Edmonton, AB (Apr.15, 2022) – FC Edmonton is quickly proving to the rest of the Canadian Premier League that they won’t quit. They won’t be pushed around, and you better be ready to battle.
For the second game in a row, the Eddies scored a goal in the late stages to preserve a 1-1 draw against York United FC, Friday night at Clarke Stadium.
The Eddies are 0-2-0 to start the 2022 season, while York is 0-1-1.
“We have a group that will fight to the bitter end. They’re a group of guys that are hungry, motivated, and willing to sacrifice for each other,” said FC Edmonton head coach Alan Koch.
“It’s something that is very enjoyable to be around to see guys that are willing to leave everything they have on the pitch for each other. I’m really proud of them.”
In the season opener it was Tobias Warschewski with the heroics, and this week, it was veteran forward Masta Kacher. The 26-year-old came off the bench and came through with a clutch goal in the 84th minute to rip a victory out of the hands of York United.
Just two minutes after the visitors took a 1-0 lead on a goal from Osaze De Rosario, Kacher took a no-look feed from forward CJ Smith and drilled a perfect shot past goalkeeper Nico Giantsoloulos.
Kacher is a veteran footballer and whether he’s coming off the bench or in a starting role, he knows how to make an impact and he came up huge, scoring his first goal of the year.
“It means a lot for me, but also for the team. I think we showed a lot of character,” said Kacher.
“Whether you start the game or come off the bench, the mentality is the same. You want to make an impact.
“I trust my finishing. I just tracked the ball. I like to receive the ball in those types of positions and it’s kind of natural for me and I just went for it. It was a one-time shot, I knew I couldn’t take a shot in the box, there were too many defenders around. I was just focused on getting good contact on the ball.”
FC Edmonton has had to endure some unpleasant weather in their first two home matches of the year. Extreme winds in their season opener and on Friday it was frigid temperatures mixed in with snow, but the Eddies gutted out the tough circumstances and earned two valuable points to start the season.
“A game in the snow, let’s go for it. A game in high forced winds last week, why not go for it. Let’s see what they bring next week,” laughed Koch.
“Part of playing in the Canadian Premier League is dealing with adversity and different challenges. It’s not ideal, but none of us can change the weather, so we just have to get on with it.”
Goalkeeper Andreas Vaikla was steady in net for the Eddies, making six saves, his best coming off a free kick in the 16th minute when he climbed the ladder to get his fingertips on a shot from 20 feet out.
While York United controlled 63% of the possession, mostly in the second half, the Eddies defenders did a great job of keeping most of York’s shots from a distance.
The match was chippy on both sides. York United was given five yellow cards, while Smith was given a red card in the 87th minute, and the Eddies were forced to play with 10 players in the final three minutes and stoppage time.
Smith got tangled up with defender Diyaeddine Abzi on a ball rolling towards the end line.
Both players went down, and both players got up and took swipes at each other.
“It became edgy, and in games like that you have to step up to the plate, so I’m happy to see everyone step up,” said Koch.
“We have a player who has a bloody nose, a player that has a split shin. You can see it was a fight tonight, and I’m proud of the players.”
