With a depleted roster and three road games in a week, FC Edmonton are trying to keep their heads above water.

The Eddies are in San Antonio on Wednesday in a rematch with the Scorpions, looking for another strong outing out of their makeshift squad.

Edmonton managed to pull out a 1-1 tie with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers last Saturday and will return to Florida to face the Tampa Bay Rowdies this Saturday following their game against the Scorpions.

“We set a goal of the number points we would need on this trip to keep us in the pack (in NASL standings),” said FC Edmonton head coach Colin Miller.

“We have three difficult venues to go to in the heat, in a row. If we can keep turning out good results and sneak a win on the road, then we’ll be in good shape.”

Miller took just 15 players on the road with him as a number of veterans were left back in Edmonton tending injuries. The club also has two players currently on international duty, as leading scorer Lance Laing is with the Jamaican national team at the Gold Cup and midfielder Hanson Boakai is currently competing with Canada at the Pan Am Games tournament.

Regardless, FC Edmonton put up a good fight against Fort Lauderdale and had opportunities to steal the game in the dying stages. They are looking for a similar effort against the Scorpions.

“I don’t think anyone would have begrudged us if we had won on the road in Fort Lauderdale, because of the effort and attitude of the players,” Miller said. “I’m not saying that we were ultra creative, but the energy and effort and the organization the guys showed was fantastic. If we can hang in there in these three games and be in that pack, then all of a sudden we get back to Clarke and get to play in front of almost a sold out stadium from what I hear next Sunday, it would be just fantastic.”

Heading into San Antonio, Edmonton is facing a team they beat 4-0 in the first game of the NASL Fall Season.

The ill-tempered affair played in Fort McMurray two weeks ago saw two San Antonio players sent off in the second half with straight red cards. Laing scored two goals in the contest, while Boakai and Jalali had the others.

“This is another healthy rivalry in the league,” Miller said. “I thought elements of San Antonio’s team lost their discipline and I have to say our team kept their discipline. We’re going to have to do the same on Wednesday night.”

Having finished near the bottom of the Spring Season standings, Edmonton need a strong fall campaign to get them back in the playoff conversation.

Edmonton is currently at the top of the Fall Season standings.

“We’ll go in with some confidence, we’re unbeaten in our last two games and we’ve only given away one goal,” Miller said. “We’ve addressed the problems we had in the Spring Season and we’ve continued to address those problems because games don’t get any easier.”

So far in the Fall Season, they’ve been tighter at the back and have had better goaltending from Matt VanOekel, who regained his starting job after a couple of subpar outings.

With a string of home games coming up after the road trip, Miller just wants his team to keep themselves in the mix for a run at a playoff spot.

“That’s just what we need,” he said. “I’m hearing that one or two (injured) guys are starting to make some progress, starting to do some running. If this team can hang in there we will be good. But it’s a huge ask. This is a tough go here.”

derek.vandiest@sunmedia.ca

FC Game on

FC Edmonton at San Antonio Scorpions, Wednesday (6:30 p.m.) Toyota Field

Who to Watch

FC Edmonton: Sadi Jalali

The FC Edmonton Academy graduate is make the most of his opportunity with the first team. Playing in place of injured strikers Tomi Ameobi and Daryl Fordyce, Jalali has scored two goals in his last two games. Jalali scored a late tying goal on Saturday against the Fort Lauderdale Strikers to earn the Eddies a tie on the road.

Scorpions: Omar Cummings

The veteran striker leads the league with seven goals this season. Cummings, a former Jamaican international, had a long career in the MLS with the Colorado Rapids before joining the Scorpions. He scored 42 goals in 185-career MLS games. He also scored seven goals in 35 international appearances with Jamaica.

Coming In

FC Edmonton goes into the contest off a 1-1 tie, on the road, against the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. This is the second of a three-game road trip for Edmonton, who will travel back to Florida to take on the Tampa Bay Rowdies on Saturday. Edmonton defeated the Scorpions 4-0 in their previous outing less than two weeks ago in Fort McMurray. San Antonio had two players sent off in an ill-tempered contest.

The Scorpions put the loss to Edmonton behind them with a convincing 3-0 win, at home, over the Rowdies on Saturday. Omar Cummings scored a pair of goals in the win to overtake FC Edmonton midfielder Lance Laing in the NASL scoring race. Laing scored twice in the previous win over the Scorpions, but will not be in FC Edmonton’s lineup on this occasion, currently away at the Gold Cup with Jamaica.

Fall Season GP-W-D-L-PTS

FC Edmonton 2-1-1-0-4

Scorpions 2-1-0-1-3