To recap: Under the new format, the top team in the group gets an automatic entry into the U-17 World Cup. The second- and third-place finishers will play win-and-in playoff matches that also include the second- and third-place teams from Group A (but, under the new rules, they don't necessarily cross over; the four teams would be ranked based on the points they got in the group stage; then it's 1 vs. 4 and 2 vs. 3).

So, on a Tuesday night packed with action for the Canadian soccer supporter — what was the most important moment? Was it a last-gasp goal from Cameron Porter, or a second-half marker from Kosovar Sadiki?

Victor Montagliani: "From the technical side, there are a handful of players in MLS who could be part of the team that would be at the Gold Cup. And it would hurt if those players weren’t playing. But, when you look at all the countries in CONCACAF, we might be one of the ones least affected by an MLS work stoppage. Certainly, it would not affect us like it would the United States, where the majority of their players play in MLS.”

Canadian national team coach Miller had nothing but praise for Bekker, saying the TFC midfielder’s service was excellent, and that Canada could have won the game 4-1 or 4-2.

“It’s a long flight, especially coming out for a single game,” said Ledgerwood. “It’s a 12-hour flight and, as soon as you get off the plane, you step on the field. But, as national-team players we know the long travel comes with it. We’re willing to sacrifice the hours for the long flights to do it.”

"For me, it was a chance to get back into Europe," said de Guzman, who was a key part of the Deportivo La Coruna squad and regarded as one of La Liga's better holding midfielders before the move to MLS. "For six months, I got to play every minute of every game. Even though the club struggled it was a chance for me to showcase myself. There has been interest from a couple of second-division Bundesliga clubs and some from other part of Europe as well."

But, with each week that goes by, the Gold Cup gets closer. It kicks off July 7 and wraps up on the 28th. Conveniently, the NASL takes almost all of July off — and Miller could have the time on his hands.

Fast forward to the present. Miller has his FC Edmonton squad just three points off the top of the NASL table. And he’s beaming with pride after the Canadian Soccer Association confirmed that he’ll be the interim coach of the national side once again.

The FC Edmonton midfielder showed us all why his club's brain trust deemed him ready for a move to the pros and promoted him to the senior side, even though the midfielder is just 16 years of age.

The worst-kept secret in domestic soccer was confirmed Tuesday, when the Canadian Soccer Association announced that it has booked a friendly against Costa Rica for May 28 at Commonwealth Stadium. This has been on the radar since the middle of March: FIFA posted the match on its international calendar and the Costa Rican federation announced the game officially, then retracted …