" It was in the papers here, it was a big shock. That’s because the Hong Kong national team is really interested in having me join them, as well.”

Despite a home-field advantage, it wasn’t Canada but rather South Korea whom developed the majority of the scoring chances in the first half. However, a great save made in the eighth minute by Canadian goalkeeper Erin McLeod set the tone for what was to come for the rest of the half.

Sometimes, draws feel like losses. And, sometimes, they feel like wins. Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with Iran definitely falls into the latter category.

And even though the late autumn/early winter conditions in Edmonton won’t be anything close to the July conditions we’ll see at the 2015 Women’s World Cup, Herdman said that getting a friendly in at the stadium where Canada will open the tournament will be vital to the team’s preparations. And, he said the cold can be a coaching tool, to see “if the players can focus on the task at hand.”

But it didn’t come to pass. Canada now has gone eight international matches without scoring a goal. The last marker came back on March 22, against Japan.

The most interesting subplot of a Canada-Australia match is the presence of Holger Osieck in the Aussies’ coaching box. Osieck led Canada to one of its most prestigious soccer titles, the capture of the Gold Cup trophy in 2000.

FIFA’s calendar has indicated that Canada will face Australia on Oct. 16 in London, England.

In 2012, Matt Lam played against the likes of the Carolina RailHawks and Puerto Rico Islanders. On Monday night, the former FC Edmonton midfielder got to play for more than an hour against Manchester United.

Canadian midfielder Matt Lam was able to savour a trophy win on Saturday, but an injury kept him off the field.

Matt Lam is off the Hong Kong FA Cup final.