, Orlando City, MLS, 378 (6)

T7. Eddie Edward, FC Edmonton, NASL, 360 (4)

T7. Nik Ledgerwood, FC Edmonton, NASL, 360 (4)

T7. Kyle Porter, Ottawa, NASL, 360 (4)

10. Drew Beckie, Carolina, NASL, 322 (4)

11. Julian de Guzman, Ottawa, NASL, 278 (4)

T12. Kyle Bekker, Montreal, MLS, 270 (4)

T12. Marcel De Jong, Ottawa, NASL, 270 (3)

T12. Mason Trafford, Miami FC, NASL, 270 (3)

15. Nana Attakora, Fort Lauderdale, NASL, 180 (2)

16. Carl Haworth, Ottawa, NASL, 169 (2)

17. Mallan Roberts, FC Edmonton, NASL, 142 (2)

18. Kianz Froese, Vancouver, MLS, 140 (3)

19. Allan Zebie, FC Edmonton, NASL, 100 (2)

20. Shamit Shome, FC Edmonton, NASL, 96 (2)

21. Mo Babouli, Toronto FC, MLS 94 (4)

22. Mauro Eustaquio, Ottawa, NASL, 75 (3)

23. Maxim Tissot, Montreal, MLS, 70 (1)

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

25. Russell Teibert, Vancouver, MLS, 63 (2)

26. Mozzi Gyorio, Ottawa, NASL, 61 (1)

27. Patrice Bernier, Montreal, MLS, 51 (2)

T28. Marco Bustos, Vancouver, MLS, 45 (1)

T28. Wandrille Lefevre, Montreal, MLS, 45 (1)

30. Jay Chapman, Toronto FC 29 (2)

31. Ashtone Morgan, Toronto FC, MLS, 28 (4)

32. Sam Adekugbe, Vancouver, MLS, 21 (1)

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

Ottawa, NASL, 1213 /4 (303.25)

FC Edmonton, NASL, 1058/4 (264.5)

Toronto FC, MLS, 1291/7 (184.4)

Vancouver, MLS, 937/8 (117.1)

Carolina, NASL, 322/4 (80.5)

New York Red Bulls, MLS, 582/8 (72.8)

Montreal, MLS, 484/7 (69.1)

Miami FC, NASL, 270/4 (67.5)

Fort Lauderdale, NASL, 180/3 (60)

Orlando City, MLS, 378/7 (54)

FC Dallas, MLS, 425/9 (47.2)

USL MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS

1. John Smits, Wilmington, USL, 450 (5)

2. Richie Laryea, Orlando City B, USL, 379 (5)

T3. Janouk Charbonneau, FC Montreal, USL, 360 (4)

T3. Raheem Edwards, TFC II, USL, 360 (4)

5. Dominic Samuel, Rochester, USL, 347 (4)

6. Daniel Haber, WFC2, USL, 346 (4)

7. Brett Levis, WFC2, USL, 333 (4)

8. Skylar Thomas, TFC II, USL, 331 (4)

9. Louis Beland-Goyette, FC Montreal, USL, 314 (4)

T10. Kadin Chung, WFC2, USL, 270 (3)

T10. Maxime Crepeau, FC Montreal, USL, 270 (3)

T10. Zachary Ellis-Hayden, Orlando City B, USL, 270 (3)

T10. Jeremy Gagnon-Lapare, FC Montreal, USL, 270 (3)

T10. Thomas Meilleur-Giguere, FC Montreal, USL, 270 (3)

T10. Anthony Osorio, TFC II, USL, 270 (3)

16. Aron Mkungilwa, FC Montreal, USL, 267 (3)

17. Jordan Murrell, Pittsburgh, USL, 254 (3)

18. Aidan Daniels, TFC II, USL, 237 (4)

19. Alphonso Davies, WFC2, USL, 219 (3)

20. Marco Dominguez, FC Montreal, USL, 218 (3)

21. Mark Anthony Kaye, Louisville City FC, 216 (3)

22. Charles Joly, FC Montreal, USL, 213 (4)

23. Malik Johnson, TFC II, USL, 205 (4)

T24. Shaan Hundal, TFC II, USL, 204 (3)

T24. Chris Mannella, TFC II, USL, 204 (3)

26. David Choiniere, FC Montreal, USL, 196 (3)

T27. Ballou Jean Yves Tabla, FC Montreal, USL, 180 (2)

T27. Sean Melvin, WFC2, USL, 180 (2)

29. Yacine Ait-Slimane, FC Montreal, USL, 179 (3)

30. Michael Cox, Orlando City B, USL, 175 (3)

31. Tyler Pasher, Swope Park Rangers, USL, 174 (2)

32. Adam Bouchard, TFC II, USL, 157 (3)

33. Mastanabal Kacher, FC Montreal, USL, 140 (3)

34. Thomas Gardner, WFC2, USL, 137 (2)

35. Mark Anthony Gonzalez, Swope Park Rangers, USL, 128 (4)

36. Benjamin McKendry, WFC2, USL, 125 (3)

37. Jordan Haynes, WFC2, USL, 104 (2)

38. Chris Serban, WFC2, USL, 99 (3)

39. Giuliano Frano, WFC2, USL, 91 (3)

T40. Mo Babouli, TFC II, USL, 90 (1)

T40. Jackson Farmer, WFC2, USL, 90 (1)

T40. Jems Geffrard, FC Montreal, USL, 90 (1)

T40. Wandrille Lefevre, FC Montreal, USL, 90 (1)

T40. David Paulmin, FC Montreal, USL, 90 (1)]

T40. Quillan Roberts, TFC II, USL, 90 (1)

T40. Maxim Tissot, FC Montreal, USL, 90 (1)

47. Mitch Piraux, WFC2, USL, 86 (1)

48. Jay Chapman, TFC II, USL, 80 (1)

49. Ryan James, Rochester, USL, 78 (2)

50. Mackenzie Pridham, Sacramento Republic, USL, 70 (2)

51. Marco Bustos, WFC2, USL, 67 (1)

52. Matthew Baldisimo, WFC2, USL, 66 (2)

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

54. Heikel Jarras, FC Montreal, USL, 59 (3)

55. Jordan Hamilton, TFC II, USL, 28 (1)

56. Alessandro Riggi, FC Montreal, USL, 26 (1)

57. Liam Fraser, TFC II, USL, 25 (1)

58. Amer Didic, Swope Park Rangers, USL, 24 (3)

59. Fabrice Mbvouvouma, FC Montreal, USL, 16 (2)

T60. Robert Boskovic, TFC II, USL, 11 (2)

T60. Josh Heard, Bethlehem Steel, USL, 11 (2)

62. Philippe Lincourt-Joseph, FC Montreal, USL, 11 (1)

T63. Terren Campbell, WFC2, USL, 10 (2)

T63. Bradley Kamdem, Rochester, USL, 10 (2)

65. Nevelo Yoseke, FC Montreal, USL, 8 (1)

66. Jonathan Grant, Swope Park Rangers, USL, 4 (1)

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

FC Montreal, 3436/4 (859)

TFC II, 2355/4 (588.8)

WFC2, 2213/4 (553.3)

Orlando City B, 824/5 (164.8)

Rochester Rhinos, 445/4 (111.3)

Wilmington Hammerheads FC, 450/5 (90)

Swope Park Rangers, 340/4 (85)

Pittsburgh Riverhounds, 254/3 (84.7)

Louisville City FC, 216/5 (43.2)

Sacramento Republic 70/5 (14)

Bethlehem Steel 11/5 (2.2)

Watson breaks FC Edmonton’s goalless drought, leads team to victory over Ottawa

Albert Watson heads the ball in action against Ottawa. PHOTO: FC EDMONTON/TONY LEWIS

As the players from FC Edmonton and the Ottawa Fury lined up for O Canada, Eddies captain Albert Watson had his infant, daughter, Scarlett, in his arms.

A little more than an hour later, Watson was celebrating the fact he had scored FC Edmonton’s first goal of the season. FCE would go on to beat the Fury 2-0 on a chilly Sunday at Clarke Field.

So, when asked after the game if Scarlett would be making more appearances in pre-game ceremonies to come, Watson answered with an emphatic yes. Maybe the little girl has replaced the rabbit as the Eddies’ good-luck charm.

“We know we’re a team that can score goals, we just need to get that first one,” said Watson of his 46th-minute header off a Sainey Nyassi corner that turned out to be the game winner. “We bossed the game after that. It wasn’t that we were lucky to win the game… We had a few other chances. We defended well. We got a clean sheet. And, I got a goal.

“You always back yourself. I always back myself in getting my head on it. I need to score more, and I put that pressure on myself, every week, to try and score. It was good to get a flick. And, as soon as I headed it, I knew it was in, to be honest. I just got a good touch on it, and it was a great ball. All I had to do was direct it.”

That goal broke a three-and-a-half-game goalless drought for the Eddies to start the 2016 campaign. But, later in the half, Jake Keegan scored his first NASL goal to put the game away.

“It’s nice to get that first goal for your club,” said Keegan. “It really takes the pressure off.”



The Eddies now move to four points after four games played, while the Fury remain rooted to the bottom with just one point after four contests and a worrying -6 goal differential.

Fury coach Paul Dalglish lamented a pair of critical errors that led to the two goals.

The corner that led to Watson’s goal was set up thanks to a dreadful back pass that Fury central defender Rafael Alves tried to play back to his keeper, Romuald Peiser. The keeper’s sliding attempt to keep the ball in play could not prevent the Eddies from getting a gift of a corner-kick attempt. And Nyassi delivered a corner that Watson flashed into the goal.

The Keegan goal came after Fury striker Idan Vered lost the ball near the Eddies’ penalty area. FCE’s Dustin Corea picked up the ball and hoofed it down the field — as route one as route one can be — for Keegan. Timbo, Alves’s central defence partner, should have got to the ball. But, as Dalglish noted, he “got the the footwork all wrong.” Instead of heading the ball forward and out of danger, the ball grazed off his head and went to the space behind him. Keegan got to the ball, then rode Alves’s challenge before slotting the ball into the corner.

“Coming in here, you know it’s going to be a difficult game,” said Fury striker Carl Haworth. “It’s going to be a battle for 90 minutes. And it’s just the team that made two crucial mistakes, and they capitalized on them.”

There were other Eddies who didn’t get their names on the scoresheet who had inspired performances — most notably right back (and Ottawa native) Eddie Edward, who absolutely dominated that wing through the game. He was able to get forward and make a series of dangerous crosses, and broke up several attacks, including a challenge in the FCE penalty area on Ottawa’s James Bailey.

And Matt VanOekel made a great stop just a few minutes after the opening kickoff; he came racing off his line to deny Ottawa’s Paulo Jr., who had bolted through a gap in the Eddies’ defence and raced in on goal.

Ottawa Fury captain Julian de Guzman had to leave the game halfway through the first half with what looked like a right leg problem. Fury fullback Kyle Porter had to leave the game late in the second half for a non-contact injury; he came up hobbling as he tried to pursue Edward down the wing.

FCE teenager Shome made NASL debut Saturday, wrote university exam Tuesday

Shamit Shome in action against the Tampa Bay Rowdies. PHOTO: TAMPA BAY ROWDIES/MATT MAY

Shamit Shome’s Google calendar would be something to see.

Saturday 7:30 pm MAKE NASL debut

Tuesday WRITE EXAM, University of Alberta

WEDNESDAY 10 am FC EDMONTON TRAINING

FC Edmonton’s 18-year-old midfielder made his professional debut Saturday, playing 80 minutes against the Tampa Bay Rowdies. But, he couldn’t let himself get too carried away — on Tuesday, the University of Alberta first-year engineering student wrote an exam.

Shome spent a good chunk of March in Scotland, in preseason training with the Eddies. He was in England with the Canadian U-20 team, and started in the squad’s famous 2-1 win over the Three Lions. And he has the life of a full professional, filled with training sessions and fitness sessions and games.

All while still attending school.



“It’s tough, but I have to separate time to do each thing,” said Shome after FCE’s training session Wednesday at Clarke Field. “I make sure I stick on a tight, tough timeline for each thing, to make sure I get everything done efficiently.”

And, so, let’s look at an average day in the life of soccer player and scholar Shamit Shome…

“I make sure I get training out of the way in the morning,” he says. “And then, most of the afternoon we have time to chill, even in between the morning training sessions and fitness sessions. I head over to Saville (Saville Sports Centre) and go upstairs to start studying, just to get some work done. At night, I’m just hard away at the books but I make sure I stay professional; stretch, take water. Those are my breaks; stretching and drinking water. And then I go back to the books.”

Coach Colin Miller raved about Shome’s dedication to both school and soccer.

“It shows you how intelligent the lad is and how dedicated he is to both his education and his football,” Miller said.

“He’s been wonderful through all of preseason. We have very high hopes for Shamit. We’ll bed him in now and again and give him minutes. But he’s one definitely for the future. He hasn’t looked out of place all the way through preseason, he played very well in Scotland, as well.”

And he didn’t look out of place on Saturday, either. Even though the Eddies lost, Shome was thrilled to get onto the pitch.

“It was a great experience, I was excited to be part of the team,” Shome said of his NASL debut. “It went all right, I think. But, there’s a lot of things I can improve on, things I have to work on, and obviously, working away in training to improve even more.”

But did that top beating England? Last month, Shome started for Canada against an England U-20 side that included Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford. The Canadians won 2-1 on English soil.

“It was great playing against those guys. But once we step onto the field, those names don’t matter. That’s what we talk about here (at FCE) that’s what we talk about with Canada — the names don’t matter. Because, in the end, we did as good as them to get a result. But, after and before, when you think about it, it’s pretty amazing.

“Our coach (Rob Gale) was telling us that people were impressed. There was a lot of people watching us and just for us to get a result away from home with the big crowd, it’s a pretty big feat and we’re proud of it.”

So, Shome could one day score a winning goal for the Eddies, and then the next day find a way to speed along the construction of the 102nd Avenue bridge. But he’d remember to stretch and drink water while he was looking at the plans.

“We can’t all be the very best of friends all of the time”: Tempers on display at FCE’s training session

Cristian Raudales in action against the Tampa Bay Rowdies last weekend. PHOTO: MATT MAY/TAMPA BAY ROWDIES

FC Edmonton has gone three NASL games without a goal. Included in that was a last-second penalty attempt that wasn’t converted in Saturday’s 1-0 loss to Tampa.

So, as brush fires burned just west of the city, the tempers were heated on the Clarke Field turf during Wednesday’s training session. Midfielders Cristian Raudales and Dustin Corea had to be separated after the team’s scrimmage came to a close.

Coach Colin Miller said that having two players come to blows — in front of a media contingent, too — wasn’t a bad thing. He said that, in a competitive environment, these kinds of scrapes happen. And they’re not necessarily signs of players who are troublemakers, but of players who care very deeply about their teams.

“I’d take that every day,” said Miller. “Every club I played at, I’d fought. Not that I’m condoning fighting or promoting fighting, but I’ve been in a few of those. But it’s only because I cared and other people didn’t care quite as much. I don’t think that was the case this morning. The guys, I think, are in a very good place. I don’t mind that so long as they shake hands after and we’re all good. We can’t all be the very best of friends all of the time, that’s for sure.”



How did it happen? Near the end of the scrimmage, Corea won a penalty. He marched to the spot to take it — and then he and Sainey Nyassi decided to try the Cruyff penalty, instead, the same kind of thing that Barcelona teammates Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez converted a few weeks back. Instead of shooting, Corea tried to lay the ball off for Nyassi, who’d dashed into the box.

The attempt went awry, and Raudales, furious that Corea wouldn’t try a straight penalty kick, made his displeasure known. The players jawed, then got to the sidelines and the shoving match began.

“I was away getting a ball that had gone into the stands, so I didn’t see what happened,” said Miller. “But, you know, when the penalty kick is there to be taken, I believe, in training or in a game, it’s there to be put in the back of the net. There was just a bit of handbags at 20 paces, there. It’s all good. I’ve been on that side of it myself; I’ve been the one throwing punches. These things happen. The guys care; it just shows you how much we do care about it.”

The Eddies face Ottawa on Sunday afternoon.