NASL sked: FCE adds Friday and Saturday home dates, will endure 11,400-km road trip from hell

Eddies will open up the season against Jacksonville.

Over the last several seasons, it was a given that FC Edmonton’s home games kicked off Sundays at 2 p.m. local time at Clarke Field. Because the stadium is a multi-purpose, City-administered facility, it was difficult for the Eddies to find other time slots for their home games.

The 2017 NASL schedule was released on Monday; and some Friday and Saturday night games have been added to the mix of FCE home games.

Spring season: Only one Sunday afternoon home date, six Saturday nights, one Friday night;

Fall season: One Friday night home game, two Saturday night home games, the rest on Sunday afternoons

The home opener will be a Saturday night date — with the Eddies hosting the Jacksonville Armada April 8 at 7 p.m. The Eddies open the season April 2 in Jacksonville.

There is one “hey, have you guys looked at a map?” portion of the schedule, and it comes in the fall. On Sept. 17, the Eddies have an afternoon home date against Indy; three days and over 5,600 km later, they need to be in Puerto Rico for a midweek date. To get to Puerto Rico, the Eddies are looking at three flights to San Juan, a trip that takes about 14-16 hours, with connections.

To get a midweek game on the island after a Sunday home game is cruel and unusual punishment.

But it’s not done there; three days after the Puerto Rico game, the Eddies need to be in San Francisco for another road date. That’s right, from Edmonton (in the northwest of the continent) to the Atlantic and then to the Pacific coast. That’s a crazy travel triangle

The distance from PR to SF? Around 5,800 km. So, in the space of a week (Sept. 17-23), the Eddies will play three games and cover a distance of 11,400 km, not including the flight home from San Francisco.

To put that in perspective, 11,400 km is the distance between California and Turkey.

SCHEDULE

Spring

April 2 at Jax, 2 p.m. MT

April 8, JAX, 7 p.m. MT

April 15, at NCFC, TBD

April 22, PRFC, 7 p.m. MT

April 29, at Mia, 5:30 p.m. MT

May 6, at Indy, 5:30 p.m. MT

May 14, SF, 2 p.m. MT

May 21, at NY, 3 p.m. MT

May 27, INDY, 7 p.m. MT

June 3, at PRFC, 5:30 p.m. MT

June 10, MIA, 7 p.m. MT

June 17, at SF, 8 p.m. MT

June 24, SF, 7 p.m. MT

July 1, at Jax, 5 p.m. MT

July 7, NCFC, 7 p.m. MT

July 15, NY, 7 p.m. MT

Fall

July 30, INDY, 2 p.m. MT

August 5, at Indy, 5:30 p.m. MT

August 11, NY, 7 p.m. MT

August 20, PRFC, 2 p.m. MT

August 26, at SF, 8 p.m. MT

September 2, at NCFC, TBD

September 10, NCFC, 2 p.m. MT

September 17, INDY, 2 p.m. MT

September 20, at PRFC, 5:30 p.m. MT

September 23,at SF, 8 p.m. MT

October 1, SF, 2 p.m. MT

October 6, JAX, 7 p.m. MT

October 14, at NY, 5 p.m. MT

October 18, at Jax, 4:30 p.m. MT

October 21, MIA, 7 p.m. MT

October 28, at Mia, 5:30 p.m. MT