Steven Sandor's Blog, page 93

Quintessentially Canadian Power Rankings, MLS Week 22/NASL Week 16

Cyle Larin tied the MLS record for rookie goals in a season. In just 1,046 minutes of game action, the Brampton, Ont. native has scored 11 times for Orlando City.

Larin scored twice this past weekend in a 5-2 win over the Columbus Crew and, unless there’s some crazy dramatics in the final phase of the MLS season, it looks as if the No. 1 pick in the SuperDraft will walk away with the Rookie of the Year award.

That would make two consecutive Rookie of the Year awards won by Canadians — Tesho Akindele won it in 2014.

Here is minute-by-minute roundup:



MLS AND NASL MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS (MLS AFTER 22 WEEKS, NASL AFTER 16 WEEKS):

1. Mallan Roberts, FCE, NASL, 1260 (14)

2. Carl Haworth, OTT, NASL, 1255 (15)

3. Jonathan Osorio, TFC, MLS, 1214 (17)

4. Ashtone Morgan, TFC, MLS, 1189 (14)

5. Kyle Porter, ATL, NASL, 1175 (15)

6. Eddie Edward, FCE, NASL, 1110 (13)

7. Cyle Larin, ORL, MLS, 1046 (16)

8. Mason Trafford, OTT, NASL, 990 (11)

9. Tesho Akindele, FCD, MLS 989 (18)

10. Nana Attakora, SAS, NASL, 971 (11)

11. Adrian Cann, SAS, NASL, 900 (10)

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

13. Russell Teibert, VAN, MLS, 889 (17)

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

15. Allan Zebie, FCE, NASL, 740 (10)

16. Will Johnson, POR, MLS 713 (7)

17. Marcel de Jong, SKC, MLS, 634 (9)

18. Sam Adekugbe, VAN, MLS, 615 (7)

19. Frank Jonke, FCE, NASL, 596 (9)

20. Mauro Eustaquio, OTT, NASL, 574 (9)

21. Michael Nonni, FCE, NASL, 562 (11)

22. Karl Ouimette, NYRB, MLS, 518 (8)

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

24. Maxim Tissot, MTL, MLS 368 (8)

25. Wandrille Lefevre, MTL, MLS, 360 (4)

26. Drew Beckie, OTT, NASL, 343 (7)

27. Patrice Bernier, MTL, MLS 327 (12)

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

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

30. Hanson Boakai, FCE, NASL, 254 (8)

31. Jay Chapman, TFC, MLS, 168 (8)

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

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

34. Anthony Jackson-Hamel, MTL, MLS 107 (5)

35. Philippe Davies, OTT, NASL, 94 (4)

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

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

28. Jordan Hamilton, TFC, MLS, 4 (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 22 WEEKS, NASL AFTER 16 WEEKS):?

1. Ethan Finlay, CLB 1877 (23)

2. Steven Vitoria, PHI 810 (9)

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

FC Edmonton, NASL, 5373/16 GP (335.8) (-15)

Ottawa, NASL, 4317/16 GP (269.8) (-1.7)

Toronto FC, MLS, 2575/20 GP (128.8) (+0.4)

Atlanta, NASL, 2021/16 GP (126.3) (-2.4)

San Antonio, NASL 1771/15 GP (118.1) (NC)

Columbus, MLS, 1877/23 GP (81.6) (-1.7)

Vancouver, MLS, 1666/23 GP (72.4) (-3.1)

Montreal, MLS, 1180/18 GP (65.6) (-3.6)

FC Dallas, MLS, 1303/22 GP (59.2) (-0.7)

Orlando City, MLS, 1046/22 GP (47.5) (+1.4)

Philadelphia, MLS, 810/23 GP (35.2) (-1.6)

Sporting Kansas City, MLS, 634/20 GP (31.7) (-1.7)

Portland, MLS, 713/23 GP (31) (+2.7)

New York Red Bulls, MLS 518/20 GP (25.9) (-1)

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

Fury suffocates Eddies, then wins it late

Ottawa’s Sinisa Ubiparipovic, left, challenges FCE’s Thiago de Freitas. PHOTO: FC EDMONTON

With its 1-0 win over FC Edmonton Sunday in Fort McMurray, the Ottawa Fury extended its unbeaten streak to 11 games. The Fury now has a six-point cushion atop the NASL fall standings.

But what was striking about Sunday’s game is how much Fury coach Marc Dos Santos learned from this past spring’s Amway Canadian Championship loss to the Eddies, then used that knowledge to craft a game plan that neutralized one of the top offences in the league.

In the Canadian Championship defeat over two legs, the Fury was punished time and time again by the Eddies’ speed down the wings and quick counterattacks. On Sunday, Dos Santos came at the Eddies with a 4-1-4-1 formation that took away the wide areas. As well, the visitors made sure to never commit too many players forward, understanding that they couldn’t get burned on the counter.

Yes, the winning goal came deep into second-half injury time, as defender Rafael Alves headed a corner kick off the inside of the post and into the net. But, considering the chances the Fury spurned earlier in the game, it would be hard to argue that the three points weren’t merited.

Asked if the win against the Eddies was a message to the league, Dos Santos stayed the course, saying his team’s goal was to make the post-season — and that’s all.

“If I want to send a message I put it in an envelope and send it in the mail,” he joked.



The Eddies really only forced Ottawa keeper Romuald Peiser to make one real save all game long. That came in the first half, when Dustin Corea, making his NASL debut, cut in off the right wing and lashed a left-footed shot from outside the area,

But the Eddies, for the most part, were simply confounded by the Fury’s two banks of four, laid wide across the field. The two defensive lines took away the ability for the Eddies to go down the sidelines to either Corea or Lance Laing. And, when the Eddies did attempt to pop a ball down the middle, Alves and fellow defender Colin Falvey won the balls in the air.

After the game, FCE coach Colin Miller conceded that his team looked like it was never going to score. He said that the offence was too “predictable.”

And, he even considered taking Laing out of the game. Back from the Gold Cup, the six-goal, four-assist man, was swarmed by Fury defenders every time he touched the ball.

“He’s believing a lot of his publicity,” Miller said at halftime.

The Fury could have been early in the first half. A low cross skipped through a couple of FCE defenders and found the feet of Ottawa forward Oliver Minatel. Just six yards away from goal, he scuffed a shot that went towards the centre of goal, where Eddies keeper Matt VanOekel could collect.

Later in the first half, Tom Heinemann’s quick shot off a corner was heading into the goal. but a touch from Eddies’ midfielder Cristian Raudales took the sting off the attempt and deflected the ball to a thankful VanOekel.

The Fury then had a great chance to take the lead with 20 minutes left. Julian de Guzman had Van Oekel at his mercy. His shot beat the keeper, but FCE sub Daryl Fordyce got his leg in the way and stopped the ball from going in.

Up to injury time, it looked as if FCE’s fortune would allow it to get a draw with Ottawa. Considering that the Fury came into the game in the league lead, Dos Santos said he would have been OK getting just a point.

But, as it did in last week’s win over Carolina, the Fury had one more moment of magic. With just seconds left, Alves was alone in the box and headed the ball downward. There was no Eddie on the far post, so the ball kissed the woodwork and went in.

And, while Dos Santos said that his team doesn’t want to send any messages to the rest of the league — well, he might not be able to help that. The Fury is for real. It’s established itself as a real contender to not only play in the Soccer Bowl, but host it.

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

FCE coach Miller sees Corea signing as part of a long-term plan

Dustin Corea

FC Edmonton coach Colin Miller said that the team’s signing of El Salvadorean midfielder Dustin Corea is about the long-term future of the team.

The team announced the signing of the left-footed attacking midfielder on Thursday. He trained with the team at Clarke Field. He was once part of the American youth set-up, as he was born in California and raised in Portland, Ore. His family still lives in Portland. But, he made the switch to El Salvador, and most recently played for that country at the Gold Cup, where he scored a goal against Costa Rica. Before coming to Edmonton, Corea played a season with El Salvadorean top-division CD FAS, where he scored five times. Because he’s got an American passport, he doesn’t count as an international on the roster

“I think he will give us a variety,” Miller said of Corea. “He can play on the inside, he can play as a number 10. He can play on the right and, of course, with him being left-footed, he can play wide left as well. There’s a variety of options there. He’s a current El Salvador international and did well in the Gold Cup. He scored a goal at the Gold Cup. So he’s an established player. When players like that become available, it appealed for the price that we got him for, it’s fantastic.

“I’m always thinking about the club longer term; should certain players move on and not sign with the club, we have to always think that the club is more important than any one player or even two or three players. So this is as much building for the future for the club, he’s 23, he’s young, he’s hungry to play and happy to be here.”

Miller said he “might still be in the market for a defender.”



FCE is currently at its maximum allowed number of international players, at seven. So, unless FCE releases a player, any defender brought in would have to have a Canadian or American passport.

Corea said that he knew he was heading to Alberta before the Gold Cup kicked off.

“I knew before the Gold Cup that Edmonton was interested in me. I didn’t make nothing official because you never know what could happen. I stayed quiet. I knew myself, my family, and Edmonton knew that I was interested.”

And, he thinks the environment in NASL might suit him better than the super-intense El Salvadorean league.

“I like places where it’s very secure, very calm and very relaxed. It seems that’s how it is here. You know, I was playing in El Salvador and it’s a little bit different over there — a bit different lifestyle… It’s very intense. You’re in the spotlight all the time. People demand so much from you. You need to perform every day that you play. That’s the difference with here than from other there. I like to play my game, but also have a little fun, as well.

“It’s something new, it’s something exciting. I’ve always tried to come and play in NASL. I’ve seen Edmonton since the moment I knew they were interested in me, to see how I was. It seems like a nice city, Alberta seems real nice. I will get used to this. I wanted to leave Central America and try something new here in Canada.”

Of course, his family in Portland is a lot closer to him now that’s he’s in Edmonton. It’s an easy flight to Vancouver or Seattle, then a quick connection to the Rose City. That’s a far cry than having to go from Portland to San Salvador.

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

Quintessentially Canadian Power Rankings — Looking at the USL

Ben McKendry: Canadian USL minute leader.

Since we launched the Quintessential Canadian Power Rankings this spring, which catalogues the minutes played by Canadian players in MLS and NASL, there have been readers who’ve written in asking why we don’t also include USL numbers.

The answer is simple; comparing USL to NASL or MLS is apples to oranges. There are two major reasons for this:

1. The Canadian Soccer Association mandates that six of the starting 11 players on the three Canada-based USL teams be Canadian; NASL and MLS teams don’t operate with those restrictions.

2. In USL, Canadian players are considered domestics no matter if they play on teams in Canada or the United States. In NASL and MLS, Canadians are only considered domestics if they sign for Canadian clubs; if they sign for American clubs, they are considered foreigners.

But, don’t say that we don’t occasionally cave to reader pressure! We’ve crunched the numbers as best as we can (please let us know if you notice we’ve missed a player) and evaluated USL minutes.

As expected, the three Canadian teams are well on top. But what’s interesting is that FC Montreal and TFCII are both well ahead of Whitecaps2 when it comes to playing Canadians. By our math, FC Montreal gives Canadians a whopping 950 minutes per game; keep in mind that a “perfect” score would be 990 minutes. TFCII is at 827.6.

The Whitecaps deux come in at 592 minutes per game. That’s an average of just over six players getting 90 minutes each. Remember that the CSA mandate is six out of 11 starters be Canadian. So, the cynic would note that, in terms of Canadian standards and minutes played, the Caps are doing just a little more than the bare minimum — even though they put three players into the top four when it comes to minutes played.

Here are the minutes:

1. Ben McKendry, VWFC2, 1,643 (21)

2. Giuliano Frano, SEA, 1,622 (19)

3. Tyler Rosenlund, VWFC2, 1,582 (21)

4. Jackson Farmer, VWFC2, 1,379 (17)

5. Mele Temguia, FCMTL, 1,331 (16)

6. Fabio Morelli, FCMTL, 1,209 (17)

7. Chris Serban, VWFC2, 1,181 (16)

8. Zachary Sukunda, FCMTL, 1,156 (15)

9. Caleb Clarke, VWFC2, 1,147 (18)

10. Mark-Anthony Kaye, TFCII, 1,088 (14)

11. Janouk Charbonneau, FCMTL, 1087 (17)

12. Luca Uccello, TFCII, 1,004 (14)

13. Massimo Mirabelli, TFCII, 993 (15)

14. Brett Levis, VWFC2, 988 (18)

15. Frederic Lajoie-Gravelle, FCMTL, 972 (17)

16. Victor N’Diaye, FCMTL, 942 (17)

17. Alessandro Riggi, FCMTL, 936 (17)

18. Skylar Thomas, TFCII, 918 (11)

19. Marco Dominguez, FCMTL, 910 (11)

20. Zakaria Messoudi, FCMTL, 881 (16)

21. Jordan Haynes, VWFC2, 878 (11)

22. Daniel Fabrizi, TFCII, 844 (14)

23. Mo Babouli, TFCII, 840 (10)

24. Sahil Sandhu, VWFC2, 831 (18)

25. Marco Bustos, VWFC2, 820 (11)

26. Maxime Crepeau, FCMTL, 810 (9)

27. Adam Bouchard, TFCII, 805 (12)

28. Tyler Pasher, PITT, 801 (14)

29. Chris Mannella, TFCII, 782 (9)

30. Jordan Murrell, REAL 750 (11)

31. Mozzi Gyorio, AUS, 749 (12)

32. Jordan Hamilton, TFCII, 713 (10)

33. Chakib-Nazim Hocine, FCMTL, 680 (9)

34. Jeremy Gagnon-Lapare, FCMTL, 669 (8)

35. Miro Cabrilo, PITT, 640 (17)

36. Quillan Roberts, TFCII, 630 (7)

37. Marcos Nunes, TFCII, 621 (11)

38. Manny Aparicio, TFCII, 618 (11)

39. John Dinkota, FCMTL, 608 (11)

40. Raheem Edwards, TFCII, 591 (10)

41. Nazim Belguendouz, FCMTL, 581 (12)

42. Mitchel Bringolf, FCMTL, 540 (8)

T43. Marco Carducci, VWFC2, 540 (6)

T43. David Paulmin, FCMTL, 540 (6)

45. Mastanabal Kacher, FCMTL, 505 (11)

46. Liam Fraser, TFCII, 479 (7)

47. Mitch Piraux, VWFC2, 455 (7)

48. Jay Chapman, TFCII, 439 (5)

49. Kianz Froese, VWFC2, 432 (5)

50. Franck Zoue, FCMTL, 415 (6)

51. Louis Beland-Goyette, FCMTL, 410 (6)

52. Jems Geffrard, FCMTL, 386 (5)

53. Karl Ouimette, NYRBII, 347 (4)

54. Mackenzie Pridham, VWFC2, 339 (15)

55. Philippe Lincourt-Joseph, FCMTL, 323 (12)

56. Gabriel Boakye, TFCII, 316 (5)

57. Anthony Osorio, TFCII, 295 (8)

58. Anthony Jackson-Hamel, FCMTL, 286 (4)

59. Malik Johnson, TFCII, 280 (5)

60. Charles Joly, FCMTL, 276 (7)

61. Marcus Godinho, TFCII, 251 (5)

62. Nikola Paunic, OCB, 244 (4)

63. Stefan Vukovic, TFCII, 221 (6)

64. Jovan Blagojevic, VWFC2, 216 (13)

65. Mark Serjeant, TFCII, 188 (3)

66. Jonathan Vallee, FCMTL, 183 (4)

67. Kevin Timachy, TFCII, 127 (4)

68. Yacine Ait-Slimane, FCMTL, 107 (3)

69. Wandrille Lefevre, FCMTL, 106 (2)

T70. Yann-Alexandre Fillion, FCMTL, 90 (1)

T70. Ashtone Morgan, TFCII, 90 (1)

T70. Tarik Robertson, TFCII, 90 (1)

73. Jonathan Grant, FCMTL, 72 (1)

74. Emad Houache, FCMTL, 71 (2)

75. Kevin Luarca, FCMTL, 18 (1)

76. Nicholas Osorio, TFCII, 15 (2)

77. Rahim Thorpe, TFCII, 2 (1)

78. Mateo Restrepo, TFCII, 1 (1)

TEAM RANKINGS

FC Montreal 17,100/18 GP (950)

TFCII 13,241 Min./16 GP (827.6)

Vancouver Whitecaps 2 12,431 Min./21GP (592)

Seattle Sounders 2 1622 Min./20 GP (81.1)

Pittsburgh Riverhounds 1,441 Min./19 GP (75.8)

Real Monarchs SLC 750 min./18 GP (41.7)

Austin Aztex 749 Min./19 GP (39.4)

New York Red Bulls II 347 Min./19 GP (18.2)

Orange County Blues 244 Min./19 GP (12.8)

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

Quintessentially Canadian Power Rankings, MLS Week 21/NASL Week 15

The good: Cyle Larin bagged a hat trick (albeit, in a loss) and played 90 minutes for Orlando City. The Ottawa Fury are five points in the clear in the NASL fall standings, while giving Canadians significant first-team minutes.

The bad: The Montreal Impact, Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto FC combined this week to put out three starting XIs that featured a total of zero Canadians. Each of the teams did use Canadians off the bench, but the minutes weren’t very significant.

And, in our weekly ranking of minutes played by Canadians, Ashtone Morgan was knocked out of top spot. He slips to third, as FCE’s Mallan Roberts is now No. 1 in terms of minutes played.



MLS AND NASL MINUTES BY PLAYER, THE CANADIANS (MLS AFTER 21 WEEKS, NASL AFTER 15 WEEKS):

1. Mallan Roberts, FCE, NASL, 1260 (14)

2. Carl Haworth, OTT, NASL, 1191 (14)

3. Ashtone Morgan, TFC, MLS, 1189 (14)

4. Jonathan Osorio, TFC, MLS, 1124 (16)

5. Kyle Porter, ATL, NASL, 1085 (14)

6. Eddie Edward, FCE, NASL, 1020 (12)

7. Nana Attakora, SAS, NASL, 971 (11)

8. Cyle Larin, ORL, MLS, 968 (15)

9. Tesho Akindele, FCD, MLS 944 (17)

T10. Adrian Cann, SAS, NASL, 900 (10)

T10. Mason Trafford, OTT, NASL, 900 (10)

12. Russell Teibert, VAN, MLS, 885 (16)

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

14. Julian de Guzman, OTT, NASL, 814 (10)

15. Allan Zebie, FCE, NASL, 740 (10)

16. Marcel de Jong, SKC, MLS, 634 (9)

17. Will Johnson, POR, MLS 623 (6)

18. Sam Adekugbe, VAN, MLS, 615 (7)

19. Frank Jonke, FCE, NASL, 596 (9)

20. Mauro Eustaquio, OTT, NASL, 565 (8)

21. Michael Nonni, FCE, NASL, 562 (11)

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

23. Karl Ouimette, NYRB, MLS, 511 (7)

24. Maxim Tissot, MTL, MLS 364 (7)

25. Wandrille Lefevre, MTL, MLS, 360 (4)

26. Drew Beckie, OTT, NASL, 343 (7)

27. Patrice Bernier, MTL, MLS 327 (12)

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

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

30. Hanson Boakai, FCE, NASL, 233 (7)

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

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

33. Jay Chapman, TFC, MLS, 123 (7)

34. Anthony Jackson-Hamel, MTL, MLS 107 (5)

35. Philippe Davies, OTT, NASL, 94 (4)

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

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

38. Jordan Hamilton, TFC, MLS, 4 (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 21 WEEKS, NASL AFTER 15 WEEKS):?

1. Ethan Finlay, CLB 1832 (22)

2. Steven Vitoria, PHI 810 (9)

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

FC Edmonton, NASL, 5262/15 GP (350.8) (-1.1)

Ottawa, NASL, 4073/15 GP (271.5) (+6.1)

Atlanta, NASL, 1931/15 GP (128.7) (-13.4)

Toronto FC, MLS, 2440/19 GP (128.4) (-6.7)

San Antonio, NASL 1771/15 GP (118.1) (-0.6)

Columbus, MLS, 1832/22 GP (83.3) (+0.2)

Vancouver, MLS, 1662/22 GP (75.5) (-2.4)

Montreal, MLS, 1176/17 GP (69.2) (-3.4)

FC Dallas, MLS, 1258/21 GP (59.9) (-2.7)

Orlando City, MLS, 968/21 GP (46.1) (+2.2)

Philadelphia, MLS, 810/22 GP (36.8) (-1.8)

Sporting Kansas City, MLS, 634/19 GP (33.4) (+0.7)

Portland, MLS, 623/22 GP (28.3) (-1.4)

New York Red Bulls, MLS 511/19 GP (26.9) (NC)

Read our Cyle Larin feature in the latest issue of PLASTIC PITCH!

Defending a “calamity” as FCE gifts three goals to the Silverbacks

FCE’s Frank Jonke battles Atlanta’s Simon Mensing. PHOTO: FC EDMONTON/TONY LEWIS

The defensive issues that plagued FC Edmonton throughout the NASL spring season returned for the team’s first fall-season game at Clarke Field.

A series of defensive mistakes gifted the visiting Atlanta Silverbacks a 3-1 win. The Eddies, who had been undefeated in the fall season through three road games and a “home” match in Fort McMurray, were victimized throughout the second half, with defenders getting caught out of position and/or being too casual on the ball.

“The defending was a calamity,” said FCE coach Colin Miller after the match. “We didn’t give ourselves a chance.”

The big winner on the day was the Ottawa Fury, who got a last-gasp goal from Carl Haworth to beat the Carolina RailHawks, 2-1. The Fury now enjoy a five-point cushion on second-place FC Edmonton in the NASL fall standings.

After a scoreless first half in front of an announced crowed of 4,232, Atlanta stunned the fans early in the second. Pedro Mendes barged into the box and managed to barge the much larger Mallan Roberts out of his way. After beating the FCE defender one-on-one, his shot beat keeper Matt Van Oekel at the near post. The shot came off the frame, but ricocheted right into the path of Atlanta forward Jaime Chavez, who was alone in front of goal and enjoyed what has to be easiest finish of his career.



The Eddies kept on giving; right after the Eddies subbed in striker Tomi Ameobi for his first action since May, the home side was once again picking the ball out of its own net. The entire back line got caught flat-footed on a header that was flicked over their heads. Chavez ran onto it and, while the defenders were looking to the linesman for an offside flag, the forward calmly placed the ball into the corner of the net. Replays showed that not only was the play onside, it actually wasn’t close.

With Atlanta well in control, the game did take an interesting turn when sub Michael Mravec was sent off for a late tackle on Eddies’ fullback Eddie Edward. Atlanta coach Gary Smith was up and out of his box when the card was shown; and, while the challenge was late, it was hard to see it as high boot or a tackle that endangered the safety of the opponent.

But, it took the Eddies until the 85th minute to make it count, Centre back Albert Watson, playing up in the attack, snuck a ball into the box for Ameobi, whose low drive found the back of the net.

The Eddies had a glimmer of hope; the Silverbacks had played in Ottawa on Wednesday and were dealing with fatigue.

But the hope was quickly extinguished. With the Eddies’ pushing forward, sub Shaka Bangura went in alone, rounded Van Oekel and made it 3-1. Like the second Silverbacks’ goal, the Eddies were looking to the linesman for the offside flag. Like the second goal, the replay indicated the linesman got it right.

“They were dead on their feet,” said Miller. “That goal took the wind out of our sails.”

Smith said he felt the Silverbacks deserved a better fate on Wednesday, when they lost 2-1 to Ottawa. And he said he saw more positive signs from his team on Sunday, which he acknowledged must overcome “budgetary challenges” to compete with the rest of the NASL.

The Silverbacks didn’t launch a threatening shot on goal in the first half; meanwhile the Eddies had a couple of decent chances. Atlanta keeper Stewart Ceus palmed a wicked drive from FCE midfielder Cristian Raudales over the bar. And, starting striker Frank Jonke was played in behind the Atlanta defence thanks to a great pass from Thiago de Freitas. But Jonke showed too much of the ball to Ceus as he tried to round the keeper, and the Haitian swatted the ball away.

BOAKAI’S BAN

Hanson Boakai, who returned to the squad this week after a run in the Canadian team at the Pan Am Games, was suspended for the Atlanta game by Miller. Boakai showed up 20 minutes late for Saturday’s FCE team meeting.  Unfortunately, Boakai has had problems in the past when it comes to showing up on time for games and training sessions.

Instead of keeping the suspension internal, Miller spoke about it publicly on the FC Edmonton pre-game broadcast. It’s clear he no longer wants to be subjected to the “why isn’t Hanson Boakai playing?” questions without the proper context.

“I have a whole club here, I’m not a babysitter,” said Miller. He said it would send a poor message to the team if he allowed Boakai to “get away with” being late.

Action from Woodall Cup. The British Selects and the EPS Blues played to a 2-2 draw. PHOTO: TONY LEWIS/FC EDMONTON

WOODALL CUP

Hours before the FC Edmonton match, about 1,000 people gathered at Clarke Stadium for the Woodall Cup. The game was a memorial for Const. Daniel Woodall, who has killed in the line of duty earlier this year. Woodall came to Canada from England, and was a lifelong Arsenal fan.

Members of the British Select team wore yellow Arsenal FA Cup replica kits that were donated by the London club. They took on the EPS Blues, a team made up of Edmonton police officers.

FC Edmonton coach Colin Miller participated in the game, wearing the Arsenal yellow and blue away strip.

Proceeds from the game went to Woodall’s family. His wife, Claire and their two young sons, Gabe and Callen, spoke to the crowd before the kickoff of the game.

“The last few weeks have been the most heart-wrenching of my life,” she said. But she thanked the fans in attendance and Edmonton as a whole for being so supportive for her and her family.

“There’s been so much love for myself and my family, I can’t thank you enough,” she said.

Saying the day was “bittersweet” for her and her family, Claire Woodall soaked in a minute of applause for the late constable, as streamers were tossed from Clarke’s main stand.

ISSUE 6 OF PLASTIC PITCH… OUT NOW!

Buchanan’s Pan Am reality check may pay dividends in the future

Kadeisha Buchanan

It’s easy to forget that Canadian centre back Kadeisha Buchanan is months away from her 20th birthday. She’s was named the top young player at the Women’s World Cup, and her name is an automatic to appear in the Canadian starting XI.

But, in Friday night’s Pan Am Games bronze-medal match, we were reminded that she still has a lot to learn.

We were reminded that, despite all of her talent, she’s been rushed into a national team that has very little depth on the back line. In Canada’s 2-1 loss to Mexico, Buchanan endured maybe the worst half she’s played, like, ever, for Canada.

She was taken out of the game at halftime. It could have been an injury, could have been tactical. The reasons weren’t given. But, let’s be clear — if the reason was strictly based on performance, she earned her spot on the bench. Her first half was a reminder that no player can get by on talent alone. It was a lesson that speed and strength can only get you so far — a defender also has to make the right choices.

Early in the match, keeper Stephanie Labbe bailed her out. She was defending a two-on-two break with fellow defender Rebecca Quinn. But, for some reason, Buchanan decided to leave her mark, Mexican striker Monica Ocampo. Buchanan was overly aggressive, and got caught in-between when she decided to try and step up to help out Quinn rather than stay at home. Of course, the ball went to Ocampo, now left wide open in the box, and Labbe did well to make the save.



Buchanan can’t be faulted for the Mexicans’ first goal. She was up to try and meet a corner kick from Janine Beckie; the Mexicans got the ball put of the box and lumped the ball up the field. Ocampo flicked the ball with her head, just nudging it past Quinn. Now, all Ocampo had to do was blow by Quinn and she was on the break. There’s no match in the players’ top speeds: Quinn never had a chance. Ocampo lobbed the ball over Labbe and Mexico had the lead.

Before halftime, Stephany Mayor would get credit for Mexico’s second goal; a desperate clearing attempt from Jessie Fleming crashed off Mayor’s shin guard and went into the goal. But, as Mexico pounced on a giveaway in midfield to start the attack, Buchanan was out for a wander, picking up no one. When the ball got into the danger area, she had to do one of two things:

1. Attack the pass which led to Fleming’s desperate clearance;

2. Or, identify Mayor as a threat and give Fleming the help that she needed. Mayor was coming up through the middle of the penalty area; there’s no way a centre back can say that’s not her job to pick up that attacker.

Fleming got a late penalty-kick goal to make injury time a little more interesting. But the first-half put Canada into too deep a hole.

Look, young defenders are overly aggressive. Anyone who saw Doneil Henry or Mallan Roberts in the early stages of their professional careers know that young centre backs are often guilty of trying to do too much. They will go off and try to win balls away from where they should be; they’ll try to give help to fellow defenders who are better left off to handle their jobs on their own.

Buchanan has been very, very, good for Canada in the early stage of her career. There’s no arguing that. But, Friday’s loss might be a building block she needs. Since she came into the Canadian starting XI, she’s been basically untouchable. She hasn’t been criticized. While a bronze medal would have been nice, the lasting effects that this reality check might have on Canada’s best young player could pay lasting dividends into the future.

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Eddies slowly returning to health as major homestand is set to kick off

Clouds loomed over Clareview as the Eddies cut practice short.

FC Edmonton’s Thursday afternoon training was brought to a premature end by threatening clouds that promised — and later delivered — lightning and hail.

But, despite the clouds in the sky, coach Colin Miller’s outlook was positively sunny.

His team is undefeated in the NASL fall season despite yet setting foot in Clarke Field, their home stadium. The Eddies have won one “home” game in Fort McMurray and got a win and two draws on the road. This Sunday’s match against Atlanta will mark FCE’s first true home game of the fall season.

As well, the Eddies are getting players back to health. Tomi Ameobi, the team’s top-scoring striker, hasn’t played since the spring season, but trained Thursday morning. Ritchie Jones, who’s been out with an ankle problem, is training. Youngster Hanson Boakai is back from the Pan Am Games. Striker Daryl Fordyce was on the pitch.

The Eddies got off to the four-game undefeated streak with basically a skeleton squad. Now, Miller looks to only be missing two players — albeit key players — for Sunday’s match. Lance Laing will be in Jamaican colours for Sunday’s Gold Cup final, and winger Sainey Nyassi continues to recover from a hairline fracture in his ankle.

Jones said that the team’s recent strong performances don’t make it a sure thing that he’ll get minutes now that he’s moved out of the MASH unit and back into the squad.

“It’s been great for the squad; I’ve been involved in so many squads in the past and it’s great to have competition for places. The boys have done so well on the road. It’s great to see and it’s started us off in good stead for the start of the [fall] season.”



Miller said changes could be made to the lineup for this Sunday’s game; but, as any NASL coach would, FCE’s gaffer wouldn’t guarantee who will play and who won’t.

“There will be times when I’ll have to change the team. I may need experience. I may need size. I may need youth. I may need, well, whatever the case may be. On some days, some guys may be fitter, some guys will be tired. So there will be times when, even when things are going well, that I might have to change the team.”

As well, Miller had the team working the ball through what could be a packed midfield. He noted that Atlanta coach Gary Smith went with a 3-5-2 against Ottawa, not a 4-4-2, and the Eddies will need to be ready for a Silverbacks side that won’t play quite the same way it did when it came to Edmonton (and lost) in the spring season.

But, now that the Eddies have got that three-game trip out of the way, eight of the next 11 games will be played in Alberta — seven at Clarke Field, one in Fort McMurray. So, now that the squad has held its own in the first few weeks of the fall season, now comes the time that the Eddies have to take advantage of their home dates.

“It’s very critical,” said Jones. “We just have to mirror what we did in the second half of last season, we started to win those games at home and turn our stadium into an unbeatable home ground for us.”

The Eddies lost just one home game during the 2014 fall season.

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NASL ends relationship with TSN, takes Canadian streaming service in-house

The NASL has ended its relationship with TSN and is taking its Canadian streaming services in-house.

The league will announce Thursday that all FC Edmonton and Ottawa Fury road games will be streamed on the teams’ respective websites. For Ottawa, this is just a confirmation of a practice that was already in place — but, it’s new for Eddies’ supporters.

As well, games involving two American-based NASL teams will be made available to Canadian viewers through the league’s official website, NASL.com. That service launches this weekend These games will be geoblocked, so only users with Canadian IP addresses can access them.

There is one exception: New York Cosmos home games belong to OneWorld Sports, and exist outside this streaming package.

This will be welcome news to Canadian NASL fans, who have suffered through a broadcast arrangement that has been frustrating, to say the least. At the start of the season, the league announced that all FC Edmonton and Ottawa Fury road games would be streamed via TSN GO. But, viewers were continually frustrated when they’d go to the TSN site to find the games, and then find that they weren’t being offered, after all.



On FC Edmonton’s recent three-game road trip, two of the games weren’t available on TSN GO.

As well, up to this point, NASL games that didn’t involve either the Fury or Eddies were unavailable to Canadian viewers. The league has a deal with ESPN3 in the United States to stream all games, but ESPN3 feeds aren’t available to Canadians. So, if Adrian Cann, Nana Attakora and the rest of the San Antonio Scorpions were playing Dominic Oppong, Kyle Porter and their Atlanta Silverbacks, that game wasn’t available to Canadians. That will all change this weekend (fingers crossed).

The league has indicated that it has been working for several weeks to improve the service for Canadian viewers.

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Benito and the McDoogles: The proof!

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We’ve uncovered a disturbing shot from one of coach Benito Floro’s team talks at the recent Gold Cup.

There’s an answer here to why Canada didn’t score at the tournament: Clearly, McDoogle was played out of position. When McDoogle is on the left, he doesn’t link up well with McDoogle in the middle. As well, Floro should not have left McDoogle, with all of his MLS experience, on the bench in favour of the younger, untested, McDoogle.

ORIGINAL PHOTO: MEXSPORT/CANADA SOCCER