Some themes we’ve seen over and over again this FCE season played out once again Sunday at Clarke Stadium, as the Eddies had to settle for a 1-1 home draw with Puerto Rico FC.

Atiba Hutchinson's time for thinking is over. Canada's veteran midfielder will make his return to the national side.

This brings us to FC Edmonton keeper Tyson Farago. When it comes to a heavy kicking foot, the only NASL keeper I can remember hitting the ball for the same kind of distance as Farago does was Daniel Illyes, who played for the Atlanta Silverbacks in 2012 and ‘13.

I can’t speak to how the news is being treated in Vancouver or Toronto or Montreal or Ottawa, but I can say that in Edmonton, Canada’s role in a joint bid for the 2026 World Cup with the United States and Mexico has been widely, well, ignored. I mean, come on, Leon Draisaitl over Lionel Messi, right?

The United Bid Committee announced Tuesday that it has sent Requests for Information to 44 cities in North American, regarding a total of 49 stadiums. Included on the list are Toronto (2), Montreal (2), Vancouver, Ottawa, Regina, Calgary and Edmonton. 

For the second time in the club's relatively short history, the Ottawa Fury have a changing of the guard at the head coach position.

But, where Canadians are making the most noise is in the USL. This past week, six Canadians found the net in USL games, including Jordan Hamilton’s brace for TFCII in midweek action. Ottawa’s Adonijah Reid scored his first USL goal, joining fellow Canadian Eddie Edward on the Fury scoresheet. Mark-Anthony Kaye, Mastanabal Kacher and Chris Nanco also scored in USL play.

The Cosmos midfielder smacked a left-footed shot from 20 yards out that swerved just inside the post, giving Eddies keeper Tyson Farago absolutely no chance. Ledesma’s first touch actually took him further away from the Eddies goal, but he spun and unleashed a left-footed cannon that will be tough to beat as the NASL’s goal of the week.

The CAF has said it will back the Morocco bid, and this is where it gets interesting. Africa has 54 full members, so that means from the continent Morocco already has more than half the votes it needs to usurp the CONCACAF bid. If you want to compare a FIFA vote to a Canadian federal election, think of the CAF as riding-rich Ontario. Win Ontario, and you become awfully tough to beat.

But he spent most of the NASL spring season on the sidelines, appearing in just seven games. Two months into the season, his calf began to hurt, and the medical personnel couldn’t find the root cause. It was one of those nagging, week-to-week injuries that end up claiming a significant portion of an athlete’s season.