FIFA is going to contract an independent inspector to ensure that Canada’s artificial turf fields are indeed good enough to host a Women’s World Cup.

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.

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...

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

Late Thursday night, we got word from Apple and our developer, MAZ Digital, that the magazine is now live for iPhone and iPad. It's already available to Android users through Google Play and Amazon, so the rollout is now 100 per cent done.

But, even though the site is more popular now than at any time before, I feel that it’s time to take a break. It’s not the end: But The 11 will be on hiatus until at least the opening of NASL training camps in February.

“For us, it (the result) doesn’t matter,” Floro said through a translator in a media conference call Thanksgiving Monday. “We play (so we can play) in our system.”