Porter has point to prove against Vancouver
Underdog Edmonton certainly has nothing to lose and everything to gain in its Amway Canadian Championship semifinal against the Vancouver Whitecaps.
For Kyle Porter, there’s also something to prove.
The 22-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., was one of the original members of the Whitecaps’ residency program.
He was part of the first-team training sessions heading into MLS, too, but he left the club and showed up in Montreal, where he tried to catch on with the rival Impact, later landing in Edmonton.
Then-caps coach Teitur Thordarson was high on Porter and disappointed with his decision. Porter was disappointed with the contract offer. It was a strange and sudden ending to what seemed like a promising partnership.
“Most definitely I have a lot to prove to my club, but also a lot to prove to Canada and Vancouver,” said Porter, a graceful, athletic attacking player with size. “I wanted to be a part of Vancouver heading into MLS but what they were offering, I wasn’t happy with it and they weren’t willing to negotiate.”
The MLS is relaxing its rules around academy players, but they’re still restrictive. Teams can carry two so-called “homegrown” players on Generation Adidas contracts, which are more lucrative than the $33,750 paid out to the bottom end of the 30-man roster. Generation Adidas contracts also don’t count against the salary cap.
Canadian teenager Russell Teibert, for example, earned $55,600 with the Caps last season. Teibert’s fellow youth international, Bryce Alderson, was also signed to a homegrown GA deal this offseason.
The Caps would have had that Alderson deal in mind long ago when Porter was looking to make the jump, so, from that perspective, their hands were tied.
Porter played the 2011 preseason with Montreal, who were set to jump to MLS in 2012, but with Vancouver still holding his MLS rights, a deal couldn’t get done.
“Montreal said they wanted to sign me long term, but there were complications with Vancouver because of the MLS rights and such,” Porter said. “They don’t always make sense, but those are the rules.”
To some, Porter might seem like a man who was caught in the middle; to others, just another young player who received bad advice.
Or, perhaps, with academy graduates struggling to find playing time with MLS clubs anyway, Edmonton is exactly the right place for Porter. He can start games, score goals, and gain confidence.
“I need to continue to play and grow as a player and push toward that national team,” said Porter, who’s represented Canada at the U-17 and U-20 level.
There’s also the aspect of Vancouver’s investment in the player, and what they, or any other club who invests in youth, should be entitled to recoup in situations like last season.
Why don’t the clubs just agree on a set fee per year of development?
Those, however, are the big issues. There’s the small matter of the Canadian title at hand. The winner of this two-leg semifinal series will face either Montreal or Toronto for the Voyageurs Cup and right to represent Canada in the CONCACAF Champions League.
The second leg of this semifinal is next Wednesday at B.C. Place.
Edmonton lost their first-leg semifinal 3-0 to Toronto last season after going down a man early.
Porter, who has played as either an attacking midfielder or forward for Edmonton, will be among their top threats against the Whitecaps.
He’s joined by fellow former Caps residency player Alex Semenets, as well as defender Paul Hamilton, who played for the Caps’ USL Premier Development League side.
“We’re going to embrace it, anything can happen,” said Porter, whose contract in Edmonton is up after this season. “We’re confident and we know we have nothing to lose.
“We’re going to bring the game to Vancouver instead of waiting and letting them bring it to us.”