OTTAWA -- Call it the best-case scenario for the Ottawa Fury FC. The young franchise played to a 0-0 draw Wednesday night against FC Edmonton at Keith Harris Stadium in the first leg of the Amway Canadian Championship. Considering this was just the third game in franchise history for the Fury, head coach Marc Dos Santos was pleased with the draw. "This is four times 45 minutes and now were at halftime of the game," said Dos Santos of the series. "If you asked me what would be the best score after leg one I would tell you I want to win 5-0. But the reality is, if you do tie, at least tie 0-0 at home." The two teams, who compete in the North American Soccer League, will meet next Wednesday in Edmonton for the final game of the home-and-home series. The winner, the team that scores the greater aggregate of goals over the two matches, will secure the fourth semi-final place and join the three Canadian MLS clubs, Montreal Impact, Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps in the next round. Should the two teams end in a draw next week the Fury would earn the tiebreaker as visiting goals are more valuable. However, if next weeks game is scoreless the two would play extra time and then go to penalty kicks to determine a winner. "We control our own destiny now," said Edmontons Ritchie Jones. "Were pretty good at home and teams usually dont like to play us at home." The Fury gave Edmonton all it could handle and while he gave full marks to Ottawa for its performance, Edmonton head coach Colin Miller believes his team should win next week. "With the greatest respect to Ottawa we are the favourites," said Miller. "Were a five year franchise now and theyre a new franchise. Were at home and were very difficult to beat at home. I think if we play the way were playing now I think well be a match for anyone in the NESL. Its in our hands." Both teams had good chances in the early going of the second half, but both goalkeepers seemed up to the challenge. Ottawa keeper Devala Gorrick made the save of the night in injury time on Sadi Jalali as Edmonton broke through for a wide-open chance. "Thats one of those shots I train for everyday," said Gorrick. "Luckily I stayed focused because it was cold and I didnt have to do throughout the second half, but I saw the balls and then things slowed down for me and my training kicked in and I was able to stay big and get a body behind it." Minutes earlier, Edmonton failed to take advantage of a direct kick as Richie Ryan made a great defensive play to block the kick. "It was important for us to keep a clean sheet," said Ryan. "It was more for confidence as were confident that we can go and score next week in Edmonton." Ritchie Jones had a good chance at the 51st minute, but Gorrick made an easy save to keep the game scoreless. Mason Trafford had the crowd on its feet as he made an acrobatic kick from in close, but John Smits stretched out for the save. The game got physical at times and Dos Santos said he expects much the same next week in Edmonton. "Its going to be a war," said the Ottawa coach. "I dont think well be welcome there." While Miller felt the game was physical, he by no means thought it was ugly. He says his team prides itself on playing a hard-nosed style. "I didnt think it was over the top physical," said Miller. "I thought it was two teams committed to winning the game. Its the heat of the moment and theres an awful lot to play for the clubs." The game remained scoreless after the first half. The Fury, playing without four of its starters due to injury, had the better chances early in the half, but failed to beat Smits. Ottawas Philippe Davies nearly scored off a header at the seventh minute, but Smits was able to get a hand on it and tip it wide. Davies once again had a great chance at the 26th-minute mark, but watched in disappointment as his shot went just over the crossbar. "The first 25 minutes we came in very well and created opportunities, but for the last 15 minutes of the first half Edmonton was better," Dos Santos said. "In the second half we had a lot of problems in the beginning, especially in the first 25 minutes. After that we began to grow and it became an open game. We created situations, they created situations and our goalkeeper made a fantastic save at the end and it would have been unfair if Edmonton would have scored." Cool temperatures and a brisk wind seemed to have little effect on the play or the crowd of 2,411 who were boisterous in their support of the home team. Edmonton grew stronger as the game went on and had a number of good chances late in the opening half, but Gorrick was solid for the Fury. "This was by far the best game weve played," said Gorrick. "We showed a lot of composure, especially in the first half, and overall I think were getting better." The Amway, which features the countrys five professional clubs, is moving into its seventh edition, with the winner representing Canada in the CONCACAF Champions League. Notes: The Fury were without Tom Heinemann (high ankle sprain, 4-6 weeks), Nicki Paterson (knee, day-to-day), Sinisa Ubiparipovic (knee, day-to-day), Omar Jarun (eye, day-to-day). Edmonton lost D Lance Laing midway through the second half and isnt expected to play next week at this point. Patrik Laine Jersey . Englands only win in the four most recent trips north had been tight, and Scotland was expected after losing 28-6 to Ireland six days ago to show some venom against its archrival. Bobby Hull Jersey . Joining him in this years class were Switzerlands Patrick Huerlimann and Norways Eigil Ramsfjell. The announcement was made at the world mens curling championship at Capital Indoor Stadium in China. http://www.officialwinnipegjetspro.com/. Despite Barcelona showing the same vulnerability in defence, Messis best performance since returning from a lengthy injury layoff ensured that his side bounced back from a defeat by Valencia in the previous round. Nikolaj Ehlers Jersey . -- Ricky Romeros comeback bid hit another road bump Tuesday in an ugly 18-4 Jays loss to a Detroit Tigers split squad. Custom Winnipeg Jets Jerseys . In the other Group A game, the Czech Republic stunned Canada, 5-4 in a shootout. Dominik Simon scored the deciding goal in the tiebreaker. The United States scored its first three goals on power plays. "Overall, I love to see the power-play goals we were able to get tonight," said U.A cadre of attorneys and a flurry of lawsuits could certainly slow down the NBAs plan to force Donald Sterling to sell the Los Angeles Clippers over his recent racist comments, but legal experts say the league would likely prevail in the end. And that goes for Sterlings wife, Shelly, who has said shed like to keep her stake in the team even if her husband is ousted. The NBAs constitution, which Donald Sterling signed as controlling owner of the Clippers, gives its board of governors broad latitude in league decisions including who owns the teams. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is pushing for a swift vote against Sterling, which requires a minimum of three-fourths of the other 29 controlling owners to agree. Silver also has imposed a lifetime ban on Sterling and a $2.5 million fine. The ban does not apply to Shelly Sterling. SI.com and ESPN.com, citing unidentified sources, reported Thursday that Sterlings lawyer, antitrust litigator Maxwell Blecher, wrote a letter to Rick Buchanan, the NBAs executive vice-president and general counsel, threatening to sue the league and saying Sterling will not pay the $2.5 million fine. "Sterlings own signature will come back to haunt him," said Michael McCann, founding director of the Sports and Entertainment Law Institute at the University of New Hampshire. "You agree to certain basic understandings. Thats what makes a sports league different from other businesses." The key to the NBAs authority, attorneys say, is Article 13(d) of the leagues constitution. That section says that, whether Sterling intended to or not, an owner cannot "fail or refuse to fulfil" contractual obligations to the NBA "in such a way to affect the Association or its members adversely." Theres plenty of evidence Sterlings comments, revealed in a recorded conversation with a female companion, affected the league adversely. They provoked threats of a player boycott, led sponsors to withdraw support and created a racially charged image problem in the midst of the NBA playoffs that even President Barack Obama remarked upon. If Article 13(d) was violated, the legal experts say the board of governors has solid grounds to force Sterling to sell the team along with any other owners, in this case his wife. As long as the NBA meticulously follows its own constitution and rules regarding the Clippers sale, it will be difficult for Sterling to find a legal theory that would stand up in court, said Daniel Lazaroff, director of the Sports Law Institute at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles.dddddddddddd "This is not an antitrust issue. This is not a First Amendment issue," Lazaroff said. "Its a question limited to the interpretation of the NBA constitution and bylaws, and whether those terms are met." Another question involves California family law. Its a community property state, meaning spouses jointly own property they acquired while married. The Sterlings were already married when he bought the Clippers in 1981. Although a potential divorce could complicate the Clippers sale, McCann said the couples joint ownership actually works to the NBAs favour because — legally speaking — they are a single entity. So if the NBA forced Donald Sterling to sell, even under a divorce scenario, Shelly Sterling would have to sell, too. They have been married since 1955. "The NBA is well positioned to ultimately prevail," McCann said. For his part, Donald Sterling has repeatedly said he does not want to sell the Clippers. In his recent interview with CNNs Anderson Cooper, he cast doubt on going to court if the NBA governors ultimately do vote to force him out. "People want me to hire a wall of lawyers and them to have to hire a wall of lawyers and go to war," Sterling said on CNN. "I dont think thats the answer." Sterlings longtime attorney, Robert Platt, declined to comment when contacted Wednesday. Shelly Sterlings attorney, Pierce ODonnell, did not respond to email requests for comment from The Associated Press. But he has previously said she wants to remain a passive owner of the Clippers even if her husband is no longer involved. For now, the NBA has installed former Time Warner and Citigroup chairman Dick Parsons to oversee the teams business operations. Parsons said this week that a prolonged legal battle "is in no ones interest." "I would hope we could avoid that," he said. If he is forced out, Sterling still stands to reap a huge financial windfall in a Clippers sale. He bought the team for $12.5 million in 1981, and Forbes magazine recently placed its 2014 value at $575 million, or No. 13 in the NBA. Of course, there would also be a sizable capital gains tax bill for that. _____ Follow Curt Anderson on Twitter: http://twitter.com/MiamicurtCheap Barcelona Jerseys AuthenticCheap Real Madrid Jerseys ChinaCheap Bayern Munich Jerseys AuthenticWholesale Dortmund JerseysCheap USA Soccer JerseysCheap USWNT Jerseys ChinaCheap France JerseysCheap Mexico JerseysWholesale Germany JerseysCheap Belgium JerseysCheap Brazil JerseysColombia Jerseys From ChinaWholesale England JerseysWholesale France JerseysCheap Germany JerseysWholesale Italy JerseysCheap Mexico JerseysCheap Portugal JerseysCheap South Africa JerseysWholesale Spain JerseysWholesale France JerseysWholesale Germany JerseysWholesale Mexico JerseysWholesale Colombia JerseysCheap Belgium Jerseys AuthenticCheap Brazil JerseysCheap Argentina Jerseys AuthenticCheap Spain JerseysCheap Belgium Jerseys ChinaCheap Mexico Jerseys Authentic ' ' '