Eddies set sights on Halifax Wanderers
FC Edmonton rallies after death of ex-club captain
FC Edmonton got the point.
Yes, coming off a 2-2 draw gave the Canadian Premier League club its first point in the standings at the Island Games tournament at the University of Prince Edward Island.
But there was a much bigger concept being realized by the squad as they battled back from a 2-0 halftime deficit Sunday against Atletico Ottawa.
Prior to the game, head coach Jeff Paulus received solemn news of the death of former club member Chris Kooy, the first Eddies player ever to wear the captain’s band. He was 38 years old.
“I only personally found out about 25 minutes before kickoff about Chris,” Paulus said of his former player, who was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer in June. “So that weighed heavily, certainly, on my mind. I didn’t bring it up to the team just before we kicked off, but I think some of the players had heard the news on their own during that time.
“The emotion after the game, it just comes from a place . ... The whole scenario is just heartbreaking, but there’s also a bit of guilt on my part that I think we have maybe not done the best job of embracing the players that have come before and we need to be better at that,” said Paulus, who began as an assistant coach with the club in 2011-12 when Kooy was playing. “We’ve got a bit of a history, FC Edmonton, and we need to embrace that. We need to embrace the players that have laid the foundations for this club.
“But that situation just hit home for me, seeing our players come out in that second half with a bit of fire and passion. They tried so hard, I can tell you. Every game that we’ve lost, it’s not because of a lack of effort or attitude, I can assure you that.
It’s an honest, committed group of players, but to see them take that next step in the second half against Ottawa and really never quit until the end, I think what made it really emotional for me is that’s who Chris was.
“So I think to be able to get a point that way — the stresses of football are enough, but when you add the stresses of life and family on top of it — it was just that moment for me. And looking at the team after, I felt there was just a sense of accomplishment. A bit of a leap has come back into the group. I think it’s a unifying moment for us and I think Chris’s legacy is one that can motivate this club and make us be better in everything that we do.”