But, where Canadians are making the most noise is in the USL. This past week, six Canadians found the net in USL games, including Jordan Hamilton’s brace for TFCII in midweek action. Ottawa’s Adonijah Reid scored his first USL goal, joining fellow Canadian Eddie Edward on the Fury scoresheet. Mark-Anthony Kaye, Mastanabal Kacher and Chris Nanco also scored in USL play.

But he spent most of the NASL spring season on the sidelines, appearing in just seven games. Two months into the season, his calf began to hurt, and the medical personnel couldn’t find the root cause. It was one of those nagging, week-to-week injuries that end up claiming a significant portion of an athlete’s season.

Finally, in his 22nd USL game of the season, Mallan Roberts had to go to a very unfamiliar place. It’s called “the bench.”

July has featured a lot of “firsts” for Toronto FC’s Canadians. Not to be outdone by countrymen Ashtone Morgan and Jay Chapman, who each got their first-ever MLS goals earlier in the month, Raheem Edwards said “my turn” in Sunday’s 4-0 thrashing of NYCFC.

This past week marked some MLS firsts for Canadians.

Jacksonville’s Drew Beckie, with 1,383 minutes played, led all Canadians when it came to time spent on the pitch. A total of 14 Canadians played in NASL this spring season.

And the Eddies bid goodbye to two international players in the past week. Dean Shiels's departure was confirmed earlier in the week and, on Sunday, the Eddies announced that Norwegian midfielder Sabri Khattab was going to return home. 

FC Edmonton’s roster was depleted; the team had just a keeper and 12 outfield players healthy enough to play. Thanks to omissions, injuries and Gold Cup call-ups, the New York Cosmos brought a squad to Edmonton that looked nothing like the kind of team we see in NASL week in, week out. Thanks to a 79th-minute goal from Eric Calvillo …

Any time you see a 9-0 scoreline it turns your head. And, in USL action last week, that’s exactly what Canadian Jordan Murrell and his Reno teammates did, putting nine by LA Galaxy II.

It’ll be like a scene out of Wrestlemania. Canadian Premier League organizer Paul Beirne will be onstage, announcing the new national soccer circuit’s inaugural season. And then, after a flash bomb goes off and a crashing change in the background music, he will salute the Whitecaps front-office staff, and then announce: “guess what? They were working for us all along.”