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FC Edmonton were forced to let go one of their most popular players and now have to play against him.

Fullback Eddie Edward was released by the club due to family issues and has, in turn, signed with his hometown Ottawa Fury.

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Edward, 27, spent the past three seasons with FC Edmonton.

“It’s amazing the situations that you have to deal with as a manager of a football club and this is a situation where Eddie had to go back to Ottawa, it’s where his family is living, for serious family reasons,” said FC Edmonton head coach Colin Miller. “It was with a heavy heart that we had to release Eddie, but it was the right thing to do and our club supported Eddie 100 per cent in this.”

Edward had been a stalwart on FC Edmonton’s back line since joining the club in 2013 from the Puerto Rico Islanders. He was one of the most recognizable players on the team and highly regarded in the locker room.

“We want to thank Eddie for what he did for the club, not only football-wise, but also what he contributed in the change room, and of course, in the community of Edmonton,” Miller said. “He was always a great ambassador for the club. We will miss him for sure, because he was such as standout person. But as one door closes another opens for other players to come in. We wish Eddie the best of luck other than when he plays against us. It was a very sad day the last game of the Spring Season, we knew it was going to happen at that point and he was going to join Ottawa.”