Want to talk about the World Cup, and what it means on a global scale? How soccer influences international politics? And what it will mean if Canada wins the right to host the 2026 World Cup?

These numbers, especially as they get better as we head towards the final, will be vital as the Canadian Soccer Association tries to convince FIFA that it has what it takes to host the World Cup in 2026.

But, on the final day of the English season,the two Canadians had their hearts broken when their Derby County side lost 1-0 to Queens Park Rangers in the League Championship play off final.

It would be hard to imagine any Canadian federal, provincial or municipal government readily taking on billions of debt to stage the 2026 tournament without some massive help from the private sector.

To CONCACAF, it doesn’t matter if it’s Canada who gets the job done, or another of the countries from North America, Central America and the Caribbean.

For Canadians, the 2014 World Cup is a lot like the 2010 World Cup. Or 2006. Or 2002. Or 1990, 1994 and 1998. Canada didn’t qualify for the big tournaments, so our rooting interests lie in our heritage nations. Or maybe we watch American TV and follow the exploits of Michael Bradley and co. And, of course, we have to deal with the Canadian media assumption that somehow England is “our” team. But, as the 2014 World Cup plays out in Brazil, Canadian Soccer Association President Victor Montagliani is telling anyone who’ll listen about the bid to host the 2026 World Cup. We look at the coming bid, and what it means for the country and potential host cities...

James Moorhouse, the technical director for USA Soccer, said Edmonton is special to his side. In 2002, the United States beat Kara Lang, Christine Sinclair and the Canadian team in the final of the U-19 Women’s World Championship, the forerunner to the Women’s World Cup. Commonwealth was packed as the home fans hoped for the upset.

Canada had that very challenge on Wednesday night at BC Place; a high-profile Women’s World Cup tuneup against the Germans. And, even though the scoreline was a respectable 2-1 for the visitors, you’d have a hard time feeling good about this match if you were a Canadian supporter.

The second issue of Plastic Pitch, out today, features a 16-page section on Canada's bid for the World Cup.

I always check the opposing nation’s official site first; it can often give you some leads on whether or not the game will be broadcast in that country. And, lo and behold, the Moldovan Football Federation had this message for all to see — that the Canada-Moldova game would be webcast live via UStream, through the MFF site. I Tweeted it out and was surprised by the amount of retweets, especially by my followers in the West. Like, what time do you people get up?