“It was not a good performance from us in the first half, it was better in the second half,” said FCE coach Colin Miller. “We had so many players not at pace today, but, at the end of the day, nobody could begrudge us a point.”

Since 2012, when FC Edmonton moved into Clarke Field, the RailHawks have not won there, and have been outscored 22-6.

At halftime, with FC Edmonton trailing 1-0, coach Colin Miller was so angry about his team’s performance, he said that “we’ll end up being relegated, and there is no relegation.”

It is becoming clearer with every FC Edmonton match that Diakite is a real diamond-in-the-rough signing for the Eddies. He may be one of the meanest tacklers NASL has ever seen. He’s dominant in the air. He’s unorthodox at times, but he’s an absolute shutdown defender.

So, when asked after the game if Scarlett would be making more appearances in pre-game ceremonies to come, Watson answered with an emphatic yes. Maybe the little girl has replaced the rabbit as the Eddies’ good-luck charm.

But, on the practical side, the second they get sworn in, things change for FC Edmonton coach Colin Miller. Fordyce and Watson will no longer be international players, so that means two precious international roster spots open up for Miller to use as he wishes.

The slump in oil prices? Tom Heinemann’s fault. The Leap Manifesto? Tom Heinemann. The LRT line to NAIT? Tom Heinemann designed that.

“They will be hurting, because it’s their expectation to win every game. But we’re at home, and we have to build on the tremendous defensive performance on Saturday night in Oklahoma. We have to try and keep 11 players on the park, for sure.”

It wasn’t pretty. But, considering the circumstances, it was effective.

So, he wondered if his time in Edmonton was done, if he should take a new challenge. But, after weeks of reflection, he made his decision: He will remain with FCE. The team announced Thursday that Watson signed a new deal.