Today I'm going back five years to 2017 and another FC Edmonton North American Soccer League (NASL) match, this time against Puerto Rico FC. I covered the story of the rise and fall (and rise and fall) of the NASL in a recent article which can be found in my blog if you missed it.
Whilst I have a soft spot for FC Edmonton, or "the Eddies" as they are affectionately known, I despair of the City of Edmonton itself and the apathy of the public there towards their professional soccer team. The club seems to cling on to its professional status whilst the crowds dwindle and it wouldn't surprise me at all if the club were to fold at some point in the near future. In the NASL the Eddies could attract crowds of only around 3,000 but since joining the Canadian Premier League this has fallen to less than 1,000. I can only presume that the club continues to be funded thanks to the largesse of its owner but annual losses can only be supported for so long before the plug gets pulled. It's not as if the Edmonton public aren't interested in Soccer: Canada's World Cup Qualifier against Costa Rica which was played at Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium attracted almost 50,000 people despite sub zero temperatures (yes, I was there) with the Stadium being christened "the Iceteca" for the game against Mexico a few days later (Mexico play their home games at the Azteca). Clearly success on the park for FC Edmonton would help things along so fingers crossed for the Eddies: their survival may very well depend on it.
The Caribbean island of Puerto Rico has a curious political status in that it has belonged to the USA since 1898 and is effectively a colony albeit that it is classed as an unincorporated territory and is therefore not regarded as a US State or even a country in its own right. However, the citizens of Puerto Rico are permitted to move freely to and from the USA. In 2012 a referendum of the Puerto Rican populace indicated that the people would prefer US Statehood and this was reaffirmed in 2020 but, to date, Puerto Rico has yet to become the 51st State of the USA. The population of the country (3.2 Million in 2020) is actually shrinking as Puerto Ricans leave seeking prosperity in the USA.
Puerto Rico FC was founded in 2015 as an NASL expansion franchise but, with the demise of the NASL itself before the commencement of the 2018 season, the club has ceased operations since then.
The first goal in today's featured game came just after the hour mark thanks to a fine swerving shot by El Salvadorean international Dustin Corea from just outside the penalty area that found the top corner. Within ten minutes the Eddies had a second, this time a cross from Northern Ireland international Dean Shiels which found its way all the way through and into the net without a touch from anyone despite their lunging best efforts. It took until the 90th minute for Puerto Rico to find their own way through with a late consolation goal scored by Spanish substitute Jordi Quintilla, a player who is now to be found plying his trade with St Gallen in the Swiss Super League. The highlights video (attached to my blog) shows the crowd to be very well wrapped up and the odd snowflake puts in an appearance (that's April in Edmonton folks!). Oh and, yes, many of the players from the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico did resort to wearing gloves that night!
CRB Match No. 2152
Comments
Post a Comment