Steven Sandor's Blog, page 84

Eddies announce that Fordyce and Nyassi will be with the team in 2016

“FC Edmonton vs. Atlanta Silverbacks @ Clarke Stadium Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, May 24 2015,
“

FC Edmonton announced Wednesday that it has re-signed Daryl Fordyce, the club’s all-time leading scorer. The club has also brought back winger Sainey Nyassi.

Nyassi, who had an injury-filled debut season with the Eddies in 2015, will likely be leaned on a lot more heavily in 2016. He and Dustin Corea are the two players who look most likely to be running the wings next season, and they will need to replace the goals and assists that were provided by Lance Laing, who announced on Tuesday that he’ll be moving on.

Fordyce has scored 25 goals for the Eddies across all competition. With Tomi Ameobi and Sadi Jalali under contract for next season, and American Jake Keegan in the fold, the competition will be tight to see who gets the majority of the minutes up top.

“I’m absolutely thrilled that Daryl has re-signed with us,” FC Edmonton head coach Colin Miller said in a release. “Both he and [defender] Albert [Watson] have been terrific players for the club and Daryl has now become the top scorer in the club’s history which is a fantastic accomplishment, given the fact that at times I have had to play him out of position. He’s a genuine, football-minded person, thinks a lot about the game, trains well, is an excellent professional and a great example for our younger players.”

Nyassi scored four times in 25 games for the Eddies across all competitions.

“We really wanted Sainey to stay,” Miller said. “We worked hard with Sainey to get him fit, to get him over his knee injury… he’s a quality person and he appreciated that the club stood by him when he was injured and he worked very hard to get his fitness back. You saw in the last few games the quality Sainey has, he could be one of the most potent wide midfield players in the NASL if he gets a good run.”

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The 500 club: The Plastic Pitch subscription drive

When  the Plastic Pitch Kickstarter campaign was launched in late 2013, the goal was to secure funding for at least a year’s worth of issues. Now, based on our quarterly schedule, we are working on issue 8, to be releasd in January 2016. That’s two full years worth of work. We’ve featured work from some of the top soccer writers in North America, and featured stories about Canadians playing here and abroad.

But, it isn’t easy. And expenses continue to pile up. I’ve crunched the numbers and it’s simple. To make this work, Plastic Pitch needs 500 new subscribers by the end of the year. Well, maybe “new” isn’t quite accurate — as renewals would be counted towards to this number.

Subscriptions costs just $15 Canadian — that’s four issues of what this editors feels is some of the best Canadian soccer content you’ll find. Long-form stories, insightful analysis and advocacy for the improvement of the Canadian game. Put it in perspective, $15 is less than the cost of one craft cocktail.

There are a number ways to subscribe; either through the Apple or Google apps, through our Shopify store (CLICK HERE) or directly via PayPal (teamworkpress@rogers.com is the payment address). If you subscribe through Shopify or PayPal, please specify if you want to have issues e-mailed directly to you. But, one word of caution: It is MUCH easier for us to refund your money (if we don’t hit target) if you go through Shopify or PayPal.

Of course, we think a subscription to Plastic Pitch would make a great Christmas gift. Or a way to say thanks to your coach or the volunteers in your soccer program.

Because we put the mag out in three ways; either by e-mail, or through Apple and Google apps, many of our expenses have to be paid out in US funds, even though we’re a Canadian mag. So, the plummeting dollar, well, it hurts. Really hurts. Basically, costs to do business have increased 25 per cent over the past two years.

If you haven’t discovered the mag yet, and want to read it before you buy, you can preview any of our seven issues for free in the apps. Each issue offers a free timed preview, which lets you browse the articles. Inside you’ll find how we were the first to report about the possibility of a Canadian Division 1A league (issue 2), our look at how real Canadian minutes played were on the decline in MLS (issue 1), plus our issue 5 dedicated to the fractured soccer relationship between Canada and the United States. Issue 6 was our Women’s World Cup review issue.

As well, from now till Christmas, you will be able to get our back issues (1-6) for just $1.99 each. You can take advantage of those offers through the apps.

PLASTIC PITCH SUBSCRIPTION DRIVE:

467 to go!

Goodbye, FC Edmonton: Lance Laing confirms he won’t return to the club

Lance Laing

Lance Laing says he has yet to decide where he will play next season, but it won’t be in Edmonton.

The Jamaican left winger confirmed that he is looking at various offers from MLS, NASL and USL clubs, but confirmed he has made the difficult decision to move on.

“Looking into offers; I have quite a few, from MLS, NASL to USL,” Laing said in a message to The 11. “Signing one of these deals is imminent.”

Laing said “I appreciate the love of the fans here [in Edmonton], our supporters group is the best I ever had… I have been a pro for eight years now and I never had a better support than FC Edmonton Supporters Group. I spent three years in Alberta and, apart from my teammates and coaching staff, they are the best memories I’m leaving with. I enjoyed every moment of them cheering us on winning or losing, raining or snowing, they were always there and I’m glad to have met such great fans. They will stay with me forever; you guys have no idea how hard this was to leave. Wherever I’m at, I will be singing in my heart with you, we love you, we love you, we love you, anywhere you go we’ll follow cause we support the Eddies the Eddies and that’s way we like oh oh oh ohhhh ha ha ha. Love it! Thank you to the FC Edmonton Supporters Group and all the fans of FC Edmonton. All the best!”



Laing scored eight times and added seven assists in just 20 NASL games this season. The Eddies won just one of the 10 games that Laing missed because of Jamaican international duty. He was part of the Jamaican national squad for both the Copa America and Gold Cup. He is widely regarded as the best left-sided player in NASL.

Laing said he is sad to leave the city.

Laing’s career went into full Renaissance mode in the final game of the 2014 spring season. FCE coach Colin Miller made the decision to move him from left back to left wing, and the player responded by becoming one of the most feared crossers of the ball and free-kick takers in NASL. His form led to his recall to the Jamaican national team; and, ironically, those 10 missed games were likely the major reasons why FCE missed the playoffs in 2015.

UPDATE: FC Edmonton issued a statement Tuesday afternoon, after Laing made his stance public.

““We would like to thank Lance for his time with the club,” Miller stated in the release. “He developed a great reputation within the league for being a bit of a free kick specialist. We made Lance the strongest offer we’ve ever made to a player at our club to stay and unfortunately it wasn’t enough for him, his agent and his family to accept.

“Lance went from being an ordinary club player at one point in his career and now through his time at FC Edmonton and his development at FC Edmonton he is now considered a regular Jamaican international. It speaks volumes for his development as a player and as a person at FC Edmonton. He’s now looking elsewhere and we wish him luck other than when he plays against us.”

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MLS playoffs once again prove that Supporters’ Shield doesn’t matter at all

Like many of my fellow Canadians, I grew up in a sporting culture dominated by hockey — specifically, the National Hockey League. Because of its dominance in the Canadian sports scene, we tend to filter how we see other sports through a hockey lens.

So, basketball isn’t tough enough because it’s filled with ticky-tack fouls; shouldn’t refs know to let that kind of stuff go, especially in big games? Why are baseball fights so comical — after all, they don’t actually fight. A Brit once told me that he had no idea that Canadians were the most bloodthirsty sports fans in the world till he came to this country and, well, watched sports in our midst. I don’t know if that’s true; it’s certainly not dangerous to go to a Canadian sporting event. But, are we more conditioned to want players to “get back in there” despite the broken bone? Are Canadians more likely to accept the referee who puts the whistle in his pocket when the championship is on the line?

But, maybe the most important “lesson” hockey teaches us is that a team is judged by how well it does in the playoffs, not how well it does in the regular season. Teams that often win a lot in the regular season after regular season but don’t replicate that, ahem, success in the playoffs are discarded from our consciousness. No one, absolutely no one, gives a hoot about who wins the Presidents’ Trophy as the top team in the regular season. Hockey teams refuse to even touch the trophies handed out to the Eastern and Western Conference champions, because it’s totally bad form to celebrate the smaller trophies when the Stanley Cup is out there waiting to be claimed.

While most of our hockey culture doesn’t translate well to other North American leagues, the playoffs-or-bust mentality of the NHL is a lesson that Major League Soccer fans need to learn.

Once again, we know that the winner of the Supporters’ Shield, which goes to the team with the best regular-season mark in MLS, will not hoist the big prize at the end of the season. The Portland Timbers and Columbus Crew will fight it out for MLS Cup this coming weekend. Neither finished at the top of their respective conferences.

MLS is a league that’s all about the playoffs; it’s a culture where the Supporters Shield winner has only won the big prize, the MLS Cup, twice since 2003. Playoffs see a complete reshuffling of the deck.



That’s because, in MLS, the regular season doesn’t do a lot to separate the teams. Take into consideration the league as a whole; no team had more than 18 wins out of 34 games played. Basically, winning half of your games is pretty good. Parity is a major part of MLS, and spending doesn’t really have any noticeable impact on shaking the mediocre from the mediocre.

Yes, there are Designated Players, stars who have come and gone with big reputations. Some have given the league big-time performances. But, to sign multiple DPs on a strict salary budget, a team has to make sacrifices. Toronto FC is the best example of this in 2015; Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco forced the team to make sacrifices when it came to depth. So, while you had Giovinco scoring or setting up goal after goal, you also had a back line that was one of the worst in the league.

Or, you can look at teams that go without a lot of big names, think of the Real Salt Lake team that went to the CONCACAF Champions League final in 2011, or FC Dallas of this season. They can pretty well match the big spenders because they had/have deeper rosters that weren’t hamstrung by multiple players on max cap hits.

In a nutshell, the truth of MLS is that, DPs or not, once the playoffs start, you basically have a lottery between 12 teams that aren’t separated by that much. The good: You get thrilling playoff series — such as the Eastern final between Columbus and the Red Bulls — which are decided by a goalpost. The bad: There is no tangible advantage for being a top seed — sure, that club gets to skip the first playoff round, but, over the conference semifinals and finals, all it gets to have in terms of rewards is the second of the two-legged affairs at home. When road goals are counted, that can be more of a disadvantage than an advantage.

The playoff games themselves have been compelling; but, for the soccer “purist” who loves league tables and thinks that being at the top of the standings is the best thing that can happen to a team, the North American sports culture goes in the other direction, To understand what makes a successful team in MLS, the first thing you need to do is divorce yourself from thinking that the Supporters’ Shield is important.

It’s not that hard. Repeat after me. The Supporters’ Shield DOES NOT MATTER. The Supporters’ Shield DOES NOT MATTER.

If MLS would want to make finishing at the top of the league matter, it would need to radically alter its playoff format. Maybe the No. 1 seeds would get to host both legs of their playoff series; maybe there would be a format where the No. 1 seed skips all the way to the Conference Final. But that isn’t the North American way of doing things. We know that the secret to North American supporting success is to a) just to get into the playoffs b) get hot c) have the kind of players on your roster who “elevate their games” when the occasions loom large.

Why? We know that from hockey. Remember that next year, when writers are yammering on about the Supporters’ Shield race or are trying to handicap the MLS Cup field — in July. They are wasting their time, and yours.

 

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The 500 club: The Plastic Pitch subscription drive

When  the Plastic Pitch Kickstarter campaign was launched in late 2013, the goal was to secure funding for at least a year’s worth of issues. Now, based on our quarterly schedule, we are working on issue 8, to be releasd in January 2016. That’s two full years worth of work. We’ve featured work from some of the top soccer writers in North America, and featured stories about Canadians playing here and abroad.

But, it isn’t easy. And expenses continue to pile up. I’ve crunched the numbers and it’s simple. To make this work, Plastic Pitch needs 500 new subscribers by the end of the year. Well, maybe “new” isn’t quite accurate — as renewals would be counted towards to this number.

Subscriptions costs just $15 Canadian — that’s four issues of what this editors feels is some of the best Canadian soccer content you’ll find. Long-form stories, insightful analysis and advocacy for the improvement of the Canadian game. Put it in perspective, $15 is less than the cost of one craft cocktail.

There are a number ways to subscribe; either through the Apple or Google apps, through our Shopify store (CLICK HERE) or directly via PayPal (teamworkpress@rogers.com is the payment address). If you subscribe through Shopify or PayPal, please specify if you want to have issues e-mailed directly to you. But, one word of caution: It is MUCH easier for us to refund your money (if we don’t hit target) if you go through Shopify or PayPal.

Of course, we think a subscription to Plastic Pitch would make a great Christmas gift. Or a way to say thanks to your coach or the volunteers in your soccer program.

Because we put the mag out in three ways; either by e-mail, or through Apple and Google apps, many of our expenses have to be paid out in US funds, even though we’re a Canadian mag. So, the plummeting dollar, well, it hurts. Really hurts. Basically, costs to do business have increased 25 per cent over the past two years.

If you haven’t discovered the mag yet, and want to read it before you buy, you can preview any of our seven issues for free in the apps. Each issue offers a free timed preview, which lets you browse the articles. Inside you’ll find how we were the first to report about the possibility of a Canadian Division 1A league (issue 2), our look at how real Canadian minutes played were on the decline in MLS (issue 1), plus our issue 5 dedicated to the fractured soccer relationship between Canada and the United States. Issue 6 was our Women’s World Cup review issue.

As well, from now till Christmas, you will be able to get our back issues (1-6) for just $1.99 each. You can take advantage of those offers through the apps.

PLASTIC PITCH SUBSCRIPTION DRIVE:

478 to go!

Former Philadelphia Union draft pick Jake Keegan leaves Ireland, signs with FC Edmonton

Jake Keegan

This past September, American striker Jake Keegan told the Irish Times that he was looking forward to extending his stay with Galway United, then looking to have a crack at returning to North American soccer.

“I’m happy to keep playing in Ireland but in the long term I’d very much like to play a few years in the MLS,” he was quoted in the paper (CLICK HERE).

But, two months later, Keegan has confirmed he’ll be playing in Canada in 2016 — with FC Edmonton of the NASL. The Eddies announced Keegan’s arrival Thursday, along with news that they had re-signed veteran fullback Eddie Edward.

So, why did Keegan sign the deal that brings him over to NASL?

“It looked like a club that looked like it was ready to take the next step in the league and push up the table,” Keegan said from his home in New York State, as he and his family prepared for Thanksgiving Day celebrations. “Speaking with Colin [FCE coach Colin Miller] I got that impression as well. I wanted to come over to the States, to Canada — close enough, I suppose. After playing in Ireland for a couple of years, I really wanted to establish myself, or try to establish myself, in the States. And I feel this a good opportunity to do that.

“I think I was leaning towards, if I got an offer here, to coming back to North America to play. When I got the offer, the decision was made at the point.”



Keegan scored 33 in 77 games for Galway United over the past two seasons, and was a supplemental draft pick of the Philadelphia Union back in 2013. In 2012, when he starred at Binghamton University, he was a first-team America East All-Conference selection.

At MLSsoccer.com, this is what the scouts had to say about Keegan back in 2013: (CLICK HERE) “He can score… Real livewire. Lot of energy … Buzzes around. Is a handful throgh his constant work rate and he’s taken his chances well. He’s done well on the college level. How he translates to the next level will be interesting

Miller said in an FCE release: ““He is a different type of player from what we currently have at the moment and I think he will be full of enthusiasm to play for us. What it does for him as a young American is put him in the shop window for maybe a different level of football if he can be a success for us. There is a lot for Jake to play for here.”

Keegan said he isn’t quite sure if the Union still holds his rights. It’s been two years since the team drafted him, and he never trained with the Union — so his understanding of the rule is that the Union no longer have a claim on his possible MLS future.

“The first thing is that if you sign for a club, you want to do well for that club,” Keegan said. “I’m not looking too far ahead at this point, but I’d be lying if I said the reason I came over wasn’t to hopefully play in MLS one day. That’s kind of been a goal of mine… You want players to do well for your club, but you don’t want players who are satisfied with what they are doing. You want players with high ambitions.”

Keegan hasn’t seen a lot of NASL games, but he’s been impressed by what the few he has taken in.

“The majority of games I have seen have been the Cosmos, just being from New York — sorry about that! But, I watched a few of the playoff games this year and it seems like the standard in the league is very high. It’s not a league you can just come into and expect to do well. It’s a league you have to adapt to. It might take a little bit of time to establish myself, but I’m very confident I can have success.

“It’s tough to say (how NASL compares to the Ireland’s top division). At the top of the Irish League, Dundalk and Shamrock Rovers and Pat’s (St. Patrick’s), the top four or five clubs are doing very good and, from what I’ve seen, could probably compete in the NASL. They’d do fairly well, though they might struggle with some of the bigger teams like the Cosmos. But Dundalk have a player there named Richie Towell and he’s wanted by everyone. He’s player of the year, best player in the league; he’s wanted by clubs in the Championship in England, he’s wanted by clubs in the U.S., clubs in Poland. There are drawbacks to the league in that the facilities aren’t always the best and there’s not as much money in the league as compared to the quality. In terms of the standard of play, it’s a very good level. It’s been a good experience for me in improving myself as a player.”

From what he’s seen, Keegan doesn’t see NASL soccer as being as direct or frenetically paced as the game in Ireland. There’s more lateral passing and build-up play in North America. But, despite the direct style that prevailed, he said that Galway didn’t have a true target man and liked to play the ball on the ground.

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Herdman hopes that the “mavericks” will make the Canadian women’s team more unpredictable

John Herdman

Through the Women’s World Cup, the scouting report on the Canadian national team was pretty consistent: Well organized, tough to break down, but offensively challenged.

Coach John Herdman wants to change that. He said that, ahead of the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament, he’s looking to bring in some young “mavericks.” In his words: “The mavericks is an exciting one… recruiting young players who play freely, risky football, they have technical competencies in certain positions. And they’re going to get their chance to bring it alive.”

They are players who like taking on defenders one-vs-one and, well, are a bit undpredictable.

Herdman feels he’ll need those x factors heading into qualifying for the 2016 Rio Games. The draw for the tournament was announced Monday, and Canada should be overjoyed by getting what, is at first glance, the soft-touch group. The Canadians will face Guatemala, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago in Group B action this February in Houston. Meanwhile, the United States gets Mexico, Costa Rica and Puerto Rico in its group.

But Herdman stuck to the mantra that the gaps in women’s football are continually closing, and he said the group-stage games will present their own unique challenges. If Canada was to play one of the bigger CONCACAF nations, it could expect a more free-flowing game. But, we can expect to see a lot of parked buses in the games against Guatemala, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago.

“They’ll try to minimize the space in and around the goal,” said Herdman. “Typically, they’re going to let you come to then and capitalize on their mistakes.”



He did note that T&T lost by only a goal each to the Americans and the Mexicans in the most-recent round of World Cup qualifying. And while he hasn’t seen much of the Guatemalans, but he knows from recent results that they’ve played Costa Rica awfully tough.

But, there’s an added piece of intrigue. Traditionally, if you’re not in the United States’ group, you want to win it so you can avoid the Americans in the semifinal. But this time around, the U.S. is in as close to what you could ever call to a Group of Death in an Olympic qualifying tourney.

“The U.S. might slip up in the group, so you might find them in the playoff matches,” said Herdman. Basically, Canada could win its group, and still have to face the Americans in the semis.

The semis are the most important games of the tournament. The winner of Group A faces the second-place team in Group B — and vice versa. The winner of the two semifinals qualify for the Olympics.

Canada’s mavericks will join some of the veterans at the Natal tournament in Brazil. Canada will face Mexico, Croatia and Brazil at the December tournament. The roster is listed below. It’s a mix of veterans and younger players who didn’t make the World Cup squad. But Herdman said the plan was always to bring youth through the 2015 Pan Am Games, and that the players all knew where they stood. He said there are no chips on the shoulders of players who didn’t make the WC roster.

“To be honest, I haven’t had that sort of conversation with any of the players. The players that didn’t make the World Cup were very clearly identified for the Pan American Games. And, for some players, we already recognized that they may have had a bit-part role in the World Cup but we wanted to make them fully available for the Pan American Games where they could play five games back-to-back against teams that just competed in the World Cup. So, as part of our planning, players like [striker] Janine Beckie, who you try to balance NCAA commitments as well as school and the time they have away. And there’s other younger players have been on our radar, they were used in the Pan Ams to show consistency in their performances, to give them an opportunity to be selected later in the year.”

CANADA

GK- Sabrina D’Angelo | USA / Sky Blue FC

GK- Stephanie Labbe | CAN / (training with FC Edmonton at the moment)

GK- Erin McLeod | USA / Houston Dash

CB- Shelina Zadorsky | SWE / Vittsjö GIK

FB- Allysha Chapman | USA / Houston Dash

FB- Kennedy Faulknor | CAN / Unionville Milliken SC

FB- Rhian Wilkinson | USA / Portland Thorns FC

M- Diana Matheson | USA / Washington Spirit

M- Deanne Rose | CAN / Scarborough GS United

M- Sophie Schmidt | GER / FFC Frankfurt

F- Gabrielle Carle | CAN / Dynamo de Quebec

F- Summer Clarke | USA / Louisiana State University

F- Marie Levasseur | USA / University of Memphis

F- Christine Sinclair | USA / Portland Thorns FC

F- Melissa Tancredi | USA / Chicago Red Stars

In addition, the following players currently competing in NCAA play may enter the camp and competition dependant on the results of their current season

Janine Beckie | USA / Texas Tech

Kadeisha Buchanan | USA / West Virginia U.

Ashley Lawrence | USA / West Virginia Univ.

Nichelle Prince | CAN / Toronto Lady Lynx

Rebecca Quinn | USA / Duke University

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After “disheartening” 2015 season, FCE captain Watson says things have to change next year

PHOTO: TONY LEWIS/FC EDMONTON

At the end of the NASL season, Albert Watson had a lot to think about. His wife and him were expecting a child. After spending three years with FC Edmonton, he was a free agent. And he was frustrated that the team had yet to make a playoff breakthrough in that time.

And he admitted that it hurt to watch the Ottawa Fury, a team that FC Edmonton had knocked out of the Amway Canadian Championship each of the past two years, go on a run that took it all the way to NASL final.

So, he wondered if his time in Edmonton was done, if he should take a new challenge. But, after weeks of reflection, he made his decision: He will remain with FCE. The team announced Thursday that Watson signed a new deal.

“Last year, I said in several interviews that I wanted to get into the playoffs,” said the Eddies captain. “And it didn’t happen for us this year. I was a bit disheartened, like I think everyone around the team was this year. Part of me felt that maybe it was time to move on, to take on a new challenge. I really thought hard about it.

“Because, in the three years, we really haven’t done anything. You can’t say that you’ve done anything until you get into the fight for the cup.”



Watson is an analytical person; he replayed the games over and over his mind. With the Eddies finishing two wins out of a playoff spot, he lingered on two home games — fall-season losses to Atlanta and Fort Lauderdale at Clarke Field. But he also thought about the team’s injury crises, the games lost to international duty, and how easily the team could have found those handful of points needed.

“And I thought to myself, I want to go to the championship with Edmonton. It was Edmonton that gave me such an opportunity, it was Colin (coach Colin Miller) who brought me in as the captain, it was the owners here who gave me a chance.”

So, he thinks a lot of things have to change around the club next season. He believes that all facets of the club, from the players to the promotions people to the ticket sellers, have to be more unified. He believes that the team itself has to “be a bit more cutthroat.” There has to be ruthlessness on the field. The Eddies have to re-establish that Clarke Field is a miserable road trip for everyone else in NASL to take. Two seasons ago, the Eddies lost just one home game in the fall season; the team needs to to return to that level of dominance.

And their Northern Irish captain will have the disappointment of 2015 fuelling himself for the 2016 campaign.

 

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The 500 club: The Plastic Pitch subscription drive

When  the Plastic Pitch Kickstarter campaign was launched in late 2013, the goal was to secure funding for at least a year’s worth of issues. Now, based on our quarterly schedule, we are working on issue 8, to be releasd in January 2016. That’s two full years worth of work. We’ve featured work from some of the top soccer writers in North America, and featured stories about Canadians playing here and abroad.

But, it isn’t easy. And expenses continue to pile up. I’ve crunched the numbers and it’s simple. To make this work, Plastic Pitch needs 500 new subscribers by the end of the year. Well, maybe “new” isn’t quite accurate — as renewals would be counted towards to this number.

Subscriptions costs just $15 Canadian — that’s four issues of what this editors feels is some of the best Canadian soccer content you’ll find. Long-form stories, insightful analysis and advocacy for the improvement of the Canadian game. Put it in perspective, $15 is less than the cost of one craft cocktail.

There are a number ways to subscribe; either through the Apple or Google apps, through our Shopify store (CLICK HERE) or directly via PayPal (teamworkpress@rogers.com is the payment address). If you subscribe through Shopify or PayPal, please specify if you want to have issues e-mailed directly to you. But, one word of caution: It is MUCH easier for us to refund your money (if we don’t hit target) if you go through Shopify or PayPal.

Of course, we think a subscription to Plastic Pitch would make a great Christmas gift. Or a way to say thanks to your coach or the volunteers in your soccer program.

Because we put the mag out in three ways; either by e-mail, or through Apple and Google apps, many of our expenses have to be paid out in US funds, even though we’re a Canadian mag. So, the plummeting dollar, well, it hurts. Really hurts. Basically, costs to do business have increased 25 per cent over the past two years.

If you haven’t discovered the mag yet, and want to read it before you buy, you can preview any of our seven issues for free in the apps. Each issue offers a free timed preview, which lets you browse the articles. Inside you’ll find how we were the first to report about the possibility of a Canadian Division 1A league (issue 2), our look at how real Canadian minutes played were on the decline in MLS (issue 1), plus our issue 5 dedicated to the fractured soccer relationship between Canada and the United States. Issue 6 was our Women’s World Cup review issue.

As well, from now till Christmas, you will be able to get our back issues (1-6) for just $1.99 each. You can take advantage of those offers through the apps.

PLASTIC PITCH SUBSCRIPTION DRIVE:

484 to go!

They are who we (shoulda) thought they were: A draw in El Salvador a decent result for Canada

El Salvador’s Ibsen Castro tries to chase down Canada’s Marcel de Jong. PHOTO: CANADA SOCCER

So, is the sky falling, or is it a dream start?

Judging by Twitter after Canada laboured to a 0-0 draw in El Salvador Tuesday, the jury is split. With the result, Canada now has four points after two games in CONCACAF’s Group A. The Canadians are in second place — three points up on El Salvador and four up on Honduras. Finish in the top two, and Canada is off to the Hex — and the dream to qualify for Russia 2018 is still very much alive.

But, then, why are so many of us so despondent after getting a point in Central America on a field so choppy, it made pastures seem like Bundesliga-level playing surfaces? Is it because we assumed that El Salvador’s “B” team would be little better than a PDL side?

The El Salvadoran side was, well, supposedly devastated by a dispute between its top players and the football federation. Neither side caved, so a new crew of recruits was brought in just in time for the opening Group A matches. But, make no mistake, it’s not like the players the federation brought in were rubes. We saw right-winger Dustin Corea shine as the best player on the pitch for the hour he was on; twice, he forced Canadian keeper Milan Borjan into very good, diving stops. Since signing with FC Edmonton in between the NASL spring and fall seasons, Corea has been a regular starter, a left-footed right winger who loves to shift inside and use his shot.



The El Salvadorans also left off Junior Burgos. That showed that this team does have some depth. Burgos isn’t the same guy you might remember playing for an instant at Toronto FC; he’s developed into one of the NASL’s best midfielders. If there were other players keeping him on the sidelines, it’s a sign that, yes, there is quality in that El Salvadoran side.

Yes, I’ve used a couple of NASL examples. It’s a good league, though. And it deserves some respect.

For the sky-is-falling crowd, do you remember where our program was back in 2012, how the Canadian team was picking ball after ball out of its own net in that 8-1 loss to Honduras? We’ve gone from that, to being ballsy about beating El Salvador in such short time? The El Salvadoran players deserve a little more respect than that. Going into Central America and getting any kind of result is difficult. A point is a decent return. Sure, we can beat our breasts about Cyle Larin hitting the bar and missing the net on another good chance — but four points after two games is a healthy return, even with two matches against Mexico looming.

Did we think El Salvador would roll over because it lost 3-0 to Mexico in the Azteca on Friday? Well, guess what — know who else could lose 3-0 to Mexico at the Azteca? Everyone else in CONCACAF. Even if the United States went down there and got beat by three goals, we might be surprised, but not shocked. It’s one of the hardest places in the world for a road team to get a result. It’s impossible to handicap any national team by how it performs in Mexico City — other than El Tri.

I get that many of you are scared that by “only” getting a draw in El Salvador, Canada will need to get a result in Honduras later in the round. That’s because we’ve already assumed that Canada will lose both home and away to Mexico and that El Salvador will lose home and away to Honduras; results which would put the Hondurans on six points after everyone in the group has played four games.

So, tell me, what did you see in Honduras’s and El Salvador’s games on Friday and Tuesday that would make you think Honduras is in any way a clear favourite when the two sides play each other? From what I saw in BC Place Friday, and on the beIN Sports feed Tuesday, El Salvador is a quicker team, holds the ball better, and is a bit tougher in the tackle, too. If anything, El Salvador looks the team more likely to take the lion’s share of the points when it faces Honduras twice. And, if that’s the case, then Canada will simply need to handle the business against El Salvador — in Canada — as the group stage winds down.

It’s like we haven’t learned anything from the drama we’ve watched unfold over the last few months. We have seen the likes of Netherlands, Serbia and Greece crash out of Euro 2016 qualifying. Meanwhile, the likes of Northern Ireland, Wales, Iceland and Hungary (although this is a Canadian soccer site, you had to know I was gonna sneak that Hungary mention in somewhere) are going to be playing meaningful games next summer.

The takeaway: Never take a result for granted. And, honestly, it’s bizarre to see just how many long-time Canadian soccer supporters all of a sudden felt like we could kick around a Central American opponent on a terrible Central American pitch.

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