Fort Lauderdale Strikers Archive

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U.S. Open Cup could have major implications for FC Edmonton’s NASL fortunes

By
Steven Sandor
– 05/16/2013

Albert Watson with the captain's armband.

Albert Watson with the captain’s armband.

FC Edmonton will be cheering for its six fellow NASL teams as they enter the U.S. Open Cup competition next week.

And it’s not just because it will be good for the profile of NASL if the second-division teams can claim the scalps of a few MLS teams along the way. The main reason? Because, the longer their fellow teams last in the USOC, the more congested their fixture lists become. And the more congested their schedules become, the better it is for FCE, who finished Amway Canadian Championship play in early May and have no more out-of-league commitments.

Case in point: The Fort Lauderdale Strikers. They play at San Antonio this weekend, while the Eddies have a bye. Then, on the 21st, the Strikers host the Laredo Heat in USOC play. Then, on the 26th, they make the long trip to Alberta to face Edmonton. If the Strikers beat Laredo, they will have to face FC Dallas just two days after their game in Alberta.

So, if the Strikers win against Laredo, there’s a chance that coach Daryl Shore may need to rotate his squad for the FC Edmonton game — as you can’t see the Strikers using depth players in a spotlight match against an MLS side.
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Eddies settle for a point in 2013 NASL opener

By
Steven Sandor
– 04/07/2013
Striker Rubens Pinheiro, left, tries to win the ball away from FCE's Wes Knight.

Striker Rubens Pinheiro, left, tries to win the ball away from FCE’s Wes Knight.

In his NASL coaching debut, Colin Miller had to settle for a draw.

David Foley’s laser beam of a shot allowed the host Fort Lauderdale Strikers to salvage a 1-1 with FC Edmonton in their NASL season opener.

And FCE coach Miller can only wonder what if — as a first-half strike from Neil Hlavaty and a late attempt from Shaun Saiko both found the woodwork.

Miller started a FCE lineup that featured only three players who were Eddies in 2012: Keeper Lance Parker, midfielder Saiko and Antonio Rago, moved up from fullback to the midfield for the beginning of the new season. It was a mix of old and new who combined for the goal. In the first half, Saiko floated a ball into the Strikers’ penalty area. There were three Eddies who made runs that caught the Strikers’ backline flatfooted. But it was Knight — the former Whitecap who spent last season in San Antonio — who got his head to the ball, giving Strikers’ keeper Matt Glaeser no chance.
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The Super-Duper NASL spring season preview

By
Steven Sandor
– 04/02/2013

NASL_logo_previewThe 2012 NASL season ended with one of the most exciting finals that either MLS, NASL or USL has seen.

In the second leg of the final, the Tampa Bay Rowdies erased a two-goal first-leg deficit, then held on through extra time with only 10 men. The Rowdies then rode goalie Jeff Attinella as they beat the then-named Minnesota Stars in penalty kicks.

The Stars have changed their name to Minnesota United FC, and Attinella has left for MLS. NASL has now changed formats, and the two-leg finale is now history.

But, as we get ready for this weekend’s kickoff to the NASL spring season, the Rowdies and MUFC are the clear favourites to top the table. Under the new format, the team that wins the spring title will host the winner of the fall title in November’s Soccer Bowl. If the same team wins the spring and fall sessions, then the team with the next-best overall record will be the road team in the final.
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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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New FCE defender Laing: Will be an “honour” to team up with Paul Hamilton

By
Steven Sandor
– 11/21/2012

Lance Laing

It was the final game of the NASL season. FC Edmonton already knew that it would finish the season in last place. After 89 minutes at Clarke Stadium, FC Edmonton trailed playoff-bound Fort Lauderdale 2-0.

But the Eddies came back with two late goals to tie the match — a show of spirit and passion. Elvir Gigolaj scored on a wonder volley, then Paul Craig tied the game in time added on with a low long-distance strike.

And no one was more impressed than defender Lance Laing. A 2011 member of the NASL Best XI, the Jamaican spent the last two seasons with the strikers, and has earned a couple of national-team call-ups. And, on Wednesday, he joined ex-Minnesota Star Neil Hlavaty as the newest members of the Eddies.

“We saw some really good stuff from them in that last game,” Laing said over the phone. “We saw a lot of players that we hadn’t seen play for them before, and they made a difference. I think if some of those players come back next year, we can turn this team around.”
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Signings of Laing and Hlavaty show that FC Edmonton is learning from mistakes

By
Steven Sandor
– 11/21/2012

FCE’s Shaun Saiko, left, tangles with Minnesota’s Neil Hlavaty in 2011. FILE PHOTO: JOHN TURNER

FC Edmonton’s front office looks to have made a major strategic change. Instead of looking abroad for high-priced talent as it did for the 2012 season, it has targeted proven NASL veterans to bolster its lineup for 2013.

The Eddies’ back line received a major upgrade when the team announced Wednesday that it had signed Neil Hlavaty and Lance Laing to deals.

As a member of the Minnesota Stars, Hlavaty was well-known to FCE fans through two years worth of Flyover Cup derby matches. Hlavaty is excellent on set pieces and also scores from the penalty spot. He scored two penalty-kick goals vs. the Eddies over the past two seasons.

“Today is a very exciting day in my life and career,” Hlavaty said in a release issued by the Eddies. “I’m anxiously looking forward to joining FC Edmonton and taking on another challenge. FC Edmonton is a club that I truly believe will, and should, have success in the NASL for years to come and I hope that I can play a vital role in making that success come to fruition. I’m looking forward to meeting all the players and staff in Edmonton in the very near future. Finally, I want to thank Manny Lagos and the entire staff in Minnesota. They gave me a platform to establish myself in this growing league and I head to Edmonton with great memories and friendships in the Twin Cities.”

Laing, from the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, has two caps with the Jamaican national team and was selected to the NASL’s Best XI in 2011.

“We’re extremely pleased to have both Lance and Neil onboard,” said FCE technical director Joe Petrone in the release. “Lance is an athletic, attacking left fullback with great potential and Neil won an NASL championship with the Minnesota Stars in 2011, so he’ll bring some much needed experience to our club.”
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FCE’s Hamilton makes NASL’s Best XI

By
Steven Sandor
– 10/09/2012

Paul Hamilton

Despite a last-place finish in NASL, FC Edmonton has placed a player in the season-ending Best XI.

Eddies’ central defender Paul Hamilton was named to the squad, which was announced by the league on Tuesday. The centre back was named defensive player of week in mid-May and led the team in minutes played, with 2,024.

At the halfway point of the season, FCE midfielder/forward Shaun Saiko looked destined to make the Best XI for the second consecutive season. But, even though he finished as the Eddies’ leaders in goals and assists and represented Canada at the U-23 level during Olympic qualifying, he was sidelined for part of the second half of the season due to injuries and a one-game team suspension issued by former coach Harry Sinkgraven.
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Last-gasp goals from Gigolaj and Craig get FC Edmonton a season-ending draw

By
Steven Sandor
– 09/23/2012

FCE’s Elvir Gigolaj, in white, in action against the Strikers. PHOTO: FC EDMONTON

FC Edmonton found two late magical moments to give its home fans something to shout about in its final game of the 2012 NASL season.

Mathematically eliminated from the playoffs week ago — and trailing 2-0 to the Fort Lauderdale Strikers through 89 minutes of Sunday’s season-ender at Clarke Stadium — the Eddies got a thunderous volley from Elvir Gigolaj and a 25-yard equalizer from Paul Craig to get a last-gasp point. Final score: 2-2.

For Gigolaj, it was his first-ever second-division goal in his first start in NASL. The St. Mary’s University product smashed a 20-yard volley into the top corner.

“I was dead out there,” said Gigolaj. “I thought I was going to faint. The heat was killing me.”
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Smits relishes chance to play for FCE, even after team eliminated from playoffs

By
Steven Sandor
– 09/19/2012

John Smits

John Smits has never before been in a situation where he’s had to play out the string.

Every season before this, whether it was elite level amateur teams in the Greater Toronto Area, or during his collegiate career with the University of Toronto, the FC Edmonton keeper hasn’t been on a team that was eliminated from post-season contention well before the regular season came to a close.

That changed during Smits’ rookie pro season with the Eddies. The team has known for a couple of weeks that it is doing nothing more than playing for pride. FCE sits at the bottom of the NASL standings heading into Sunday’s season finale at home to the Fort Lauderdale Strikers.

“Playing for pride, it’s a different feeling,” said Smits.
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Arguez disappointed not to get a shot with Impact, looks forward to playing time in Edmonton

By
Steven Sandor
– 07/12/2012

Bryan Arguez

When midfielder Bryan Arguez was told by the Montreal Impact brass last week that he was being loaned out to FC Edmonton, his initial reaction was disappointment.

But, now, after playing in just four reserve matches with the Impact this season, Arguez is looking forward to getting back into the rhythm of playing again.

“It was disappointing,” Arguez said of his time with the Impact. “It didn’t work out the way I was told it was going to work out. I just never got the chance. There was a time when the team had lost three games in a row, and I thought I was going to get a chance, and it didn’t happen. And, when we played D.C. United on the road, we started almost an entirely different lineup and they still didn’t give me a chance.. But I can’t dwell on the past, I have to make the most out of my situation here.”
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