As Toronto FC and the Vancouver Whitecaps prepared for Wednesday night’s first leg of the Nutrilite Canadian Championship final, they learned who the winner will play in the CONCACAF Champions League qualifier. The draw was held Wednesday for the 2011-12 CCL, and the Canadian championship winner will play a Nicaraguan side, either Real Esteli or Walter Ferreti, for the right to advance to the group stage.

And, while the priority is to stabilize the MISL’s American base, USL will entertain Canadian suitors, president Tim Holt stated in an e-mail to The 11. “While our immediate focus is on ensuring the strength and performance of our current seven member teams going into the 2011-12 season, there is a high level of interest in the MISL from prospective teams in the United States and Canada,” stated Holt.

The Vancouver Whitecaps are making way for the Canucks’ playoff run… just in case. The club announced Tuesday that the kickoff for the May match date against the New York Red Bulls has been moved up to 2:30 p.m. local time. The game was originally set for 4 p.m. May 28 is also the scheduled date for Game 7 of the NHL’s Western Conference Final — if needed.

The league’s Disciplinary Committee decided to ban Chivas USA’s Marcos Mondaini a total of four games and levy fines worth US$1,500 for his red-card challenge from behind that broke two bones in the ankle of one of the league’s top stars, Javier Morales. This comes just hot on the heels of the decision to ban Colorado’s Brian Mullan 10 games for his studs-up challenge that broke the leg of Seattle’s Steve Zakuani.

LS has decided to keep its championship game at a neutral-site venue. And, it will go back to the safety of a warm-weather site for the Nov. 20 MLS Cup. The league announced Tuesday that the game will be awarded to the Home Depot Centre, home of the Los Angeles Galaxy and Chivas USA.

Carolina Morace has called teenage keeper Rachelle Beanlands to the Canadian women’s national team camp as a potential replacement for Stephanie Labbe. Beanlands who attended this past winter’s national U-18 camp in Brazil, backstopped the Ottawa Fury U-17 girls to the 2010 Super Y-League North American Championship. She will join keepers Erin McLeod and Karina LeBlanc in the camp.

A 2009 Canadian Soccer League match between the Montreal Impact’s reserve team and Toronto Croatia has been linked to a major European match-fixing ring.

Simeon Jackson will likely be plying his trade in the English Premier League next season. Jackson’s second-half goal gave Norwich City a 1-0 victory over Portsmouth in the penultimate match of the League Championship season, ensuring the Canaries will finish second in the table and earn automatic promotion to the Premiership.

The NASL’s disciplinary committee will review the red cards handed out to FC Edmonton FC keeper Rein Baart and forward Chris Lemire on Tuesday. Both were sent off in Sunday’s 5-0 loss to the Montreal Impact, in front of NASL commissioner David Downs, who traveled to Edmonton to witness the first-ever league game at Foote Field.

The final 20 minutes of the Vancouver Whitecaps 2-1 loss Saturday in Columbus — which saw the visitors throw everything they had at Crew keeper Will Hesmer in a wild attempt to pull another game out of the fire — wasn’t enough to erase 70 minutes of indifferent play. Don’t let the Whitecaps’ frantic attempt to come back from a two-goal deficit fool you; the Caps came into this game with a very negative mentality.