Photo credit: Canada Soccer
The NASL announced a change to its roster rules on Thursday, stating that Canadian players will now be considered domestic on the rosters of American clubs.
With the new rule in place, any American or Canadian player on an NASL roster will count as domestic and therefore will not affect a club’s international player tally.
“Canadian players have played a big role in the development of our league on the field,” NASL Interim Commissioner Rishi Sehgal said. “We believe that this change will help us become better contributors to the growth of the game, not only in Canada, but in the U.S. as well.”
The new roster rule has already gone into effect, and any Canadian players signed to American clubs prior to the rule change will now be considered domestic.
Within the last year, 11 Canadian players with senior national team experience have called the NASL home. Seven of those players suited up for The Reds in 2016 and early 2017.