Steven Sandor's Blog, page 90

Strong in the back and convert your chances: FCE plays perfect road game in Indy

Dustin Corea (6) in action against the Indy Eleven.

FC Edmonton got two huge second-half goals in Indianapolis, and is now just two points back of the Tampa Bay Rowdies for fourth spot in the NASL overall table with a month and a half left to go in the season. That fourth spot represents the final post-season slot in the league.

The Eddies triumphed 2-0 Saturday over the Indy Eleven.

“At the end of the game, I said to [assistant coach] Jeff Paulus, ‘what a terrific, professional performance away from home,” said FCE coach Colin Miller.

Miller said found some parallels between Edmonton’s performance and the English Premier League’s shock result of the day — West Ham beating Manchester City.

“It was a terrific performance from us tonight, from a defensive point of view… West Ham showed that if you’re committed to play well defensively, and show some quality when you attack, you can get the result. I’m not saying that we are Premier League quality; but what I am saying is that same principles apply here.”



The game turned in the 55th minute; just seconds after Indy’s Wojciech Wojcick headed the ball just over the bar at the Edmonton end, the Eddies took the ball up the left wing. Lance Laing, with two defenders on him, threaded a pass into the Eleven’s penalty area. Daryl Fordyce’s first touch took it past Indy defender Erick Norales, who decided to try for the slide tackle — and missed. With his second touch, Fordyce slotted the ball through the legs of keeper Kristian Nicht.

Because of Tomi Ameobi’s emergence as the no. 1 choice up top — a knee injury kept him out of his second consecutive match — Fordyce hasn’t had the chance to play many games as the out-and-out striker in the FCE set-up.

“Daryl hasn’t been able to play many games in his preferred position,” said Miller. “But he’s the best finisher we have in the club. We have to get him in the box. Over the last few games, you see he’s the one willing to take shot from the perimeter, he’s the one willing to take the chance. So, I’m not really surprised at all that he took the goal as well as he did.”

On a rainy night in the American midwest, the Eddies sealed the game in the 85th minute, when substitute Sainey Nyassi slammed a shot off the post and into the goal. It was an absolutely unstoppable drive from the Gambian.

Really, Indy’s best chance came just 35 seconds into the game. Wojcik was able to get past FCE fullback Allan Zebie, then funnelled a ball to Eleven striker Dane Richards. The former Red Bull and Whitecap pushed his attempt just wide. That would be as close as Indy would get to really giving FCE keeper Matt VanOekel a white-knuckle moment.

But it was the Eddies who had the best scoring opportunity of the first half; after Norales misjudged a long ball and let it bounce behind him, it was picked up by Eddies’ midfielder Pablo Cruz. He lobbed the ball into the middle of the box for Dustin Corea, who tried to half-volley the ball into goal. But Nicht, the Indy keeper, scrambled across his area and made a diving stop.

Indy had many decent spells of possession, but did little when it came to creating chances inside the Edmonton penalty area.

“I didn’t feel like they were going to score on us from open play,” said Miller. “I thought maybe, if someone fell asleep, they could get us on a corner kick or a free kick. But, to the players’ credit, we defended very well tonight.”

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The Canadian way: Looking at who DIDN’T end up being on our Olympic roster

Cyle Larin

It’s the nature of Canadian soccer supporters to focus who is not on a roster rather than who’s on a roster.

So, to satisfy the need to talk about who’s not coming to the CONCACAF Olympic qualifiers, this column will focus on who wasn’t named to Canada’s U-23 team roster.

The roster was released Friday afternoon.

In August, national-team head coach Benito Floro said he hoped that European and MLS clubs would cooperate and allow Canadian players who’d be eligible to participate in Olympic qualifying the chance to represent their county. He said if he was blocked from getting the players he needed “it will be much more difficult for us.”

Of course, the first major absence is Cyle Larin, who is poised to break the MLS rookie record for scoring. Had Orlando City not had a glimmer of hope in the playoff race, he likely would have been released to the Canadian program. But, with the playoff chase still on life support, the Lions chose to keep their striker. That’s what I’ve been told.



Orlando’s decision to hold onto Larin is more understandable than the Whitecaps’ decision to hold onto fullback Sam Adekugbe and midfielder Kianz Froese. The Whitecaps are doing very well — and it’s not like Froese or Adekugbe have seen major MLS minutes.

But the excuse that will be made is that the Whitecaps are in a chase for the Supporters’ Shield and still have CONCACAF Champions League games to come, which will surely test the club’s depth.

If the Whitecaps were an American team, I’d understand it. For a U.S. team, with the Supporters’ Shield earns a CONCACAF Champions League spot.

That isn’t the case for the Canadian teams. Canada has its own mechanism to determine CCL places outside of MLS play. In fact, the Whitecaps have already earned their place in next year’s CCL by winning the Voyageurs Cup. For a Canadian side, a Supporters’ Shield is well, like getting excited about your NHL team of choice taking the Presidents’ Trophy. Heck, if I was a fan, I wouldn’t want my team touching the Supporters’ Shield until after it won the MLS Cup. If my team was presented a Supporters Shield before it won the big game, I’d expect the captain to take it, then rest it on the FieldTurf.

That’s because MLS Cup is the symbol of the best team in the league, not the Supporters’ Shield. Celebrating the Supporters’ Shield is, well, only slightly more valid than having a parade because your side won a preseason tournament at Disney World.

So, what about the advantage of finishing at the top of the overall standings and having home advantage from the start of the playoffs to MLS Cup? I’d shrug and say I understand that.

But, here’s something. Since 2003, only two teams — TWO — have done the Supporters’ Shield/MLS Cup double. And only three teams since 2003 have even made it to the MLS Cup game. That means the vast majority of Supporters’ Shield winners flame out in the playoffs. History has a lesson for us. A foolish club goes for the Supporters’ Shield. A smart club rotates its players, gets key guys some rest, and goes for the MLS Cup.

(And releases young players for international duty.)



Sigh. And, finally, instead of bringing up players who Floro couldn’t get, I want to ask about a player who wasn’t invited at all — and that’s FC Edmonton’s Allan Zebie. He’s played in 14 of his team’s 23 NASL matches, and has looked like one of the best young fullbacks in the league. He’s been smart, he’s been composed — and, if you look at the Canadian roster, it seems to be a bit short on fullbacks.

CANADA

1- GK- Maxime Crépeau | CAN / Impact Montréal

2- FB- Johnny Grant | CAN / FC Montréal

3- FB- Mark-Anthony Kaye | CAN / Toronto FC II

4- CB- Jackson Farmer | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2

5- CB- Luca Gasparotto | SCO / Greenock Morton FC

6- M- Chris Mannella | CAN / Toronto FC

7- M- Mauro Eustáquio | CAN / Ottawa Fury FC

8- M- Jay Chapman | CAN / Toronto FC

9- F- Anthony Jackson-Hamel | CAN / Impact Montréal

10- F- Caleb Clarke | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC

11- M- Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé | CAN / Impact Montréal

12- GK- Quillan Roberts | CAN / Toronto FC

13- M- Michael Petrasso | ENG / Queens Park Rangers

14- M- Samuel Piette | ESP / Deportivo La Coruña

15- M- Ben Fisk | ESP / Deportivo La Coruña B

16- M- Molham Babouli | CAN / Toronto FC II

17- M- Hanson Boakai | CAN / FC Edmonton

18- GK- Ricky Gomes | POR / Sport Clube de Mirandela

19- CB- Skylar Thomas | CAN / Toronto FC II

20- M- Dylan Carreiro | SCO / Arbroath

CANADIAN SOCCER. CANADIAN STORIES. TRY THE FREE PREVIEW TODAY.

Indy will host a much different FCE team this time around

FC Edmonton beat Indy 2-0 when they met at Clarke Field earlier in the fall season.

When FC Edmonton travelled to Indiana for its final game of the NASL spring season, the team was depleted. Defender Mallan Roberts and midfielder Lance Laing were away on international duty. The team was ravaged by injuries.

And that skeleton squad found itself on the wrong end of a 3-0 hiding.

But, while the team isn’t currently 100 per cent healthy, the 11 men coach Colin Miller will put on the field Saturday to face the Indy Eleven will be at least something close to representing a first-choice team.

“It was a shadow of a team that we brought in earlier this year, and we came up with our worst performance away from home that we’ve had all season,” said Miller.

Miller said that midfielder Thiago de Freitas is set to miss his third straight game with a hamstring problem. Defender Kareem Moses had a bit of a setback in his quest to return from injury and his status is still uncertain. Striker Tomi Ameobi, who hurt his knee in training last week and didn’t play in Sunday’s win over the Tampa Bay Rowdies, trained on Wednesday. Midfielder Ritchie Jones, who had also been on the shelf, is good to go.

Miller said the key will be finding ways to limit Dane Richards, the former New York Red Bulls and Vancouver Whitecaps attacker who was brought into the Eleven’s fold earlier this season.

“Indy is a very good side when they are at home, and they have a very good player in Richards up front. He is a player with English Premier League pace. He’s been a dangerous player throughout his career.”

And Miller is hoping he sees an Edmonton team that’s similar to the one that beat Indy 2-0 at Clarke Field earlier this fall season, not the one that lost by three goals in Indianapolis to close out the spring campaign.

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Jones, Ameobi say decisions to stay in Edmonton were easy to make

Tomi Ameobi

FC Edmonton has re-signed Canadian keeper Tyson Farago, as well as imports Ritchie Jones and Tomi Ameobi.

For both Jones and Ameobi — who have had well-travelled soccer careers — the decisions to stay in Edmonton were easy to make.

“I’d always said Edmonton felt like home,” said Ameobi, who is the joint top-scorer on the team with seven goals this season. “When they told me they wanted to extend my contract it wasn’t something I had to deliberate long over. I went home, talked to my family, prayed about it, and I felt like this was the place I was meant to be.”

Ameobi has played in Iceland. He’s played in Finland. He’s played for a number of English teams. He’s never spent more than two years at any club he’s been with since his days of youth football. With a two-year extension set to keep him in Edmonton till the end of the 2017 season, he now has a sense of continuity he hasn’t previously enjoyed in his career.

“This is first place since I was at Leeds that I genuinely felt settled. I always hopped from place to place. And it was good, I got to experience different cultures, different leagues. But the way the team [FC Edmonton] shaped up, it’s very family-oriented. We look out for one another, that’s something I missed over the years.”

Ameobi says he has pondered the idea of making Edmonton his permanent home after his playing days are over.



“It is something I have considered. It’s just about seeing what opportunities come up after football and then I make my decision closer to that time. But I’ve got a few good years left in me yet.”

For Jones, who played for a number of English teams after coming out of the Manchester United program, the style of play in North America is better for him than the English game.

“It’s been great here since I came over from England, with the gaffer bringing me over here, which I appreciate a lot. It’s my second season, I’m really enjoying it.

“In England, I tended to move around a few clubs over there. But I think it more suits me as a player over here, no disrespect, but in England it was bit more in the air with the ball. But, as soon as I came over here, the way we played was pretty much technique and on the floor and it’s been more enjoyable for me.”

CANADIAN SOCCER. CANADIAN STORIES. TRY THE FREE PREVIEW TODAY.

MDS on the move: Will the Fury of 2015 be just like the RailHawks of 2011?

Last week, when I was interviewing Ottawa Fury Coach Marc Dos Santos for a Plastic Pitch feature, I finished with a question about where he saw the club going in the future.

His answer was prophetic.

??“From day one, we established a model of play for the club. And that did not change no matter the coaches or players we brought in. We stuck to our model of play, even when there were growing pains, even when there were several losses in a row. We believed that, sticking to our vision, we would create the right identity for the club. We’d create the right visibility of the club. And if we keep feeding that model, and by that I mean that we keep improving every day, then there are no limits to where this club can go. When we started off we were playing in front of 1,500 people at Carleton [University]. And, now, the last few games we’ve played in front of 6,000 people. And, if we can make that model strong, it will continue. If I leave, it will continue. If [members of the coaching staff] leave, it will continue.”

On Tuesday, MDS and the Fury announced that the coach will be leaving the club at the end of the NASL season, and he’s been allowed to enter talks with an unnamed MLS team over a coaching position.

Now, the question: Will the Fury be the new Carolina RailHawks?



Remember that this isn’t the first time that an NASL coach announced he would be leaving his club at the end of a season in order to take an MLS job. Back in 2011, the Carolina RailHawks were absolutely savaging the rest of the NASL, and head coach Martin Rennie was rumoured to be going to a number of MLS teams. With the RailHawks at the top of the standings, it was announced that Rennie would finish the NASL season, then take over as the Whitecaps coach.

Carolina imploded. The best team in the league suffered a severe dip in form. And, while their record was still good enough to make the playoffs, the RailHawks crashed out of the post-season.

Several of those RailHawks players would tell me that the focus changed the second Rennie announced he was going to MLS. Instead of playing for each other, the players saw the second half of the NASL season as their chance to audition for possible MLS jobs or training-camp invites. The team dynamic fell apart.

Now, will the Fury’s players retain their professionalism, or will the same fate befall the NASL fall season leaders? It will be fascinating to see if the Fury stays the course, or if the issues that plagued Rennie’s RailHawks in 2011 will be seen in the nation’s capital.

Quintessentially Canadian Power Rankings, MLS Week 28/NASL Week 22

Eddie Edward, middle, in action against the Tampa Bay Rowdies. PHOTO: FC EDMONTON/TONY LEWIS

With the Atlanta Silverbacks on a bye week, there was a chance that Kyle Porter, who has led the Canadian-minutes-played ranking over the last few weeks, would be overtaken.

And he was: Porter now slips to third, with FC Edmonton’s Eddie Edward taking over as the Canadian who has played the most minutes in either MLS or NASL this season.

But, while Canadian minutes are trending downward, there were a few bright spots: FC Edmonton started three Canadians on Sunday and came up with a win over the Tampa Bay Rowdies. All three of those Canadians — Edward, Mallan Roberts and Allan Zebie — played the full 90. And Tesho Akindele scored a pretty goal for FC Dallas in a weekend victory.

This season, 39 Canadians have played in MLS or NASL. Of those, 36 are currently active. But, while 39 seems like a nice healthy number, it needs to be noted that just 13 of those 39 — one third — have played 1,000 minutes or more this season. To put that in perspective, 1,000 minutes equals just a little over 11 full games.

Here are the rankings for this week:



MLS AND NASL MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS (MLS AFTER 28 WEEKS, NASL AFTER 22 WEEKS):

1. Eddie Edward, FCE, NASL, 1740 (20)

2. Jonathan Osorio, TFC, MLS, 1715 (23)

3. Kyle Porter, ATL, NASL, 1691 (21)

4. Mason Trafford, OTT, NASL, 1530 (17)

5. Cyle Larin, ORL, MLS, 1497 (22)

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

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

8. Mallan Roberts, FCE, NASL, 1440 (16)

9. Nana Attakora, SAS, NASL, 1421 (16)

10. Tesho Akindele, FCD, MLS 1210 (22)

11. Mauro Eustaquio, OTT, NASL, 1108 (15)

12. Adrian Cann, SAS, NASL, 1099 (13)

13. Allan Zebie, FCE, NASL, 1022 (14)

14. Will Johnson, POR, MLS 980 (11)

15. Russell Teibert, VAN, MLS, 979 (18)

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

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

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

19. Wandrille Lefevre, MTL, MLS, 720 (8)

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

21. Sam Adekugbe, VAN, MLS, 645 (8)

22. Frank Jonke, FCE, NASL, 639 (13)

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

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

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

26. Drew Beckie, OTT, NASL, 349 (8)

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

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

29. Kyle Bekker, FCD/MTL, MLS, 313 (8)

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

31. Kianz Froese, VAN, MLS, 207 (8)

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 28 WEEKS, NASL AFTER 22 WEEKS):

1. Ethan Finlay, CLB 2399 (29)

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, 6678/23 GP (290.3) (-0.5)

Ottawa, NASL, 5603/22 GP (254.7) (-3.3)

Toronto FC, MLS, 3394/27 GP (125.7) (-1.4)

Atlanta, NASL, 2537/22 GP (115.3) (NC)

San Antonio, NASL 2420/22 GP (110) (-1.1)

Columbus, MLS, 2399/29 GP (82.7) (-0.4)

Montreal, MLS, 1750/24 GP (72.9) (+0.7)

Vancouver, MLS, 1831/28 GP (65.4) (-0.7)

FC Dallas, MLS, 1524/27 GP (56.4) (+1)

Orlando City, MLS, 1497/29 GP (51.6) (+0.2)

Philadelphia, MLS, 1350/29 GP (46.6) (+1.6)

Portland, MLS, 980/28 GP (35) (-1.3)

Sporting Kansas City, MLS, 768/27 GP (28.4) (-2.3)

New York Red Bulls, MLS 698/26 GP (26.8) (-1.1)

CANADIAN SOCCER. CANADIAN STORIES. TRY THE FREE PREVIEW TODAY.

Watson scores, Eddies beat Rowdies, you can’t complain!

Albert Watson on the volley. PHOTO: FC EDMONTON/TONY LEWIS

Injured FC Edmonton striker Tomi Ameobi joined us in the broadcast booth for a portion of the second half of Sunday’s game between his side and the Tampa Bay Rowdies. And, jokingly, he questioned if centre back Albert Watson had actually been aiming for the bottom corner of the Rowdies net with his first-half half volley.

Watson’s goal would stand up as the difference; the Eddies beat the Rowdies 1-0 at Clarke Field. And Watson assured us that, indeed, he was looking for the far corner of the goal after he’d beaten his marker and got to Dustin Corea’s corner kick. He put the ball exactly where he wanted to.

“The more I see the goal [on the replay monitors], the more I like it,” Watson joked after the match. “And the more I think I’m wasted as a centre back.”



The Eddies were dominant for the first 30 minutes of the game, finding pockets of space throughout the middle of the park; the Rowdies often sent two players out to double-team FCE’s Lance Laing on the wing, and it left gaps in the middle for the Eddies to exploit.

Daryl Fordyce was left one-on-one in the middle of the park and had his shot partially blocked, which led to Corea’s corner — and Watson’s goal.

At halftime, Eddies coach Colin Miller said that, football-wise, that might have been the best 45 minutes his team has put together all year long. And they did it without Ameobi, who injured his knee in training on Friday, midfielders Ritchie Jones and Thiago de Freitas, and defender Kareem Moses.

Tampa Bay’s best chance of the half came when former Toronto FC defender Gale Agbossoumonde got his head to a Georgi Hristov free kick, but put it over the bar.

But, in the second half, the Rowdies turned up the pressure. They began pressuring the Eddies deep in the offensive half, and were able to turn over the ball numerous times. But, even though the Rowdies had a lot of the ball in the second half, the Eddies were able to defend deep and limit the amount of dangerous chances conceded. Rowdies coach Stuart Campbell admitted he was frustrated that his team wasn’t willing to shoot the ball more considering that it had so much of the ball.

And, on the one occasion the Rowdies did decide to shoot, Juan Guerra’s effort hit the spot where the post meets the crossbar. For Guerra, it was soccer karma coming back to bite him in the keester; in the first half, he launched into one of the most comical penalty-area dives you’ll ever see. So, the soccer gods found a way to repay him soon after his rather embarrassing attempt to cheat.

Daryl Fordyce had a great chance to give the Eddies a two-goal cushion, but Rowdies’ keeper Matt Pickens are a good diving stop to deny him.

“It was a bit nervy in the second half,” Miller said. “We’ve certainly played better football, but we basically shut up shop.

“It was a very professional performance against a very good team from Tampa Bay.”

The Eddies are now two points back of fourth place in the NASL overall standings, which represents the final post-season spot. With the win, the Eddies take the season series against the Rowdies.

CANADIAN SOCCER. CANADIAN STORIES. TRY THE FREE PREVIEW TODAY.

Marc Dos Santos Q and A: Ottawa Fury coach on the season’s turning point, playing Canadians and his thoughts on CPL rumours

We are working to prepare the autumn issue of Plastic Pitch. And, as has become custom, we prep for the launch of the issue by previewing one of our stories on The 11. We present an abridged version of the Q and A we did with Ottawa Fury coach Marc Dos Santos. He talks about the Ottawa Fury’s rise to the top of the NASL fall standings, the turning point of the season and why he believes the NASL (and not a Canadian professional league) is the place for the Fury to be.

The full version of the interview will be in Plastic Pitch #7, check for it in a couple of weeks time! Until then, enjoy the preview!

What do you think was the turning point of the season?

“It was the week where we were knocked out of Amway and we also lost against Fort Lauderdale. In one week, we had given up nine goals in three games. We had a lot of new players. And, we looked at some of the problems in the way we were playing. There was a lot of humility. It wasn’t about the players in the back, but how we defended as a unit. Our lines were too far from each other. Maybe our players were thinking too much about offence, so we had to go back to our basics. We looked at our four moments of play and what we needed to do as a team. We assessed what was going right, we assessed what was going wrong and we did it with the utmost humility in the locker room.”



Ottawa is at the top of the NASL fall-season standings. How does your mindset change when you’re leading rather than chasing?

“We know what it’s like to be near the bottom of the standings. We know what it’s like to be 10th, to be 9th, to be 8th. Now, we’ve had a taste of what it’s like to be at the top — and not just for one or two weeks, but for four or five weeks or more. I can tell you this: There is no sense of ‘party’ in our locker room. None at all. We all know that we have not accomplished anything yet. We feel that this spot can be taken from us in the space of three games. Three straight losses and we fall right back down the standings. So, we are committed to playing every game like it is our last. We have to approach every game like a final.”

There has been a lot of talk about the possible formation of a Canadian Professional League. Do you think that’s the answer for Canadian clubs? Or is it NASL?

“The NASL is the place to be. I don’t know if Canada has the willingness to have a fully professional Canadian league. Montreal has a clue of what it takes. Toronto has a clue of what it takes. Vancouver has a clue of what it takes. Ottawa and Edmonton have a clue of the costs and the investment needed to create a fully professional team. And, for me, it’s hard to see how we will have a league with 12 teams that are at the level of where Edmonton and Ottawa are in NASL. I think there are a lot of people who say the right things, but they do not have a clue of what it takes to be a professional team, and the investment it takes. I think a lot of people in Canada want to say the right thing, and that’s we should start our own professional league. You can’t really call yourself a professional team if a player is working at the bank during the day and then going to practice. You’re not professional if a player goes to training and then goes for beer with friends. I will say I believe in the Canadian professional league if there are 12 teams who are professional like Ottawa and Edmonton. But, if it’s Ottawa and Edmonton and 10 semi-pro teams, that’s not a professional league.”

Ottawa and Edmonton (in NASL) are giving Canadian players regular minutes, but Canadian MLS teams aren’t offering the same kind of opportunities to domestic players. How does that change?

“To be very honest, there’s very little the clubs can do about it. Look at the Montreal Impact. They got to CONCACAF Champions League final, and they didn’t put a single Canadian player on the field. But there’s no doubt it was good for the club, no doubt it was good for the city. There’s a lot of pressure on a club president and there’s a lot of pressure on the coach. And while there are some Canadian fans who care about Canadians getting playing time, most of that pressure is based on results and getting that team to the playoffs. So, it’s the Canadian Soccer Association that needs the be the one that sets standard. And I think that starts in the Amway. I think if the CSA wants to, it can set standards, that there has to X number of Canadians on each club’s roster for the Amway, and that each club has to start X number of Canadians.”

Where do you see the club going in the future?

“From day one, we established a model of play for the club. And that did not change no matter the coaches or players we brought in. We stuck to our model of play, even when there were growing pains, even when there were several losses in a row. We believed that, sticking to our vision, we would create the right identity for the club. We’d create the right visibility of the club. And if we keep feeding that model, and by that I mean that we keep improving every day, then there are no limits to where this club can go. When we started off we were playing in front of 1,500 people at Carleton [University]. And, now, the last few games we’ve played in front of 6,000 people. And, if we can make that model strong, it will continue. If I leave, it will continue. If [members of the coaching staff] leave, it will continue.”

CANADIAN SOCCER. CANADIAN STORIES. TRY THE FREE PREVIEW TODAY.

World Cup qualifiers: Angry Will Johnson slays Jaguars with his mean cannon shot

Sometimes, actually, a lot of the time, we take soccer far too seriously. And we forget what it’s about — to bring people together to support something that’s bigger than themselves.

And Tuesday night was a perfect example of how soccer can build a community. Canada took a 3-0 lead into the second leg of its CONCACAF third-round World Cup qualifier. But, with no TV deal in Canada, and no international feed, Canadian fans had to stream Channel 5 Belize’s feed. At times, it went scrambly like when you used to try and watch Superchannel when you were a kid — even though your parents were too cheap to pay for it.

But the best part of it was the colour commentary from the Maestro and the play-by-play work from his partner. Mad Bull, two man who never met a metaphor they didn’t like. And, even though Canada started off sluggishly, Canadian fans could ignore the quality of the soccer, and make the surreal viewing experience the focus of their chat.

We were all too busy having fun to be worked up about the 1-1 result from the second leg, which will see Canada move into the next group stage.



Even when Belize took the second-leg lead with a goal from Deon “The Killer, the Assassin” McCaulay, we had the cushion of the big lead. But, as Belize improved, so did Maestro and Mad Bull’s commentary. The Jaguars were on the prowl in the jungle; their shark teeth ready to but the Maple Leaf.

They warned Belizeans about the threat of Canadian midfielder “Angry Will Johnson,” a “bully” who has “been angry for two years.” And, Johnson equalized on a “mean cannon shot,” giving Canada a 4-1 lead on aggregate, just before halftime. It came after the Jaguars absolutely bungled how to defend a throw in, refusing to simply get the ball out of danger with time running out in the half.

I didn’t know Johnson had been angry for that long.

Former Atlanta Silverback McCaulay, though, was elevated to true hero status. We were reminded he “was the top scorer in all the Americas.” When he got the ball, he “played like a true champion.” As Belize pressed, showing an attacking side we didn’t see in Canada. we were told that “it’s a different taste, it’s a different food that we are eating.” Based on the excitement generated every time McCauley got the ball, you’d trade every Designated Player in history to get The Assassin into MLS.

McCaulay had two great chances to give Belize a consolation second-leg victory, but was denied each time by Canadian keeper Milan Borjan. The first time, Canadian defender left a back pass to his keeper too short. Or, in Mad Bull-ese, “he underestimated the killer, the assassin.” But Borjan was able to block McCaulay’s attempt. And, right before the whistle, Borjan made an outstanding leaping stop to deny McCaulay’s point-blank header.

Sure, we could analyze the fact that semi pros from Belize carried the play for long stretches of the second leg. We could talk even more about Canadian national-team coach Benito Floro’s decision to leave Jonathan Osorio at home. But that can wait till tomorrow.

Because, tonight, the Canadian soccer community got to swap stories and simply enjoy ourselves, all thanks to patchy feed from Belize Channel 5. Instead of being about Xs and Os, it was 90 minutes of exaggeration, bravado and excitement. I could laugh while I watched soccer. We were told “You’re getting it live from Channel 5! You can’t complain!”

Only the most miserable of souls would.

CANADIAN SOCCER. CANADIAN STORIES. TRY THE FREE PREVIEW TODAY.

Quintessentially Canadian Power Rankings, MLS Week 27/NASL Week 21

Wandrille Lefevre

You’d think that, on a weekend where the Canadian national team has World Cup qualifying, that the number of minutes for Canadians in MLS and NASL would take a beating.

But the opposite was true. Even though teams lost Canadians to international duty, the fact that so many other international players were also away opened up opportunities for our domestic players who usually ride the pine. The Impact started two Canadians in its 4-3 win over Chicago — and Wandrille Lefevre got a goal. The Eddies gave more than 300 minutes to Canadian players in their 1-1 draw with Minnesota United. Toronto FC gave starts to both Jonathan Osorio and Ashtone Morgan. And Morgan made the perfect cross that led to Eriq Zavaleta’s goal in the 2-1 loss to Seattle.

Both NASL and MLS have rules in place that allow Canadians to be treated as domestic players on the rosters of Canadian teams, but as foreigners on the U.S. teams. But NASL teams are more willing to play Canadians. In terms of minutes on the pitch, eight of the top 12 players — including the two leaders, Kyle Porter and Eddie Edward — are NASL players. Remember, NASL teams have played fewer games than their MLS counterparts.



MLS AND NASL MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS (MLS AFTER 27 WEEKS, NASL AFTER 21 WEEKS):

1. Kyle Porter, ATL, NASL, 1691 (21)

2. Eddie Edward, FCE, NASL, 1650 (19)

3. Jonathan Osorio, TFC, MLS, 1625 (22)

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

T5. Cyle Larin, ORL, MLS, 1440 (21)

T5. Mason Trafford, OTT, NASL, 1440 (16)

7. Carl Haworth, OTT, NASL, 1437 (18)

8. Mallan Roberts, FCE, NASL, 1350 (15)

9. Nana Attakora, SAS, NASL, 1241 (14)

10. Tesho Akindele, FCD, MLS 1127 (21)

11. Adrian Cann, SAS, NASL, 1080 (12)

12. Mauro Eustaquio, OTT, NASL, 1018 (14)

13. Will Johnson, POR, MLS 980 (11)

14. Russell Teibert, VAN, MLS, 979 (18)

15. Allan Zebie, FCE, NASL, 932 (13)

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

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

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

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

20. Sam Adekugbe, VAN, MLS, 645 (8)

21. Wandrille Lefevre, MTL, MLS, 630 (7)

22. Frank Jonke, FCE, NASL, 629 (12)

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

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

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

26. Drew Beckie, OTT, NASL, 349 (8)

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

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

29. Kyle Bekker, FCD/MTL, MLS, 313 (8)

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

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

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

33. Kianz Froese, VAN, MLS, 162 (7)

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 27 WEEKS, NASL AFTER 21 WEEKS):

1. Ethan Finlay, CLB 2327 (28)

2. Steven Vitoria, PHI 1260 (14)

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

FC Edmonton, NASL, 6398/22 GP (290.8) (+1.8)

?Ottawa, NASL, 5419/21 GP (258) (-4)

Toronto FC, MLS, 3304/26 GP (127.1) (+3.1)

Atlanta, NASL, 2537/22 GP (115.3) (-2.4)

San Antonio, NASL 2221/20 GP (111.1) (-1.1)

Columbus, MLS, 2327/28 GP (83.1) (+0.2)

Montreal, MLS, 1660/23 GP (72.2) (+4.9)

Vancouver, MLS, 1786/27 GP (66.1) (NC)

FC Dallas, MLS, 1441/26 GP (55.4) (-2.2)

Orlando City, MLS, 1440/28 GP (51.4) (-1.9)

Philadelphia, MLS, 1260/28 GP (45) (+1.7)

Portland, MLS, 980/27 GP (36.3) (NC)

Sporting Kansas City, MLS, 768/25 GP (30.7) (NC)

New York Red Bulls, MLS 698/25 GP (27.9) (-2.4)

CANADIAN SOCCER. CANADIAN STORIES. TRY THE FREE PREVIEW TODAY.