The Vancouver Whitecaps are trying to use their strong links with Tottenham to their benefit. The MLS club confirmed today that Irish fullback Cian Hughton is on a 10-day trial. He’s the son of former Newcastle United manager Chris Hughton, who was sacked during the 2010-11 campaign.

Goalies on Canada’s two NASL teams are falling like flies. Just two days after FC Edmonton’s Lance Parker broke his right arm in a home loss to the Carolina RailHawks, Montreal Impact goalie Bill Gaudette had to leave during the first half off a 2-1 loss to the Puerto Rico Islanders after getting involved in a three-way collision with PR striker Nicholas Addlery and defender Hassoun Camara.

Eric Hassli may have scored the most jaw-dropping goal since the dawn of time, but it wasn’t enough to earn him the nod as MLS Player of the Week. San Jose Earthquakes’ striker Steven Lenhart got the nod after the ballots from the members of the North American Soccer Reporters were counted. Hard to argue with the decision: Lenhart bagged a hat trick and set up the Quakes’ winning goal in a 4-2 win over D.C. United.

FC Edmonton will extend the amateur contract of goalkeeper Justin Ammar, so he can continue to apprentice during the club’s current netminding crisis. Ammar is a St. Albert, Alta. native who came in and played the final 10 minutes in Friday’s 1-0 loss to the Carolina RailHawks after starting keeper Lance Parker left Foote Field in an ambulance after suffering a compound fracture to his right arm.

The Montreal Impact traveled to the Caribbean and slugged it out with the Puerto Rico Islanders in a tough-tackling, mean-spirited match. But, two major defensive lapses ensured that the Impact left the island with nothing but a 2-1 loss to show for its effort.

On Saturday, Hassli showed just how special a player he can be; his equalizer in a 2-2 draw with the rival Seattle Sounders at Qwest Field was nothing short of brilliant. It is the kind of goal that will not only be shown on local highlight reels, but will likely be seen on best-goals packages broadcast all around the world.

Canada knows that it must go to Kansas City and beat Panama, which leads the group with six points. (The U.S. and Canada have three each). If Canada beats Panama, and the U.S., as expected, beats Guadeloupe, we would have a three-way tie for first. And this is where it gets interesting. The Gold Cup tiebreakers — when more than two teams finish even on points, that is — is the goal difference in the matches played between the teams in question. In real English: The goals in the Guadeloupe games won’t count.

FC Edmonton is getting closer to signing another Dutch player. The revelations came in an interview I did with FC Edmonton Director of Soccer Operations Joe Petrone for FCE TV that aired at halftime of Friday night’s broadcast of the home match against the Carolina RailHawks.

Canadian men’s national team coach Stephen Hart took some time Friday to chat with the media ahead of Saturday’s Gold Cup match against Guadeloupe in Tampa, Fla. After losing 2-0 to the U.S. in the opener of the regional championship, Canada looks to bounce back against the non-FIFA member island nation.

One day after announcing that women’s national-team coach Carolina Morace would be staying on until at least the 2012 Olympics, the Canadian Soccer Association announced that it has reached an agreement with the women’s team over the compensation of players. The new compensation agreement — the terms of which were not made public — will cover this year and 2012.