Familiar tale of woe for Eddies
It was a new season but same script for FC Edmonton.
Playing the opening game of the North American Soccer League Fall Season, the club once again came up short after probably deserving a better fate.
David Goldsmith and Eamon Zayed scored for the visiting Indy Eleven in a 2-1 victory against FC Edmonton at Clarke Stadium on Sunday.
Tomi Ameobi scored the lone goal for Edmonton, who once again could not find a goal when most needed.
“We can’t really ask much more of the players, especially in the second half, other than to put the ball in the back of the net,” said FC Edmonton head coach Colin Miller. “We’re doing everything except scoring at the moment. I thought our first-half performance was very disappointing, the two goals we gave away was shocking defending and we can’t allow a team that is playing well at the moment to get ahead.”
Indy scored seven minutes into the game to quiet the roughly 2,500 fans in attendance. Indy midfielder Don Smart was able to get to a ball lofted up over the FC Edmonton defence and fired a shot which was stopped by goalkeeper Tyson Farago, but the rebound dropped to Goldsmith in front for an easy tap-in.
Indy nearly went up by two goals a minute later when Smart again got in behind the Edmonton defence, but Farago made a great save to keep it a one-goal game. After that, FC Edmonton were able work their way back in to contest.
Daryl Fordyce nearly scored in the 27th minute after being sent in on goal alone by Ben Fisk.
Fordyce tried to pick out the far corner, but Indy goalkeeper Jon Busch made an outstanding diving save.
Edmonton tied the game in the 33rd minute when Ameobi, playing in his 100th game for the club, headed a ball swung into the far post by Fisk.
“It was so I didn’t have to do anything, but just throw my head on it,” Ameobi said. “He (Fisk) has been doing great work and putting in the work in training and it’s paying off. And if he can keep putting balls in like that, then I think there’d be plenty more goals to come from the team.”
Just before the end of the half, Indy took the lead after Zayed beat the offside trap and slipped the ball past Farago and in off the goalpost.
FC Edmonton took over in the second half creating numerous chances to tie the game. Edmonton finished the game with 15 attempted shots to Indy’s eight. They had seven shots on net and had 56.3 per cent of the possession.
“The players deserved a lot of credit for their second half, particularly the last half-hour,” Miller said. “I thought the three substitutes all contributed to something really positive and gave us that wee little bit of spark and energy that we needed.
“But I’m just so disappointed, I didn’t think we deserved to get beat here today and instead of getting a point, we don’t even get that.”
FC Edmonton brought newlyacquired midfielder Ben McKendry, striker Jake Keegan and Dustin Corea on in the last half-hour in search of the tying goal.
McKendry ’s first contribution as a member of FC Edmonton, having been loaned to the club by the Vancouver Whitecaps, came in the form of receiving a yellow card for a kicking an opponent. After that, he settled in and helped create a number of quality opportunities.
Busch had to be sharp in the second half, first getting to an errant lofted back pass from defender Nemanja Vukovic, which had to be tipped away. Busch then made a good save off a free kick from Corea from the top of the penalty area and then had some tense moments off scrambles in front of his own net.
“That’s been the story in a number of games so far this season,” Miller said. “We’ve dominated teams, but I’m disappointed for the players because they put in a hell of an effort every day in training. I’m fed up saying the same things after the games.
“We can weave pretty patterns, we can play possession, we can do lots of things, but the ball has to go in the back of the net at some point.”