The truth is, 2018 will be a low point for men’s soccer in Canada. Boy, is it going to suck. It will be ultimate in lame-duck years. Canadian jobs will dwindle. We’ll have fewer teams to support. And even in TFC beats Seattle 10-0 on Saturday, that’s not going to change a thing.

Make no mistake, one shot on goal over 180 minutes is embarrassing. It’s as bad as losing 10-0.

So, as the JAMC drove through an ear-splitting main-set closer of “Reverence,” the bright lights reducing them to shadows on stage, I checked Twitter to see that, yes, the Whitecaps and Sounders had played to a scoreless draw.

Yet, even though teams are constantly changing, fans and media often burden the current players with the anchors of the past. Case in point: Going into Wednesday’s playoff match against the San Jose Earthquakes, a lot has been said about the Vancouver Whitecaps having never won a post-season MLS match.

But, no. Frankly, the Whitecaps were backed into a corner. When the USL got its Division-2 status from the USSF for the 2017 season — moving up from Div-3 status — it began a chain of events that really could have only ended this way.

But, where MLS has truly stumbled in Canada is in making itself a national concern. Basically, in this country, interest in the league is restricted to the three metro areas that have teams. The three Canadian MLS clubs have virtually no presence in the rest of Canada.

McKendry played in one game for the Whitecaps this season but has played a lot for the WFC2 team in USL. He led all Canadian players on WFC2 in terms of minutes played. But, even though USL and NASL are both recognized as Division-2 leagues, he sees the move from WFC2 to FCE as a step up.

McKendry has played in one MLS match for the Whitecaps this season, and has appeared in 14 USL matches for WFC2. He has not been released by Vancouver — and it should be noted that the Whitecaps have loaned players to FC Edmonton in the past. While the team has nothing official to say, McKendry's presence in Edmonton suggests a loan could be in the works.

But, in TFC’s case, there should be some cause for concern. The Reds’ affiliate is just under 400 minutes per game. TFCII has played 15 games already. So, to get to the 540-minute average by the end of the season, the team will need to give Canadians an average of about 700 minutes per game over the final 17 matches of the season.

The final shots on goal? Impact 10, Whitecaps 2. Yes, it finished 5-4 on aggregate, and one more road goal would have given the Whitecaps the tie; but, wow, this second leg wasn’t close.