FC Edmonton has more bad news on the injury front. The club will now have to cope without veteran central defender Paul Matthijs for the long term. There are fears that the Dutch defender could miss the rest of the NASL season with a hernia

FC Edmonton coach Harry Sinkgraven will be missing a key part of his regular starting XI when his club heads to Montreal to face the Impact Saturday. Forward Kyle Yamada, who plays on the left side of the 4-3-3, hurt his ankle in the second half of Tuesday’s 4-0 win over FC Tampa Bay. Yamada had scored earlier in the game — and he unintentionally set up Kyle Porter’s opening goal, ringing the initial shot off the post, then seeing Porter tuck the rebound into an empty net.

FC Edmonton has announced the 18-man roster for its next two matches, Saturday against the Atlanta Silverbacks and Wednesday in Cary, N.C. against the RailHawks.

Eddy Sidra has the date circled on his calendar. April 27. FC Edmonton vs. Toronto FC. Nutrilite Canadian Championship. The newest member of FC Edmonton can’t escape the negative feelings associated with his recent trial with Toronto FC. “I won’t lie. I didn’t like how it went,” said Sidra from FCE’s training camp in Sunrise, Fla. “I won’t say I’m bitter, but I certainly won’t say that I was happy. There was a lack of information that was passed on to me.”

FC Edmonton may have left the city for a week-long camp in Florida, but the front office keeps rolling. The club added fullback and local product Eddy Sidra, who had an unsuccessful trial at Toronto FC, on Saturday. The team also brought in a new assistant coach, Edwin Petersen, from the Dutch U-15 program.

Could Eddy Sidra be a difference-maker for Toronto FC? Sidra is currently out of contract after leaving Energie Cottbus, the German side that signs so much Canadian talent, last year. TFC announced that he is one of three confirmed Canadian trialists who will join the team in Turkey.

Alberta has made soccer news for the wrong reasons in 2010 as an ugly power struggle has crippled the Alberta Soccer Association. The province continues to be badly under-represented on most national teams, which are dominated by players from British Columbia and Ontario. The rise of BMO Field and Stade Saputo has made Commonwealth Stadium, once the official home of Canada’s national soccer team, a place reserved to host Canadian games only if they are World Cup qualifiers in winter months against Mexico, in hopes of freezing out the regional power. Gains made in boosting the game in Ontario and Quebec have taken a toll on Alberta. So, that’s why the selection of Ethan Gage as the country’s male U-20 player of the year is a big deal.