Undistracted from the task at hand in tonight’s match against the visiting FC Edmonton, getting the three points needed to close the gap between them and Minny, the Impact came through in the clutch with a 2-0 win and has almost climbed out of the hole that it has dug for itself with its dismal play in the first half of the season. Montreal is now just a single point behind Minnesota with each team having a game left on the schedule. Montreal owns the tiebreaker between the two teams.

A last-gasp header from substitute Paul Craig has guaranteed FC Edmonton a trip to the NASL playoffs. Craig scored at the death, heading home a corner from Shaun Saiko to give the Eddies a 2-1 win over the last-place Atlanta Silverbacks, who were reduced to 10 men at the half-hour mark.

Mozzi Gyorio, the pride of Stratford, P.E.I., scored on a perfectly placed free kick to give FC Tampa Bay a 2-1 win over the NSC Minnesota Stars in NASL action Tuesday night. The win clinches a playoff spot for third-place FC Tampa Bay but, more importantly for the Impact, still leaves Montreal just four points behind Minnesota for the final playoff spot in the NASL.

A combination of an FC Edmonton win and a Montreal tie or loss clinches a playoff spot for the Eddies. The Eddies have not lost to Atlanta so far this season.

Ironically, on that night Hamilton wasn’t named our man of the match — that nod went to striker Michael Cox who, in his second start of the season, put up two goals.

FC Edmonton exploded for three second-half goals after a sluggish first half, and brought its eight-game winless skid to an end with a 3-0 triumph over the last-place Atlanta Silverbacks.

“We should not lose,” said Porter. “No way. We have to go full throttle. We can’t take Atlanta for granted just because they are in last place.”

While it’s still improbable that the Impact will overhaul FC Edmonton for the last playoff spot, FCE’s recent struggles have made the race a lot more interesting than it needed to be.

With his team's final NASL season circling the drain, Impact coach Nick De Santis put out a line-up that some may have felt was randomly drawn from a hat, but one that paid dividends as the Montreal side ran roughshod over the last-place Atlanta Silverbacks, taking a 4-0 decision in front of some 11,000 delighted fans.

After winning 15 straight games this season, the Ottawa Fury chose the wrong time to come apart. The Fury could not punctuate what could have been a dream season, as it was crushed 6-1 by the Atlanta Silverbacks in the W-League final in Seattle.