FC Edmonton's Deep Goalkeeping Corps Is Key For Success In 2015

By Matthew Levine

Does FC Edmonton have the deepest goalkeeping corps in the league? Reigning Golden Glove winner John Smits believes so after Matt VanOekel joined the club this offseason.

“We probably have the best goalkeeping tandem in the league right now. We’re working hard. We know not everyone is going to be happy when the season starts, but we’re going to be trying to give our best for the team, put the team first, and winning a championship is the first thing on our minds,” he told NASL.com.

While the 26-year-old ultimately won the award, which goes to the ‘keeper with the best goals against average, VanOekel was narrowly behind posting the third-best mark in 2014.

The working relationship between the two shot-stoppers has been a chance to learn from each other.

“We’re always giving each other feedback. We’re trying to create the most positive environment. It’s not really a negative competitive environment, it’s more of a partnership,” Smits said.

Beyond the club's top two 'keepers, the Eddies have Tyson Farago and Chrisitan Kaiswatum pushing the NASL veterans everyday in training.

“Their work ethic is really strong, and they are always trying to push our squad. Even with VanOekel and I with the bulk of the experience in the NASL, we’re trying to teach them that they need to be mentally ready in case anything happens,” Smits noted.

While Smits didn’t say who the top choice ‘keeper would be, he felt no matter who gets the nod, the others will be ready to step up if called upon.

“As much as we have a good idea who is going to be starting, you always have to be ready for any scenario that comes into play. You can never take anything for granted,” he said.

Whichever shot-stopper does start, they will certainly be in the mix to claim another Golden Glove award for FC Edmonton and keep the opposition's goal totals low. A lot of that credit goes to the backline who are routinely one of the toughest to break down in the North American Soccer League (NASL).

With the core returning for 2015, the Eddies should be able to keep several clean sheets during the upcoming season.

“We’re all on the same page on the backline. We all know what we want, what to expect, and what we’re all comfortable with. All of us being together has made it a lot easier as a goalkeeper and as a team to eliminate shots and eliminate goals,” Smits said.

While the Eddies as a whole will want to push onto The Championship after falling just short last season, Smits will look at the successful season for himself to improve even further.

“Micro-analyzing. Every game last year, even though I was successful, you’re always under the microscope,” he said.

“You always try to improve your game and you can’t always be 100 percent satisfied with every game you play. If you can improve with all the little things, you can really move onto the next level."

With a strong start in the Spring Season, the deep Eddies goalkeeping corps could help push the club on a path to accomplish the ultimate goal – lifting the Soccer Bowl trophy.

“If we can find our edge early on and carry that, find the right formation and tactics moving forward, we’ll be successful,” Smiths said. “We just can’t have a slow start and we all think we’ll be a top contender this season.

“As soon as the season finished last year, it kind of gave us a bad taste in our mouth because we were playoff ready.”