The number was painful to read, painful to report. In a concrete monolith of a stadium that’s built to seat more than 60,000, just 2,777 people came to see FC Edmonton play the Vancouver Whitecaps in their first leg of the Amway Canadian Championship semifinal.

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.

In a game the Eddies needed to win to improve their chances of home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs, they surrendered a 1-0 lead and lost 2-1 to the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in the regular season finale at Foote Field.

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.

Jonathan Fana capitalized on a defensive error from FCE centre back John Jonke, allowing the Islanders to come out of the match with a 1-1 draw.

In an entertaining, end-to-end match which saw both teams create their fair shares of scoring chances, FC Tampa Bay got a second-half goal from Shane Hill and an insurance marker from Pascal Millien to give the home side a 3 -1win over FC Edmonton.

The North American Soccer League announced Tuesday that FC Edmonton defender John Jonke’s suspension will end after Saturday’s match in Carolina against the RailHawks.

Former Toronto FC goalkeeper David Monsalve is expected to get the start when FC Edmonton’s reserves face the Green and Gold Wednesday. If Monsalve, who made one MLS apperance for TFC in 2007 and also played for the Reds in a friendly against Aston Villa, impresses in his audition, he will likely stick with the team and go on the road when FC Edmonton faces Carolina on Saturday.

Glaring errors from FC Edmonton were punished by FC Tampa Bay. But, the visitors were full value for a 2-1 win over the Eddies at Foote Field.

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.