So, to say that this has been a season of change for the Alberta-born Canadian national-team veteran would be understatement. He’s going through the rigours of preseason training with the Eddies, while going through the same sleep patterns that most new parents have to endure — that is, little or no sleep.

“We are looking to add two more players,” said Miller after FC Edmonton’s preseason training session Thursday at Commonwealth Fieldhouse. “One will arrive, maybe both, this weekend. That will finalize the squad that will go into the spring season. I’m excited about the group.”

“I see a different Tomi Ameobi, I’m saying that quite honestly,” said coach Colin Miller after Friday’s preseason training session at the Commonwealth Fieldhouse. “I had a long, heart-to-heart with Tomi at the end of last season and I told him that, by his standards, he underachieved.”

"The limitation on foreign players is a rule issued by U.S. Soccer, and one that we're subject to as a league. We view our new policy to consider Canadian players as domestic as a change that increases opportunities for all players."

And the team was in their new Inaria training kits. The team announced a deal with the Canadian sportswear manufacturer on Thursday. The team has worn Adidas jerseys since the 2012 season, but will move to Inaria apparel for the 2017 season. The team’s new kits will make their debuts in the weeks to come.

Chris Konopka is returning to Canada.

Meanwhile, he had a solid contract offer from the Jacksonville Armada. He received the offer just after the conclusion of the 2016 NASL season. The Armada’s brass knew he was going to try and get back to MLS, but Beckie also understood that the NASL side couldn’t wait too long for him to make a decision.

FC Edmonton confirmed the signings of Canadian midfielder Mauro Eustaquio and Norwegian midfielder Sabri Khattab on Tuesday — and later announced the team's plans for a four-game, two-week tour of Manchester, England.

The Jacksonville Armada announced Tuesday that the club had inked Beckie to a new deal. Last season, Beckie played 1,592 minutes over 23 games for The Team Formerly Known as the Carolina RailHawks (now North Carolina FC). Beckie spent 2014-15 with the Ottawa Fury; before that, he was with the Columbus Crew of MLS.

“It was tough in the off-season, watching the situation with the whole the league, with FC Edmonton,” said Watson of the December-January negotiations and deal-making that ended up preserving NASL as a division-two league in North America. “I had a few options, but it was a big positive the way it worked out. It seemed right to come back. It seemed right to try and go further this year, and win a championship.”