Shaun Saiko Archive

2

Tired FCE team gets draw in Tampa against NASL champs

By
Steven Sandor
– 05/05/2013

Tampa Bay's Keith Savage, in green, battles FCE's Daryl Fordyce.

Tampa Bay’s Keith Savage, in green, battles FCE’s Daryl Fordyce.

FC Edmonton was playing its fifth game in two weeks — and its third over the course of six days. On Wednesday night, the Eddies were in Vancouver. On Saturday night, they were in Florida, three time zones away.

Oh yeah, and they had to face the defending NASL champs, too.

If there was ever going to be a game that was about survival, Saturday night’s match between FC Edmonton and the Tampa Bay Rowdies was going to be it. And a 1-1 result, which brings this brutal stretch of the schedule to an end, is done. Now, the Eddies only play twice over the next three weeks — both at home.

And they’ll deserve the rest. Really, the Eddies could have taken all three points. Daryl Fordyce played his best game so far in NASL — the Northern Irish attacker played a role in Shaun Saiko’s equalizing goal and caused problems for the Rowdies all night long. And he forced keeper Diego Restrepo into an outstanding second-half save, as Fordyce’s 59th-minute shot from the top of the box was labelled for the bottom corner.

“It (how the team responded to going down early) was awesome.” said Saiko. “Most of the guys weren’t here last year, but as one of the players who has been here, we go down 1-0 on the road and it would be easy to think ‘here we go again.’ But, by the second half, we were taking the game to them. Read the rest of this entry »

Share
0

Whitecaps dispatch 10-man Eddies from ACC; will face Impact in final

By
Steven Sandor
– 05/02/2013
Corey Hertzog

Corey Hertzog

In the four times the Whitecaps have beaten in FC Edmonton in Amway Canadian Championship action over the past two years, Wednesday’s win was the most comprehensive.

Oh, there have been more lopsided scorelines than Wednesday’s 2-0 result at BC Place — which, paired with a 3-2 road win in the first leg of the semifinal last week, sets up a Whitecaps/Impact ACC final. But in terms of chances created and the possession gap, the Whitecaps dominated by a huge margin.

Maybe some FC Edmonton supporters will scream injustice, and point to the fact that Corey Hertzog’s opening goal, a 30-yard screamer, came after Eddies’ centre back Adrian LeRoy was sent off for what was ruled a professional foul. Hertzog drew the red-card foul just minutes after coming into the game as a a halftime sub, so the goal rubbed salt in the wound.

“All week, me and the goalie coach have worked on volleys. Tonight was a good one,” said Hertzog after the game.
Read the rest of this entry »

Share
1

FCE expected to make lineup changes ahead of ACC second leg in Vancouver

By
Steven Sandor
– 04/29/2013

Whitecap Nigel Reo-Coker, left, challenges his close friend, FCE's Chris Nurse, in the first leg of the ACC semifinal.

Whitecap Nigel Reo-Coker, left, challenges his close friend, FCE’s Chris Nurse, in the first leg of the ACC semifinal.

FC Edmonton coach Colin Miller said he expects to make four changes to his lineup from Sunday’s NASL win over San Antonio to this Wednesday’s Amway Canadian Championship semifinal second leg in Vancouver.

The game at BC Place will be the fourth the Eddies have played in 11 days. And fatigue was clear to see as FCE held on by its fingernails for a 1-0 win Sunday over a San Antonio team that came off a bye week. Shaun Saiko, who scored the penalty-kick decider, was named NASL Player of the Week for his efforts.

We know central defender Carlyle Mitchell has to come out, because he’s ineligible to play against the Whitecaps, because he’s on loan from them. But, as for the other changes, Miller was pretty tight-lipped.

The Eddies go into the match against the Whitecaps trailing 3-2, though FCE deserved better than the scoreline showed. Two of the Whitecaps’ goals were controversial. The opening goal stood even though Vancouver striker Darren Mattocks appeared to be influencing the play from an offside position; the second Caps’ goal came after referee Silviu Petrescu pointed to the spot after Camilo went down rather easily in the FCE box.
Read the rest of this entry »

Share
4

Fortunate FC Edmonton gets Miller his first-ever NASL coaching win

By
Steven Sandor
– 04/28/2013

FCE's Daryl Fordyce has the ball, ahead of teammate Neil Hlavaty, centre, and Scorpion Esteban Bayona (right).

FCE’s Daryl Fordyce has the ball, ahead of teammate Neil Hlavaty, centre, and Scorpion Esteban Bayona (right).

Coach Colin Miller got his first NASL win. And he gave a nod to Lady Luck.

Through the first three games of the regular season and Wednesday’s 3-2 loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps in the first leg of the Amway Canadian Championship semifinal, Miller has lamented the posts hit by his team and the calls that have gone against them.

In Sunday’s 1-0 home-opener win over the San Antonio Scorpions in front of a crowd of just 1,026 at Clarke Stadium, the Eddies finally saw fortune go their way. The Eddies now have four points from four matches (1-2-1).

The Scorpions had several clear-cut scoring chances in the second half, but couldn’t convert any of them — allowing Shaun Saiko’s late first-half penalty-kick marker to stand as the deciding goal.

“I told the guys before the game that I’d settle for a poorer performance and a win,” Miller said after the game. “And they did that.

“We sure find ways to make it difficult for ourselves; at times it looked like we were trying to commit suicide… But Lady Luck gave us a couple of breaks.”
Read the rest of this entry »

Share
2

Feels like 2012 again: FC Edmonton loses to physical Minnesota side

By
Steven Sandor
– 04/20/2013

Shaun Saiko, left, gets a shot off in front of Minnesota's Brian Kallman.

Shaun Saiko, left, gets a shot off in front of Minnesota’s Brian Kallman.

FC Edmonton has a new coach and an almost entirely new starting XI. But Saturday’s 2-0 loss on the Metrodome turf to Minnesota United FC felt a lot like the 2012 season.

The Eddies had a lot of the ball, but created precious few chances, and struggled to find space against a more physical team. The match was played in a constant state of stops and starts, with no real flow. And that favoured Minnesota, which thrives on set pieces and winning 50-50 balls.

Still, coach Colin Miller felt that FCE didn’t deserve the 2-0 scoreline.

“I thought that we were on top for long spells. We were well organized. I feel as sick after this match as I had after our first two matches.”

So similar to last season, Edmonton spurned an early chance — teasing its supporters that more might be coming. And they didn’t come. Yes, Edmonton had lots of possession, but couldn’t unlock the MUFC defence.
Read the rest of this entry »

Share
1

FCE’s Miller after loss to RailHawks: “The better team lost tonight”

By
Steven Sandor
– 04/14/2013

FCE's Daryl Fordyce, in white, splits the Carolina defenders.

FCE’s Daryl Fordyce, in white, splits the Carolina defenders.

For the second week in a row, the frame of the goal stood in the way between FC Edmonton and needed goals.

Last week, the Eddies hit the woodwork twice and settled for a 1-1 draw with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in their NASL season opener. On Saturday, it was another two goalposts off of clear scoring chances, and FCE and its supporters can only wonder what could have been, as the Carolina RailHawks opened their renovated new home park with a 2-1 win over the Eddies.

Austin Da Luz scored the opener early in the second half, beating FCE fullback Edson Edward at the post and then bundling home a perfect cross from winger Ty Shipalane, a player who has consistently given the Eddies fits over the past two seasons. Shipalane was able to keep a ball in play and then floated a dangerous cross in from the right side.

Brian Shriver wrapped up the points in the 71st when his perfect 20-yard free kick found the back of the net. Massimo Mirabelli found the net in injury time to get the Eddies back to within a goal.
Read the rest of this entry »

Share
3

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.
Read the rest of this entry »

Share
1

FC Edmonton’s final preseason win offers many clues to opening-night starting XI

By
Steven Sandor
– 04/01/2013

Adrian LeRoy

Adrian LeRoy

Usually, the final game of a team’s preseason schedule tells you a lot about where a coach’s head is at. The final preseason tuneup isn’t so much a match of trial and error as it is a dress rehearsal for the season to come.

With just a week to go before the kickoff of the NASL season, FC Edmonton’s final game of its preseason, a 4-1 win over Gonzaga University, gives us a decent idea of the team’s starting XI for next Satuirday’s NASL curtain-raiser in Fort Lauderdale.

Coach Colin Miller went with this starting XI and stuck with this crew for 70 minutes against Gonzaga: Lance Parker in goal, Canadian Edson Edward at right back, Carlyle Mitchell and Adrian LeRoy in the middle of the defence, with 2011 NASL Best XI defender Lance laing at left back. Neil Hlavaty played the holding mid, with Wes Knight and Chris Nurse in front of him, and Shaun Saiko, the team’s leading scorer and assist-maker in 2012, playing the No. 10 role. Up front, as Miller previously hinted would be his preferred strike partnership, was former Linfield man Daryl Fordyce, with Canadian Michael Cox providing speed and strength.
Read the rest of this entry »

Share
0

Nurse believes FC Edmonton can go from worst to first

By
Steven Sandor
– 02/27/2013

Chris Nurse

It might seem like a strange decision. Chris Nurse, in search of another second-division title, came to come to a franchise that finished in last place in the league last season.

“I wanted to be part of a team that will contend for the championship this season,” said the England-born Guyanese national teamer, who split last season between the Carolina RailHawks before making a return to the Puerto Rico Islanders.

Nurse, who was one of the 16 players already named to the FC Edmonton roster on Monday, believes the team has the talent to go from worst to first under new coach Colin Miller. And, he thinks the addition of a number of NASL veterans, including himself, will help push a young, talented squad to new heights.

“Wes Knight, he’s won at this level (got to a final in ’09 with the Whitecaps),” said Nurse at FCE’s training session Tuesday at Commonwealth Fieldhouse. “(Neil) Hlavaty has won a championship. I’ve won a championship at the second-division level. We have done it before and we can win another second-division title. We have players like (Shaun) Saiko and (Paul) Hamilton, who were both league all-stars.”
Read the rest of this entry »

Share
0

FC Edmonton announces more signings

By
Steven Sandor
– 02/25/2013

Chris Nurse

FC Edmonton now has 16 players on its roster for the upcoming NASL season.

The team announced 16 “signings” on Monday, though that number includes five academy players — Mallan Roberts, Chris de Guise, Ajeej Sarkaria, Hanson Boakai and Sadi Jalali — who were officially promoted to the first team last week.

Also on the list are Northern Irishmen Albert Watson and Daryl Fordyce, who the club confirmed over the weekend were signed. The two left Linfield FC in order to come to Canada, and then enjoyed strong trials in Edmonton.
Read the rest of this entry »

Share
Older Entries