The scramble for fitness has already been lost by striker Josee Belanger, who has scored five times in 11 appearances for the Canadian team. She indicated to Quebec media sources Friday that her injured ankle would not be ready in time for the World Cup.Midfielder Kelly Parker is also racing to be fit in time to meet Morace’s May 10 deadline. Parker has played just 10 minutes in two subsititute appearances for the Western New York Flash of the WPS, where she teams with Christine Sinclair and FIFA player of the year, Marta.

FC Edmonton's home-game broadcasts will be available on Shaw TV.The team will not only be webcasting its home games on its website, as per NASL mandate, fans will also be able to watch matches on channel in the Edmonton area.Tape-delayed games will air Saturdays at 1 p.m. local time. Foote Field, the team’s home stadium, doesn’t have the facilities to do a live TV feed, but can accommodate live webcasts.The on-air crew will see the CBC’s Gareth Hampshire calling the play-by-play and, ahem, The 11’s Steven Sandor providing the colour.

That concern is extended to what’s happening at Stade Saputo. Or, more accurately, what’s not happening at Stade Saputo.Through two home dates, there have been a concerning number of unused blue seats.

Major League Soccer has issued the longest suspension in league history.Colorado Rapid Brian Mullan is the new owner of this dubious mark, after MLS lengthened his red-card suspension to a total of 10 games after last weekend’s studs-up challenge that broke the leg of Seattle’s former No. 1 overall draft pick, Steve Zakuani, in two places.

Real Salt Lake finally lost a home game, the first since 2009. With a 1-0 win in the second leg, thanks to a goal from Chilean national-teamer Humberto Suazo, Monterrey took the CONCACAF Champions League title.

Projected to come out on the short end of a one-sided affair against the relentlessly offensive visiting Whitecaps, Marc Dos Santos’s pink and black-kitted crew surprised by showing far better ensemble play than they did on Saturday in its NASL game against Tampa Bay FC and made the game a close one, losing a 1-0 decision to Major League Soccer's Vancouver representative.

With one tackle, FC Edmonton’s slim chance of upsetting Toronto FC in the Nutrilite Canadian Championship evaporated.

The Vancouver Whitecaps announced Thursday that striker Atiba Harris had successful surgery on his right meniscus on Tuesday. Whitecaps spokesman Nathan Vanstone said there is no speculation on a time frame for Harris’s return to training.“He just had the surgery, will work with our medical team, and we fully anticipate a complete recovery,” Vanstone wrote in an e-mail

Harry Sinkgraven and Aron Winter know each other well. They played against each other in the Dutch league. They were in classes together as they worked towards getting their coaching certificates.And, both are working to bring the Dutch 4-3-3 style to their respective teams. Winter’s Toronto FC and Sinkgraven’s FC Edmonton will face each other Wednesday in the first leg of their Nutrilite Canadian Championship semifinal at Commonwealth Stadium.But, once the first ball is kicked in anger, the friendship between the two will evaporate.

FC Edmonton’s two newest signings were on hand at the club’s meet-the-team event at a south side restaurant on Monday.Midfielder Kyle Porter and defender Adrian Leroy were on hand to shake hands with fans as the club hyped its Wednesday date against Toronto FC at Commonwealth Stadium, the opening leg of the Nutrilite Canadian Championship semifinals.