The World Cup will be played on Canadian soil in 2026.

Sunday wasn’t what we’d call a banner day for the Canadian women’s program.

Canada lost its final group-stage game of the CONCACAF U-17 Women’s Championship to the United States by a 1-0 scoreline. But, if not for the heroics of Canadian keeper, Anna Karpenko, the scoreline would have been a lot more severe.

Canada resumed play in the CONCACAF Women’s  U-17 Championships on Wednesday, beating Costa Rica by a 2-1 score thanks to a brace from Andersen Williams.

Just a little more than a year ago, when the United 2026 bid was made official, it felt like CONCACAF had what amounted to a sitter at its feet. A tap-in. There was no way a push to bring a World Cup to the United States, with a little help from Canada and Mexico, could fail, right?

Canada Soccer said it likely won't comment on FIFA's decision to slap a two-year ban on the former coach of the El Salvadoran national team for his actions leading up to a September, 2016 World Cup qualifier at BC Place.

But, what makes this final hard to take, well, it’s because CONCACAF just had to go and go all 1970s NASL with the format. It’s ridiculous that a continental club championship doesn’t provide for extra time to be played if the two teams are level after two legs. To go straight to penalty kicks… ugh. Give the players 30 more minutes to try and decide a championship in an 11-v-11 environment.

"Canada Soccer's Women's U-17 National Team and Canadian referees have all departed Nicaragua and are safely on their way back to Canada. Canada Soccer supports the decision of Concacaf to cancel the 2018 Concacaf Women's Under-17 Championship in Managua, Nicaragua and will continue to work with Concacaf to ensure that safety remains the priority."

Two Canadians involved in maybe one of the biggest goals ever scored by a Canadian club, in one of the world’s true soccer cathedrals. Pinch me.

They’re at BMO field, in the lousy, blustery rainy weather. Before the game, at some point, you'd think manager Miguel Herrera and his staff would have looked at some video of Toronto FC in action, and thought to themselves, “wow, Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco can really burn you on the counter.”