It was back in December of 2014 when Head Coach Martin Painter and CEO Ian Campbell attended the USL-PDL Annual Meeting in Tampa, Florida that they arranged to start the 2015 season with four games on the road. In hindsight, it worked out well for the 2012 North American Champions, as they started their 2015 season with 10 away points out of a possible 12. By getting away games in Louisville, Dayton, Toronto and Kitchener-Waterloo out of the way early, it has paved the way for FC LONDON fans to enjoy “Soccer Saturday” throughout the summer with a flurry of home games to complete the season.
The first Soccer Saturday, on June 6, was a day of soccer celebration with the Champions League Final, the opening game of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, a visit from the University of Nebraska to play the Western Women’s team (coached by Painter), a mini-skills camp attended by over 300, and the Home Opener, in which FC LONDON dominated TorontoFC Academy in a 5-2 win. The fans were also treated to some “bubble soccer” action, courtesy of Bubble UP Soccer.
“Starting with road games is a mixed blessing,” said Painter, who is in his seventh season (50-20-22 record) as head coach. “We have a great fan base, and to play so many games without that 12th man is hard. With that said, it is a great bonding experience, and a great way for the guys to get to know each other both on and off the field.”
Chemistry is something Painter emphasizes with the team, especially with so many new players this year.
“I’m pleased with the results so far,” he said.
The squad sits at the top of the table in the early going, along with rivals Michigan Bucks and KW United FC, while other teams seem to be struggling to get points. In 2015, the top three teams will make the playoffs, with #3 playing at #2 in a playdown to decide the top 2 in the Great Lakes Division. Those teams will then compete in the “Sweet 16” round versus the top 2 teams from the Heartland Division for the Central Conference Championship. The winner of that weekend competition will make their way to the Final 4 championship round on the weekend of August 1-3. With teams like Thunder Bay Chill, Michigan Bucks and Chicago Fire U-23 in their path, FC LONDON still has a long way to go to repeat their 2012 success.
“It would be great to repeat, but we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves,” said FC LONDON CEO Ian Campbell. “And with upcoming events at games including visits from London Mayor Matt Brown, World Champion Decathlete Damian Warner, and the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve Unit with their Navy Masco Sonar, there is still lots of fun ahead, both on and off the field.
“We’ve also partnered with both Cleats for Kids and the United Way “Backpack Drive” to connect their worthy causes with the local soccer community,” added Campbell. “Overall, there are lots of reasons to keep up-to-date on all the FC LONDON action this year.
Story submitted by: FC LONDON
