FC Edmonton @ Montreal Impact - May 14th

[Keegan]

There is a shortage of games in this competition but never a shortage of drama.  Great for the game in this country but would have been even better if Bernier missed that penalty, which never happens.

 

Man is Boakai sick.  So raw, but so so talented.  With proper coaching he is going to be a cracking player. 

[jonovision]

So that Bernier run-up is illegal, every time, right?

[canadianfoot]

That was simply speechless

[Cheeta]

Suddenly, somehow, I don't feel as bad about how things have been going lately. 

[roue]

Wow, you know you've stooped to new lows when you need a BS call to beat an NASL club over two legs.

Soccer is cruel , was watching this at Shoeless Joe's ., Meadowvale , and cheering for the upstarts ...

[Sport Shaman]

Well, how f'ed up was that for an ending to the game? Never mind; rhetorical question.

[Gian-Luca]

Saputo really felt the need to get into a screaming match on the field with the defeated opposition coach when his team was handed a call like that?  Not exactly the most gracious winner I've ever seen.
 

[shamrock]

Ultimately Saputo's responsible for his teams stagnation. If Edmonton won on aggregate, that surely must have been the end of Klopas in Montreal. Now he'll probably get's another week, or maybe two.

 

So that Bernier run-up is illegal, every time, right?

 

Yes I always think the same. But the refs don't, they only worry about somebody who'll put his foot over the line too soon.

[Keegan]

Ultimately Saputo's responsible for his teams stagnation. If Edmonton won on aggregate, that surely must have been the end of Klopas in Montreal. Now he'll probably get's another week, or maybe two.

 

 

Yes I always think the same. But the refs don't, they only worry about somebody who'll put his foot over the line too soon.

 

It is only illegal if the player stops his motion.  Bernier is a pro, watch closely and he never physically stops he just changes speed expertly. 

[narduch]

Joey Saputo is a clown. I wonder if MLS regrets giving him a franchise.

[BrennanFan]

I am OUTRAGED at that penalty call!  Disgraceful.  That referee is a disgrace to Canadian soccer.

 

 

[Blackdude]

It is only illegal if the player stops his motion.  Bernier is a pro, watch closely and he never physically stops he just changes speed expertly. 

 

There. He never stops. Check his shoulders. They're always moving forward. It's something that he practiced for so long since he was a kid and he has mastered that art. 

[ted]

Sorry, while I don't often agree with him LB got it bang on target with this one:
 

 

Sack the CSA
 

The people who led Canada’s men’s national team to an 8-1 World Cup qualifying loss in Honduras are still in charge. They have let us down every day since the 2000 Gold Cup, and they’re letting us down now.
 

[tmcmurph]

I thought both PKs were bogus myself. Big tough guy gets touched and flops in the box and the ref buys it. Gets told by his assistant "you screwed up" and decides to do a "make up call".

 

Scary part is Montreal were up 3-zip and how the hell did you blow that lead? Ouch.

[Alberto7]

The Impact showed two things in this game:

 

1) They stink.

 

2) They have no class. WTF was Joey Saputo doing arguing with Miller after the game? Can you imagine the president of the Montreal Canadians arguing with Claude Julien after the Bruins were defeated?

 

The Impact have no one to blame but themselves. The management is on another planet. The coach has no idea what is going on. The players (with very few exceptions) are not MLS calibre. Some players need to think quickly about retiring before they embarrass themselves any more.

 

Sadly, Nick De Santis will find a way to make this everybody else's fault.

 

I would keep McInerney, the young academy graduates, Justin Mapp and Blake Smith. The others should retire or be traded as fast as possible.

.

[Grizzly]

Yes both PKs were bogus. Hlavaty threw himself to the ground to get the first PK and the second was ball to shoulder. Actually the most legitimate PK of the night was the foul on I think Nyassi shortly before the actual PK that the ref claimed was outside the box although he was clearly inside the box. Anyway poor reffing all around. As for the Impact it was a very dominant performance where one could see the difference in the divisions until we went up 3-0 and relaxed and let them back in to the game. We have had real difficulties defending a lead this year. Another impressive showing from Boakai though and Jonke look good also. Here are the highlights:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPafxHnC3iE 

[Grizzly]

As for Saputo possibly he should not go on the field after the game but it looks like he shook Miller's hand and Miller said something to him that started the argument. Doesn't look good on either of them but I wouldn't put the blame entirely on Saputo.

[Sport Shaman]

As for Saputo possibly he should not go on the field after the game but it looks like he shook Miller's hand and Miller said something to him that started the argument. Doesn't look good on either of them but I wouldn't put the blame entirely on Saputo.

Oh come on; you must be imagining things. Miller never stirs up any shit.

[Gian-Luca]

 

" WTF was Joey Saputo doing arguing with Miller after the game? Can you imagine the president of the Montreal Canadians arguing with Claude Julien after the Bruins were defeated?"

 

No, but now for some reason I can imagine Joey Saputo threatening Milan Lucic after the game..

[Drillers81]

This semi-final series will be know as the PK series, for two PKs given and two PKs not given.  In the dying moments of the 1st leg with FCE leading 2-1, a simple penalty call was ignored by Mr. Petrescu and, moments later after the ball was cleared downfield, blew the final whistle. In the second leg, Mr. Fischer had three separate incidents to deal with.  For the incident which brought FC Edmonton to the spot, the foul was committed (even if the Edmonton player made more of it than he should have, but don't they all).  For the penalty shout against Nyassi, six of one half a dozen of another, it could have gone either way like so many similar plays.  For the final injury time PK, under no circumstances in any game should this have been a PK.  Not only did the play make no attempt to play the ball, he was actually trying his best to get his arms out of the way, and it was a bang-bang play where there was no legitimate opportunity for the player to avoid the ball.

In four years of this tournament, Edmonton has no fewer than four controversial moments where it has been done in, not by its MLS opponent, but by the so-called National Level Referee "managing" the game.

Anyway you do the math, the final result of the series should have been Edmonton advancing to the finals.

One can excuse Edmonton fans if they believe there is a conspiracy against them advancing in this tournament against the "favoured" MLS clubs, even though the MLS clubs are far from being the elite of their league.  Perhaps the CSA, concerned about the lack of success for its clubs in MLS, needs their success in Amway to justify their Division One status.

Sure the argument exists that the 2008 tournament was won by Div Two Montreal, however there were two Div Two teams in the tournament (which was a round-robin not a knockout tournament at the time), and the MLS Club (the 2008 Toronto FC side) was perhaps the weakest MLS side ever in this tournament.  It may very well be the failure of TFC to win the inaugural tournament was the impetus for CSA to "do whatever possible" to ensure an MLS side always wins this tournament.

In their first tournament match in 2011, FC Edmonton were reduced to 10 men early in a game that the mighty TFC would win 3-0; in the home leg TFC barely managed a 1-0 win against 11 FC Edmonton players.

Last year the scandal continued as Mr. Petrescu (the same man who worked the 1st leg in Edmonton on May 7th) found a way to ensure Vancouver recovered from a 2-1 deficit at Commonwealth Stadium to defeat Edmonton 3-2; including, surprise, surprise, a dubious penalty call that Vancouver "superstar" Camilo dived for and subsequently converted the PK.  Camilo rewarded the Vancouver fateful for their undying support by jumping ship and breaking his contract later in the year (but that is another story).

It's no wonder less than 2,000 fans attended the 1st leg in Edmonton, with the odds (and the officials) against their club, why bother supporting this sham tournament.  The results of the Amway are becoming as predictable as a Mexican election in the 50s.  If all goes according to script, TFC will regain "their" crown this year. In seven MLS seasons, TFC have absolutely nothing to show for their "efforts", even Montreal and Vancouver have made the playoffs.  The only titles the Reds have in their history are their Canadian Championships.

[Drillers81]

According to Wikipedia, 12,826 fans attended this game.  I guess most of them were disguised as seats.