In the wake of the 5-0 loss to the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in the first round of the NASL playoffs two weekends ago, the team has announced major changes will be made. Eleven players have been told they will not be back next year. On that list are defenders John Jonke, Eddy Sidra and Alex Surprenant.

or FC Edmonton, it was a draw that felt like a win. On a night that the team introduced new signing Ilja Van Leerdam to the Foote Field crowd, the Eddies, down to 10 men for most of the match, got a ridiculous save from Rein Baart to keep them in the game and then a late Shaun Saiko penalty to earn them a 1-1 draw with the Carolina RailHawks.

But, with two games at Foote behind them, FC Edmonton's players are getting used to how fast the turf plays. They know that through balls keep running and running away from the strikers. They know that the ball bobbles when it hits the hard football, soccer and lacrosse lines on the field. And, as they get used to the nuances of the hard turf, they know it will be a huge home advantage.

With one tackle, FC Edmonton’s slim chance of upsetting Toronto FC in the Nutrilite Canadian Championship evaporated.

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.

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.

Alex Surprenant’s audacious chip and a last-second diving stop from Rein Baart were the two defining moments of FC Edmonton’s 1-0 win over the Atlanta Silverbacks in NASL action Saturday. FC Edmonton is now 2-0-0 in its first season of Div-2 soccer, and will go for a sweep of its three-game road trip Wednesday when the club visits the Carolina RailHawks.

Program the PVR. Make sure your Internet connection is fast enough to allow for multiple streams. This weekend marks a landmark in Canadian soccer. Four professional clubs are in action; FC Edmonton and the Montreal Impact kick off their NASL campaigns Saturday with road games in Florida. And MLS? Toronto FC visits the San Jose Earthquakes Saturday night. And the Vancouver Whitecaps head to Texas to take on the Houston Dynamo on Sunday. Of the weekend’s action, only Montreal and FC Edmonton overlap.

FC Edmonton announced that it has signed Sam Lam, the former University of Alberta standout — and brother of Matt Lam, who returned to Japan this weekend to resume training with JEF United. Sam Lam spent the winter with the Edmonton Drillers of the Canadian Major Indoor Soccer League. He was an FCE target — in fact, he was encouraged by FCE to play in the CMISL this season, as he retained his eligibility as an amateur.

FC Edmonton added some Caribbean flavour to its lineup — and then hammered developmental side FC Tucson 6-1 Friday night in the NASL club’s second to last preseason tilt of its Arizona trip. The team has signed Trinidad and Tobago attacking midfielder Conrad Smith (who also goes by “Conrod Smith,” but he has informed the club he prefers “Conrad”), who most recently spent time with the Caribbean nation’s most famous club, Joe Public FC.