Sports stats



NASL FC Edmonton

Match Preview: Eddies Prepare to Open Season against Rayo OKC

April 1, 2016 - North American Soccer League (NASL)
FC Edmonton News Release


FC Edmonton Celebration
FC Edmonton Celebration
(FC Edmonton)

It's been a busy offseason for FC Edmonton. The team welcomed several new faces to the squad and took their preseason across the Atlantic to Scotland and England. While abroad, the Eddies faced three Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) teams as well as Newcastle United U-21.

The two-week trip was a positive one for the club, who left the UK with three wins and a draw. New and returning players alike put forth promising performances that the team and fans hope will translate into the 2016 North American Soccer League (NASL) regular season. With preseason behind them, the Eddies head to Oklahoma City this weekend for the first match of their season against NASL expansion side Rayo OKC.

Match Preview vs. Rayo OKC

FC Edmonton (0-0-0) open their 2016 North American Soccer League (NASL) campaign against league newcomer Rayo OKC (0-0-0), April 2 at Miller Stadium in Oklahoma. Kick off for the Eddies' inaugural match of the year is set for 6:00 p.m. MT and will be live streamed on NASL.com for Canadian fans and ESPN3 in the United States.

The Eddies return to the pitch with all to play for in 2016. A strong start to the 10-match Spring Season campaign is high on the priority list for the Colin Miller-led squad, who have stumbled out of the gate in recent seasons, only to have their poor start come back to haunt them down the stretch as they battle for a postseason berth. The team welcomes eight new faces to the fold in 2016, including Canadian international Nik Ledgerwood, New York's Jake Keegan and Academy graduate Shamit Shome, to name a few. The team's offseason acquisitions compliment a strong returning core from 2015 that include goalkeeper Matt VanOekel, captain Albert Watson and Eddies all-time leading scorer Daryl Fordyce.

While they are new to the league, Rayo OKC's roster is littered with notable faces. The team is led by 36-year-old Alen Marcina, who captured the NASL's Soccer Bowl trophy in 2014 with the San Antonio Scorpions and holds the distinction as the league's youngest head coach. The club turned heads this offseason after announcing the signing of 31-year-old Georgios Samaras. The forward has represented his home country of Greece in the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups, and has been a potent scorer with both club and country throughout his career.

It will be a challenging night for the visiting squad, who will be required to manage an intense atmosphere at Miller Stadium in addition to their opponents on the pitch. Returning Eddies will be somewhat familiar with Saturday's environment, however. The team welcomed Jacksonville Armada FC to the NASL on opening night in front of a record setting attendance of 16,164 last season. Saturday's Season Opener is the first of three matches between the two clubs in 2016. The teams will meet again on July 2 before concluding their season series, Sept. 14 at Clarke Field.

"Our players have been terrific in preseason," Miller explained. "We hope we can carry that sort of form into our first game against Oklahoma. I've been very, very pleased with our attitude all the way through preseason. There were some excellent things that happened in Scotland and we're now looking to build on those things come Saturday."

Saturday's NASL Season Opener versus Rayo OKC kicks off at 6:00 p.m. at Miller Stadium and will be broadcast live on ESPN3 and streamed live on www.nasl.com. The Eddies return home to face Minnesota United FC, April 10 at 2:00 p.m. at Clarke Field. Tickets are available by calling 780.700.2600, visiting www.fcedmonton.com or by clicking HERE. For more information on FC Edmonton, please visit www.fcedmonton.com.

Match Details

Teams: FC Edmonton @ Rayo OKC

Kick-off: April 2, 6:00 p.m. (MT)

Location: Miller Stadium (Oklahoma City)

Broadcast: www.NASL.com (Canada), ESPN3 (United States)

Viewing Party: 1st RND Downtown, Edmonton (MAP) (All ages welcome)

Check out the FC Edmonton Statistics




Images from this story

FC Edmonton Celebration
FC Edmonton Celebration
   



North American Soccer League Stories from April 1, 2016


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central