FC Edmonton 2010

[fishman]

Obviously, the FC Edmonton project is now underway. I will offer the following general comments and observations:

• The Team Staff is obviously very strong; I would suggest that Lodeweges and Schrijver's experience and formal coaching education equals or surpasses anyone currently working in Canada. It seems to be quite a step above Toronto FC, the Whitecaps and the Impact, and definitely is better than that found at the CSA.

• Dave Randall is involved less for his technical / tactical input (I would suggest he will have limited on-field involvement during training sessions) and more for his long-time involvement in Calgary - he knows the prospective players from his city, and perhaps is being groomed to become a Director of Soccer Operations for a Calgary franchise in the next two years.

• The budget for the program may be an initial stumbling block; they obviously had to invest significant dollars into their coaching staff. Revenue this year will be almost non-existent.

• Their plans for an Academy have been met with some resistance at the association level; another academy in the Edmonton-area generates $400+K per year, and I would suggest the existing academy would not have the same level of coaching that is being proposed by the FC Edmonton group. It would not be a stretch to suggest that $500+K per season could be generated through a pro academy, with a net profit of $100K a reasonable target.

• Ticket sales will be minimal this season; they continue to work on an exhibition schedule. FC Edmonton has apparently agreed to bring in additional seats for Foote Field as per the NASL guidelines (5,500), but it remains a question as to whether they can use the Artificial Turf next season (it is not soccer-specific). I believe they will use the natural grass field.

• They are forced to work out of a trailer this season (team staff), something to which the coaches are obviously not accustomed. The lack of a formal home where players can eat, commiserate, receive physio, etc. at their leisure should not be discarded as insignificant. The U of A's first responsibility is to their varsity teams (football, soccer) so I cannot see Foote remaining their home beyond this season. The coaches will not suffer this for long before they push very hard for a proper home for the program. On that note, the FC Academy would not be run out of the Foote facility - the U of A has their own academy that they will preserve.

• The Training Camp roster has not been widely shared, perhaps because some feel it is uninspired. Indeed, some attendees are not of the quality required to compete at this level. Rather than get too critical, I will suggest that they have been brought in to prop up numbers until exams finish (for some of the prospective college and university-based players) and the Dutch lads come in.

• Currently, the prospective players include: (Edmonton-based) Tristan Ilko (GK), Marcus Johnstone, Chris Lemire, Mike McCormick, Kyle Bartkus, Sam Lam, Antonio Rago, Phil Pavicic, Sinisa Matic, Shaun Saiko, Andy Huley, Thiago Silva, Jordan Stewart, Jorge Rodriguez Jr., Elvis ?, (Calgary-based) Milan Timotijevic, Fran Miron, Andre Duberry, Kyle Yamada and Chris Kooy. Others are involved, with others not yet here in Edmonton. At least two young Calgary goalkeepers are in camp. Once the pool is complete, a full posting of names will be provided.

• From the above list, Saiko is an obvious building block; with his time at Middlesborough, he has grown considerably and has high standards. Lemire has good A-League experience and was with the U20 World Cup team two cycles ago; Yamada can certainly play, as can Kooy and Duberry. Silva is a very skilled Brazilian who lacks some pace but is very creative - he has PDL experience from his time in the US. Ilko would be a pretty decent second 'keeper. Rago and Johnstone were with the Whitecaps Residency Program, so have some idea of what an A-League team looks like. Lam has a good chance for selection, and his brother, Matt Lam, is a possible signing if his current trial in Europe doesn't see him offered something. Bartkus is very good with the ball, but I can't see him as a central defender as this level. McCormick and Huley were with the NTC-P. I can see next year's squad comprised of about 7 or 8 Alberta-based players, 1 or 2 more from the Prairies, 2 or 3 from BC, another 4 or 5 from across Canada and the remaining spots reserved for good imports.

• With somewhat limited funds, players aren't being offered what would be considered enough money for A-League / NASL involvement. That will surely improve next season with (hopefully) good ticket sales, an academy, camps, etc.. The FC Edmonton group is working towards providing a solution for CIS / ACAC players - offering amateur contracts so that they can maintain their eligibility.

• Some notable Alberta-based players were approached, but with good careers and FC's limited budget, they could not commit. One notable absence is Nick Reyes, who surely would help the program.

• The only 30+ year old (excluding the Dutch players) invited was Sinisa Matic. Matic is a very skilled player with 2nd Bundesliga experience; however, he has not competed in the AMSL for at least three seasons, so one wonders if he will hold up to the rigours of two-a-day sessions. He is highly respected and loved in the Edmonton-soccer community, so it would be a feel-good story if he becomes part of the roster. However, excluding other 30+ year olds may hurt the team's depth, especially in the back.

I hope this helps to provide some perspective on the FC Edmonton program. Most observers are hoping desperately for the team to succeed, but the same naysayers will always predict doom and gloom. Challenges exist, to be sure, and hopefully Petrone and Kowalchuk have learned from past mistakes and missteps. They would be wise to maintain close contacts with the ASA, EDSA, CUSA, CMSA, EMSA and every other alphabet-soup association in Alberta - everyone knows that they can make life miserable. They also need to continue to reach out to the competitive soccer community - past efforts always seemed to chase mom-and-dad, minivan-driving, casual fans.

Too many of the so-called cultured, invested footy-fans in Edmonton work very hard to pull down the efforts of others. They see this project as a competitor to their own interests. I can't see how. If this works, then everyone benefits - young players with ambition have a goal, older players have a reason to keep working hard, colleges and universities can perhaps see scholarships created. Let's hope this works.

[Ivan]

^ Great summary Fishman. Thanks. Honesty much appreciated.

[ESG Shawn]

Excellent post. Sheds some much needed light on what is going on at the club. I can't wait to hear more details.

[Lord Bob]

No money. No money.

I was at least hoping to see a veteran or two on the list; a Gordon Chin or someone else with North American pedigree but not a lot in the way of contract demands. But I see Shaun Saiko, some old Dutch guys, and a last-place team playing behind a few thousand temporary bleachers at what is quite a good but a very small field.

Hopefully they've crunched the numbers on this and have figured out a way to turn a profit with less-than-Aviators-level attendance, which is why the players are of such a modest nature. If they have, and they're playing a long game to build their organizational quality over time, good for them. But why am I not optimistic?

[tmcmurph]

Dave Randall is involved less for his technical / tactical input (I would suggest he will have limited on-field involvement during training sessions) and more for his long-time involvement in Calgary - he knows the prospective players from his city, and perhaps is being groomed to become a Director of Soccer Operations for a Calgary franchise in the next two years.

To the first part: He would be an excellent choice to pump for info about the Alberta players.

To the second: Please! Please!

[fishman]

Lord Bob, I can appreciate your pessimism. It's tough to be optimistic about pro soccer here in Edmonton. The difference this time is they have made a massive investment in the coaching staff - let's hope the Dutch gaffers remain interested long enough to see the team get into the NASL.

Once the team's revenues improve (or more to the point, should they improve), the coaches will know what players they need to compete. They are scouting NASL games already, including the Whitecaps. The Whitecaps have been pretty open to helping the FC group prepare.

Regarding Randall - it isn't rocket science to figure out that if the FC Edmonton program is successful, a Calgary franchise would be attempted. And no offense to Dave, but I can't imagine a Calgary side would leave the coaching to him, not with the quality of coach currently assembled in Edmonton. Director of Player Personnel, maybe? He knows the players and the landscape, and while his success at the amateur level might not translate to the pro game, his involvement would probably be pretty helpful.

On the facilities side...if I were advising them, I would have pushed at least three different locations. But since they aren't paying me right now, I guess it is up to their leadership to figure out what else is out there.

[Guest Ed]

Thanks for that. They certainly have the coaching side nailed!

[nolando]

Chin would happily suit up for them, no? And I'm curious as to how committed Saiko is to the cause - will these not play regular footy until next spring, or how will all of this work?

[Mr.Impact]

Why doesn't Edmontom go the way of being a Non Profit orginization? They could get Government Sponsorships, and other private partners involved in helping develop the sport in Alberta. Seems to work well for Montreal ImpactFC.

[yomurphy1]

^ Now's the perfect time to get government to piss away money to a good cause. I wonder if the infrastructure $$$$$$ is still availible?

[alberta white]

The Big old Animal with the Long nose has to be the stadium. I would hope two years, to keep the intrest level up. Trailing graphic representations in the Press always helps.

IMO its has to seat no more than 10K an have covered stands. They resonate more noise, (and under floodlights dont obviously show off empty seating.)

Oh yes and Camera Positions which look towards the Main (and usually more populated) stand!

[masster]

Thank you fishman for an outstanding post. When you say that some feel that the training camp roster is uninspired...for what amounts to half an exhibition season, what in the world did they expect?!? From an outsiders perspective, I would say that list is pretty impressive. Maybe none of these guys will be on next season's roster, but at least they are getting a look. I've seen Johnstone and Rago play when they were in Vancouver. The Whitecaps didn't think they were good enough. What have they been doing the last 2 years since they have been out of the program? There will be no future for Ethan Gage in Vancouver, perhaps he could be an option for Edmonton next year.

[masster]

Too many of the so-called cultured, invested footy-fans in Edmonton work very hard to pull down the efforts of others. They see this project as a competitor to their own interests. I can't see how. If this works, then everyone benefits - young players with ambition have a goal, older players have a reason to keep working hard, colleges and universities can perhaps see scholarships created. Let's hope this works.

Quoted for truth!

[fishman]

masster, I'll continue to post as information becomes available. I know that everyone wants to see this project succeed, even those that have seen the Titantic-like failures that have marked Edmonton's soccer scene with a scarlet letter.

The training camp roster is what should be expected, albeit for a couple of real brow-raisers. The ownership group did the right thing by running an exhibition schedule for a season in anticipation of entering the NASL. It will allow everyone involved to get a good grasp of the league, the level, the players available and (fingers crossed) properly market the product.

I could see between 6 - 8 of the current group being part of next season's roster; with some improvement and maturity, that might grow to 10. Would that group, and the addition of the right imports and other experienced A-leaguers be enough to compete? Perhaps. But I don't think anyone should realistically expect the team to compete against Toronto FC, Whitecaps or Impact for the Nutrilite Canadian Championship right out of the gate. With Vancouver going MLS, FC Edmonton should be able to attract some from the 2010 Whitecaps roster that are deemed not of MLS standard. Is Gage one of those? If so, he would be a good fit.

Rago and Johnstone have been playing locally in the AMSL. While neither was deemed to be in the Whitecaps longer-term plans - read, not projected to be MLS-ready players by 2011 - they both seem keen and are willing to work. Their positional preferences probably work in their favour; the current camp is filled with midfielders, but isn't loaded with attack-minded fullbacks (Rago) or hard-working front runners (Johnstone). If they keep their game simple, they both have a chance of sticking this year. If they improve and respond to the coaching, perhaps they become part of that group of 6 - 10 Alberta-based players comprising the roster.

[Tuscan]

First note: I hope that this calling the team simply FC doesn't stick, that sounds horrible and reminiscent of what's happened with TFC in the more ignorant media.

Second note: The success of FC Edmonton's academy will open the door to expansion for teams of that level in centers like Saskatoon, Regina, Winnipeg (if an NASL project doesn't pop up there), Calgary, and even a smaller place in BC like Kelowna or Abbotsford (basically the Mariners). Success in Edmonton could very well be THE turning point for Prairie semi-professional soccer.

Third note: fishman, who the hell are you and how have you come across info like this??

[BigMike]

Was there a lot of local talent at today's sessions?

[alberta white]

Not sure about the talent Level , but the intrest was high enough for the Local CBC Radio reporters to turn up. They were focusing on a El salvador guy from Red Deer (or rather a couple in the Stands who had brought him up the QE2 (Human intrest story?)

[stevieeatworld]

anyone have any other news on how the tryout camp went?

[fishman]

The open tryout quality was apparently very poor - less than a division 2 level. Two notable exceptions were in goal - Jaz Gill and Jay Vetsch attended, both of whom are better than the Calgary-based goalkeepers they have up here.

The FC Edmonton team played the Edmonton Drillers AMSL team. Not the CMISL Drillers, but rather the Drillers that finished 8th place in the Major League last Outdoor. A pretty competitive team, but not among the top AMSL programs at this time. FC Edmonton won 1 - 0 on a penalty kick, while the Drillers had their PK attempt saved by Tristan Ilko.

I wouldn't suggest that bodes well for the FC Edmonton project. Early days, but still, you would think that the players they brought into the main camp would be much better than that. A number of players still need to attend, including some good Calgary players as well as the Dutch fellows, but that shouldn't explain away what basically was a draw against a decent (but not great) Major League team. The scouting for tryout bodies needed to be much, much better than what it was.

[Jay20]

Adam Street is without the club. He could be very good addition to FC Edmonton. Six years in the net of West Ham United is impressive.

[TFCRegina]

Adam Street is without the club. He could be very good addition to FC Edmonton. Six years in the net of West Ham United is impressive.

Yeah, FCE should sign Street. He'd be a great start to assembling a club.

FCE also has a year to prepare. They might cycle through quite a few players before settling on a final roster.

[hamiltonfan]

Look for many Whitecap rejects to move to Edmonton once Caps move up to MLS. FCE main concern this year should be getting some fed, prov, and city cash to get a proper SSS built. Player turnover ratio will be huge from this year to next.

[yomurphy1]

^ Yeah I'm suprised he didn't catch on with Toronto. Edmonton would be a great fit.

[Lord Bob]

I'm surprised that Montreal or somebody in the second division hasn't given him a shot either. Maybe he just doesn't want to drop down to the second division yet, or maybe he has other tires to kick first. Either way, it's disconcerting to see how far he's fallen.

[alberta white]

Yeah, FCE should sign Street. He'd be a great start to assembling a club.

FCE also has a year to prepare. They might cycle through quite a few players before settling on a final roster.

After three everybody (to the tune of Donna Imobile)

"Who needs Moriniho? We might have Street-e-o!"

...

Oh please yourselves!