Archive for January 10th, 2013

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NASL releases spring schedule — FCE starts with four of five on the road

By
Steven Sandor
– 01/10/2013

The NASL has announced its spring schedule — and FC Edmonton will spend four of the first five games of the season on the road.

And, as they have for the previous two seasons, the Eddies will open up the season in Fort Lauderdale. The two teams have split the previous two openers. It begins a stretch of four of five games on the road for the Eddies. With the winner of a very short schedule (12 games per team) getting the right to host the Soccer Bowl, a poor start could kill the Eddies’ hopes, as there won’t be time to recover.

NASL went to a split season format for 2013. The winner of the spring session will play the winner of the autumn session for the title. The spring winner gets to host the game. If the same team wins both sessions, the team with the second-best record over both sessions gets to go to the final.
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Three Canadian players make deals in the Promised Land: Israel a hotbed for Canucks

By
Steven Sandor
– 01/10/2013

Oliver Spring: Now with Maccabi Tel Aviv’s U19 program.

If there is one league Canadian soccer followers should focus on during the open transfer window…

It’s Israel.

Since the holiday season began, three Canadians have settled in with their new Israeli clubs — Tomer Chencinski, Oliver Spring and Daniel Haber.

The highest-profile deal of the three is the one involving Canadian keeper Chencinski, who transferred from Swedish side Orebro to Maccabi Tel Aviv. But Chencinski will be joined by another Toronto prospect — Spring. Spring is now part of Tel Aviv’s U19 team. He will work under the eye of MTA’s manager of football, Jordi Cruyff.
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Drew Beckie gets late invite to MLS combine

By
Steven Sandor
– 01/10/2013

Drew Beckie

Better late than never for Drew Beckie.

The Regina, Sask. native wasn’t on the initial list of invites to the upcoming MLS combine. But, as some players drop out due to injuries or to take shots in other leagues, spots in the combine have opened up. And, on Thursday, MLS announced that Beckie has been given a late invite.

Beckie, who has finished his career at the University of Denver, was part of the Canadian men’s U-23 team that missed out on a spot at the 2012 Olympics. But he appeared in two matches in the CONCACAF qualifying tournament in Nashville, playing 90 minutes in each of them.

Beckie will play on Team Blue at the combine in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. And he’ll team with fellow Canadians Kyle Bekker and Emery Welshman on that squad. Read the rest of this entry »

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Canada books March 22 friendly against Japan

By
Steven Sandor
– 01/10/2013

The Canadian Soccer Association announced Thursday that it has booked March 22 men’s national-team friendly against another high-profile opponent — Japan.

The Canadian men’s team will face the Japanese on neutral ground — in Doha, Qatar, the city that will likely host the 2022 World Cup final.

The question is — who will coach Canada in that game? The Canadian Soccer Association brought in Colin Miller to run the team for the Jan. 26 friendly against Denmark and the Jan. 29 friendly against the Americans. But Miller was clear his interim tag expired at the end of those two matches, as he will be “100 per cent committed” to his job of coaching FC Edmonton after that.

FCE has confirmed that Miller is scheduled to return to the team Feb. 10. And March 22 is the tentative date for the start of the NASL side’s training camp.
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