Steven Sandor's Blog, page 89

Eddies vs. Fury: This weekend’s can’t-miss match

Ottawa defender Rafael Alves tackles Edmonton striker Tomi Ameobi from a game earlier this season. PHOTO: FC EDMONTON/ROBERT MURRAY

The Eddies are riding a three-game winning streak. The Ottawa Fury sit atop the NASL fall table. The Eddies have beat (in the Amway Canadian Championship) and drawn (in NASL action) the Fury in their previous two visits to the nation’s capital in 2015.

When they meet again Sunday, the stakes will be very high. The Eddies are in a dogfight for the fourth and final playoff spot in the league — a spot which they currently hold on goal difference over the Tampa Bay Rowdies. The Fury are looking to finish with the best overall record in the league, which means home-field advantage throughout the post-season.

Two Canadian teams in the top sector of the league standings. Facing each other, with so much on the line. Pinch us.

“For sure, Ottawa’s form has been fantastic, I take nothing away from them,” said Eddies coach Colin Miller after Friday’s training session. “But we are also playing very well at the moment. And the travelling squad we’re bringing, it’s the strongest squad that we’re capable of putting out.”

Miller says the squad is healthy, with only midfielder Cristian Raudales missing out because of yellow-card accumulation.



Daryl Fordyce, who has scored in each of Edmonton’s last two wins, says that the Eddies won’t be intimidated by Ottawa’s perch atop the standings. The Eddies are in the midst of what could be interpreted as a brutal three-game stretch: Cosmos at home, Ottawa away, then Cosmos away. But the Eddies beat the Cosmos in the first game of the three — albeit against a rotated Cosmos side — and FCE has had a funny habit of playing its best soccer against the top teams.

Fordyce said there’s no reason to fear the Fury.

“Beating New York last week, that just gave us more belief. And we know that if we are going to make the playoffs, we’re going to have to beat the likes of Ottawa, Minnesota and New York. If you want to win a championship, you have to beat the best teams.”

The Eddies’ playoff hopes have been boosted by recent poor runs of form from their rivals for the fourth spot — the Fort Lauderdale Strikers and Tampa Bay Rowdies. But Fordyce said it’s too early to scoreboard-watch.

“It really doesn’t matter yet. If we don’t do our jobs, what’s the point?”

Miller said he believes that there will be many more twists and turns before the season ends in early November.

“Those results [Tampa Bay’s recent loss to Jacksonville and draw with Indy] show just how tight the NASL is. Anyone can go out and take points away from you. And I am sure there will be more surprises; I can see that some of the top clubs could drop points.”

The Eddies knocked Ottawa out of the Canadian Championship in the spring. And, after the lopsided two-legged series, Fury coach Marc Dos Santos brought his team together. They went over everything they were doing wrong. They discussed their defensive shape. And, it was after that defeat that the Renaissance in Ottawa truly began. MDS allows that the loss to Edmonton was the catalyst to their season.

And the rivalry between the two teams is rather, well, unique. When you see the staffs meeting before the two teams play, there are lots of handshakes and warm smiles. The coaches know each other well. And, both Dos Santos and Miller have said it would be their “dream Soccer Bowl” if the NASL final was an Eddies vs. Fury tilt. Truth is, both sets of fans pull for both the Eddies and the Fury when they’re not playing each other. The fans mirror their coaches; they’d love to see two of the four post-season spots taken by Canadian clubs, and then to see them fight it out in the end. In that way, it is a rivalry that’s much different than say, Strikers vs. Rowdies or Cosmos vs. the Rest of NASL.

PLASTIC PITCH. ISSUE 7 OUT THIS WEEK! THE BEST IN CANADIAN SOCCER JOURNALISM…

Squirt-level defensive errors cost Canada in Olympic qualifying opener

Michael Petrasso (13) in action for Canada.

For long stretches of their Olympic qualifying opener in Kansas City, Canada’s U-23s showed they could go toe-to-toe with the United States’ U-23s.

But, the Canadians were undone by brutal mistakes that would make a U-12 house league coach angry, let alone a manager at the U-23 level. Jordan Morris was the beneficiary of the defensive lapses, scoring the brace as the Americans won 3-1.

First off, the Canadians were absolutely asleep off the opening kickoff. The Americans took the ball right after the opening whistle and, 36 seconds later, Morris headed the ball into the net off about as basic an attack as a team can muster. The ball went up the right wing and American Jerome Kiesewetter must have been as surprised as anyone to find himself in acres of space. He made the cross and found Morris, whose run wasn’t picked up by the Canadians.

Before 40 seconds had expired, the Canadian hopes of hanging in with the host Americans went out the window; all because a group of players started the game like a group of deer caught in headlights. It’s impossible to fault one player on the Americans’ opening goal; you have to fault all 10 men in red on the field.



That wasn’t the case on the second goal. For 72 minutes, the Canadians had done OK, despite that opening goal. The Canadians had created a couple of decent chances to get that equalizer. Caleb Clarke pounced on a giveaway and created a decent chance inside the American penalty area; Chris Mannella had a curling shot stopped by American keeper Zackary Steffen.

But, then any of that momentum (if we can call it that) was halted in the 73rd minute thanks to a giveaway from Samuel Piette, one of the most experienced players on the U-23 squad. At half, he gave the ball away despite having plenty of space and time. One pass later, a long ball sprung Morris past the Canadian back line and he beat keeper Maxime Crepeau.

Canada would get a goal just past the 80th minute to make it interesting; Michael Petrasso cleverly flicked a corner kick into the net with his back to goal. It would be the kind of sly finish that would buoy Canadian supporters, if only our team wasn’t trying it’s damnedest to shoot itself in the foot.

The comedy of Canadian errors came to a climax late in the match, when Jeremy Gagnon-Lapare made an awfully lazy attempt at a challenge on Kiesewetter in the box, and got nowhere close to the ball. Luis Gil scored on the ensuing penalty.

The lapses in concentration — and it has to be said, from some of the more experienced players in the squad — will hopefully become teachable moments for coach Benito Floro. For sure, the video room will be a house of horrors.

Hoilett finally commits to Canada: But can he be the player he once was?

Junior Hoilett

The wait is finally over. Junior Hoilett will play for Canada, ending a will-he-or-won’t-he saga that has lasted more than five years.

Stephen Hart, Colin Miller and, now, current national-team coach Benito Floro had to get used to dealing with regular “so what about Hoilett?” calls during their media availabilities. Now, with confirmation that the Brampton, Ont. native has finally made the commitment to wear the red jersey — at least for the upcoming friendly against Ghana — the Canadian Soccer Association treated the news as if the national team was a club side that had just made a major signing. The Canada Soccer account teased it on Twitter, with a video of Hoilett in a Canada jersey, face blurred. And then Canada Soccer’s PR department actually scheduled the big announcement. You have to understand, we’re used to the it-comes-when-it-comes method when it comes to releasing Canadians rosters for friendlies. Scheduling a big announcement almost doesn’t feel, well, Canadian.

But, before we immediately slot Hoilett into the starting XI, some sober second thought. Right now, he’d be yet another Canadian player who might actually be seeing more minutes playing for the national team than he does for his club side. This has been a pattern for Canadian players — they get called in to the national team, even though they sit on benches or play on reserve squads.

Hoilett has played exactly zero minutes for Queens Park Rangers in the Championship this season. Zero. In QPR’s last nine league games, he was on the bench as an unused sub for five of them, and he was not even in the squad for the other four. He’s made two appearances this year — for a total of 87 minutes — in the League Cup.



For a player who has nearly 100 appearances for QPR under his belt, and then nearly 100 appearances for Blackburn Rovers before that, the inaction is troubling. But, this might be a case where a few decent performances for Canada may help his position at the club, or create a market for the player.

There’s no doubt that, in the past, Hoilett has been a key part of the Blackburn and QPR squads in which he’s been involved. In 2014, he provided the assist on Bobby Zamora’s goal which gave QPR a win over Derby County in the Championship playoff, which sent Rangers back to the Premiership.

Last season, he played in 22 Premiership matches for QPR, 13 of them as a sub. He didn’t score, and he got credit for one assist, in a March 4, 2015 match against Arsenal.In 2012-13, for QPR,  he had four goals and five assists in Championship play. In 2011-12, his final year for Blackburn, he played in 34 Premier League matches, scored seven times and assisted on six other goals. So, there’s clearly a pattern of diminishing returns.

If Canada could get that Junior Hoilett, that player of 2011-12, it would be a major boost to the program. But, can Hoilett turn back the clock on his career? He needs to. Canada needs him to.

PLASTIC PITCH. ISSUE 7 OUT THIS WEEK! THE BEST IN CANADIAN SOCCER JOURNALISM…

Quintessentially Canadian Power Rankings, MLS Week 30/NASL Week 24

Cyle Larin

Cyle Larin went into this weekend’s action knowing he just needed one goal to set the MLS rookie-scoring record.

He got a hat trick.

With three goals against the New York Red Bulls Friday, Larin helped Orlando City to a 5-2 win. And, he now has 14 goals on the season, a new standard for MLS rookies.

Larin currents fifth on our table of minutes played by Canadians who participate (or have participated) in MLS or NASL this season. Out of MLS players, he ranks second in minutes played, behind only Toronto FC’s Jonathan Osorio.

But there’s one other major Canadian takeaway from this past week: And that’s the proof that opportunities for Canadian players to get first-team minutes with the Montreal Impact have dramatically increased since Mauro Biello took over as the interim head coach. Biello took over at the end of August, and the door has since been reopened for Patrice Bernier, who had been frozen out of the team by previous coach Frank Klopas. Kyle Bekker is getting minutes. So is Wandrille Lefevre.

In the last week, Montreal’s minutes-played-by-Canadians-per-game average has risen dramatically. This late in the season, with so many games already played, the averages aren’t moving up and down all that much. But the Impact’s Canadian-minutes-played average rose by 4.1 per game over the past week. That’s a significant shift. And it’s proof that Biello, who has yet to lose since he took over as the Impact’s coach, is more open to playing Canadian talent.

Here are the rankings:



MLS AND NASL MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS (MLS AFTER 30 WEEKS, NASL AFTER 24 WEEKS):

1. Jonathan Osorio, TFC, MLS, 1969 (26)

2. Kyle Porter, ATL, NASL, 1961 (24)

3. Eddie Edward, FCE, NASL, 1901 (22)

4. Mason Trafford, OTT, NASL, 1800 (20)

5. Cyle Larin, ORL, MLS, 1644 (24)

6. Mallan Roberts, FCE, NASL, 1620 (18)

7. Nana Attakora, SAS, NASL, 1601 (18)

8. Carl Haworth, OTT, NASL, 1530 (21)

9. Ashtone Morgan, TFC, MLS, 1464 (18)

10. Tesho Akindele, FCD, MLS 1315 (24)

11. Mauro Eustaquio, OTT, NASL, 1282 (17)

12. Adrian Cann, SAS, NASL, 1264 (15)

13. Allan Zebie, FCE, NASL, 1192 (16)

14. Russell Teibert, VAN, MLS, 1069 (19)

15. Will Johnson, POR, MLS 1046 (12)

16. Wandrille Lefevre, MTL, MLS, 900 (10)

17. Julian de Guzman, OTT, NASL, 895 (11)

18. Dominic Oppong, ATL, NASL, 846 (13)

19. Marcel de Jong, SKC, MLS, 822 (12)

20. Karl Ouimette, NYRB, MLS, 698 (10)

21. Frank Jonke, FCE, NASL, 647 (14)

22. Sam Adekugbe, VAN, MLS, 646 (9)

23. Michael Nonni, FCE, NASL, 587 (12)

24. Maxim Tissot, MTL, MLS 516 (10)

25. Sadi Jalali, FCE, NASL, 513 (8)

26. Kyle Bekker, FCD/MTL, MLS, 478 (11)

27. Patrice Bernier, MTL, MLS 452 (15)

28. Drew Beckie, OTT, NASL, 445 (11)

29. John Smits, FCE, NASL, 315 (4)

30. Hanson Boakai, FCE, NASL, 309 (11)

31. Kianz Froese, VAN, MLS, 208 (9)

32. Jay Chapman, TFC, MLS, 202 (10)

33. Patryk Misik, OTT, NASL, 166 (5)

34. Anthony Jackson-Hamel, MTL, MLS 156 (8)

35. Philippe Davies, OTT, NASL, 104 (5-RETIRED)

36. Tyson Farago, FCE, NASL, 90 (1)

37. Jeremy Gagnon-Lapare, MTL, MLS, 18 (2)

T38. Jordan Hamilton, TFC, MLS, 13 (2)

T38. Bruno Zebie, FCE, NASL 13 (1)

MLS AND NASL MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIAN MAYBES — PLAYERS WHO COULD BE ELIGIBLE FOR CANADA, BUT ARE ELIGIBLE FOR OTHER NATIONS AND HAVE NOT COMMITTED TO CANADA (MLS AFTER 30 WEEKS, NASL AFTER 24 WEEKS):

1. Ethan Finlay, CLB 2547 (31)

2. Steven Vitoria, PHI 1440 (16)

TEAM RANKINGS, MINUTES PLAYED BY CANADIANS IN 2015 (INCLUDES BOTH SUREFIRES and MAYBES); RANKED BY AVERAGE MINUTES PER GAME:

FC Edmonton, NASL, 7207/25 GP (288.3) (-0.7)

Ottawa, NASL, 6232/25 GP (249.3) (-2.1)

Toronto FC, MLS, 3648/30 GP (121.6) (-0.9)

San Antonio, NASL 2765/24 GP (115.2) (+2.8)

Atlanta, NASL, 2807/25 GP (112.3) (-0.9)

Columbus, MLS, 2547/31 GP (82.2) (-0.5)

Montreal, MLS, 2207/28 GP (78.8) (+4.1)

Vancouver, MLS, 1923/30 GP (64.1) (-2.2)

FC Dallas, MLS, 1629/29 GP (56.2) (+0.8)

Orlando City, MLS, 1644/31 GP (53) (+0.7)

Philadelphia, MLS, 1449/31 GP (46.5) (+1.5)

Portland, MLS, 1046/30 GP (34.9) (-1.2)

Sporting Kansas City, MLS, 822/30 GP (27.4) (NC)

New York Red Bulls, MLS 698/29 GP (24.1) (-0.8)

PLASTIC PITCH. ISSUE 7 OUT THIS WEEK! THE BEST IN CANADIAN SOCCER JOURNALISM…

Cosmos rotate the squad, Eddies soar into fourth spot

FCE’s Dustin Corea attempts a shot on goal against the New York Cosmos. PHOTO: TONY LEWIS/FC EDMONTON

The New York Cosmos rotated the squad. FC Edmonton got the three points.

With a 2-1 win over the Cosmos Sunday at Clarke Field, the Eddies leapfrogged the Tampa Bay Rowdies and Fort Lauderdale in the overall standings. The Eddies now have possession of fourth spot, with five games left to go in the season. That fourth spot will represent the league’s final playoff position.

But there will surely be talk about how the Cosmos approached this game. After losing a midweek match to the Ottawa Fury, the Cosmos decided to leave several players at home rather than make the long road trip to Edmonton. Star attacker Raul, captain Carlos Mendes, fullback Ayoze and number-one keeper Jimmy Maurer were left behind. The Cosmos confirmed all those players were simply being rested.

With the Cosmos already assured of a post-season spot because it won the spring-season title, the club prioritized resting players over putting out the best XI available. And that decision will be magnified because it influenced a game that was vital not only to the Eddies, but the other teams involved in the dogfight for fourth.

Basically, the Cosmos found another way to put one over on the Rowdies and the Strikers.



But, early in the game, one of the Cosmos understudies made a major imprecation. Cosmos keeper Kyle Zobeck — in for Maurer —made a huge save. Pablo Cruz laid a perfect cross for Eddies striker Daryl Fordyce, whose headed effort was marked for the top corner. But Zobeck leaped and got his fingertips to it.

“I thought that it was going in,” Fordyce said.

But, with a stiff wind at their backs, the Eddies finally made a breakthrough late in the first half. Lance Laing got the ball on the left wing, cut inside, and then tried to play a pass to teammate Cristian Raudales. Cosmos defender Jimmy Mulligan blocked the pass, but the ball came right back to Laing who, all of a sudden, was clear in on goal. He slammed a shot into the bottom corner to give the Eddies the lead in front of announced crowd of 4,240.

Two minutes after Laing scored, Fordyce doubled the Eddies’ lead. The Cosmos were pressing deep in FCE’s end, but fullback Allan Zebie cushioned a fantastic pass to midfielder Dustin Corea. Then, Corea picked up his head so he could locate Fordyce, then made a defence splitting pass that was timed perfectly in concert with the striker’s run. Fordyce went in on goal, and slotted the ball past Zobeck.

At halftime, Cosmos coach Giovanni Zavarese said that a pair of “distractions” had cost his team two goals.

“Lance had the chance and he punished them,” said Fordyce “And then Corea makes the pass to me and I punished them. That was the difference in the game.”

The Eddies started the second half off well, with Corea lashing a shot at Zobeck. But, then, the Eddies made a series of unforced errors that basically gift-wrapped a goal for the visitors. Coach Colin Miller said the team “made a catalogue of mistakes” that led to a penalty.

First off, a free kick was played backward, then Zebie tried to play the ball back to keeper Matt Van Oekel. His pass was well off the mark, and so the Eddies surrendered a cheap corner. Off the corner, the ball came to Cosmos midfielder Danny Szetela, whose attempt was blocked by the arm of FCE defender Albert Watson. So, a penalty was awarded, and Marcos Senna converted it.

And while the Eddies had to defend deep late in the game, they held on. A few hearts leapt into throats when a long drive from Senna went through VanOekel’s hands, through his legs, but then sat near goal line. The keeper recovered and picked up the ball.

And, sub Ritchie Jones had a late chance cleared off the line. After a smart cutback from Sainey Nyassi, Jones had Zobeck beat, but the ball came off a Cosmos defender.

“I’m very proud of the guys effort,” said Miller. “We deserved the three points today.”

And he said that, no matter who the Cosmos put on the field, that New York has a very deep squad – that anyone wearing that white New York Cosmos jersey will be a quality player. And he noted that it marked the first time the Eddies had beaten the Cosmos.

Now, with just one home game left — and four on the road — the challenge for the Eddies will be holding onto that playoff spot. And Miller said he expects next weekend’s match — against the fall-season leading Ottawa Fury — to be something special.

PLASTIC PITCH. ISSUE 7 OUT THIS WEEK! THE BEST IN CANADIAN SOCCER JOURNALISM…

Cosmos date marks the beginning of vital three-game stretch for FC Edmonton

Eddie Edward

You’d have to excuse FC Edmonton coach Colin Miller if he pinched himself after FC Edmonton’s training session on Friday.

Miller had 20 healthy outfield players and three healthy keepers on the pitch. The only notable absence was midfielder Hanson Boakai, who is away with the Canadian team looking to qualify for the 2016 Olympics.

For a team that’s been ravaged by injuries and depleted by international call-ups throughout the NASL season, having close to a full complement of players on hand is well, almost a luxury.

And it couldn’t come at a better time. The Eddies host the spring-season champion and overall NASL leaders New York Cosmos Sunday. The team said that there are only about 200 or so tickets left for that match. Then, the Eddies go on the road to face the fall-season leaders Ottawa Fury and then the Cosmos, again. With the Eddies just two points out of the NASL’s final post-season spot, this three-game swing could very well be the defining stretch of their season.

“There are nine points out there, and I have a number in my head of the number of points I think we have to get,” said Miller.

But he knows the Cosmos will be coming into Edmonton not in the best of moods. The Cosmos were beaten 4-1 by Ottawa in a mid-week match-up.

“They poked the bear for us,” Miller said. “And the funny thing is I thought the Cosmos were the better team for much of that game. Ottawa’s keeper [Romuald Peiser] stood on his head for them.



“We know that the Cosmos are very good team and it’s a very good organization. But we also know that if we perform to a man like we did last weekend, that we can get results against anybody in this league.”

Edmonton went on the road and beat the Indy Eleven 2-0 last Saturday — an effort which saw the Eddies play one of their most complete games, front to back, of the season. The Eddies will need another no-man-left-uncounted effort Sunday, as the Cosmos can beat you in many ways. Sure, the tickets are selling because La Liga legends Raul and Marcos Senna will be at Clarke Field. But they’re not the only weapons.

“I mean, what can Colin Miller ever say about Senna and Raul, with the careers they’ve had?” said the coach. “But, if you focus too much them, they’re not the only guys who can beat you. They have a lot of players.”

Miller said that striker Lucky Mkosana “has been a different player” ever since he joined the Cosmos; and that left back, Ayoze, is a constant threat.

And, it will be almost surreal to see Raul on Clarke Field’s turf. Let’s face it; Clarke is a city facility that has temporary stands to make it close to NASL standards. To see Raul play in such an intimate venue, in a place where you also can see the 12-year-olds play league games.

But fullback Eddie Edward, who has played in the midfield over the last couple of games, says he won’t be distracted.

“It’s just another game. It’s a cliché, but we will take it one game at a time, one half at a time.

“Right now, I think we’re playing some of our best football since I’ve been here.”

PLASTIC PITCH. ISSUE 7 OUT THIS WEEK! THE BEST IN CANADIAN SOCCER JOURNALISM…

CSA President Montagliani “pleasantly surprised” by FIFA reform discussions

When Canadian Soccer Association President Victor Montagliani was tabbed to a part of FIFA’s 13-member reform committee, he was skeptical.

“I had some reservations in terms of whether FIFA was really serious about change,” he said Tuesday.

But Montagliani said he’s been “pleasantly surprised” by the process, so far.

FIFA instigated a reform process in the wake of a series of arrests of top-ranking officials on fraud and racketeering charges. The Swiss-American investigation is still ongoing. Allegations swirl around vote-fixing and vote-buying schemes over the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. And FIFA General Secretary Jerome Valcke has been suspended over allegations over his role in a ticketing scandal.

In May, the Canadian Soccer Association decided not to back FIFA President Sepp Blatter in the organization’s election, putting its vote behind challenger Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein (CLICK HERE), who pulled out of the race after the first round of voting.

But, soon afterward, Blatter announced he would step down and that a reform process would be initiated. The reform committee is headed by Switzerland’s Francois Carrard, who was the director general of the International Olympic Committee from 1989-2003.



Montagliani is one of the 12 other members of the committee.

So far, they’ve had one meeting to discuss reform proposals, and will meet again Oct. 16 in Switzerland. Montagliani said he’s expecting that the group will meet two or three more times before coming up with a draft of reform proposals that will go to all 209 member federations.

The proposals will be part of the agenda for the Feb. 26, 2016 FIFA Congress; which is also the day Blatter’s successor is scheduled to be elected.

But, by FIFA rules, the 209 member associations need 60 days to mull over the documents. So Montagliani said that the reform proposals will need to be in the associations’ hands by Christmas. That gives the reform committee a very tight timeline in which to work.

Montagliani said that the committee has a good balance of “football people” and “independents,” and they have been working well together. But he can’t get into the specifics of what’s being discussed at the reform committee level.

“I think we have found a balance. In football, success is all about finding balance, whether its on the field or off the field.”

ISSUE 7 IS NOW OUT! READ ABOUT ETHAN GAGE’S VOYAGE FROM VANCOUVER TO READING TO SCANDINAVIA…

CSA president doesn’t believe brewing NASL-MLS Division-1 battle would spill into Canada

CSA President Victor Montagliani with Canadian women’s national team defender Emily Zurrer at a jersey unveiling event earlier this year.

If the North American Soccer League and Major League Soccer are to be on opposite ends of a battle in the U.S. courts, the Canadian Soccer Association doesn’t want any part of it.

CSA President Victor Montagliani said that the rattling of sabres hasn’t been heard across the border.

“It’s not really a major issue here,” said Montagliani, referring to the NASL’s push for Division-1 status in the United States.

Jeffrey Kessler, who helped Tom Brady (at least for now) beat the NFL’s Deflategate rap, is representing the NASL as it bids for Div.-1 status south of the border. In both Canada and the United States, Major League Soccer is recognized as Division-1, while NASL is Division-2.

A letter from Kessler has been made public, in which he claims the United States Soccer Federation and MLS are in violation of antitrust laws; the case is rooted in the USSF’s plan to change the criteria needed for a league to qualify as Division-1, including stadium sizes, sizes of markets and number of teams in a league.

For Canada, which has just three teams in MLS and only two in NASL, the arguments simply don’t carry the same kind of threat. And Montagliani confirmed that NASL has made no similar Div.-1 arguments to the CSA. In fact, he said NASL hasn’t broached the Division-1 topic with the CSA at all.

“It’s an American thing,” he said. “There has been no approach to us from the NASL in that capacity. And, it’s not really a major issue here.”



Why do Canadians see this as a uniquely American fight? Because FC Edmonton and the Ottawa Fury, the two Canadian NASL teams, get the chances to play in the Amway Canadian Championship — which is Canada’s officially recognized soccer title — against the three Canadian MLS sides. And, because there are no plans to limit that competition, everyone has been given a legitimate shot at the Canadian title.

“They compete in the Amway, and that’s a competition we’d like to see expand in the future, to possibly include some of the semi-pro teams,” said Montagliani

If a rumoured Canadian pro league comes to fruition, the CSA may have some sanctioning issues to discuss, but Montagliani said that it still won’t change some key things: That MLS and NASL teams based north of the border will continue to have the chances to play in the Canadian Championship; and that MLS and NASL are both closed leagues — as in, no promotion or relegation. And, he made it clear that, without promotion or relegation, the Div-1 vs. Div-2 arguments don’t necessarily carry all that much weight. In his eyes, both leagues can simply go about their business and not worry about who calls itself 1 or 2.

The potential rise of a Canadian league could change things a little for the Canadian teams in MLS and NASL, but not in any way that would restrict the way they currently do business or their ability to play for the Voyageurs Cup, said Montagliani.

“I think at some point, we’re going to possibly have to look at having more control over the situation. We’re hopeful that will come with a Canadian league or Canadian division. And if that happens we may look at the designations of teams competing in closed leagues like MLS.”

But, again, Montagliani stressed that, with NASL and MLS being closed leagues, these division designations don’t mean a heck of a lot. As long as the Canadian teams have opportunities to play for Canadian trophies, the CSA doesn’t feel anyone can say it’s acted prejudicially against one league or the other.

ISSUE 7 IS NOW OUT! THE WHITECAPS “FINALLY” WIN THE VOYAGEURS CUP!

PLASTIC PITCH 7: Our latest issue is out now. MLS. NASL. Ethan Gage. Diana Matheson. Chris Pozniak.

The new issue, out today, features a vintage shot from the World Cup qualifier which saw Canada qualify for the 1986 World Cup.

And what can you find inside the issue?

• A look at former Canadian U-20 player of the year Ethan Gage, now rebuilding his career in Norway. He talks about the pressures of going to Reading, and how he wasn’t ready for the challenge.

• Diana Matheson talks about her return to the NWSL after a series of injuries, and find out why she’s the hot topic of a retirement home’s newsletters…

• Marc Dos Santos talks about the Fury’s drive for an NASL title and his feelings on a possible Canadian pro league.

• FC Edmonton’s Allan Zebie emerges as one of Canada’s best fullbacks



• Frederico Moojen hopes to further the soccer careers of young Quebec players, and he’s still a big-time scorer in the pro indoor-soccer ranks.

• Chris Pozniak talks about being thrust into the role as head coach at K-W United, then leading the team to the PDL title.

• What is stronger in the end: TFC’s propensity for giving up goals, or Sebastian Giovinco‘s propensity for scoring them?

• Mauro Biello talks about how he doesn’t want to be the “interim” coach of the Montreal Impact

• The Whitecaps exorcise years and years worth of demons with a Voyageurs Cup triumph.

How to get Plastic Pitch? To get issue 7, or any of the previous back issues, download the free app via GOOGLE PLAY or APPLE. Each issue is available for a 30-minute free trial, so feel free to browse before you buy. Or, head to our SHOPIFY STORE, and you can order a version that will be sent directly to your desktop. We understand there are readers who prefer to read on a bigger screen — and we can accommodate that!

Quintessentially Canadian Power Rankings, MLS Week 29/NASL Week 23

Jonathan Osorio

Toronto FC’s Jonathan Osorio — thanks to starting two games this week — has taken back the lead in our ranking of minutes played by Canadians on either MLS or NASL teams.

Osorio, Atlanta Silverback Kyle Porter and FC Edmonton’s Eddie Edward have broken away from the pack and look like strong bets to finish the season as the top three minute-getters, barring injuries or coach’s decisions to rotate squads.

Notable this week: First off, Kyle Bekker’s goal for the Montreal Impact this week. Bekker was the unfortunate target of plenty of Canadian-soccer-fan vitriol, because he was selected to coach Benito Floro’s roster for the recent World Cup qualifiers against Belize. Osorio was left off. It was the coach’s decision, and the coach should have taken the heat. But Bekker also got a lot of heat on social media and message boards and that’s unfortunate, because he wasn’t the one who picked himself to the team. So, great to see him score a goal and make his first real mark in MLS since he was traded by FC Dallas to Montreal.

Second, Porter scored for Atlanta in Saturday’s win over Carolina, a win that keeps the Silverbacks in the thick of the NASL post-season hunt.

The rankings can be found below:



MLS AND NASL MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS (MLS AFTER 29 WEEKS, NASL AFTER 23 WEEKS):

1. Jonathan Osorio, TFC, MLS, 1879 (25)

2. Kyle Porter, ATL, NASL, 1871 (23)

3. Eddie Edward, FCE, NASL, 1811 (21)

4. Mason Trafford, OTT, NASL, 1620 (18)

5. Cyle Larin, ORL, MLS, 1568 (23)

6. Mallan Roberts, FCE, NASL, 1530 (17)

7. Nana Attakora, SAS, NASL, 1511 (17)

8. Ashtone Morgan, TFC, MLS, 1464 (18)

9. Carl Haworth, OTT, NASL, 1441 (19)

10. Tesho Akindele, FCD, MLS 1236 (23)

11. Mauro Eustaquio, OTT, NASL, 1197 (16)

12. Adrian Cann, SAS, NASL, 1174 (14)

13. Allan Zebie, FCE, NASL, 1102 (15)

14. Russell Teibert, VAN, MLS, 1069 (19)

15. Will Johnson, POR, MLS 1046 (12)

16. Julian de Guzman, OTT, NASL, 895 (11)

17. Dominic Oppong, ATL, NASL, 846 (13)

18. Wandrille Lefevre, MTL, MLS, 810 (9)

19. Marcel de Jong, SKC, MLS, 768 (11)

20. Karl Ouimette, NYRB, MLS, 698 (10)

21. Frank Jonke, FCE, NASL, 647 (14)

22. Sam Adekugbe, VAN, MLS, 646 (9)

23. Michael Nonni, FCE, NASL, 587 (12)

24. Maxim Tissot, MTL, MLS 516 (10)

25. Sadi Jalali, FCE, NASL, 513 (8)

26. Kyle Bekker, FCD/MTL, MLS, 416 (10)

27. Drew Beckie, OTT, NASL, 350 (9)

28. Patrice Bernier, MTL, MLS 340 (13)

29. John Smits, FCE, NASL, 315 (4)

30. Hanson Boakai, FCE, NASL, 309 (11)

31. Kianz Froese, VAN, MLS, 208 (9)

32. Jay Chapman, TFC, MLS, 202 (10)

33. Patryk Misik, OTT, NASL, 166 (5)

34. Anthony Jackson-Hamel, MTL, MLS 156 (8)

35. Philippe Davies, OTT, NASL, 104 (5-RETIRED)

36. Tyson Farago, FCE, NASL, 90 (1)

37. Jeremy Gagnon-Lapare, MTL, MLS, 18 (2)

T38. Jordan Hamilton, TFC, MLS, 13 (2)

T38. Bruno Zebie, FCE, NASL 13 (1)

MLS AND NASL MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIAN MAYBES — PLAYERS WHO COULD BE ELIGIBLE FOR CANADA, BUT ARE ELIGIBLE FOR OTHER NATIONS AND HAVE NOT COMMITTED TO CANADA (MLS AFTER 29 WEEKS, NASL AFTER 23 WEEKS):

?1. Ethan Finlay, CLB 2482 (30)

2. Steven Vitoria, PHI 1350 (15)

TEAM RANKINGS, MINUTES PLAYED BY CANADIANS IN 2015 (INCLUDES BOTH SUREFIRES and MAYBES); RANKED BY AVERAGE MINUTES PER GAME:

FC Edmonton, NASL, 6937/24 GP (289) (-1.3)

Ottawa, NASL, 5783/23 GP (251.4) (-3.3)

Toronto FC, MLS, 3558/29 GP (122.7) (-3)

Atlanta, NASL, 2717/24 GP (113.2) (-2.1)

San Antonio, NASL 2585/23 GP (112.4) (+2.4)

Columbus, MLS, 2482/30 GP (82.7) (NC)

Montreal, MLS, 1943/26 GP (74.7) (+1.8)

Vancouver, MLS, 1923/29 GP (66.3) (+0.9)

FC Dallas, MLS, 1550/28 GP (55.4) (-1)

Orlando City, MLS, 1568/30 GP (52.3) (+0.7)

Philadelphia, MLS, 1350/30 GP (45) (-1.6)

Portland, MLS, 1046/29 GP (36.1) (+1.1)

Sporting Kansas City, MLS, 768/28 GP (27.4) (-1)

New York Red Bulls, MLS 698/28 GP (24.9) (-1.9)

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