FCE’s Chris Nurse named NASL Player of the Month By Steven Sandor Posted on September 5, 2013 2 0 799 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Chris Nurse He’s scored three times over the course of the last three games (even though the third game in question was played Sept. 1). And FC Edmonton midfielder Chris Nurse has been named the NASL Player of the Month for August. Nurse scored in 1-1 draws with Atlanta, Tampa Bay and the New York Cosmos over the past three weeks. In Edmonton’s home opener win in August, a 1-0 triumph over San Antonio, Nurse made the ball-winning tackle that led to Corey Hertzog’s winning goal. Nurse has been seen as one of the best holding midfielders in NASL for the last three seasons. He’s not shy to make tough challenges, and FCE fans can usually judge his effectiveness by how much the opposition players complain to the ref about Nurse on the field. He’s an agitator. But, after a pep talk from coach Colin Miller (CLICK HERE), in which Nurse was urged to become more of an offensive force, the Guyanese national teamer has been popping up in dangerous places. He’s getting to the right places at the right time. And for a team that’s been offensively starved, he and fellow midfielder Neil Hlavaty have provided much of the offensive inspiration. “I spoke with him, just himself and me,” said Miller a couple of weeks ago. “I told him that I thought he was an underachiever. I told him that I thought he could put his stamp on games the way that (Nigel) Reo-Coker does for the Whitecaps. I am delighted with the way he’s now getting into the box, delighted that he hasn’t been involved in silly changes. We all know he’s a brave lad, but I think he’s got it in him to be a special player.” At the beginning of the 2013 season, when Nurse was brought in to replace Bryan Arguez in the holding midfield position, there were some skeptics. Arguez, who was on loan from Montreal, then went on to a big contract in Minnesota, was traded to Carolina and is now, sadly, facing rape charges in the state of Georgia (CLICK HERE). Meanwhile, Nurse is clearly the best holding midfielder in NASL at the moment. How The 11 voted: We see Nurse on a regular basis in training and in games. He’s a born leader. He got the vote. If we were to vote for team MVP at this moment, Nurse wins. That simple.
