Eddies shuffle deck looking for goals
Coach cultivates more ‘ruthless’ player mindset for the team
FC Edmonton coach Colin Miller said his North American Soccer League team needs “to develop this mindset of being absolutely ruthless.”
The Eddies (0-1-1 win-lossdraw) return to the pitch on the new Field Turf at Clarke Field at 2 p.m. Sunday after two lacklustre, scoreless efforts to begin the fall season.
“We’ll mix it up come Sunday. We’re at that stage where draws and defeats are no good to us,” said Miller, who believes a roster shakeup will be enough to alter his team’s fortunes.
The lineup changes include the return of Tomi Ameobi and Ritchie Jones, who missed the last two games with nearly identical calf injuries that occurred just days apart, although they are unlikely to start the contest against the Indy Eleven.
“(The extra competition) is an added incentive for everyone to raise the bar,” Miller said. “Every player can say, ‘OK, I’ve had my kick in the backside. I need to get after it a little more.’
“The club will be winners at that point.”
FC Edmonton finished the spring season with a 2-5-2 win-loss-tie record after exploding for six goals in their final game against the Carolina RailHawks.
The Eddies were hoping that outing might ignite the team’s offence in the fall season, but that hasn’t been the case so far.
With Miller’s desire to shake up the roster in search of any semblance of offence, Ameobi and Jones are likely to log significant minutes on Sunday.
“Obviously, every player wants to play,” Ameobi said. “I understand the fact that I’ve been out for a few weeks and that the lads have been working hard in training will make it difficult.”
At least Miller has an excess of capable footballers from which to choose a starting 11. Jones, 27, who had played every minute of the spring season, hopes to force the issue and return to being a fixture in the Eddies midfield.
“I had started every game and I was getting stronger with each one, so (the injury) was a bit of a setback for me,” the 27-year-old said. “It’s up to me to work as hard as possible, to make myself available for a starting selection.”
FC Edmonton will return to Clarke Field after playing the first game of the fall season at Commonwealth Stadium. The new artificial pitch without football lines interfering with soccer lines is finally ready.
The hope is the world-class playing surface — identical to training facilities used by soccer giants like Arsenal, Liverpool and Paris SaintGermain — will help the Eddies stay more competitive by fielding a healthier roster.
“The softer the field and the newer the field, the less strain on the muscles,” said FC Edmonton general manager Rod Proudfoot.
Playing on an inferior quality of pitch, like the one removed from Clarke in June, was hard on the players. The result was injuries, such as the ones suffered by Jones and Ameobi, were more likely to occur.
The players are excited to continue the season on what may be the best field in the NASL.
“It’s brilliant, absolutely brilliant. Everyone loves it,” Jones said. “It’s softer than the old one and much easier on the legs.”
The matchup against the Indy Eleven may also help cure the Eddies’ offensive woes. The Eleven, who are in their first year of existence, have yet to shut out a team in league play this year.