Following a claim that a racist comment was made by one player to another player in a match between Puerto Rico FC and FC Edmonton on August 28, the NASL immediately opened a formal investigation, at the request of Puerto Rico FC, that included one-on-one interviews with players from both clubs, as well as the center referee.

While the NASL in no way questions the validity of the claim, upon finishing its in-depth investigation, the league was not able to find conclusive evidence to corroborate the claim. Although the investigation proved to be inconclusive, the NASL approaches issues of racism, homophobia, and other forms of prejudice with the utmost sensitivity, and in no way tolerates discriminatory behavior of any kind.