So, if there was one thing Canada would have wanted out of its final group-stage match, it was a better start. And they got it. Shana Flynn got a hat trick in the the first 18 minutes of the match, as the Canadians went on to trounce Haiti by a 4-0 score. With the win, Canada secures top spot in its group.

The hottest new club in the Caribbean is the Ato Boldon Stadium. Located in hot, humid Trinidad and Tobago, this place has everything. Bad calls, dubious goalkeeping and a Canadian team that’s advancing to the semifinal round of the U-20 CONCACAF Women’s Championship!

But the linesman’s flag was up, despite the fact it was impossible for Stratigakis to be offside because she followed her shot — which was then touched by the keeper.

Canadian goalkeeper Dylon Powley, a Grant MacEwan University graduate who spent two years with Calgary Foothills of the PDL, will soon know what it’s like to be the most loyal of restaurant eaters.

Canada was terrible in the first half. Norway was even more terrible in the second.

If you didn't live through the 90 minutes, Canada Soccer has provided a fine highlights package that can help us all sleep well tonight. If you watch it, you'll see that Canada didn't lose 3-1 to the Americans Sunday night in San Jose; no, in fact we won, 1-0!

Maegan Kelly, a 25-year-old from Kansas City, who, thanks to her family ties, had the necessary paperwork to make her Canada debut, came oh so close to ending that streak Thursday night at BC Place. Kelly got into the American penalty area, then popped the ball over keeper Alyssa Naeher. The ball bounced once and headed for the far corner.

Trust me. I’m Canadian. And, as a Canadian, I know all about missing World Cups.

It was the Salvadoran Larin who delivered a dangerous cross that skipped just past striker Irvin Herrera before it found Denis Pineda, who put the ball past Canadian keeper Simon Thomas. The cross was so good that El Salvador had two cracks at putting it in — and the second man in the box was the one who got the decisive touch.

The United Bid Committee unveiled the 32 finalist cities in Mexico, Canada and the United States that could host World Cup matches. And, from Canada, Toronto's BMO Field, Vancouver's BC Place, Montreal's Olympic Stadium and Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium have made the cut.