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FC Edmonton

FC Edmonton Release Schedule

January 27, 2011 - North American Soccer League (NASL)
FC Edmonton News Release


EDMONTON, AB. - It's been five months since their last competitive match against Miami FC of the NASL, and even that was a friendly. It's no wonder that the FC Edmonton coaching staff and players are champing at the bit to get the 2011 NASL season under way.

The league took a giant step forward on Jan. 25 by releasing a schedule that will see the league's newest team open its inaugural season on the road in Miami, followed by stops in Atlanta and Carolina, before coming home to open its season against the Montreal Impact on May 1.

"We have a lot of away games in the first month-and-a-half and I would have preferred to have had some home games because normally away games are more difficult than home games," said Head Coach Harry Sinkgraven. "When you have home games in the beginning you have a better chance of coming away with points and it builds confidence throughout the team. It would be an advantage to have some home games in the beginning but it is what it is and we have to deal with it. It can also be a benefit if you have good results at the away games and that's what we have to go for."

FC Edmonton will have a good chance to start an all-Canadian rivalry when Montreal comes to town at the beginning of May.

"Everybody is really excited to play the first home game because everyone is curious and we hope that the people in Edmonton will support us because I think when you're a player and you play in a full stadium with a good atmosphere, it's not going to be 11 versus 11, it'll be 12 versus 11," Sinkgraven said. "The crowd can be the strength of a player. I hope that a lot of people come to the games and I'm looking forward to the home opener."

For the next two months Sinkgraven said he'll be focusing on filling out the roster and booking exhibition games for the squad leading up to the regular season.

"We need games so we can see how we've grown as a team," he said. "When you have games you can see what you have to focus on so that's what's important now. We all have the same purpose, the same goal. We want FC Edmonton to be a big success and we want to get to the playoffs. That's what we're training so hard for."

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