The Impact goes to Bayamon on Sept. 7, one day after the Puerto Rican national team plays Canada in a World Cup qualifier. Seven members of the Islanders will be on national-team duty. As well, the team’s top scorer, Jonathan Fana, will be on World Cup qualifying duty for his Dominican Republic national side.

Injuries have already forced national-team coach Stephen Hart to make three changes to the roster ahead of Canada’s first two World Cup qualifiers.

This time the hero was an unexpected one for FCD — a player who wasn't even supposed to start the match. FCD coach Schellas Hyndman was forced to make a last-minute change his starting XI and inserted newly acquired defender Jack Stewart.

From a scandal forcing the delay of the Turkish season to glaring holes at various positions, Hart was forced to pick some players who might be a tad rusty.

Sixteen of the 19 players named to the roster were part of the team at the Gold Cup. The most surprising addition? Canadian player of the year Atiba Hutchinson, who is just coming back from meniscus surgery — and who Hart had indicated last month would likely not get the call for the first couple of World Cup qualifiers.

The Reds' CONCACAF Champions League group stage match with FC Dallas was abandoned on Wednesday after 45 minutes due to lightning and a tornado warning across southern Ontario. The game will replayed in its entirety on Thursday at 10:15 a.m. ET, so the 1-0 lead that Dallas held at the time of the stoppage has been erased.

What would be most interesting is whether or not Hart looks to the NASL ranks — especially for players who would have had experience playing the Puerto Rico Islanders. He said in August that, if players are doing well and getting regular time, he’d look to Div.-2.

Setanta Sports, which is part of the Rogers’ family of channels, announced Monday that will air Toronto FC’s CONCACAF Champions League group stage match live at 8 p.m. on Thursday.

As Canada prepares to begin its World Cup qualifying campaign — which kicks off Sept. 2 against Puerto Rico — coach Stephen Hart has a lot on his plate. With that in mind, The 11, with some input from our readers, has created a list of players — not including Junior Hoilett, he’s been talked about ad nauseam already— who didn’t take part in the Gold Cup and could inject some life into the Canadian squad.

“I know exactly what to expect,” said Johnson. “I know the fields aren’t going to be good. I know it’s going to be very humid, it’s going to be a pretty hostile atmosphere. They’re going to have all their friends and family supporting them, but it’s for us to stay together as a team and support each other on the field, on the bench — everybody."