The Canadian Premier League took four major steps towards its planned 2019 kickoff.  At the Canada Soccer annual general meeting Saturday in Yellowknife, four more CanPL clubs received their official professional sanctions: York (Toronto Area), Port City (Vancouver area), Calgary and Halifax.

As the Canadian Premier League’s Board of Governors meeting in downtown Edmonton wrapped up Friday afternoon, Commissioner David Clanachan suggested that Clarke Stadium may not be the only option on the table.

Sure, argue all you want about women having their own leagues. Make that argument “what if a man tried out for an NWSL team?” My answer is simple. Those arguments would be fair if women pro players had anywhere close to the same money and prestige as the men. They don’t. Not close.

Canada Soccer said it likely won't comment on FIFA's decision to slap a two-year ban on the former coach of the El Salvadoran national team for his actions leading up to a September, 2016 World Cup qualifier at BC Place.

So, the end goal is the CanPL, but the team’s not officially signed on yet. Paulus’s role moving forward hasn’t been made clear, because, well, the future of the team is not clear. The question: How does he shepherd the club towards a 2019 launch that, for Edmonton, is still a wish list item and not a hard target?

For the second week in a row, a Canadian has struck against Fresno FC, the new U.S.-based affiliate of the Vancouver Whitecaps.

“Today was about the past, the present and the future,” said Foothills coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. “And the crowd dictated that they’re here to watch local talent. They’re here to invest in Canadian rivalries. It’s hard to strike up a rivalry, as you guys know, with Miami and Puerto Rico. But if you say Calgary’s coming up for an Al Classico, and suddenly everybody wants to see the rivalry. I thought it was a brilliant response from the Edmonton community.”

Don’t call it a comeback, even though Shaun Saiko was an Eddie for years. On Sunday, the man who scored the first NASL goal in FC Edmonton history looks to be rocking his peers, putting Calgary Foothills in fear.

When the Canadian Premier League’s new logo is displayed on the boardroom screen at the CanPL’s Toronto offices, Nasrala describes it like he’s seeing it for the first time. It’s like he’s unpacking a gift on Christmas morning.

But, what makes this final hard to take, well, it’s because CONCACAF just had to go and go all 1970s NASL with the format. It’s ridiculous that a continental club championship doesn’t provide for extra time to be played if the two teams are level after two legs. To go straight to penalty kicks… ugh. Give the players 30 more minutes to try and decide a championship in an 11-v-11 environment.