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Rago’s return to starting XI has been a major boost for FC Edmonton

By
Steven Sandor
– 05/16/2012

Shaun Saiko, left, and Antonio Rago at FCE practice Wednesday at Clarke Stadium.

Before the kickoff of the 2012 NASL season, FC Edmonton’s coaching staff pulled right back Antonio Rago aside to give him some bad news — that he’d lost his place in the starting XI.

Rago, a local product and fan favourite, was almost an automatic choice in coach Harry Sinkgraven’s starting lineups throughout the 2011 season. So, when Rago began the year on the subs’ bench, it was an eyebrow-raiser of a move.

But, over the last two weeks, Rago has reclaimed his starting spot. Before Rago came in as a started, Edmonton was winless in four league games. Since he came back, the team has won its two NASL matches by an aggregate 5-0 count and showed very well in an Amway Canadian Championship semifinal loss to Vancouver at BC Place — in which Rago set up Yashir Pinto’s goal for the Eddies.

Rago brings the kind of intangibles that you don’t find on a stat sheet. Intensity and an ability to judge when is the right time to go forward, and when he needs to remain at his post.

And, through the process, he said he never allowed himself to get bitter.

“It wasn’t a surprise (being dropped),” said Rago after FCE completed the first of two training sessions at Clarke Stadium, Wednesday. “The coaches came to me and told me that I wasn’t playing at the level that they knew I was capable of. They didn’t feel like I had a good preseason. And, to be honest, they were right. But I am a team player. I don’t sit on the bench cheering against my teammates just because I am not playing.”
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FCE’s Hamilton named NASL Defensive POTW

By
Steven Sandor
– 05/14/2012

Paul Hamilton

For the second week in a row, an FC Edmonton player has won a weekly honour from the NASL.

Last week, it was Shaun Saiko getting the Offensive Player of the Week award for his hat trick against Carolina. This week, it’s central defender Paul Hamilton, who was named the league’s Defensive Player of the Week after the Eddies shut out Atlanta 2-0 for their second league win in a row.

In Atlanta, Hamilton played his third game in six days and had a keeper — John Smits — who was making a his professional debut. But, despite fatigue and the new partnership in the back, the Eddies soaked up the pressure early in the second half and were able to press their advantage after the Silverbacks went down to 10 men.
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Smits gets the shutout in his first NASL start as FCE beats Atlanta

By
Steven Sandor
– 05/13/2012

John Smits

Last season, John Smits was playing goal for the University of Toronto. On Saturday, Smits recorded a clean sheet in his first NASL start as a tired FC Edmonton squad defeated the 10-man Atlanta Silverbacks 2-0.

The Eddies, playing their third match in six days, spent most of the second half up a man, but had to endure protect a 1-0 lead, as tired legs set in. But, thanks to some desperate defending and safe hands from Smits in goal, the Silverbacks couldn’t send their fans home happy. A late insurance goal from Ilja Van Leerdam, set up by a headed pass from substitute Paul Craig, made the scoreline seem a tad unfair to the home side, who was in the match for most of the game.

Smits, starting in place of David Monsalve, had a couple of key second-half moments while Edmonton was up by a goal. He made a low, diving stop after Brazilian defender, Rilla, rose up and beat the Eddies’ defenders to a corner. And he came out to successfully challenge Honduran national-team veteran Danilo Turcios, who had got past the Eddies back line.

“Before the game, I knew this was a chance to make a statement to North America that CIS can produce a lot of great players, and we’re often overlooked,” said Smits. “It was a very emotional game for me. There needs to be some kind of draft system for us in North America.”
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5

Le Toux, Whitecaps, beat down FC Edmonton’s brave resistance

By
Steven Sandor
– 05/10/2012

Vancouver's Floyd Franks, left, takes on FCE's Shaun Saiko, right.

For 75 minutes of Wednesday’s second leg of the club’s Amway Canadian Championship final against the Vancouver Whitecaps, things looked good for FC Edmonton to be Cinderella at the BC Place ball.

The Eddies had a 1-0 leading, halving the 2-0 deficit from the first leg at Commonwealth Stadium. The soccer gods looked to be smiling on them, as an early goal from Whitecap Michael Nanchoff was incorrectly ruled out for offside — as replays showed that the low cross from John Thorrington was played when Vancouver’s attackers were all in onside positions. And, the Eddies had created the bulk of the chances, getting the first-ever North American professional goal from Chilean Yashir Pinto, and forcing Caps keeper Brad Knighton to make a few excellent saves, including a point-blank chance from Michael Cox.

But, with the Eddies needing just one goal to improbably send the tie crashing towards extra time, FC Edmonton crashed itself.

It all came undone in the 75th minute, when substitute Sebastian Le Toux turned left back Fabian Vorbe inside out then stroked a low shot towards the middle of the goal that went right under keeper David Monsalve.

It was a deflating moment that sent a Div.-2 side crashing down — and the Whitecaps scored twice more against the shellshocked Eddies to take the game, 3-1, and the series, 5-1.
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New CSA president Montagliani strikes conciliatory tones

By
Steven Sandor
– 05/08/2012

Victor Montagliani

Victor Montagliani sounded a lot like a man who had just won a political-party nomination.

In his first telephone media conference after being elected president of the Canadian Soccer Association, he spoke about building relationships, about working with the people who had voted against him. Really, it was no different than hearing a new leader reach out to the camps of the other candidates in an effort to bring a political party together after a divisive campaign.

And, of course, there was unbridled optimism: Talk of being able to double the CSA’s operating budget in eight years, about working with the pro clubs, that the reform process is moving along, a promise to do what it takes to make the national teams better.

For those hoping that Montagliani would kick off his presidency with angry ultimatums to the MLS over Canadian-import quotas or some angry words for remnants of the old guard who remain in the CSA, well, that was never going to happen.
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Saiko’s hat trick earns him NASL Offensive Player of the Week nod

By
Steven Sandor
– 05/07/2012

Shaun Saiko

FC Edmonton attacker Shaun Saiko went on a second-half rampage against the Carolina RailHawks Sunday.

And, for his efforts, he was named the NASL’s Offensive Player of the Week on Monday. Saiko scored his first career professional hat trick as FCE beat the RailHawks Sunday.

The previously winless Eddies went into the second half of their match with the RailHawks tied 0-0. But, with the wind at their backs in the second half, the home team was urged to try and take some shots from distance by their head coach, Harry Sinkgraven.

And Saiko must have been listening. His 32-yard blast (we can tell because of the football lines at Clarke Stadium) flew into the goal after a leaping attempt by Carolina keeper Ray Burse to fingertip the ball away proved fruitless.
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Saiko scores three as FC Edmonton dominates the RailHawks

By
Steven Sandor
– 05/06/2012

Shaun Saiko, front, wins the ball from Carolina's Cory Elenio. PHOTO: FC EDMONTON

Shaun Saiko enjoyed one of his finest days as a professional player, as he scored all of the goals as FC Edmonton got its first win of the season, downing the Carolina RailHawks 3-0 at Clarke Stadium.

But, while Saiko was the author of all three goals — two wonder strikes and a penalty — the fact is the 3-0 scoreline wasn’t an indication of just how wide the gulf was between the two teams on Sunday. Yashir Pinto was stopped five, count ‘em, five times by Carolina keeper Ray Burse on close-in chances. And, a corner taken by Saiko that came off FCE’s Paul Hamilton struck the Carolina goalpost.

Really, had Edmonton won this game by six goals the RailHawks wouldn’t have been able to say it was an unfair result. This was FC Edmonton’s most confident, assured performance since last spring, and the Eddies did it with former coach Dwight Lodeweges — who the club assures is on vacation and is simply taking in some matches — watching from the stands.
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Navia named NASL Player of the Month

By
Steven Sandor
– 05/03/2012

Reinaldo Navia

Chilean striker Reinaldo Navia is the NASL player of the month for April.

Navia, who has played throughout the Americas, including a stint with Chilean second-division side Nublense (where he teamed with FC Edmonton striker Yashir Pinto), scored five times in three starts and a sub appearance for the Atlanta Silverbacks.

The Silverbacks, league doormats last year, have drawn all four games they have played so far in NASL.
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Blame FCE’s losses, not City of Edmonton, for poor attendance at Commonwealth Stadium

By
Steven Sandor
– 05/03/2012

Commonwealth Stadium before the ACC match: Most of the seats remained empty

The number was painful to read, painful to report. In a concrete monolith of a stadium that’s built to seat more than 60,000, just 2,777 people came to see FC Edmonton play the Vancouver Whitecaps in the first leg of their Amway Canadian Championship semifinal.

And that number was bolstered by a healthy number of Vancouver supporters who made the trip to back the Whitecaps. In fact, from the broadcast booth on the other side of the stadium, the noise made by Curva Collective and the Southsiders drowned out anything the rest of the small FCE-suporting portion of the crowd could muster.

It was supposed to be a great scenario for the tournament in Edmonton. Unlike last year, when Edmonton faced Toronto, the Eddies would play a regional rival, with a chance to build something of a Western Canadian derby. The start time was at a more fan-friendly 8 p.m., when last year it was tacked onto the end of the work day to accommodate Eastern time zone TV watchers.

Yet the Whitecaps game drew far less than the 2011 edition against Toronto.
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Good news on a bad night for FCE supporters: Pinto’s U.S. paperwork clears

By
Steven Sandor
– 05/03/2012

Yashir Pinto

There was one silver lining for FC Edmonton fans out of Wednesday 2-0 loss to Vancouver in the opening leg of their Amway Canadian Championship semifinal.

During the halftime show of the TEAM 1260 broadcast of the ACC match, FC Edmonton spokesman Andreas Morse confirmed that Chilean striker Yashir Pinto is cleared to cross the American border to play football.

That means that Pinto is eligible to play in all remaining NASL matches this season.

Pinto missed Tuesday’s FC Edmonton practice, as he was at the Chilean consulate in Calgary ironing out the last few details.
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