“It’s going to be great. They’re our rivals so everyone’s going to be psyched,” said Clarke, who converted Ben Fisk’s corner kick in the first half and John Dollery’s cross in the second. “I’m pumped for the game. I think it will be a really great game. We beat them already in Spain and I definitely think we can beat them again.”

Andy Ramos didn’t defect. He didn’t slip away before a national-team game. He didn’t ask for asylum.

“Minnesota wasn’t interested in me and they were going in a different direction,” said Nunez. “Edmonton seemed to really like me a lot. I was kind of shocked at what happened in Minnesota. I thought I was a big part of their plans. I guess I was mistaken.”

“It has been fantastic so far,” said midfielder and 2011 NASL Best XI member Shaun Saiko. “From my time at Middlesbrough, this was the kind of preseason training that we did. We’ve started the preseason off brightly, there have been no lulls. You have got to get after it.”

Porter only played seven minutes in DCU’s final game of the Walt Disney World Pro Soccer Classic, a 2-0 win over Philadelphia. That’s a sign that he’s indeed a part of the club, as coach Ben Olsen has already made up his mind about the Mississauga native and used the game as a chance to see other prospects.