NASL FC Edmonton

FC Edmonton vs. Atlanta Silverbacks Game Preview

Published on April 15, 2011 under North American Soccer League (NASL)
FC Edmonton News Release


ATLANTA, Georgia - FC Edmonton hopes to continue its winning ways on Saturday night against the Atlanta Silverbacks at Silverbacks Park (5:30 p.m. MST www.fcedmonton.com).

Last week Edmonton's professional soccer team came back from a 1-0 deficit to beat the Fort Lauderdale Strikers 2-1 in the South Florida-based team's home and season opener. Over 6,400 fans took in the game but Shaun Saiko's first goal in franchise history and Daniel Antoniuk's game winner sent the Strikers supporters home disappointed.

"I'm hoping for a better performance actually, I think there are some areas that we need to improve in," said Assistant Coach Dave Randall. "We were pretty nervous before that one, being our first ever competition, but we're hoping to improve every game."

Eighteen players will be available for the second game of the season but Head Coach Harry Sinkgraven will wait until game time to announce his starting line up.

After a self-imposed two-year hiatus, the Atlanta Silverbacks have returned to the professional soccer field, with a new look and a new league.

The Silverbacks, who used to compete in the United Soccer Leagues before disbanding in 2008, are back with a roster of local and international talent, led by Head Coach José Manuel Abundis, a former Mexican national soccer star.

The Silverbacks made their return to professional soccer last weekend in front of a crowd of 3,543 fans but ended up losing to NSC Minnesota Stars 2-1 in stoppage time.

FC Edmonton will play one more game on the road against the Carolina RailHawks on Wednesday prior to its home opener - a Nutrilite Canadian Championship game against MLS' Toronto FC at Commonwealth Stadium on April 27. Kick off for that game is 6 p.m. and tickets are available through Ticketmaster.

FC Edmonton's NASL home opener takes place on May 1 at Foote Field when it takes on the only other Canadian team in the league, the Montreal Impact. Tickets for that game, and all other 2011 FC Edmonton home games, are available by calling 780.439.7529 or at www.fcedmonton.com.

FC Edmonton roster for Game 1:

#1 - Rein Baart - Goalkeeper

#4 - Alex Surprenant - Defender

#5 - André Duberry - Defender

#6 - Shaun Saiko - Midfielder

#7 - Alex Semenets - Striker

#8 - John Jonke - Defender

#9 - Chris Lemire - Striker

#10 - Kyle Yamada - Midfielder

#12 - Niko Saler - Defender

#13 - Conrad Smith - Striker

#17 - Mutanda Kwesele - Midfielder

#18 - Paul Hamilton - Defender

#20 - Chris Kooy - Midfielder

#21 - Dominic Oppong - Defender

#22 - Daniel Antoniuk - Striker

#23 - Lance Parker - Goalkeeper

#24 - Antonio Rago - Defender

#27 - Sam Lam - Midfielder

NEXT MATCHES

- Wednesday, April 20 - FC Edmonton @ Carolina RailHawks - WakeMed Soccer Park - 5:00 p.m. (MST)

- Wednesday, April 27 - Toronto FC @ FC Edmonton - Commonwealth Stadium - 6:00 p.m. (MST) (Nutrilite Canadian Championship)

- Sunday May 1 - Montreal Impact @ FC Edmonton - Foote Field - 7:30 p.m.

Check out the FC Edmonton Statistics

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North American Soccer League Stories from April 15, 2011


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