Jeremy Loome Posted May 28, 2004 Share Posted May 28, 2004 By SCOTT ZERR Staff Writer There's a new version of the Battle of Alberta and it's one with a very personal twist to it. When the Edmonton Aviators and Calgary Mustangs battle tonight at McMahon Stadium, it will mark the first A-League clash between the teams - both of which are searching for their first victory of the year. It is also an unfriendly encounter for many familiar faces on the two squads. The Aviators (0-1-2) have four players - Liam DeSilva, Kurt Bosch, Sean Fraser and Eric Munoz - who were all in the Mustangs (then known as the Storm) lineup in either one or both of the club's first two seasons. On the flip side, there are five Mustangs (0-5-1) with ties to Edmonton - Junior Castrillon, Jordan Gillespie and Damir Jesic are all former or current University of Alberta Golden Bears, while Angelo Sestito and Nick Zuniga are both products of the City of Champions. EXTRA-INTENSE REUNION The pre-game handshakes and post-game hugs will be ones of friendships rekindled, but the 90 minutes in between will be an extra-intense reunion. "They've already told me that during the game we're not friends," said Bosch, who has long counted Sestito among his closest allies. DeSilva can't wait for the opening whistle. "I'm pretty pumped to play," said DeSilva. "They won't want me to do well against them. I'd do a little talking after if I did and I know they'd do the same to me because it's all part of the game." DeSilva's list of friends on the Mustangs is a long one, including former roommate Steffan Holdt, who is also a longtime pal of Bosch's. The rangy defender originally hails from Fort McMurray, but since his family has moved south, he'll have plenty of support in the crowd, which will make the meeting all that more special. "I can tell our guys what their players are like, what they're going to do - their skills, their strengths, their weaknesses,"said DeSilva. Bosch, who grew up in Calgary and then joined the U of A Bears, spent the 2002 campaign with the Storm. A FORGETTABLE YEAR It was a forgettable year, as was last season, when a dreadfully inexperienced Storm side finished second-last in the entire league. "Off the field, the level of organization and level of commitment to the community and making the effort to get the support behind our team are big differences," said Bosch. "Calgary's trying to rebuild some bridges that were burned by the previous ownership. All indications are they're taking steps forward." But with three points at stake and with what a win would do momentum-wise for the Aviators heading into Sunday's home opener, goodwill goes out the window. "We want Calgary to do well with attendance and being competitive, but we want those three points," said Aviators head coach Ross Ongaro. "They have some players who were originally on our roster but they made their team and they've got something to prove. It's a group of different-type players so it'll be interesting to see how we match up." FLIGHT PLAN: A familiar face arrived at practice earlier this week - former Driller Martin Dugas. Dugas is rehabbing a broken leg suffered during the indoor season but may find himself able to play with the Aviators later this summer ... On the injury front, Chris Lemire's hamstring has healed and he declared himself fit to play, while Chris Handsor is out after wrenching his ankle with Canada's futsal team in Panama last weekend ... Devon Jones from the U of A Golden Bears was added as the team's reserve goalkeeper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachesl Posted May 28, 2004 Share Posted May 28, 2004 This is a very well written and researched article by Scott Zerr, for sure. However, up to today, there have been no articles or even adverts, not even small ones, this week in the Journal and the Sun. Haven't checked the papers today tho. Any insights into this Jeremy? As someone who was hoping for a 30,000 opener, I am starting to despair. Wet weather forecasted for the weekend. Everybody thinking of the Flames. Not the best possible scenario. And worst of all is the silence of the Avs organization. Doesn't the club have a publicity director to get the papers pumping for stories? Lots of stories on the Esks, the Oilers and the NFL, all off-season, but nothing on either of the Avs, until tody!! This is the home opener . There will never be a bigger opportunity to develop a franchise success than this! Did they take lessons from the Storm? They should pull a marketing blitz immediately, or their talk about setting an A-League record will really look vacuous. Perhaps they should discount the tickets bigtime for the opener to get walk-ups. Several of my friends who have interest in soccer and attended the WNT and U-19 matches, and had expressed prior interest in the Avs, are not coming because of the steep $20 game ticket price for unreserved. "I'm not paying that much for minor-league soccer, screw them , I'm just going to go to the Canada-Honduras game on Labour Day Weekend". Surely they can halve the price (to what they pay elsewhere in the A-League) for opening day. Perhaps we have eben spoilt by the low prices for the Women's games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildboutCdnScr Posted May 28, 2004 Share Posted May 28, 2004 quote:Originally posted by Jeremy Loome Devon Jones from the U of A Golden Bears was added as the team's reserve goalkeeper. Is this not supposed to read Devon Fraser? Regardless, this must mean either Stankov or Robinson have left or been let go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachesl Posted May 28, 2004 Share Posted May 28, 2004 Passing on from Stu, on the Mustang Alley forum -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Expansion Aviators visit Calgary 'Stangs By CAMERON MAXWELL, CALGARY SUN At the mere mention of the expansion Edmonton Aviators, Nick Zuniga's eyes light up and his jaw sets in determination. "Oh man, it's a war. When it comes to hockey and football, Eskimos and Oilers, that's (one thing). But when it comes down to this, this is the one team I want to beat more than anything," said the 21-year-old Calgary Mustangs striker, who hails from Edmonton. When the A-League teams clash for the first time in their histories tonight (McMahon Stadium, 7 p.m.), Zuniga is going to see plenty of familiar faces on the other side of the field. "A lot of the guys on that team I grew up with since I was 12 or 13 years old. To get out on the field in an A-League game with those guys, you can't ask for anything more than that," said Zuniga, a three-year veteran with the Calgary club. Both teams are seeking their first victory of the season but the expansion Aviators currently lead the Mustangs in the standings with an 0-1-2 record, while Calgary is 0-5-1. And there's no need to remind Zuniga just how big this match is for his side. "This is a team we have to beat," he said. "We could find excuses but there are none when you've got a team that's just starting off. We've got to go out and just pound them from the first minute." Certainly one of the more skilled players to emerge from the Alberta soccer scene, the former under-20 national team member hasn't seen the pitch as often as he'd like this season. After starting Calgary's first game of the campaign, Zuniga's primarily come off the bench but he's a team player and will take what's given by head coach Thomas Niendorf. "If I come on as a sub, I want to make a difference. If I start, great, and if not, I've got to show that I can start," Zuniga said. Niendorf knows what the 5-ft. 10-in. forward brings to the team but would like Zuniga to be more consistent with his transitional play and defensive responsibilities. "The bottom line with Nick is we all recognize his talent but he needs to make a more consistent jump into the professional level of the A-League," said Niendorf. "We still see too many times just the flashes of his potential. He has to become more consistent with the responsibility of the assignments he has to look after on the field. "I want to see him become more demanding in the game." While Zuniga and his teammates eagerly await the Aviators, there are a few former members of the Mustangs on the Edmonton club -- namely midfielder Kurt Bosch, defender Liam DeSilva, striker Sean Fraser, striker Chris Lemire and midfielder Eric Munoz. Through two home games so far this season on McMahon's artificial turf, the Mustangs have played well in tying Minnesota and losing 2-1 against Vancouver last weekend. Both were games Calgary could have won. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-Man Posted May 28, 2004 Share Posted May 28, 2004 4,000 at best Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoyleG Posted May 28, 2004 Share Posted May 28, 2004 Currently in Cowtown. Weather is looking good for the match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditty Posted May 29, 2004 Share Posted May 29, 2004 quote:Originally posted by WildboutCdnScr Is this not supposed to read Devon Fraser? Regardless, this must mean either Stankov or Robinson have left or been let go. Robinson is with the Mustangs now. Something about salary issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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