Home Canadian Soccer CIS and Amateur FCE camp updates: Dosanjh to return to UBC after FCE trial, Miller on Hamilton, no interest in Stinson

FCE camp updates: Dosanjh to return to UBC after FCE trial, Miller on Hamilton, no interest in Stinson

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University of British Columbia attacker Gagandeep Dosanjh and another mystery player will join FC Edmonton when the club heads to Vancouver Thursday to continue its NASL preseason camp.

FCE coach Colin Miller confirmed Tuesday that Dosanjh, who won the CIS title with UBC last season and scored the extra-time winner against the Universtity of Alberta to give the Thunderbirds the 2012 Canada West championship, will join the club and play in a series of exhibition games FCE has scheduled at Trinity Western University, including a March 26 match against the Whitecaps. As well, Miller said another player is expected to join the squad this week, but at this stage the coach was not at liberty to say who that would be.

Miller said Dosanjh will be on trial with the club, but his priority is to finish his education, so the former Whitecaps U23 player will go back to school. After Dosanjh finishes up at UBC — if he impresses enough at FCE camp — he would join the club then.

But that’s no sure thing. Plenty of Whitecaps’ Residency products have auditioned for the Eddies over the last few months, including at November’s free-agent combine. None of them have stuck. Same goes for ex-Toronto FC and TFC Academy players. There seems to be an arrogance that comes from certain quarters that if a player was with the Residency or TFC Academy, that he could walk onto FCE. In fact, at the November combine, several of the Residency and TFC Academy kids had a hard time keeping pace with the FC Edmonton Reserves youngsters, who have a longer training window than the MLS clubs have with their kids.

As FCE is prepared to leave for Vancouver on Thursday, Miller answered some questions regarding Paul Hamilton’s departure for the club and right back Matt Stinson, the 20-year-old Toronto FC released this morning and Miller coached with the national team back in January.

On Hamilton, who was released by FCE on Tuesday: “It was not an easy decision. Paul has been a great credit to this club. We could have released him earlier, but it was best for him to stay and train. It will help him to to be fit and to find another club.

“This was not personal. But, I saw some deficiencies in his play, and I have been very honest with Paul since day one. I think he will be able to move to another club.”

The release of Stinson didn’t pique Miller’s interest: “He’d be the fifth right back in our club. But, he did very well when he was at camp (Canadian national-team training in January) and he had a good showing in our game against the U.S. He did well and I am sure he will find another club, soon.”

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6 Comments

  1. john anderson

    March 22, 2013 at 12:54 am

    Let it be Sodade! Glad Dosanjh is getting shot, definitely the sorta player fced could use

  2. Duder

    March 20, 2013 at 2:54 pm

    Yeah, can’t believe Hamilton was given a fair shake by Miller. Oh well, ‘horses for courses’ – as the saying goes. Hamilton was apparently not the type of player that Miller wants/needs.

  3. Footy

    March 20, 2013 at 2:25 pm

    Let it be Sodade!

  4. BCM

    March 20, 2013 at 12:55 pm

    5th right back – that’s cold. Makes you wonder why Stinson was in the CND camp and not some of those other Canadian backs the Eddies possess.

    PS – no way MLS would work in Stl. No fan support, despite the standard of youth soccer. Sorry 🙁

    • Steven Sandor

      March 20, 2013 at 2:00 pm

      To be fair, I think Colin’s context was that he already has more than enough fullbacks, not that Stinson wasn’t good enough. Still, if any team thought that Stinson could win a starting job, it would call him in.

  5. MLSinSTL

    March 20, 2013 at 2:17 am

    I don’t know how Miller can say it wasn’t personal…he didn’t like the way Hamilton played despite the fact that he was recognized as one of the best in the league last year. Makes you wonder what he was looking at…

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