The Eddies have stumbled early and now enter the most critical point of the young Canadian Premier League season.
“I think it is, and specifically because we’ve lost four in a row and have not had the start we had hoped for,” said Head Coach Jeff Paulus.
The club hasn’t won a game since opening week and now faces a difficult double-dip.
First up? York9 FC on Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. at Clarke Field.
The teams clash in the second leg of the Canadian Championship series, an annual soccer tournament featuring premier Canadian pro teams, including clubs from Major League Soccer.
The Eddies lost 3-1 in the first leg away from home—meaning FC Edmonton must win 2-0, at least, to advance to the next stage.
However, the Eddies have struggled to find the back of the net and are the lowest scoring team in the CPL.
"I believe that we've got two goals in us. I truly believe that," Paulus told CTV News Edmonton.
So, he says, this is a “massive week.”
The first critical match of the week will be followed by another meaningful tilt when Edmonton hosts their rivals from the south in the Al Classico.
Cavalry FC will travel from Calgary as the only undefeated team in the league.
The season has not gone as planned for FC Edmonton, but for the first time this season, the head coach has a full, healthy roster at his disposal, which creates healthy tension in the clubhouse.
“There are some very big players for us that are coming off injury here…so yeah, they see them as a threat to their position. This is good. It drives up the level of intensity,” Paulus said.
