Chris Kooy had two great chances to get FC Edmonton a last-gasp equalizer in Tampa. After being denied by an outstanding piece of goalkeeping by FC Tampa Bay’s Jeff Attinella with his first chance, Kooy was able to score in injury time, canceling out Chad Burt’s opening goal in a 1-1 draw.

Atlanta was just what the doctor ordered. Paul Craig scored just seconds after FCE keeper Lance Parker made a couple of great saves, and Edmonton got back on the winning track with a 2-0 win in Georgia.

With a three-goal gap separating Toronto FC and FC Edmonton going into the second leg of their Nutrilite Canadian Championship tie, there wasn't much drama as to who was advancing to the tournament final. Wednesday's match therefore became a test for both sides to exorcise some recent demons and, to that end, both teams were happy with their performance in the 1-0 TFC victory.

The fact that Lance Parker supplanted Rein Baart — the Dutch veteran who had been FCE’s No. 1 to this point — in goal for Wednesday’s Nutrilite Canadian Championship semifinal second leg in Toronto wasn’t really a surprise. But what was surprising that Baart wasn’t even dressed. Jaswinder Gill had the back-up duties last night. And the club confirmed Thursday that Baart’s absence from the starting lineup and the bench was a coach’s decision. There wasn’t an injury situation.

Etienne Barbara has been named the NASL player of the month. The physical Maltese forward from the Carolina RailHawks is tied for the league scoring lead with four markers, and has victimized both Canadian NASL teams in the first month of the season.

Our good friends at IMSoccer News, a fantastic spot to catch up on the happenings of Div. 2, have their latest podcast up, and it features an interview with NASL commissioner David Downs. As well, yours truly talks with host Brian Quarstad about FC Edmonton’s struggles in their recent two all-Canadian match-ups, in the Nutrilite Canadian Championship against Toronto FC and in NASL action Sunday against Montreal. FC Edmonton lost those games by an aggregate score of 8-0.

The NASL’s disciplinary committee decided not to lengthen the red-card suspensions of FC Edmonton keeper Rein Baart and forward Chris Lemire.

Canadian men’s national team coach Stephen Hart held a conference call Tuesday to discuss the team’s preparation ahead of the Gold Cup and the June 1 friendly against Ecuador at BMO Field. Hart touched on a number of topics, from mixed messages over the availability of attacking midfielder Dwayne De Rosario for the Gold Cup, where Simeon Jackson will play in the Canadian lineup and the possibility that Montreal Impact or FC Edmonton players could get call-ups.

The NASL’s disciplinary committee will review the red cards handed out to FC Edmonton FC keeper Rein Baart and forward Chris Lemire on Tuesday. Both were sent off in Sunday’s 5-0 loss to the Montreal Impact, in front of NASL commissioner David Downs, who traveled to Edmonton to witness the first-ever league game at Foote Field.

The Montreal Impact sent all of NASL a message on Sunday night. And FC Edmonton showed some serious defensive and goalkeeping frailties. The Impact routed FCE 5-0 in the first NASL game played at Foote Field, with league commissioner David Downs in attendance.