The truth is, 2018 will be a low point for men’s soccer in Canada. Boy, is it going to suck. It will be ultimate in lame-duck years. Canadian jobs will dwindle. We’ll have fewer teams to support. And even in TFC beats Seattle 10-0 on Saturday, that’s not going to change a thing.
Well, that’s it. With the NASL regular season coming to a close this past weekend, we’re now at the final instalment of the Power Rankings for 2017.
Now, to USL. We stopped ranking minutes last week when the league’s regular season came to a halt. But, in the opening round of the playoffs, Canadian (and former TFC Academy) goalkeeper Darrin MacLeod shone for Swope Park Rangers.
Congratulate Ottawa Fury keeper Callum Irving for finishing as the top Canadian minute-getter in USL this season.
MLS has just two who have passed 2,000; Cyle Larin and Will Johnson from Orlando City. Drew Beckie from Jacksonville is the only Canadian NASL player to push through the 2,000-minute barrier. In USL, there are six — Callum Irving, Mastanabal Kacher, Ryan James, Mallan Roberts, Ryan Telfer and Jordan Murrell.
Congratulations go out this week to teenager Abraham Dukuly, who made his professional debut Sunday for FC Edmonton.
Orlando City’s Cyle Larin, Jacksonville’s Drew Beckie and Ottawa Fury keeper Callum Irving continue to lead their respective leagues when it comes to minutes played by Canadians.
Toronto FC misses a few key regulars, and still is good enough to annihilate the Los Angeles Galaxy, 4-0. For Canadian soccer followers, the big news out of TFC’s weekend win was that Tosaint Ricketts bagged a couple of goals.
So far this season, 26 Canadians have appeared in MLS matches; but, of those, only five have earned more than 1,000 minutes each. To put that in perspective, 1,000 minutes is just over 11 games of full-game action. More than half are under the 500-minute mark.
The most significant change comes in MLS, where Orlando City, which has been that league’s leader in minutes played by Canadians since First Kick, was finally passed at the top. The Montreal Impact, even with Samuel Piette and Anthony Jackson-Hamel on international duty, has surpassed the Lions in terms of minutes played by Canadians. Patrice Bernier’s 90 minutes played in Saturday’s loss to Chicago helped nudge the Impact ahead.
