Then, it all changed on what looked to be an innocuous play. Minnesota fullback Justin Davis got into the penalty are with the ball, and looked to have run himself into a corner; he wasn’t facing goal and he didn’t have a shooting angle. At best, he could hope to turn and pop a cross to the centre of the area. But FC Edmonton substitute Michael Nonni elected to dive in. Even though Nonni got all ball with the tackle, Davis went down and referee Geoff Gamble pointed to the spot.

The Defoe/Gilberto/Michael Bradley Designated-Player push was Toronto FC’s final chance to convince the season-ticket base that things had changed. So, no matter what TFC does this off-season, the theme song for fans will be the Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again.”

“In my life, I’ve never said so many bad words in such a short period of time. I should have been arrested, I was that angry. I said it after the Ottawa game and I will say it again, the standard of the officiating has got to be better."

Watson, who was one of two Eddies on the MVP ballot (the now-departed Chris Nurse was the other) got enough votes from the league’s eight head coaches, who select the season-ending all-star team.

The Eddies then pushed forward, trying to find the winning goal. Their best chance came in the 89th, when Nurse’s effort found the post. Had the ball been a few inches over, Nurse would have had his fourth goal in four games.

For FC Edmonton, a spring season of frustration, a season of missed chances, a season of games that should have been wins turning into draws, was punctuated by a game where everything went right.

With a two-goal lead after the first leg of the NASL Championship, the Minnesota Stars’ grip on the Soccer Bowl has tightened. Now, the team that entered as the No. 6 seed is the odds-on favourite to repeat as North America’s Div. 2 champion.

With a 4-0 win Tuesday over a Puerto Rico Islanders squad that was badly depleted due to international call-ups, the Minnesota Stars clinched a playoff spot — and eliminated both FC Edmonton and the Atlanta Silverbacks from post-season competition.

A last-gasp injury-time goal from Shaun Saiko — set up by an excellent run from midfielder Bryan Arguez – allowed the Eddies to escape, Blaine Minn. with a 1-1 draw with the Minnesota Stars.

A spectacular drive from the boot of Bryan Arguez gave the Eddies a point on the road in Blaine, Minn., cancelling out Cristiano Dias’s opener.