The weather forecasts are calling for some rather inhospitable conditions for FC Edmonton’s final home game of the season.

The aging Clarke Stadium turf is certainly taking its toll.The number of non-contact injuries that FC Edmonton players have suffered this season is up to three.

“I spoke with him, just himself and me,” said Miller. “I told him that I thought he was an underachiever. I told him that I thought he could put his stamp on games the way that (Nigel) Reo-Coker does for the Whitecaps. I am delighted with the way he’s now getting into the box, delighted that he hasn’t been involved in silly changes. We all know he’s a brave lad, but I think he’s got it in him to be a special player.”

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.

After John Smits put in a man-of-the-match performance Sunday, allowing 10-man FC Edmonton to escape its home date against the Tampa Bay Rowdies with a 0-0 draw, coach Colin Miller that Lance Parker is in no danger of losing his No. 1 job.

Canadian defenders Paul Hamilton and Andres Arango can both claim MLS scalps after they both played roles in major U.S. Open Cup third-round upsets.

And, while the Eddies have been on a bye, pretty well each and every result they wanted to go their way has, well, gone their way.

“Most of the guys weren’t here last year, but as one of the players who has been here, we go down 1-0 on the road and it would be easy to think ‘here we go again.’ But, by the second half, we were taking the game to them."

But, as we get ready for this weekend’s kickoff to the NASL spring season, the Rowdies and MUFC are the clear favourites to top the table.

And, the Impact scored early and often as it overwhelmed the reigning NASL champion Tampa Bay Rowdies 4-1 at the Walt Disney World Pro Soccer Classic in Orlando, while Toronto FC overcame a terrible start in a torrential first-hald downpour to overcome USL-Pro’s Orlando City 2-0.