2017 Fourside Eagles FC season
The 2017 Fourside Eagles FC season is the eighth in the Fourside Eagles FC's history. It will be the second season for manager Robin Fraser.
Pre-Season
The pre-season started calmly for the team, coming off a Supporters' Shield winning campaign the previous season, but once the new year rang in a large amount of news came in. Firstly, winger and former MLS MVP Mike Magee announced his retirement from the MLS. On the same day, David Ferreira and Ryan Meara announced their departures from the club, and the following day Andrew Jean-Baptiste and Shaquell Moore announced their departure.
In the MLS SuperDraft, Fourside selected forward Nick DePay and defender Dominic Oduro, no relation to the Montreal forward of the same name, who coincidentally had been a transfer target for Fourside. The next day, Fourside signed goalkeeper John McCarthy on a free transfer from Bethlehem Steel. On January 16, Bradley Wright-Phillips was sold to the Red Bulls on a DP contract, freeing up salary cap space.
On January 26, Fourside signed Michael Farfan on a free transfer, and signed Sal Zizzo for a small amount of cash from the Red Bulls. Then they traded Dillon Powers to DC United for Lamar Neagle, freeing up even more cap space. Farfan, however, announced his retirement a month later citing personal reasons.
The first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League against Vancouver was successful for the team. Despite Vancouver grabbing the first goal, Fourside tied the game very quickly with a cross shot in by Remi Didot, and Miguel Senna scored a spectacular free kick bending around the wall to bring the win for Fourside, 2-1. In the second leg, goals from Jeff Larentowicz and Jackson were enough to give Fourside a 4-1 aggregate win, advancing them to the Semifinals of the Champions League for the first time in their history.
Regular Season
Shortly after their CONCACAF Champions League games, the Eagles faced Vancouver again due to a quirk in the scheduling from the MLS. The Eagles mainly rested their starters, but they still won the game 1-0. The Eagles then put on their "B" team against Toronto FC in the home opener, since their Semi-Final against UANL Tigres was four days away, and all Liga MX teams had been given an extra break due to a referee strike. In response, the Eagles rested their starters again, keeping their players fresh for the next game. In response, the Eagles gave half price off all concessions (except for alcohol, which only applied for the first purchase only due to the country's liquor laws). The Eagles drew the match 2-2.
On the day of the first leg of the CONCACAF Semi-Final, a huge snowstorm brought 20cm of snow into Fourside, causing the government to call an Extreme Weather Day, cancelling all non-essential services for the day. The Eagles were still allowed to play as the kickoff time of the match was into the night, after the usual rush hour. The Eagles still played in the snow, as it had not been cleared up in time, and there was still more snow falling on the ground. The Eagles took advantage of their home turf and won, 3-1, following goals from Miguel Senna and Kenny Cooper. Shortly after the Tigres got their first goal, the Eagles scored again from Senna. Returning to the MLS regular season, Senna scored a long-distance free kick, but lost to Orlando 2-1.
After losing to DC United playing one day earlier to travel to Mexico for the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions League, the team was eliminated in the same scoreline in controversial fashion. Fourside had numerous fouls called against them while Tigres UANL had only one bookable offense (when they scored the second goal in celebrations), and Fourside themselves had two goals called offside incorrectly. The team filed a protest to dispute the results, but the calls stood well after the match, and the fans protested as a result. Violence nearly called off the next regular season game against Portland, but it went on as planned, though the team lost 3-1. The team did get back on the right track winning against NYCFC, and drawing Montreal and the Galaxy. They played St. Lawrence FC in the first leg of the Micronesian Championship semi-final, but the team was well off the pace sending in their B-team and drew the game. More starters were brought on the next leg two days later and the Eagles won 2-0, advancing to the final. A 6-1 drubbing over Orlando City confirmed that Fourside would earn a first round bye and a spot in the Conference Semifinals for the sixth straight time.
The rainstorm which brought on 90mm of rain in a period of three days in the country of Micronesia forced the May 6th game against the Red Bulls to be moved to the 23rd of May. The Micronesian Championship went ahead as planned, though, on May 10th, with Fourside taking home the title with a 4-2 win over North York United. They followed three days later by beating rivals DC United 4-0 away at RFK Stadium. The team went on a winning streak of sorts, beating Houston 2-0, Colorado 2-1 (on last minute goals from Remi Didot), and the Red Bulls 3-0 during the rescheduled match. Their winning streak ended against Real Salt Lake on the road. After a draw against NYCFC, the Eagles had a week off before their next match against the Red Bulls. In the leadup to the game, there were wild rumours purporting that the team was raising money to put in a serious transfer bid for Cristiano Ronaldo, causing Remi Didot to go on strike and removing himself from practice demanding a better contract.
The Eagles returned home to play DC United and thrashed them 4-1, given their opposition's weak defense. Didot ended his strike shortly after the game, opting to play out the rest of the season while leaving options open for his contract when it expires after the season. Fourside beat New England in the next game 3-0, with Didot adding the final goal coming off the bench. Shortly after a 1-1 draw with Kansas City, the Eagles traded Jackson Goncalves to Real Salt Lake in return for Stephen Sunday. The team also released Danny Szetela on the same day.
After the break from the Gold Cup, Fourside lost to Montreal 2-1 and again to Columbus three days later. They won back, though, on the return leg of the Home-and-home with Columbus, winning 3-0, including Sunday's first goal with the team. The next two games were big wins for Fourside, winning 3-0 at New England and 3-1 against FC Dallas, despite Cameron Reid getting sent off early due to a questionable call via video review. Reid had his red card upheld and was suspended two more games for lashing out at the referee and for trying to disable the VAR system. The winning streak brought Fourside to third place in the Eastern Conference, only behind Toronto and Chicago for the top seeds. Fourside drew an upstart Montreal side 2-2, after an "elastico" assist from Miguel Senna (who now lead the league in assists with 14), and a last-minute goal from Lamar Neagle to tie the game in stoppage time.
Within the next week, following the red cards from Reid and from Orlando City SC (and compatriot) Kaka, Miguel Senna handed down a transfer request to the team, saying that he didn't want to play in a league where players are "sent off for nothing." He didn't completely criticize VAR, however, saying that it could be useful for goal and offside challenges, but stated that he was concerned the MLS and the Disciplinary Committee would "completely rely" on VAR. Within minutes of Senna confirming his transfer request by posting a message on Instagram, Remi Didot posted inflammatory comments on Senna and his "treatment" when he handed down a transfer request, prompting the team to issue an indefinite suspension to Didot. With interest coming from Cruz Azul in LigaMX, the team decided it was best to part ways with Didot and sold him to Cruz Azul for $4.5 million US dollars, allowed because LigaMX's transfer window hadn't closed yet. Senna also confirmed that he would at least finish out the season and "see what kind of opportunities were available," as well as watching the development of video replay in the MLS.
After a tough loss against Toronto, Fourside found themselves down 3-1 late in the game when goals from Larentowicz, Neagle and also from Kenny Cooper late in stoppage time gave Fourside a fortunate 4-3 win. Their winning streak continued after the international break, with wins against Minnesota, a draw against the Red Bulls on the road, and against the Chicago Fire. This left them second in the Eastern Conference only to the league leading Toronto FC. However, a loss against Atlanta on the road and Toronto's win against the Red Bulls later that day gave Toronto the Supporters' Shield, meaning that Fourside could not finish higher than second in the Eastern Conference. Still, Fourside's win against Seattle (thanks to a two-goal effort from Miguel Senna) put the Eagles three points over Chicago for second place in the East (and a bye in the first round of the playoffs). However, goalkeeper Evan Newton was injured during the match and had to be substituted off, and was ruled out for the entirety of the MLS Playoffs due to a torn calf.
Playoffs
Despite Newton's injury, backup goalkeeper Emil Jesus performed admirably during the playoffs, making key saves against the Columbus Crew in the Conference Semifinals. Despite going down in the first leg, Fourside defeated Columbus 3-0 to advance to the Conference finals against Toronto, repeating their matchup in the second round last year. Fourside won the first leg 1-0 in a tightly contested affair, with their defense holding up against Toronto's potent offence. In the second leg, Toronto initially took a 1-0 lead, but a free kick from Jeff Larentowicz gave Fourside their crucial away goal, as Fourside took the series 2-1. In the MLS Cup Final against Seattle, goals from Lamar Neagle and Miguel Senna were enough to give Fourside their first MLS Cup against Seattle, the defending MLS Cup champions. Neagle was named MLS Cup MVP, as Miguel Senna sent off his career with Fourside with a triumphant victory.
Regular Season Games
Date | Team | Stadium | Final Score | W-L-T Record |
---|---|---|---|---|
March 5, 2017 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | BC Place | 1-0 | 1-0-0 |
March 11, 2017 | Toronto FC | Virgin Stadium | 2-2 | 1-0-1 |
March 18, 2017 | Orlando City SC | Orlando City SC Stadium | 1-2 | 1-1-1 |
March 31, 2017 | DC United | RFK Stadium | 0-2 | 1-2-1 |
April 8, 2017 | Portland Timbers | Virgin Stadium | 1-3 | 1-3-1 |
April 14, 2017 | New York City FC | Virgin Stadium | 2-0 | 2-3-1 |
April 22, 2017 | Montreal Impact | Virgin Stadium | 3-3 | 2-3-2 |
April 29, 2017 | LA Galaxy | StubHub Center | 0-0 | 2-3-3 |
May 13, 2017 | DC United | RFK Stadium | 4-0 | 3-3-3 |
May 17, 2017 | Houston Dynamo | Virgin Stadium | 2-0 | 4-3-3 |
May 20, 2017 | Colorado Rapids | Virgin Stadium | 2-1 | 5-3-3 |
May 23, 2017 | New York Red Bulls | Virgin Stadium | 3-0 | 6-3-3 |
May 27, 2017 | Real Salt Lake | Rio Tinto Stadium | 0-1 | 6-4-3 |
June 3, 2017 | New York City FC | Yankee Stadium | 2-2 | 6-4-4 |
June 18, 2017 | New York Red Bulls | Virgin Stadium | 0-2 | 6-5-4 |
June 24, 2017 | DC United | Virgin Stadium | 4-1 | 7-5-4 |
July 2, 2017 | New England Revolution | Virgin Stadium | 3-0 | 8-5-4 |
July 6, 2017 | Sporting Kansas City | Children's Mercy Park | 1-1 | 8-5-5 |
July 19, 2017 | Montreal Impact | Saputo Stadium | 1-2 | 8-6-5 |
July 22, 2017 | Columbus Crew SC | MAPFRE Stadium | 0-1 | 8-7-5 |
July 26, 2017 | Columbus Crew SC | Virgin Stadium | 3-0 | 9-7-5 |
July 29, 2017 | New England Revolution | Gillette Stadium | 3-0 | 10-7-5 |
August 5, 2017 | FC Dallas | Virgin Stadium | 3-1 | 11-7-5 |
August 12, 2017 | Montreal Impact | Virgin Stadium | 2-2 | 11-7-6 |
August 19, 2017 | San Jose Earthquakes | Avaya Stadium | 2-1 | 12-7-6 |
August 23, 2017 | Toronto FC | BMO Field | 1-3 | 12-8-6 |
August 26, 2017 | Atlanta United FC | Virgin Stadium | 4-3 | 13-8-6 |
September 9, 2017 | Minnesota United FC | TCF Bank Stadium | 2-1 | 14-8-6 |
September 17, 2017 | New York Red Bulls | Red Bull Arena | 0-0 | 14-8-7 |
September 23, 2017 | Chicago Fire | Virgin Stadium | 3-0 | 15-8-7 |
September 27, 2017 | Atlanta United FC | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | 0-3 | 15-9-7 |
October 1, 2017 | Seattle Sounders FC | Virgin Stadium | 2-0 | 16-9-7 |
October 15, 2017 | Chicago Fire | Toyota Park | 2-3 | 16-10-7 |
October 22, 2017 | Orlando City SC | Virgin Stadium | 6-1 | 17-10-7 |
Other Games
Goal Scorers
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