This may be the week where the NASL narrative changes. We’re edging towards the halfway point of the fall season, and we might now be talking about FCE, Indy and the Cosmos all being playoff teams, and everyone else fighting for that fourth and final spot — unless one of those other clubs can make a mark on the fall-season race.

“I’ve been here four seasons, and I think the league has always underestimated our players,” said Watson. “We’re surprised about it this year, because we have better calibre of players. But, we’ve always been underestimated, even in stupid things like player of the week, and team of the week, which we really don’t really take into account. Because some of the selections, you put your head in your hands and go ‘where did that come from?’

On Tuesday, the Whitecaps announced a new partnership with the Alberta Soccer Association that will include an academy located in Calgary. But it needs to be stated that, before this deal was stamped, both the ASA and the Whitecaps informed FC Edmonton of their intentions — and FCE gave the plan its support.

Toronto FC’s Tosaint Ricketts scored his first MLS goal Wednesday, a game-winner against Real Salt Lake. The Canadian forward, who recently signed with the Reds, is one of 40 Canadians who have got onto the field for an MLS or NASL team so far this season. Last year, in between the two leagues that count Canadians as domestics on Canadian sides …

Once again, Matt VanOekel will be an NASL play-of-the-week candidate. He could be the league’s player of the week, week after week after week. You get the feeling that the brass at NASL is just being nice, letting other players have the awards.

There were some hints dropped Friday that suggest that the loan of Canadian keeper Nathan Ingham from FC Edmonton to TFCII could be the beginning of something greater.

In a release issued Thursday, ALERT (Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams) states that the Jalali brothers were arrested in south Edmonton Wednesday. ALERT states that Sadi’s Infiniti was pulled over, and that police found 16 bags of cocaine and $5,285 in what it calls "proceeds of crime."

It’s the longest road trip in a North American pro sports league. At just a little more than 5,600 km, it’s about the same distance as a flight between Toronto and London, England, or a jaunt between Ottawa and Oslo, Norway.

The Ottawa Fury has not only won three NASL matches in a row, the club is spiking in terms of minutes on the pitch it is providing to its Canadian players.

Maybe the Carolina RailHawks need to hire a shaman. Maybe someone at the club has wronged a Canadian in the past, and to fix it they’ll need to have Drew Beckie sing William Shatner quotes to the tunes of Rush songs.