“Escape” is the appropriate word, because FCE keeper John Smits, making his second start in a row, made two outstanding point-blank second-half saves, to give the Eddies their first clean sheet of the season — in Cup or NASL play.

Off the field, there was some good news as well. FCE’s Allan Zebie, who looks to have claimed a starting fullback spot after making the jump from the academy to the first team this past off-season, was signed to a contract extension that keeps him with the Eddies till 2017. Zebie is also rocketing up the Canadian minutes-played charts.

FC Edmonton's brass decided to rotate the squad for Sunday's match against the San Antonio Scorpions. And, with so many younger prospects given the chance to play, a whopping total of 421 minutes were given to Canadian players.

Hanson Boakai, Adrian Cann and Mason Trafford made their NASL season debuts this past weekend, and it pushes the number of "surefire" Canadian prospects who have played in MLS or NASL in 2015 to 29. But, let's break that number down. Take Ottawa and the Eddies out of the equation, and the number of players drops to 16 — which isn't very good at all.

Two Canadians made their season debuts this weekend; After playing in USL or being parked on the bench through the first eight weeks of the MLS season, New York Red Bulls defender Karl Ouimette got to play a full 90 minutes on Saturday. And, on Sunday, fullback Allan Zebie, a product of the FC Edmonton Academy, made his NASL debut, coming in as a sub in Sunday's 2-2 draw between the Eddies and Minnesota United.

FC Edmonton had a bye this week in NASL play, but its hold at the top of the minutes-played-by Canadians list among the top two divisions in North American soccer only got a little stronger.

FC Edmonton not only got a thrilling win in the most compelling game played in either MLS or NASL this weekend, but the Eddies are putting some distance between themselves and the rest of the pack when it comes to playing Canadians.

Sunday’s battle between the Fort Lauderdale Strikers and FC Edmonton was one of these how-do-I-squeeze it all in matches. The Eddies fought back from a 2-1 second-half deficit and hung on for a 3-2 win. This game had so much to offer; two teams playing contrasting, attacking styles; lights-out goalkeeping from the Strikers’ David Meves, who deserves to be on the NASL team of the week despite giving up three; a penalty save; an assistant coach tossed from the game (Fort Lauderdale’s Ricardo Lopes felt that referee Robert Schaap should have given FCE striker Frank Jonke a harsh punishment for a challenge that bloodied the nose of defender Daniel Navarro); and what turned out to be a series of brilliant substitution decisions from FCE coach Colin Miller which changed the game.

And FC Edmonton has run out to a commanding lead amongst MLS and NASL teams — when it comes to giving Canadian players minutes in league games. The Eddies started three Canadians — who all played the full 90 — in their 1-1 draw with Carolina; add to that sub Michael Nonni, who came on for 14 minutes of action.

But, the Eddies were down by three goals at halftime — one for every week spent in Florida. The Eddies were like deer caught in the headlights off the opening kickoff, as the expansion Armada — playing its first-ever league game — set a new NASL record for the fastest goal from the opening kickoff.