fcedmonton.com

On a cold and dark night at Foote Field, soccer pros from the Sunshine State battled the frigid temperatures and came away from the frozen north with a hard-fought draw.

Miami FC, featuring a number of ex-MLS players and a few players in the US national system, the match promised to be a tougher test than FC Edmonton’s previous two games against PDL opposition.

By Andreas Morse
FC Edmonton Staff Writer

After dominating Premier Development League teams and impressive, albeit losing efforts, against two international squads, FC Edmonton last competitive match of the season takes place on Saturday against the NASL’s Miami FC.

Captain Chris Kooy says Saturday’s game will go a long way in gauging how FC Edmonton will compete in the NASL next season.

“The Miami game is going to be a big test for us. They’re probably going to be the best opposition we’ve played, aside from the two international games,” said the centre back. “It’ll be a good test for us for sure.”

Assistant Coach, Hans Schrijver said, while the Miami game is important, his team has already proven that they can play at a high level against Portsmouth FC and Colo-Colo.

Striker Michael Cox had an amazing individual performance against the Spokane Spiders on Aug. 15, scoring five goals before being subbed off in the second half.

But the young man isn’t letting his current form go to his head.

“Miami will probably be a much stronger team so we can’t let our last two results go to our heads. We have to come out focused and be ready to play,” Cox said. “It’ll be a good challenge and it will give us a little taste of what the season’s going to be like next year.”

Miami FC is currently in last place in the NASL. A win against Miami FC would go a long way in proving to the rest of the league that FC Edmonton is ready for the NASL.

Tickets for the August 28 game are available at http://fcedmonton.com/content/tickets, or by phoning the office at 780.439.7529.

By Andreas Morse
FC Edmonton Staff Writer

FC Edmonton Assistant Coach Hans Schrijver said the week he spent with the city’s young soccer hopefuls will go a long way in forming the club’s upcoming academy.

From August 16-19, 35 U10 and U12 boys and girls spent time with Schrijver and other members of FC Edmonton’s squad and staff at the Lendrum soccer pitch, honing skills, learning new techniques, and most importantly, having a lot of fun.

“We were hoping to reach out to children to join our winter academy of course, which starts Oct. 18,” Schrijver said. “We’ll have an indoor academy for U10 and U12s and I think we already have 28 children.”

FC Edmonton is holding more identification sessions in September, check the website for details on how to register for those.

From the kids he’s seen already, Schrijver says the local talent pleasantly surprises him.

“What strikes me is the enthusiasm, they want to learn a lot,” Schrijver says. “It’s the same as with the team, they really like to play the games and they like to learn so they’re very enthusiastic and willing to learn in the drills. They’re very open minded.”