With FC Edmonton eliminated from contention for the NASL spring season title, don't expect to see midfielder Robert Garrett in the lineup for a while.

“It was a lot harder to come back than I thought,” admitted Hamilton, who had 30 orange-clad family and friends at Clarke Stadium cheering him on. “There was a lot of emotion at the start of the game. I didn’t think I played very well.”

“We have a very good, very positive relationship with the Whitecaps,” said Miller. “The agreement was that Carlyle would be spending the season with us here in Edmonton, the only exception to that would be if the Whitecaps found themselves in dire straits. Well, they are clearly in dire straits at the moment.”

For Canadians Dwayne De Rosario and Paul Hamilton, Wednesday’s fourth round of the U.S. Open Cup saw them make important contributions as their clubs survived.

“If we have decent results and we can build on that and we have another tournament next year, we’ll have this precedent to base future teams on. We really hope this is not a one-shot deal. We really hope that this can happen again,” Leduc said.

“I had a few great years there, still have many friends on the team and within the organization. My wife, and also many friends and family are going to be at the game. So yes, there is a greater excitement around this game for me."

But, Mitchell didn't make FC Edmonton's road trip to Atlanta on Saturday because of injury. He hasn't played since spraining his ankle on the Clarke Stadium turf in the 17th minute of the May 26 loss to Fort Lauderdale. So, his status isn't a sure thing for a team that needs help with depth, and was playing defenders out of position in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Sounders.

Mirabelli wasn’t the only Eddie who needed medical attention after the game. Captain and central defender Albert Watson also needed emergency dental work after his two front teeth were knocked out (more on that later). The Eddies dressing room may have resembled an NHL team's.

This is what matters: FCE has four games left to play this spring season, and trails the Silverbacks by four points.

Former FC Edmonton and Montreal Impact players are being hinted as the key parts of a Quebec “national” team that will compete in a Marseille tournament at the end of June.