FC Edmonton not hurt too bad by international call-ups; Ottawa will suffer

Nik Ledgerwood PHOTO: UWE WELZ/FC EDMONTON

In the thick of the race for the spring-season title, FC Edmonton won’t be hurt too badly by the most recent round of international call-ups.

Midfielder Nik Ledgerwood will be off to Austria Sunday to join the Canadian national team for a pair of friendlies. The Canadian team will play Azerbaijan on June 3 and Uzbekistan on June 7. Midfielder Dustin Corea is already in Washington, where the El Salvadoran national team is prepping for its May 28 friendly against Peru. Corea will then travel with his national side to Los Angeles, where El Salvador will face Armenia June 1.

Corea will miss Saturday’s game against Miami FC; Ledgerwood will be available.

But, because the Eddies have a bye next weekend, the call-ups won’t affect the team greatly. Corea will miss one match. Ledgerwood won’t miss any. Both players will be back in the lineup for the final game of the spring season, when the Eddies face Fort Lauderdale on June 12.

That means the Eddies will be better off than the Ottawa Fury, who will lose Marcel de Jong and Julian de Guzman for the first leg of the Amway Canadian Championship semifinal match-up against the Vancouver Whitecaps on June 1, the June 4 league match against the Tampa Bay Rowdies and likely for the June 8 ACC second leg against Vancouver.

Now, this is probably a good time to discuss the wisdom of scheduling the semifinals of Canada’s national club championship against an international week.

CANADA Roster

1- GK- Simon Thomas | NOR / FK Bodø/Glimt

2- FB- Nik Ledgerwood | CAN / FC Edmonton

3- CB- Manjrekar James | HUN / Diósgyöri VTK

4- CB- Dejan Jakovic | JPN / Shimizu S-Pulse

5- CB- David Edgar | ENG / Birmingham City

6- M- Julian de Guzman | CAN / Ottawa Fury FC

7- M- Iain Hume | ESP / SD Ponferradina

8- M- Will Johnson | CAN / Toronto FC

9- F- Marcus Haber | ENG / Crewe Alexandra

10- M- David Junior Hoilett | ENG / Queens Park Rangers

11- M- Tosaint Ricketts | Unattached

12- CB- Doneil Henry | ENG / West Ham United

13- M- Michael Petrasso | ENG / Queens Park Rangers

14- M- Samuel Piette | ESP / Deportiva La Coruna

15- CB- Adam Straith | NOR / Fredrikstad FK

16- M- Scott Arfield | ENG / Burnley FC

17- FB- Marcel De Jong | CAN / Ottawa Fury FC 1

8- GK- Milan Borjan | BUL / PFK Ludogorets Razgrad

19- CB- Steven Vitória | POR / Benfica

20- CB / FB- Karl W. Ouimette | USA / New York Red Bulls

21- F- Cyle Larin | USA / Orlando City SC

22- GK- Kenny Stamatopoulos | SWE / AIK Fotbol

23- M- Tesho Akindele | USA / FC Dallas

24- F- Simeon Jackson | ENG / Blackburn Rovers