FC Edmonton announced its list of 30 “trialists” invited to training camp, which officially begins tomorrow with fitness testing at the University of Alberta Butterdome.

He has two new Northern Irish trialists in the fold — and FC Edmonton coach Colin Miller is putting his stamp on the club.

As has been widely rumoured, the Puerto Rico Islanders’ absence from the NASL will continue through the fall season.

Goalkeeper John Smits and Scottish defender David Proctor had just returned to the city and were working out. Fullback Wes Knight has been in Edmonton since January; same goes for holding midfielder Neil Hlavaty. Local products Antonio Rago and Shaun Saiko have been regular fixtures at the indoor training sessions since December.

This week, FC Edmonton supporters — and followers of the Canadian national program, too — got some very good news.

Also included in the release was an artist's rendering of an envisioned stadium, giving fans a taste of what a new home for the Eddies could look like.

Make no mistake, the CSA’s decision to protect a national Div. 3 vision, while at the same time endorsing a report which backs away from a national Div. 2 strategy, represents a major, major win for NASL over USL. FC Edmonton and Ottawa will be recognized as Div. 2 in NASL, while USL can’t cross the border — at least not in a way that would be recognized as, well, Canadian.

Kyle Porter is on trial with D.C. United. But, if that doesn't pan out, the Canadian forward no longer has an FC Edmonton contract offer as a fallback position.

While the TFC Academy and Whitecaps Residency players take up 60 per cent of the roster, the player on this squad that has the best chance of breaking into a senior pro squad this season is FC Edmonton Reserves’ Hanson Boakai. Not many training days go by without someone at FCE raving about his potential.

LeRoy, the Ottawa native who was part of the Eddies roster in 2011 and spent last season in the USL with Harrisburg City, is one of four Canadians on the roster for the NASL Combine, which runs Feb. 1-3 in Fort Lauderdale.