Jamaican International Scores Twice In 4-0 Win Over San Antonio Scorpions
Soccer News: After returning from Chile, where he played in Copa America with Jamaica, FC Edmonton midfielder Lance Laing didn’t waste any time making an impact at the club level. Laing’s pair of goals in the Eddies’ 4-0 win over the San Antonio Scorpions earned him North American Soccer League (NASL) Player of the Week honors.
“Receiving this award is great, but for me personally, it all came down to a great team effort to pull this one off,” Laing said. “We stuck to our gameplan for 90 minutes and got the job done. We were very depleted because of injuries and we still managed to get all 3 points and keep a clean sheet, which is something we take great pride in doing.”
The 27-year-old midfielder drew a penalty kick that led to FC Edmonton’s first goal on Sunday, and then followed it up with a conversion of his own from the penalty spot in the 68th minute. The Jamaican didn’t stop there, curling a beautiful free kick into the top corner in the 83rd minute for his second tally of the match.
“The free kick itself was worthy of winning any match,” said FC Edmonton head coach Colin Miller. “It’s not a fluke that Lance is playing like this. He is the last one to leave the pitch every day because he’s always out practicing free kicks.”
With two goals on Sunday, the Trelawny, Jamaica, native is now the NASL’s leading scorer with six goals. He also has four assists, which is only one shy of Tampa Bay Rowdies forward Georgi Hristov‘s league-leading mark.
Laing played a massive role in helping FC Edmonton achieve an ideal start to the NASL Fall Season, however, the club will unfortunately have to bid farewell to him once again as he departs for CONCACAF Gold Cup duty with Jamaica.
The speedy winger played in all three of Jamaica’s Copa America matches in June, earning one start for the Reggae Boyz in their 1-0 loss to Lionel Messi and Argentina.
“It was very interesting watching him play with Jamaica, and I think his defending was very pleasing given the fact that we do that sort of work here at the club,” Miller said. “Lance’s all-around play has definitely risen, and it doesn’t surprise me in the slightest that he is getting these awards because his play is truly deserving.”
FC Edmonton, without Laing, will look to continue its momentum this Saturday against the Fort Lauderdale Strikers at Lockhart Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
