Offensively challenged Eddies break out with three goals
FC Edmonton finishes spring schedule with a rare victory
Colin Miller finally had the offensive proof he had been desperately looking for all season when FC Edmonton came out firing Sunday afternoon against Minnesota United FC at Clarke Field.
The Eddies, who netted only 10 goals in the first 11 games of the North American Soccer League’s spring schedule, scored twice in the opening 25 minutes before coasting to an energetic 3-1 victory.
“I thought, from start to finish, it was a solid performance,” said Miller, the Edmonton head coach whose team is still the second-lowest scoring team in the league.
“From front to back, it was a terrific team performance today. I thought we looked very, very dangerous against a very good Minnesota team.”
The win was an exciting conclusion to an otherwise frustrating spring season for the Eddies, who had only one other multi-goal game while compiling a 3-5-4 win-tie-loss record.
Edmonton got the scoring started in the 11th minute, when rookie defender Mallan Roberts headed home a Daryl Fordyce cross to give the Eddies only their third lead of the season at home. The goal was just the start of an entertaining opening half full of scoring chances at both ends.
After Edmonton goalkeeper John Smits stopped a pair of Minnesota free kicks in the 18th and 22nd minutes, the Eddies’ responded in the 24th minute, when Fordyce headed home his third of the season.
“Fordyce’s goal was fabulous and I’ll tell ya, if there’s a player playing better than Daryl Fordyce at the moment, I’ve yet to see it,” Miller said. “I think he’s been a great signing for our club.” While Fordyce gave Edmonton just its second twogoal lead of the season, it was the slick work of midfielders Neil Hlavaty and Shaun Saiko that made the play happen.
“I think it was the best team goal we’ve scored all season,” Fordyce said. “Shaun just put it on a plate for me there, ready to attack, and we’d been working on finishing our crosses all week in training.”
A goal from Minnesota’s Miguel Ibarra on a defensive breakdown in the 67th minute cut the Edmonton lead in half, before Michael Cox answered with a penalty kick marker in the 86th minute.
“I thought we deserved the win,” Miller said. “It’s really important that we finished today on a high. I almost threatened the players before the game, that this isn’t holiday time. It was an opportunity to stake a claim for where we want to go in the second half of the season.”
Two players released
On a less joyous note, FC Edmonton announced it had parted ways with defender Adrian LeRoy and midfielder Elvir Gigolaj.
LeRoy played more than 500 minutes this season but was seen as expendable after captain Albert Watson returned from an off-season injury. Gigolaj didn’t draw any action this season after playing 172 minutes in 2012.
“Not a good weekend for me, because they’re both good guys,” Miller said.