FC Edmonton’s final push to promote Wednesday’s Nutrilite Canadian Championship opener at Commonwealth Stadium begins on Monday.The club is hosting a meet-the-team event at Sports Central Bar and Grill (9221 34 Ave.) Monday at 6 p.m. Edmonton products Shaun Saiko and Chris Lemire, Trinidad and Tobago striker Conrad Smith and coach Harry Sinkgraven will be on hand to meet fans. FC Edmonton’s new all-white road jerseys will be available for sale for the first time at the event; here’s to hoping that the new home blue strip also is at the event.On Tuesday, Toronto FC coach Aron Winter and Sinkgraven will attend a press conference at Commonwealth Stadium. For the pair, it will be a reunion of sorts. The two took classes together to get their coaching certifications in the Netherlands.

The Montreal Impact was hoping to record its first victory of the 2011 campaign over FC Tampa Bay in front of 13,000 fans this afternoon — but inclement weather kept the attendance down as the home team had to settle for a 0-0 draw in front of considerably fewer spectators. Near-freezing temperatures and winds that regularly gusted beyond 30km/h combined to make for an afternoon during which only the 36 media folk on the press gallery and the Ultras in section 114 — their drums banging, flags flying and vocal cords fraying — seemed to be immune. It was weather more appropriate to November than late April.

Edwini-Bonsu, an Edmonton native, has been on the wish lists of FCE fans since the club started playing friendlies in 2010, long before it kicked a ball in NASL play.But the former Canadian U-20 standout hinted on his Twitter account that it might be time to go “back to Europe.” And he also pledged not to play with the Montreal Impact, the Whitecaps old hated Div. 2 rival.

It was an insurance goal, but Mississauga Ont.’s Simeon Jackson got on the scoresheet against Norwich City’s most hated rival.Jackson, Canada’s 2009 player of the year, scored with his left foot from six yards out, the third goal in Norwich City’s 5-1 rout of Ipswich Town. The win puts, at least temporarily, Norwich into second place in the League Championship — two points ahead of Cardiff, which has a game in hand.

Assuming that there aren’t any more points to be thrown away, and both Arsenal and Chelsea win out — winning their games over United — the season would end in a…Three-way tie.

Nick Garcia has found a new team.The ex-Toronto FC defender and whipping boy has signed a one-game deal to play an indoor exhibition game with the Kansas Magic, which will enter the Professional Arena Soccer League in the 2011-2012 season.

It was a moment of brilliance. We can speak of David Ferreira, Chris Wondolowski and, yes, even Landon Donovan. But, is there a player in MLS who can carry a team quite like Javier Morales?The Argentine midfielder conjured a goal in the 89th minute, allowing Real Salt Lake to leave Mexico with a 2-2 draw against Monterrey in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League final.

FC Edmonton finally looked like an expansion team.After two wins to start the club’s first NASL season, the FC Edmonton couldn’t finish its chances, and were left red-faced in conceding two bad goals to the Carolina RailHawks in a 2-0 loss.

Holt said the USL won’t talk expansion until the Canadian Soccer Association ends its moratorium on approving expansion teams into U.S.-based pro league outside of Major League Soccer. The CSA’s 10-month ban should end in October of 2011.

Toronto FC unveiled its plans Monday for a new Academy and training facility to be constructed at Downsview Park in the northern part of the city.“Today is a great day,” announced Tom Anselmi, executive vice-president and chief operating officer, MLSE. “It’s about the future of our club and more importantly though, the future direction of soccer in Canada.”