Eddies manage draw with Railhawks in Hamilton’s return

From the discard pile to the race for first place, Paul Hamilton was in the unfamiliar place of manning the visitors side of Clarke Field against FC Edmonton on Sunday.

The Carolina RailHawks defender made his return to Edmonton Sunday afternoon after being released by the Eddies ahead of the 2013 North American Soccer League season. And while the sting of headlining Edmonton’s off-season roster revamp may be hard to forget, things have more than worked out for the Calgary native since catching on with a Carolina RailHawks squad just one point back of the first place Atlanta Silverbacks.

While Hamilton has found a home in Cary, N.C., Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Edmonton was nonetheless an emotional day for the former Trinity Western Spartan, who was beat by Michael Cox on the Eddies’ lone goal.

“It was a lot harder to come back than I thought,” said Hamilton, who had a large contingent of family and friends cheering him on. “A lot of emotions at the start of the game. I don’t think I played very well, (but) fortunately our team was able to pull out a tie.”

Along with Carolina’s success in the NASL standings, the RailHawks have also found success in the annual U.S. Open Cup club competition, which will see the club score wins over both the L.A. Galaxy and Chivas USA, both of Major League Soccer.

Those wins have taken Carolina into the quarter-finals of the competition, where Hamilton has soaked up the opportunity to showcase his skills against MLS competition, particularly at home.

“It’s been amazing. Playing in our stadium down there, it’s always packed when we play the MLS teams, even (for) the NASL games there’s a lot of people there,” Hamilton said of 10,000-seat WakeMed Park.

For Hamilton, who missed out on a chance to face his former team in Carolina back in mid-April after a one-game suspension kept him out of the lineup, Sunday was another step in moving past, but not necessarily forgetting his time in Edmonton.

“I’ve had this marked on my calendar for a long time,” Hamilton pointed out. “This is where I got my first professional start …. It will always have a special place with me.”

While Hamilton’s return to Clarke highlighted the storylines heading into the game, it was some NASL history and a late Carolina tally that stole the spotlight on the pitch.

Knotted at 0-0 after the opening 45 minutes, Edmonton head coach Colin Miller went to his bench in the second half and in the process rewrote the NASL record book by giving Hanson Boakai his first taste of pro soccer.

The 16-year-old lowered the modern NASL youngest player mark by subbing in for teammate Sadi Jalali, who previously owned the record after making his pro debut as a 17-yearold earlier this season.

“It’s a special moment for me being the youngest player to play in the NASL. This is not an easy league,” Boakai said. “This was my second time on the bench and every time I’m always nervous. When the coach came up to me and said, ‘Hanson, you’re going on,’ I almost lost my mind. It’s crazy.”

For Miller, seeing the youngster get into the game was something all too familiar after giving Jalali his shot and making his own NASL debut as a 17-year-old with the Toronto Blizzard back in 1982 in the original NASL.

“I was the youngest in the original NASL. I’m a wee bit older than that now,” Miller said with a smile. “We must be doing something right at the club if we’re giving these young guys a chance.”

Boakai’s entrance into the game may have been historic, but it wouldn’t come in an Eddies’ win. Midfielder Cesar Elizondo’s goal in the 88th minute — 15 minutes after Cox gave Edmonton a 1-0 lead — on Carolina’s lone shot on goal of the game evened the score and in the process ended the Eddies’ shot at first place in the NASL spring standings with just two games remaining.

“I thought the guys were terrific yet again today,” Miller said. “Our defending, which had been our strong point all season, let us down right at the death when we needed it most.”