*crosses fingers*

2017 record: 3-6
Profit/loss: -173.39

Ouch. After a rough opening weekend, I’m back with a few more losers winners this week. Hey, if every degenerate quit after one bad weekend, the sports books wouldn’t get much action. #SocTakesLogic

Here are my plays for Week 2:

Chicago Fire/Real Salt Lake Draw +265
Risk 37.74 to win 100
I like both of these clubs to be among the most improved in MLS this season. How about a strong and gutsy showing from both Saturday in a hard-earned point for each? At +265 the draw has some real value in this match.

Philadelphia Union Pick ‘Em +105
Risk 50 to win 52.50
The Union simply have a solid roster from top to bottom, with talents like Roland Alberg not even able to crack the starting XI every week. Andre Blake is also one of the best young goalkeepers in the league. Toronto is an excellent club, obviously, but they tend to be a bit of a public darling with the bookmakers due to their star power. You can often find some value fading them on the road. Take the home side on the pick ’em line, but not on the three-way moneyline.

Montreal Impact Pick ‘Em -135
Risk 67.50 to win 50
It’s somewhat nerve-wracking to predict Seattle to start the season 0-2, but Montreal is a tough place to play already, then you toss in the the whole travel distance and timezone factor and it seems like the Impact should be favored to win a little more than they are. Much better days lie ahead for Seattle, but there’s a distinct possibility they begin their 2017 campaign with zero points across two matches.

Houston Dynamo/Columbus Crew Draw +240
Risk 41.67 to win 100
Houston turned some heads last weekend by taking it to the defending-champion Sounders at home, but I’m not ready to outright buy stock in this team just yet. Crew SC’s attack is potent enough to produce one or two road goals, so I think the draw is the play here at a solid price of +240 with hopes of a 1-1 or 2-2 scoreline.

San Jose Earthquakes ML (3-way) -115
Risk 57.50 to win 50
There isn’t much to this play other than the fact that I don’t foresee Vancouver Whitecaps FC winning too many road games this year. Their final roster and starting XI were a giant question mark up until the latter parts of the preseason when they signed Freddy Montero, but that stellar signing didn’t mask all their deficiencies. San Jose tends to to grind out low-scoring results at home, so look for a 1-0 or 2-0 Quakes win in this one.

Notes:

• Sometimes I play my draws to win 100, sometimes to win 50 — it’ll always be clearly indicated.
• All lines cited are based on the current odds at Bovada.lv at the time of posting.

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The NASL Spring season in now officially in progress. Eight teams play in this seventh edition of the second-division competition. There are 34 matches with opportunities to take points in the standings, but what the standings can’t show is the value of individual matchups.

That’s where the power rankings come in. With so few teams participating this year, head-to-head results will provide an unparalleled view when determining the best of the best.

These are the first power rankings of the season — pretend that we had done them after Week 1. I have attempted to eliminate any bias from bye weeks but that is impossible. Teams with only one match under their belts have only been mildly penalized in the early going.

Power Rankings

1. Miami FC

This one is easy. After two matches, the South Beachers have the best record. That is not why they sit in first place on this list of power rankings. Miami FC is dangerous in the attack and they blanked the “returning” champs in thrilling 3-0 fashion. I have a feeling Miami will flirt with the top section of these rankings throughout the season. Nabbing points on the road and domination at home will earn respect in the NASL. That’s hardly a hot take.

2. Puerto Rico FC

Sleeper pick, but PRFC is most improved. They have made moves in the offseason, they have come out swinging and they have taken a point from each of their first two contests. Those matches happen to be against the Indy Eleven and the unfortunate New York Cosmos. Last year, Las Naranjas were the worst in the NASL. This year, they are already ahead of the curve, in form and expect results.

3. Jacksonville Armada FC

With a win in their home opener, one might be surprised to find NASL FC behind a winless team. I will use them as an example of how some of these rankings work. Their 1-0 victory is good for second in the standings, but the Eddies had a long way to Florida and they aren’t known for scoring bunches on the road anyway. Breaking down a road team with the emotional boost from a new home field isn’t worth as much as holding your own against Indy or NYC. They have been slightly penalized for having only one result against a mediocre team. Good three points to start though.

4. Indy Eleven

Indy have two draws and are ahead of PRFC with a tiebreaker in the league standings. There is no safety in these rankings. The boys in blue squandered a 2-0 lead at home and were lucky to salvage after giving up three unanswered goals. This season will be filled with interesting scheduling quirks. The Eleven have a chance to return the favor next week in Puerto Rico. They might be up and down in the rankings this year.

5. San Francisco Deltas

Welcome the league! The Triangles were happy with the point, but we haven’t seen enough to move them any higher up the power rankings. Both NCFC and SF Deltas are sitting on home draws. What moves them ahead? Simple. Being an expansion team is tough. They are not expected to do well and the entire organization is brand new.  Carolina has been around since the beginning. Producing similar results to a well established team has a higher weighted score.

6. North Carolina FC

The Railhawks (change is hard) have played once. It was a draw at home to the current league leaders. That makes it difficult to judge just where they fit into the scheme. Carolina started off red hot last year and look what that got them. Maybe leaving something in the tank for back stretch is part of the plan for 2017. A lot of the attack is back so I don’t really think they belong this far down the list, but they will need more opportunities to impress.

7. FC Edmonton

They just don’t score enough. The defense will keep them in it, but I think a lot of teams have upgraded on the other side of the ball. With invigorated fan support at home, I expect Edmonton to be one of the toughest places to play in the NASL. That might get them out of the bottom 4 in the power rankings, but only just.

8. New York Cosmos of Brooklyn

HA HA! ZERO goals in 180 minutes. This is not the same team from November. Last year’s most proficient offensive team has failed to score both home and away. Cosmos 3.0 are clearly not the same team. Gio Savarese is still around and that is why I expected them to be in the top three, but I was wrong about that. Miami’s ranking was a piece of cake. This one is easier. Get in the basement, NYC of B.

Final thoughts: I am looking forward to a closely contested season. My hope is that the frequency of familiar matchups will spur an unprecedented level of competition. Rivalries will form. Fear will lead to anger, etc. This has the potential of being the most interesting American league. I am really hoping for a “playoff hockey” level of excitement and I don’t even watch hockey. 

Teams will flip-flop and I will make every effort to note the shift in momentum, but these power rankings are just for fun. Feel free to let me know how I am doing and if you have any suggestions for updates. I will promptly disregard them, but this is America and I want you to feel free.

You can follow Soc Takes and Aaron on Twitter @SocTakes and @AGunyon.

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U.S. Soccer presidential candidate and UPSL Northeast Conference manager Paul Lapointe shares his wide array of ideas to improve the sport across all levels domestically.

The panel covers everything from pay to play, pro/rel and equal pay for the USWNT, to making the position of U.S. Soccer president a full-time gig.

LISTEN HERE

Support Soc Takes on Patreon for access to patron-only Soc Takes Pod episodes, exclusive written content and tier rewards. Click here to become a patron today.

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Join us tonight for our FC Edmonton vs. Indy Eleven live blog. Kickoff is at 9 p.m. ET and we’ll go live at 8:45 to share some pre-match thoughts. Join the conversation below:

Live Blog Live blog: FC Edmonton vs. Indy Eleven

You can follow Soc Takes on Twitter @SocTakes.

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In their press release, NPSL’s Lansing United confirmed that they will be playing in the PDL next season, thereby becoming the first team to swap between the two leagues for next year. Lansing United President/CEO Jeremy Sampson said in the release:

“We are honored to be joining the PDL for the 2018 season. Joining the PDL is a positive step for Lansing United as we continue to evolve as a club now entering our fifth season. The opportunities for growth as a club and for our players as they aspire to play professionally are really exciting.”

Soc Takes emailed Sampson some questions and was given the following responses:

NC – Why is Lansing United making the switch from NPSL to PDL?

JS – We are really excited to be a member of the PDL and are looking forward to competing against some very good amateur clubs in the Central Conference. There are a few reasons that we have decide to join the PDL. The opportunities for our club to grow and evolve are important.  The rosters of the NPSL have changed over the last 4 years with less and less college players being used.

Mid-Michigan does not have many players ages 22-27 living and working in our area that we can tap into. Our roster composition has always looked more like a PDL roster. This move will also give our players additional exposure to the professional game which we believe is important.

NC – Will you retain the name of Lansing United while in the PDL?

JS – Yes, we will still be called Lansing United.

NC – Recently, NPSL filed a letter of complaint to USSF about what it believed to be were approaches made by USL-PDL towards its teams. Were you approached by USL-PDL in a similar way? If yes, explain. If no, what are your thoughts on the letter of complaint?

JS – No we were not. We reached out to the PDL to discuss expansion opportunities. I can only speak to our situation in which we were never contacted by the PDL or asked by the PDL to leave the NPSL

NC – How did the logistics of your decision to join PDL come about? Are you paying the same entry fee to join PDL as any other team? Or was the entry fee lowered to facilitate the move from NPSL?

JS – After every season, we evaluate our situation and we did so after the 2017 season. I contacted the PDL to discuss expansion opportunities. We submitted and application and we were approved. We do not discuss the financial arrangements between our club and the leagues that we are associated with.

NC – Is your decision to join PDL linked to your purported interest in USL-D3?

JS – Very much so. We have stated that we are very interested in making the move from an amateur club to a professional club. The USL-D3 made a site visit to Lansing earlier this year and they are very excited about this region. I am working each day toward developing a strong ownership group here in Lansing and I am optimistic that we can bring professional soccer to Lansing.

NC – There have been reports about organizational issues within NPSL – as indicated by player availability for the NPSL final. Is your decision to leave NPSL linked to any of those logistical or organizational issues?

JS – I have really enjoyed our four years in the NPSL. It was an excellent place for us to begin as a franchise. No league is perfect in the way that things are handled on a daily basis and if you ask those who run the league if there are improvements in certain areas, I’m sure they will say that the answer to that is yes.

I have watched the NPSL grow and develop over the past 4 years and I want to thank (NPSL commissioner) Joe Barone, (NPSL managing director) Jef Thiffault and the staff at the NPSL for all of their work and wish them all the best in the future.

NC – You are leaving the Great Lakes division of the NPSL – where you had five other Michigan teams and ready-made rivalries – for the PDL, where there is only one other Michigan team. Are you worried about the increased travel costs and drop in rivalries (which in turn, may result in lower gate revenues)?

JS – What we built in Michigan in the NPSL is something special, like nothing else that is happening anywhere else in the country and we are very proud of that and those owners are all friends of mine and will continue to stay that way. We are truly business partners off the field while competing on it for 90 minutes twice a season.

Our hope is that those rivalries will continue even if they are not considered “league” games.  We looked at the increased travel costs in considering the move to the PDL and have factored that into our budget for the 2018 season. Having competing clubs within a close proximity does not always equal a huge bump in gate revenues. 90-95% of our gate revenue comes from Lansing United fans.

I’m not sure that our numbers bear out that fans attend our games because we are playing a rival.  Our data suggests that fans come to our games in larger numbers to see league games.

———–x————

Soc Takes reached out to NPSL chairman Joe Barone for his comment on Lansing United’s exit from the league. Barone said – 

NPSL chairman Joe Barone. Credit: NPSL

“It’s tough to understand. I spoke to Lansing United’s chairman today (October 11th) morning. They play in a conference which is well followed on both social media and in attendance, which is tough to replicate.

Which leads me to believe that the undercurrent of the cold-calling of the PDL may have contributed. Here’s someone who said he (Jeremy Sampson) didn’t have the money to play in D3. Was he poached? Was he enticed financially to move? We don’t know. We plan on finding out, but we don’t know.

But, am I disappointed about his decision? Of course. Am I surprised? One hundred percent.

This further shows how US Soccer is so disinterested in the lower divisions that they are allowing the USL-PDL to cherry pick the NPSL. The lack of leadership from the US Soccer federation is absolutely unexceptionable.”

SocTakes also reached out to NPSL managing director Jef Thiffault for his reaction to the Lansing news. Thiffault said – 

“I think it’s like when any of our members leave, we take them at their word that they are in a better situation and we wish them luck.”

When asked, Sampson, Thiffault and Barone all said they don’t know of any other teams planning on leaving the NPSL for PDL.

———–x————

Soc Takes reached out to USL-PDL and was given the following responses on behalf of PDL director Todd Eason:

1. Your reaction to Lansing United joining the league?

TE – We are excited to have Lansing United compete in the PDL in 2018. They greatly strengthen our profile in the Great Lakes area, and provide another high-performing ownership group and developmental pathway for players in Michigan.

2. Did USL-PDL approach Lansing or vice-versa?

TE – The PDL was approached by Lansing United.

3. Did Lansing pay the same entry fee as any other team joining the league?

TE – We cannot disclose the terms of the agreement.

———–x————

Follow Nipun on Twitter: @NipunChopra7.

Support Soc Takes on Patreon for access to patron-only Soc Takes Pod episodes, exclusive written content and tier rewards. Click here to become a patron today.

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Photo credit: Uwe Welz/FC Edmonton

INDIANAPOLIS — After mustering a measly 13 points in 16 NASL spring matches, FC Edmonton desperately needed a kick-start.

A not-so-unlikely source provided one in the fall opener, though it wasn’t enough to avoid disappointment once again in the form of a 2-1 home loss to the Indy Eleven. The same bloke lifted the Eddies up on his shoulders the following week, this time resulting an impressive 3-1 away victory in a rematch with Indy.

That bloke was midfielder Ben Fisk, whose recent exceptional play has surely put himself back on the Canada national team radar. And if FC Edmonton plans to right the ship and contend for the NASL fall title or a playoff spot, it’s going to start and end with his keen ability to create chances. Fisk is tied for the NASL lead with 32 chances created. He about drove Eleven coach Tim Hankinson to the brink of insanity during the two clubs’ home-and-home series.

“Fisk, two weeks in a row, has been having his way on our right side,” said a disgruntled Hankinson following Edmonton’s win.

The lone Eddies goal in the first game was set up by a lovely left-footed chipped service that was out of the reach of Indy goalkeeper Jon Busch, but well within range for two Edmonton attackers to make a play on the ball in the air at the far post. Tomi Ameobi got on the end of it to tie the game 1-1. Here’s Fisk’s dime via the FC Edmonton Twitter account:

Starting to connect the dots like…

👟⚽🤨🥅 pic.twitter.com/P3IdlwHtw6

— FC Edmonton (@FCEdmontonNow) August 1, 2017

In Edmonton’s win the following week, the 24-year-old again delivered an assist. The helper was his third in the last four matches. Check it out courtesy of the NASL’s Twitter account:

.@albertw5 gives @FCEdmontonNow a two-goal lead after connecting with @benfisk‘s corner kick. #INDvFCE pic.twitter.com/G0ShwOrk7n

— NASL (@naslofficial) August 6, 2017

Fisk has earned two career caps for Canada so far, both in 2017. He debuted in Canada’s 4-2 win against Bermuda in January before appearing again in March in a 1-1 draw with Scotland.

Octavio Zambrano | Photo credit: Canada Soccer

Given his form and playmaking ability, CanMNT head coach Octavio Zambrano might soon be blowing up his young prodigy’s phone for a return to the squad. Fisk was optimistic about getting another call-up soon.

“I hope so,” Fisk said. “It’s always an honor to represent your country. I’ve been able to do it twice at the senior level.

“I’m just focused on my games here and if I’m playing well I think more calls will come, for sure.”

His next chance to do so will be for Canada’s home friendly against Jamaica in Toronto on Sept. 2.

The Eddies, meanwhile, will host the New York Cosmos on Saturday as they attempt to cultivate a winning streak. With their dynamic young midfielder constantly threatening up the left side, FC Edmonton could very well be one of the NASL’s biggest surprises of the fall season.

***

You can follow Kevin on Twitter: @KJboxing.

Soc Takes is on Patreon. Get access to patron-only Soc Takes Pod episodes, exclusive written content and tier rewards. Click here to become a patron today.

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WESTFIELD, Ind. — Indy Eleven signee Ben Speas has a bit of an appetite for the spectacular.

At North Carolina, he slalomed through a pack of defenders before producing a game-winning golazo in the NCAA final. For Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew SC, he scored a beauty in a friendly against Premier League side Stoke City FC. He’s incredibly dangerous from distance, sneaky in the box, and also a gifted creator for teammates.

Speas was back to his old tricks last season, finishing off a brace for Minnesota United FC with a flicked pass over a defender — to himself. Oh, and the final victim of the play was the best goalkeeper in the North American Soccer League in 2016, Matt VanOekel. No big deal.

So where will Indy Eleven’s shiny new weapon line up?

Speas can play as a central attacking midfielder, second forward or winger, but typically mans the middle of the pitch. That’s exactly where Sinisa Ubiparipovic started toward the end of last season in Indy’s 4-4-2 diamond.

Eleven coach Tim Hankinson hinted at a possible solution to the dilemma: play Speas at left midfield.

“Ubi’s more comfortable centrally,” Hankinson explained. “He doesn’t have quite the flexibility that Speas has. Speas can play — if we talk about playing the diamond that we finished the season with — either side, and play centrally.”

When asked if Speas might receive some minutes as a second forward, Hankinson didn’t rule out the possibility.

“All of those are things that we will test in the preseason. In many ways, when Dylan left to go to Miami, it meant we needed a player that — not necessarily has to have the same qualities — but someone that we felt was not going to be an experimental player. We wanted someone with experience.”

Minnesota United FC/NASL

In addition to experience, Hankinson finds Speas’ natural tendency to drift inward very appealing from a tactical standpoint. It creates space for left back Nemanja Vukovic to do what he does best: join the attack.

“Also, as you know, Vukovic likes to get up the sideline on the left,” Hankinson added. “The fact that Ben doesn’t necessarily like to hug the sideline as a winger, but likes to come inside, kind of opens that door up for Vuko. Which is, in a way, the way Dylan played that position. He was a left midfielder but we really never saw him wide. He was more tucked in a bit. So we think (Speas’) movement off Ubi, with Ubi feeding those kind of runs in the box will create goal-scoring opportunities.”

Minnesota United FC/NASL

While the starting left midfield spot is still very much an open competition, Speas appears set to audition first. If he can string together a few quality performances in the preseason, the gig will be his to lose. Speas’ deficiencies as a defender might get exposed at left mid, but the dynamism he brings to the Eleven offense is intriguing.

Beyond the 26-year-old’s knack for the supernatural, his tendency to drift inside meshes well with Hankinson’s vision and perfectly compliments Vukovic’s skill set.

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PRFC’s latest signing, Jairo Puerto. Photo credit: La Prensa

Jairo Puerto will be wearing orange next year. The 28-year-old winger was announced as PRFC’s latest signing this morning by the club. PRFC have a wealth of talent in attacking options — the likes of Sidney Rivera, Jorge Rivera, Giuseppe Gentile, Walter Ramirez and Jordi Quintilla. Puerto, a San Francisco-born Honduran international, is capable of playing as a right winger as well as a striker, and will be an asset to Adrian Whitbread’s team.

Soc Takes spoke with Whitbread about the signing:

“The Jairo Puerto signing has been a process that Marco Vélez brought to our attention through the Honduran Men’s National Team assistant coach who then communicated with our technical director Neil Sillett. We then began the process of looking at film at speaking to the player. We were very happy with what we saw and heard from him. He brings another attacking option to our team as well as international experience. We are very excited to get him on the island subject to ITC clearance because we know he is a strong addition to our squad this season,” Whitbread told us.

Whitbread previously informed Soc Takes that he expects to have his squad close to finalized by the time the CFU Championships kick off early next month. The fact that Puerto has experience in the CONCACAF Championship, having played 8 games in the tournament for RCD Espana, likely helped convince PRFC to move for him. Puerto has played 133 league games and scored 12 goals.

PRFC now boast one of the most front-loaded squads in the NASL, so surely the team’s focus for the next 3-4 signings will be defenders and holding midfielders.

This will be Puerto’s first non-Honduran club team in his career. He’s previously played for Marathon, CD Honduras, Olimpia and RCD Espana. Photo credit: AP

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Poltronieri (17) juggles with teammates at a recent training session. Photo credit: Indy Eleven

INDIANAPOLIS — Soc Takes has learned that once-Costa Rican U-20 international Brandon Poltronieri and ex-Bayern Munich youth product Jason Plumhoff have signed contracts with Indy Eleven. Poltronieri and Plumhoff are primarily midfielders, although both are capable of playing other positions; Poltronieri as a left back, while Plumhoff has played in attacking midfielder positions.

Both players have previous experience in the NASL. Poltronieri played for the Atlanta Silverbacks and Ottawa Fury, while Plumhoff played for both FC Edmonton and Jacksonville Armada FC.

Indy Eleven’s squad has been decimated by injuries of late, including injuries to (bae) Don Smart, Ben Speas and (Super Striker) Nemanja Vukovic.

The signings have been completed and both players are expected to be available for Saturday’s home game against FC Edmonton.

You can follow Nipun on Twitter @NipunChopra7.

Related

The NASL held a conference call Thursday afternoon regarding its federal antitrust lawsuit against the USSF.

NASL chairman and New York Cosmos owner Rocco B. Commisso, Winston & Strawn LLP co-executive chairman Jeffrey Kessler and NASL interim commissioner Rishi Sehgal were the speakers. Each made opening remarks before taking questions from media members.

LISTEN HERE

Thumbnail image credit: NASL

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