Steven Sandor's Blog, page 79
February 25, 2016
Ex-FCE keeper Smits says he will need to “re-prove” himself in USL
By the time FC Edmonton headed into the break between the 2015 NASL spring and fall seasons, keeper John Smits knew he wasn’t going to be back.
In 2014, he won the Golden Glove award, which goes to the keeper who posts the top goals-against average in the league. Less than a year after scooping up that trophy, he’d been relegated to the No. 3 role at FCE.
So, quietly, Smits built up his résumé. He made sure to get his highlight video reels together. And, publicly, he never complained about the situation.
Now, the Canadian keeper will get a chance to reestablish himself with the Wilmington Hammerheads of the USL. The team announced Thursday that it had signed Smits, but he’s been in camp with the team for a couple of weeks running. And,he knew before the New Year that Wilmington was going to be his next destination.
Getting the paperwork done and acquiring the work visa was what slowed down the team’s ability to announce the signing.
“I knew pretty early on that I wasn’t going to be in FC Edmonton’s plans,” said Smits. “And, as mentally taxing as it was, it is, unfortunately, the nature of sports. And now I have the chance to re-prove myself.”
As a University of Toronto product, Smits had to overcome the “he’s just a CIS player” stigma — finally claiming the Eddies’ starting job and winning the NASL’s top keeper award in 2014. But, once he knew he was going to be unemployed, he found out just how hard it is for a Canadian to find a soccer job in North America.
“My agent told me that there was some MLS teams that showed some interest, but because of the foreigner rule, there’s no way they were going to use an international spot on a goalkeeper unless he’s a for-sure number-one.”
In MLS and NASL, Canadians and Americans don’t take up precious international spots on Canadian teams. But, on the American teams, Canadians are treated as internationals, so are often swept aside as the U.S. clubs aren’t thrilled about losing one of those key spots to a player who isn’t European or South American.
But, in USL, Canadians count as domestics league wide — which has been the case even before the third-division league entered into an affiliation deal with MLS.
“Other than the issues with getting a work visa, I don’t count as a foreigner,” Smits said of moving to an American club in USL. “I feel they value me as a player and this is a deal that is good for both sides.” As well, the Hammerheads’ goalkeeper coach is Matt Glaeser, who has plenty of NASL experience. He had seen Smits play, and knew what the Mississauga, Ont. native could offer.
But, Smits said that, in many USL setups, it’s still hard for Canadians. Because, the goal is to get called up to MLS — and that’s when the two-tiered import rules come into play. As well, the situation between MLS clubs and their USL affiliates is complex. For example, as Smits noted, it’s easy to say that the keepers on the MLS roster are the No. 1 and No. 3, because a team doesn’t want it’s No. 2 sitting all the time. So, the real No. 2 is actually the guy starting for the USL side.
Wilmington is affiliated with NYCFC, but Smits said what made the Hammerheads so attractive is that they aren’t as close to their MLS parent club as other USL affiliates. The Hammerheads will develop their own identity, and won’t deal with an MLS parent sending a bunch of players up and down. The Hammerheads will be allowed to develop their own chemistry.
And Smits will battle another former NASL player, Eric Ati, for the No. 1 job.
At this time last year, Smits admits things were rocky. He said he was surprised that the Eddies went out and made the off-season move to sign veteran keeper Matt VanOekel. Smits thought that his job was safe, coming off the Gold-Glove winning year.
But, coach Colin Miller had mentioned several times in 2014 that he wanted better distribution out of the keeper’s position. And, this year, Miller has made it no secret that there’s competition between VanOekel and Canadian Tyson Farago for the No. 1 job. Miller said he wants to have two players ready to go at every position.
VanOekel won the starting job, but injuries allowed Smits to get back in goal late in the spring season. But the final nail in the coffin came in a spring-season game in Indianapolis, when Smits was a subbed off at halftime — non-injury — after giving up a couple of goals. That was the last time he’d play for the Eddies.
“There was no communication from the club,” he said. “They made the move and I found out about it through friends asking me how I felt about it all. I came close to feeling sick to my stomach. I thought there were other areas that needed to be addressed, so the move really surprised me. But what made it so difficult was the lack of communication from the front office.”
But, he said he’s buoyed by the reaction he’s received from Edmonton supporters. He’s received many congratulatory messages since the deal was announced — and said he appreciates them. Now, he’s got to prove himself again.
FCE’s new signing, Jason Plumhoff, looks to move up the ladder
In 2015, Jason Plumhoff scored 10 times for the Harrisburg City Islanders and finished 10th on the USL’s league-wide scoring charts. But, while the Islanders offered to bring him back foe 2016, he felt that he needed to move on.
And that opportunity came north of the American border. Even though FCE coach Colin Miller let the cat out of the bag at a season-ticket holder’s event last Sunday, on Thursday FC Edmonton officially announced Plumhoff’s signing.
“He’s very highly thought of in that USL setup,” Miller said of Plumhoff, an American who was born in Germany. “He came very highly recommended to us. So we watched the videos and I spoke to him. I liked what I heard and definitely liked what I saw. His pace, his athleticism and once he realizes this level of football I think he’ll be a very good, strong addition to the squad.
“He’s got a hunger to get to the next level, which is great. He will seriously put other players under pressure. And that’s what I want.”
Miller said that Plumhoff is about a week behind the rest of the squad when it comes to his fitness level. And that comes with not being signed from when camp began.
Plumhoff said that he knew after one season in Harrisburg that he wanted to try and move up the ladder. As soon as Edmonton and him made contact, he knew that Canada was where he wanted to be.
“I thought it was a great opportunity for me. I took it right away. Harrisburg asked me to come back for next season but I was looking to make the transition to a higher level. I think Edmonton offers that higher level for me, in the NASL. I was happy that they were interested and brought me here.”
He’s been with the team for about a week, though it took some time for his paperwork to be processed (and why it took a few days for the team to announce the deal. The team doesn’t officially announce signings until the contract is signed, the player’s undergone his medical, the FIFA paperwork is done and the NASL has signed off on the contract). So far, Miller likes what he’s seen, and Plumhoff is pleased with the level of play.
“He can play either side or through the middle as well,” said Miller. “But he’s got the pace to play at this level of football. In the North American game, in general, there’s an element of a track meet. You see some of the European leagues, they’re all specimens and fit, but there’s an element of MLS and NASL where the game is, at times, a track meet. You are oftentimes playing in incredible heat and you have to be physically fit. That’s one of the key components of playing at this level of football in North America. And Jason epitomizes that sort of mentality.”
“I think it’s (the level of play) is high, everyone’s competing for spots,” said Plumhoff. “I have enjoyed it so far. I’m just trying to get better, listening to what coach Colin Miller’s telling me. Just trying to soak everything in. I’m really excited and looking forward to this trip to Scotland and I think it’s going to help me develop as a player.”
February 21, 2016
Miller tells FCE supporters that club has signed former USL scoring star Jason Plumhoff
Jason Plumhoff
FC Edmonton held its season-kickoff event for its season-ticket holders on Sunday, and there were a couple of tidbits coming out of coach Colin Miller’s address to the fans in attendance.
In his mentions of the new players the Eddies have added to the roster, Jason Plumhoff’s name was on the list. Plumhoff spent the 2015 season with Harrisburg City of USL and finished 10th in the league’s scoring race, scoring 10 times in 22 games.
Plumhoff scored 27 goals and added 26 assists during his NCAA career with the La Salle University Explorers. He was named the Atlantic 10 conference’s offensive player of the year in 2013.
As well, Miller said that the team is hopeful that Gustavo Salgueiro, the Brazilian midfielder the Eddies signed in the off-season, would join the club before it travels to Saskatoon at the end of the week. The team will train in Saskatchewan as there are no full-length outdoor fields available in Edmonton at this time of year; after the trip to Saskatchewan, the team will head to Scotland for a series of preseason friendlies against Scottish Premier and First Division clubs, as well as a game against Newcastle United’s youth side.
Miller said there were some paperwork issues that prevented Salgueiro from joining the Eddies at the start of camp, but that he’s hopeful they’ll be finalized this week.
February 20, 2016
Mom Read It review
"Crack Coach is a dramatic title, I’ll be the first to agree, but it pulls you in, doesn’t it? I loved the book and enjoyed the characters. They’re teens that other teens can relate to, with real-life issues that affect kids’ lives today."
See the full review at https://momreadit.wordpress.com/2016/...
February 19, 2016
Sinclair’s brace sends Canada to Rio
Christine Sinclair
A lot has been made of Canada’s evolution, its youth movement, the “mavericks” (coach John Herdman’s term) who have been brought in since the World Cup to bring more inventiveness to the national women’s team.
So, of course Christine Sinclair, our standard bearer, would score the goals that clinched Canada’s spot at the Rio Olympics.
This country’s greatest ever goal scorer added two more beauties to her resume, as Canada beat Costa Rica 3-1 Friday in the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying semifinal. The two finalists in Houston earn Rio berths, so it’s mission accomplished for Canada.
So far, through four tournament matches, the aggregate score is Canada 24, CONCACAF 1.
In the first half, Sinclair brought down a cross from Josee Belanger with her first touch; hee second touch was a shot that arrowed into the goal. But she outdid herself in the second half; with her back to goal, she intercepted a poor Costa Rican clearance. With her first touch, she stopped the ball’s progress. She then turned, whipped through the ball and smashed it off the underside of the bar and in.
And to think that she was limping through the match. To think she’s nursing a calf injury. She has simply added another chapter to her legend.
“The girls were fantastic, they owned that game,” a bubbling Herdman was quoted on the CONCACAF feed after the match.
“We got a lot of crosses in, and I was lucky to get on the end of a couple of them,” said Sinclair.
Costa Rica got one back with 20 minutes left. Raquel Rodriguez converted from the spot after Canadian midfielder Desiree Scott made a poor decision to dive in and attempt a tackle when there were plenty of her teammates in the penalty area.
But, Canada got the two-goal cushion back late in the game, when a hoof from keeper Erin McLeod got behind the Costa Rican backline, and Nichelle Prince crossed to teenager Deanne Rose. The ball more or less went off Rose and went in.
It wasn’t nearly as pretty as either of the Sinclair goals. But they all count.
February 17, 2016
What’s missing from FC Edmonton’s training camp? Trialists, that’s what
Tomi Ameobi at FCE’s strength and conditioning session at the University of Alberta
There’s something missing at FC Edmonton’s training camp.
Trialists.
Usually, part of the pre-season ritual is coming to training sessions and asking the staff to tell you who the new guy is. We get great stories about young players from small countries looking to find their ways into NASL, or the tale of a journeyman looking for one last contract. We see a player whose name we sorta remember from a few years ago. We see a player trying to rebuild a promising career after a rough patch.
Sometimes, the trialists turn out to be diamonds in the rough. But most of the time, they’re sent packing.
But, this year, FCE has no trialists on hand. And, no plans are in place to bring in any. Everyone at Wednesday’s training session at Commonwealth Fieldhouse knows they will be Eddies this season. They know they’ll be going to Scotland for the team’s March preseason tour.
“Year one , there were trialists, when I was here,” said FCE coach Colin Miller. “And since then, it’s been players who have been signed. It was an absolute gong show year one, the club lost an absolute fortune in flights and hotels and all that stuff. So we decided, no, we’ll do our own research, our own work. Not every player works out, but that’s the same as any level of football. There’s always an amount of risk. We’ve done a lot of work with players in the off-season who we have brought in, and we’re delighted with the impact they’ve made.”
It’s a good point: Often, the public sees trialists as no-risk options. After all, they’re not on contract, are they? But the team pays out money to bring them in and put them up while they’re on their trials. And that does affect the bottom line. There is risk. And, it’s a gamble that often doesn’t pay out very big.
Veteran fullback Eddie Edward has seen his fair share of trialists come and go.
“Trialists are a part of the game. When people come in, it’s not really a distraction, but I think it’s better from a team aspect when everyone is here is going to be here. In terms of team bonding, of gelling together, everyone’s on the same page. You know that the players you’re going to see here are going to here for the season. So it’s not a case of getting used to someone during preseason and the next week, they’re gone. In that aspect, I think it’s great that we have pretty much our full team here together and we get to build and grow together.”
Returning striker Tomi Ameobi says it’s unusual to be in a trialist-less camp.
“It definitely makes it a lot easier. It just makes things a lot more cohesive. You know from the beginning that everyone here is going to be part of the team all season. So you can hit the ground running.
“It’s just great to know that the people who are here, are here to stay. We can start working right away instead of wondering ‘is this person going to be here?’ or ‘is this person not going to be here?’”
Of course, the lack of trialists make it harder to get the rumour mill going. Damn this certainty!
You say you want an evolution? Lawrence says Canadian women’s team showing signs of change
Ashley Lawrence in action against Guatemala. PHOTO: MEXSPORT/CANADA SOCCER
It speaks to the youth movement of the Canadian national women’s team that 20-year-old Ashley Lawrence is seen as a veteran presence.
“We’re no longer the youngest,” Lawrence says of herself and fellow 20-year-old Kadeisha Buchanan, long-time friends who have now become regular first-team selections for coach John Herdman.
As Canada prepares for Friday’s Olympic qualifying semifinal against Costa Rica in Houston — with the winner getting a spot in the 2016 Rio Games — Lawrence said it’s great to see teenagers like Deanne Rose and Gabrielle Carle find the net as Canada scored 21 teams and didn’t concede in the group stage.
Herdman has long talked about how the gap between have and have-not nations in women’s football is closing; but that wasn’t apparent in the routs of Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago and Guatemala in the group stage.
But Lawrence, who had a hat trick against Guyana, said that the demolitions were necessary. To prepare for the semis, the team knew that it couldn’t turn it on for half an hour, and cruise through the rest of the matches. And this was a team that wanted to change the perception of itself — that it struggles to create goals outside of FIFA No. 2 all-time goal-scorer Christine Sinclair.
“We had to show the evolution of Canada, that we were a different Canada. No matter who the opponent was, we could never let up. It was a huge opportunity, so we didn’t become complacent. We had to work through different formations, and different partnerships were formed.”
Even though Canada has put many weeks of preparation into the Olympic qualifiers, Lawrence said nothing can be a substitute for game experience. So, for the teens, these games were vital.
“It was bittersweet, in a way. For many of the players, we have worked together at the camps. But they needed to get games under their belts.” And that also allowed Herdman to put the “evolution of Canadian style” into practice.
Now, 21 goals is 21 goals — but, of course, no one is going to say the evolution is progressing until Canada can score multiple goals against higher-tier opposition. Costa Rica offers that opportunity.
Of course, Canada will need to be more responsible defensively — and that will mean clamping down on creative midfielder Raquel Rodriguez. The former Penn State player faced Lawrence in the NCAA — Lawrence is a West Virginia Mountaineer. Lawrence said Costa Rica can be dynamic in getting the ball from midfield to the forwards.
“The key is killing that link,” she said.
Lawrence clashed heads with T&T’s Victoria Swift in the second game of the group stage, a collision that left Lawrence with a nasty goose-egg on the forehead. She still played nearly an hour. She played only a little more than half an hour in the 10-0 pasting of Guatemala.
There’s no worry about her fitness for Friday.
“Initially, it did swell up a lot. But it was one of those things where it looked a lot worse than it actually was.”
February 14, 2016
Canadian women’s team channels… Hungary’s Golden Team?
What the heck? Is this, like, 1953?
When Canada Soccer tweeted out the starting XI for Sunday’s Olympic qualifying match, it was like a flashback to the early ‘50s. Had Canadian national women’s team coach John Herdman connected with his inner Magical Magyar? The throwback 2-4-4 formation shown on the team sheet would have made Gusztav Sebes proud.
Seeing a 2-4-4 would be like watching an NHL team put out a lineup that had a rover and a cover point on it.
(True, Hungary’s famous formation was a 4-2-4, a tactic that was later exported to Brazil, but the wing backs pressed so damn high that 2-4-4 would be a more accurate assessment of how the Golden Team played in the 1950s.)
Herdman’s team responded with a 6-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago, running Canada’s record to 2-0-0 in the group stage, 11 goals for, none against (Hungary-like totals, by the way). Six different players scored. And, even though Christine Sinclair didn’t start, she came on, got a half hour of work in, and scored her 159th career international goal good enough to move ahead of American Mia Hamm for second on the all-time FIFA women’s goal-scoring list.
Actually, the way Canada played the game was proof that sometimes it simply doesn’t work to describe a formation in a numerical sequence. That’s because Canada had many attacking players going forward — two wide banks of four. But, when the Canadians needed to retreat, they had enough in numbers. You could have called it a 2-4-4, 4-2-4 or even a 4-4-2 and, at times during the game, you’d have been right.
There were really only two moments of worry for Canada in this game; early in the match, Ashley Lawrence clashed heads with T&T’s Victoria Swife. Lawrence needed to be examined by the team doctor and had a massive bump on her forehead that made any boxing fan think back to that grapefruit sized orb that swelled on Hasim Rahman’s head thanks to the beating he was receiving from Evander Holyfield. And, late in the first half, a dreadful giveaway by Desiree Scott right in front of her own penalty area allowed T&T to create its only meaningful scoring chance of the game, which was parried away by keeper Erin McLeod.
But, Trinidad and Tobago has now faced Canada eight times at the senior level — and still has yet to score a goal.
There were some concerns; Canada got out of the first half only up 2-0, and missed the goal or had offensive players needlessly drift offside several times. It was almost a case of too many cooks in the final third. But it was the veteran duo of Diana Matheson and Melissa Tancredi who found the back of the net for Canada.
Sinclair came in at just past the 60-minute mark, then was sprung free on goal thanks to a wonderful cutting through ball from Janine Beckie. Beckie would later score a goal of her own, and defender Kadeisha Buchanan and teenager Jessie Fleming also found the back of the net. Sinclair had a golden chance to score a second, but missed what was a sitter. Better to miss one of those when your team is up 6-0 and get it out of your system.
Ball’s vision for FC Edmonton: One club, one culture
Jay Ball, left, with FCE owner Tom Fath
Jay Ball showed up for work as the new general manager of FCE at the beginning of last week. But he and the team agreed not to announce his appointment till last Thursday, to give him a couple of days where he could fly under the radar and assess what the team most needed on the business side of things.
He’s since met with the team, met with the front office staff and had pow-wows with owners Tom and Dave Fath. And, after his first week on the job — he has some priorities in place.
“We have to adopt a culture of winning in the office to match the culture on the field,” he says. “There is not one culture in the front office and one culture on the field. It should be one culture for the whole club.”
Ball takes on an enormous challenge. FCE does not have a paying shirt sponsor. Their 4,500-seat Clarke Stadium was only filled to the brim once last season, for the Amway Canadian Championship semifinal second leg against Vancouver. For NASL matches, it’s normal to see crowds just under or a little over 3,000 (announced).
Ball is the former president of junior achievement; he’s helped coordinate marketing and tickets sales for cycling’s Tour of Alberta and the Women’s World Cup matches at Commonwealth Stadium. He’s a hockey dad.
Of course, there will be those who would say that a true “soccer person” should be GM. But, often, those true “soccer people” struggle to understand how to attract casual sports fans; they market exclusively to the soccer community, and base their expectation based on plaudits from, well, other soccer people. An outsider often has a clearer view — think about how a football man, Don Garber, was able to change Major League Soccer. Think about how Gary Bettman, a basketball man, changed the National Hockey League.
Ball said that FCE must improve the game-day experience for its fans and those who the club wants to become fans (which is well, everyone).
“No question, I have to think big,” he says. “This job is the opportunity of a lifetime. The two other franchises (the NHL Oilers and CFL Eskimos) have done awesome jobs in fan engagement.”
So, the things that will attract casual fans need to improve. Food service needs to improve. There needs to be seating packages that can bring fans even closer to the game. And ball says the corporate program needs to be completely revamped.
And, to convince Edmontonians to come to games, Ball says the team has to do a better job telling its story. And that begins with the staff; ticketing and marketing people need to know the players. They need to know why the internationals have chosen to make Canada their home; they need to know about the academy kids who are breaking into the first team. Ball says that the staff and players need to function as one. And that means staff coming out not only to games, but to training sessions.
And he doesn’t see FC Edmonton as needing to battle the Oilers or Eskimos for eyeballs and dollars.
“FC Edmonton has a niche,” he says. “We don’t compete for partners. We’re a completely different value proposition. We have to adapt our identity to our city rather than try to force an identity on the city.”
Again, that’s an interesting viewpoint. Anyone who has read my work or heard my voice on broadcasts knows how concerned I am by the Canadian soccer community’s insular nature (“we hate baseball,” “not nearly as many people watch the Super Bowl as watch soccer,” “curling’s on TV, again?” “why is it Oilers all the time…”). Instead, we need to accept what works in our sporting culture and see what best practices we can pick up from other leagues and other teams. We need to try and be part of the greater sporting community, not compete and try to one-up hockey or football or curling or basketball or baseball.
But, FCE needs a narrative.
“We have to tell our story,” Ball says. “We have to talk about the Faths’ dedication to [coach] Colin Miller’s vision. How do we do that? But we need to use emotion to excite people. We have to engage people.”
February 12, 2016
Shome’s decision to say no to the NCAA spurred a quick return to the FC Edmonton fold
Shamit Shome
In the United States, it’s becoming common to see a player sign a professional contract after finishing only his freshman year of an NCAA program.
But, for a Canadian player to sign a pro deal after playing just one year at a CIS school? That’s certainly not a script we see played out very often. But, on Friday, FC Edmonton announced the signing of speedy midfielder Shamit Shome. A product of FC Edmonton’s academy program, Shome was Canada West’s Rookie of the Year for 2015 after a standout first season with the University of Alberta Golden Bears. Shome has also got looks from Canada’s U-20 program.
“I knew that I wanted to get back with FC Edmonton, and into the professional environment, a quickly as possible,” said Shome.
And, to do that, he made some very calculated decisions. He turned down offers from a couple of NCAA programs; instead he chose to play at the University of Alberta, where he could be closely monitored by the FC Edmonton brass. As well, he could remain close to his family, which was important to him.
“For me, I had to think, would it be better to go the States and play for four years and then hope that maybe I get taken in the draft and go to MLS? Or, would it better to try and get to the NASL as quickly as possible and start my professional career?”
And Shome said he understands that many NCAA grads who turn pro face huge challenges; they’re in their early 20s when they get out of school. And that means their window to make a pro team is very small; they’re already at an age where they shouldn’t be seen as prospects — they are simply too old to be taken on as project players by pro clubs. That’s why the MLS SuperDraft is, truly, such a crapshoot of twentysomething everymen — where even first-rounders often fail to ever get minutes. A lot of draftees will go no further than USL; and that’s not a future Shome wanted for himself.
But, even though he’s playing professionally, he hasn’t left school behind. That’s the nice thing about being enrolled in a university that’s a short ride away from where you work. He’s been able to balance his class schedule with his soccer schedule.
“Of course, FC Edmonton is my employer, so if there are any conflicts, they have to be the prority,” he says.
Shome is hopeful he can do more than simply be a good player in training. He says he would like to crack a game-day roster, then get onto the field to play some NASL minutes. But the club feels strongly about his potential.
“We knew from an early age with Shamit when he first started the program that he would be a player that we kept our eye on,” FC Edmonton academy technical director Jeff Paulus said in an FC Edmonton release. “Shamit had a real opportunity to become a professional player and he’s done that. I’m thrilled.”
