Home NASL & USL FC Edmonton Heinemann’s late winner gives Fury a measure of revenge against FCE

Heinemann’s late winner gives Fury a measure of revenge against FCE

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Last year, as a member of the Vancouver Whitecaps, Tom Heinemann scored an Amway Canadian Championship goal against FC Edmonton.

In 2014, injuries kept him from playing for the Ottawa Fury in the 2014 Voyageurs’ Cup. He could only watch as the Eddies beat the Fury 3-1 on aggregate.

But, on Saturday, Heinemann came in as a second-half sub, his first appearance in a Fury shirt — and he allowed both himself and his club to have a measure of revenge on the Eddies. In the 89th minute, off a free kick from Richie Ryan, Heinemann was able to get position on FCE defender Lance Laing. The ball looped off Heinemann’s head and into the back of the net, giving the Fury a 1-0 win.

The goal made FC Edmonton coach Colin Miller livid.

“I am not debating that was a free kick for Ottawa; but, I think, before that happens, there is a clear free kick for us in the sequence leading up to it. But it was just another horrendous decision by another horrendous referee. No, we didn’t defend it well, but I thought the guys put in a terrific shifts and deserved at least a point from the game.”

While neither the Eddies or Fury will challenge for the NASL spring season title, the win puts the Fury — a team new to the league — five points ahead of the established Eddies in the standings.

And, up till the 89th minute winner, anyone watching the game had to wonder how the heck it has remained scoreless for so long. The Fury started off quickly and could have had a couple of goals in the first 20 minutes. In the end, both teams spurned several excellent looks at the goals.

“Ottawa had good chances, we had good chances, and I thought both teams were going for it.” said Miller. “The guys are gutted to lose it in the last minute of the game. They’ve locked themselves in the dressing room so they can have a talk about it.”

Ottawa’s Mason Trafford, left, tries to avoid challenges from FC Edmonton’s Neil Hlavaty and Michael Nonni. PHOTO: Steve Kingsman (Ottawa Fury FC)

In the second minute, Tony Donatelli’s shot stung the hands of Eddies’ keeper John Smits. In the 12th, Smits came out for a corner, missed it, and the ball went off the body of the Fury’s Mason Trafford. But the ball took a high bounce off the turf and went just over the bar.

But the Fury kept coming, and fullback (and Ottawa native) Edson Edward was forced to make a last-ditch dive to stop Ottawa forward Carl Haworth front busting in on goal.

The Eddies’ Neil Hlavaty pounded a shot from distance that required Fury keeper Devala Gorrick to palm the ball away from goal, but then Ottawa hadtwo more outstanding chances to open the scoring. Donatelli got behind the defenders, came in clear on the Edmonton keeper, but Smits blocked the shot, and central defender Kareem Moses scurried away the rebound. Then, Haworth’s shot was blocked in the box by a sliding Moses; the ball struck Moses’s arm, which was raised as he was making the slide. But, despite Ottawa protests, no call was given.

“We had a good first half, we were the most dangerous team,” Ottawa coach Marc Dos Santos said during the halftime TV interview. “It’s a game that’s going to ask a lot of patience from us.”

Edmonton had a couple of god chances in the second half; a shot by Hlavaty was blocked in the box by Ottawa right back Philippe Davies, who did stellar work in shutting down FCE teenager Hanson Boakai. And Daryl Fordyce, who came on as a sub for Frank Jonke, who tweaked his hamstring, had an attempt saved by Gorrick. Edmonton had a shout for a penalty after Davies brought down Hlavaty, but that went unheeded

Ottawa actually had the ball in the back of the net earlier in the second half, but Oliver Minatel clearly raised his arm to direct the ball into the goal, and received a deserved yellow card for the Hand of God attempt. It was a foolish decision by the Brazilian, as the ball would have fallen into a crowded penalty area and, who knows where it could have gone?

The Eddies wrap up the spring season next week, when the Carolina RailHawks visit Edmonton. The Eddies are winless at home in NASL play.

And the Eddies have got just one point in three league matches since the team was turfed out of the Voyageurs’ Cup on a last-second controversial penalty decision in Montreal. But Miller brushed aside any talk of a Voyageurs’ Cup hangover.

“No, the players are well over it. We are a tight group. It’s going to turn around soon.”

 

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5 Comments

  1. left back

    June 4, 2014 at 10:22 pm

    It doesn’t look like you have a designated player that gets the ball off the back four either… R. Jones has the ability to do that but he never gets the ball in those situations… maybe it is because CM has told them not to play in those areas.. Nonni wasn’t really showing either… since your back four are shocking at getting the ball up the park and the 2 central midfielders don’t get the ball to feet when they come looking…. how do expect the get the ball into dangerous areas???

    It really is a problem that has to be addressed… CM…. either give your midfield players the freedom to collect the ball off the back field or get players on the park that can deliver a decent ball into the strikers… on more than one occasion… LL thumped the ball up the park and cleared the attacking net from half… Jonke was screaming at him… but Laing didn’t look like he cared… it is clear the philosophy from CM is… don’t give it away in a poor area… thus… CM sees nothing wrong with ball being over hit from the back field….

    Honestly…. will you ever score goals consistently if you don’t balls into good areas? No… you won’t.

    Coaching 101 CM…. you can’t score goals… you have a address problem areas and adjust to create solutions…. very frustrating to watch the same tactical errors game after game then read in the morning…. “the ref was a nightmare”…. patience wearing very thin with the whole situation.

  2. left back

    June 3, 2014 at 3:14 pm

    Well CM… starting to sound like a bit of broken record… another “the ref was horrendous” shout after a loss… i watched the game last night on nasl.com and ya… she was out of her element but… she was brutal both ways… either team should feel hard done by to not get a penalty… that wasn’t the difference… CM… you have to concentrate on your own team and not others for the downfall… really poor service into the attacking players again… Lance Laing has a real problem with distribution.. same as Ed Edwards… they are terrible tactical players… until you get players on the park who can pass the ball… FCE will always struggle to score goals….

    How CM hasn’t identified this yet is mind blowing…..

  3. Sluntville

    June 2, 2014 at 3:40 am

    “It’s going to turn around soon” or at least it better if Miller wants to continue managing FCE.

  4. Mike

    June 2, 2014 at 12:52 am

    Times up. This is a good time for a coaching change if the team hopes to make a run in the second half, next season or perhaps ever. How about bringing in Martin Rennie? Reaching out to players who Miller chased away might be a good idea also.

  5. cwell

    June 1, 2014 at 2:19 am

    All in all, a well-played game. I agree with Miller: the Eddies are a good team and their turn will come. Pity they didn’t prevail against Montreal in the VC; they were the better team.

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