Marc Dos Santos isn't trying to push any of his Canadian players on to the country's national team.

He'd just like the Canadian squad, led by coach Benito Floro, to acknowledge that they know Ottawa exists, is a professional club and has a few players that at least merit a brief phone call.

With Canada set to play a friendly against Columbia next week in New York, Dos Santos -- a well-respected coach both in and out of Canada -- has yet to hear a peep from anyone associated with team Canada.

What gives? Obviously the three Canadian clubs in Major League Soccer -- Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal -- have been in touch with the national team powers that be. FC Edmonton's teenage prodigy, Hanson Boakai, was called up to the squad, so clearly the team reached out to the only other Canadian squad in the North American Soccer League.

That just leaves Fury as the one Canadian professional club not to hear a word from Floro. Considering Ottawa's Canadian players have played more minutes overall than any other club, it's no wonder Dos Santos isn't thrilled with the snub. To be clear, the coach isn't attacking the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA), he's not even saying one of his players absolutely should be on the national team, he just thinks calling all the Canadian clubs for a preliminary scouting report is a no-brainer.

"I'm not pointing the finger at the CSA because I respect (them) a lot," Dos Santos said after training Thursday before the club leaves Friday for New York. "I just think it's a lack of professionalim that the coach doesn't even care to give a call to the Ottawa Fury (to) know a little bit about the Canadian players."

While Fury doesn't have anyone that would be a lock for a spot on the Canadian team, it's hard to imagine that players like Drew Beckie, Mason Trafford and Carl Haworth don't warrant a good, hard look. At just 17, there's no doubt Edmonton's Boakai is a great player, but it's not like he's tearing up the league yet.

"Boakai is an excellent player but nowhere to be found in the stats in the NASL," said Dos Santos.

The NASL is apparently a good enough league for the American national team to call up layers like Minnesota's Miguel Ibarra and the United States obviously has a deeper soccer talent pool than Canada.

"We're trying to help Canadian soccer develop," Dos Santos said of the sport's growth north of the border. "We're giving a lot of chances to Canadian kids and it's not even our obligation because, at the end of the day, if wanted to have 24 Americans, we're allowed.

"We respect the fact that we're in the capital," said Dos Santos, himself a Canadian.

So what kind of conversation would Dos Santos have liked to have had with national club management? It didn't have to be much, he said.

"Hi Ottawa, how are you? We know you're one of the five professional clubs ... Unfortunately we don't think you have a Canadian player that should be here," Dos Santos suggested.

"That's good enough. Everybody's entitled to pick and choose."

Dos Santos doesn't expect to be ignored by the Canadian team for long.

"I just think we're building something good and one day they're going to need Ottawa Fury," he said. "(Right now), it's just a lack of respect."

NO RYAN IN N.Y.

Fury FC will be without its captain as it travels to New York Friday for a crucial game Saturday against the Cosmos. Ryan and his wife are expecting their first child and the baby was officially due Wednesday. With the probability his wife could deliver before or over the weekend, Dos Santos had no issue letting Ryan stay behind, with Mauro Eustaquio expected to replace him in the lineup.

"We don't want him to regret anything when it comes to the birth of his child, it's his first baby," Dos Santos said.

While a loss in New York would end Ottawa's very slim playoff chances, Dos Santos said family comes first.

"I know it's a very important (game) but we don't want a player that's mentally struggling because of such an important moment in his life," said the coach. "

SIDELINES

After dealing with injuries on a regular basis through the spring season and the first half of the fall season, Ottawa made it through three matches in eight days without adding anyone to the injured list ... Dos Santos wouldn't reveal his starting 11 at practice Thursday, but expect all of his big guns, minus Ryan, to be in the lineup. Drew Beckie, who didn't travel to San Antonio because of a sore foot, is expected to return ... Fury's playoff hopes were dealt another blow Wednesday with Fort Lauderdale winning its mid-week match. Fury will have to win its four remaining games and hope the four teams between it a playoff spot go on big losing streaks. Fury has two home dates remaining, Oct. 18 against Edmonton and Oct. 26 against Indy.

Twitter: @chrishofley