Thank you for being patient. As we reorganized Plastic Pitch, you have shown us great support. And, now, the good news. The App is back live on Google Play, iTunes and Amazon. And issue 9 is out!

At this time last year (MLS Week 8/NASL Week 4), 26 Canadians had seen the field for their MLS or NASL clubs. This year, 32 Canadians have played in MLS or NASL games so far this season.

This past weekend, the Edmonton teenager made his pro debut, playing 80 minutes in FC Edmonton’s 1-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

Damn straight that refs are calling the games more closely and more harshly than ever before. And guess what? It’s because fans and the league asked them to do it that way, that’s why.

Yet, this week, we’ll announce a change in the way we do things with our power rankings. We will track the minutes played by Canadians in USL. But, to make sure fair is fair, the USL numbers are not tracked on the same list as MLS and NASL.

By the time FC Edmonton headed into the break between the 2015 NASL spring and fall seasons, keeper John Smits knew he wasn’t going to be back.

“He’s very highly thought of in that USL setup,” Miller said of Plumhoff, an American who was born in Germany. “He came very highly recommended to us. So we watched the videos and I spoke to him. I liked what I heard and definitely liked what I saw. His pace, his athleticism and once he realizes this level of football I think he’ll be a very good, strong addition to the squad."

In his mentions of the new players the Eddies have added to the roster, Jason Plumhoff's name was on the list. Plumhoff spent the 2015 season with Harrisburg City of USL and finished 10th in the league’s scoring race, scoring 10 times in 22 games.

So, it feels like Calgary Foothills, which began PDL play last season, is swimming against the tide, at least when it comes to developmental soccer in Canada.

The USL’s Austin Aztex announced that the club would not play in 2016 because of issues securing a suitable soccer stadium that the team could call its own. That left Aztex coach Paul Dalglish looking for work rather than preparing his squad for the upcoming season. But, timing is everything; as Dalglish hit the job market, the Ottawa Fury confirmed that coach Marc Dos Santos would not be back in 2016. Dalglish got MDS’s old job — but, will it be a marriage made in heaven?