Chris Konopka Eyes Starting Opportunity in FC Edmonton's Goal

Photo credit: Toronto FC

When the opportunity arose for goalkeeper Chris Konopka to sign with FC Edmonton, he saw a championship-capable club that was on the cusp of making a big impact in the NASL in 2017.

“I have the opportunity to come up here and hopefully win a championship with these guys,” Konopka said at training camp Thursday afternoon. “Edmonton’s a great club. They fell just short last year [in the postseason]. I think the main draw for me was coming up here and helping this team in any way I can, on and off the pitch, win an NASL Championship.

“It’s always great to be at a club and win trophies. I’ve been at clubs where we’ve done that and it’s always the biggest draw for me.”

A product of Toms River, N.J., and a dual national of the United States and Poland, Konopka was recently part of Scottish Premiership side Ross County’s Scottish League Cup victory in 2016 after spending three seasons with Major League Soccer’s (MLS) Toronto FC. His stint with the Reds included a career-high 24 starts in 2015 when the club earned its first-ever berth in the MLS Cup Playoffs.

The 2016 season that followed brought major changes for the 31-year-old. Konopka took on a back-up role for Ross County and MLS side Portland Timbers in a season where he wasn’t able to find any playing time. Coming to FC Edmonton as the slated number one goalkeeper for head coach Colin Miller’s side, Konopka is ready to earn his minutes and make an immediate impact.

“Last year I had a different year,” Konopka said. “I was the number one in Toronto before having the opportunity to go abroad last year and play in the Scottish Premiership. It was a great opportunity for myself, but I didn’t have the opportunity to play much there or in Portland.

“Having the chance to be the number one guy week-in, week-out is what every goalkeeper wants to do. It’s your main goal to get game time and play, so not only am I getting the opportunity, I’m coming here to a great organization in FC Edmonton where everything’s top-notch, well-run, and hopefully we can go on and win a championship.”

The decision for Miller to add a veteran presence in Konopka to the fold wasn’t a hard one, but admits he’s going to have two young, hungry goalkeepers breathing down his neck for playing time this season.

“Chris comes in having been an experienced starter and back-up goalkeeper in MLS,” Miller said. “He’s been there, bought the t-shirt at that level and played in Scotland as well. I’ve spoken to three goalkeeper coaches that have worked with Chris and all of the feedback was fantastic. He’s a great person in the change room, a leader, and his organization skills during the 90 minutes are first class.

“He was available and wanted to come and establish himself here as a first-choice goalkeeper, but he’s going to be under pressure from Tyson [Farago] and Nathan [Ingham].”

The trio of goalkeepers has already been hard at work this week at training camp in preparation for the 2017 NASL season, with each prepared to push one another for minutes on the pitch. Regardless of how the cards fall, FC Edmonton has a capable set of hands ready to lead the club between the posts.

“I know Nate from when he came up and trained with us when I was in Toronto, so I got to know him a little bit before,” Konopka said. “Tyson’s a great guy as well, so between the three of us and [goalkeeper coach Darren Woloshen] we should have a great group of guys to go forward with.”