Really, the truth is somewhere in the middle. Canada was definitely not worth the flattering 2-1 scoreline, but there were some positives to take from the game, such as the midfield generalship of Sophie Schmidt, and Sinclair continuing on to score after taking an elbow in the nose from German defender Babett Peter.

It’s official. Charlie Davies is a cheat. Pretty well every fan who follows Major League Soccer knew that Davies’ acting skills had changed the outcome of two D.C. United games. In April, he went to ground all too easily when confronted by Los Angeles Galaxy defender Omar Gonzalez. Last week, without contact, he threw himself to the grass and earned a last-ditch penalty to give D.C. United an undeserved draw at Real Salt Lake. MLS came down on Davies today, issuing him a US$1,000 fine for his antics in Utah.

Canada goes into its final group stage match at the U-17 World Cup knowing that a win will likely be enough to send it through to the elimination stages of the tournament. Even if a win over Rwanda allows it to only finish third behind Uruguay (which has already qualified) and England, the team should finish strongly enough to be one of the four third-place teams to book spots in the final 16.

Montreal Impact keeper Evan Bush was named the Defensive Player of the Week Monday. Bush stopped seven shots and preserved a 0-0 home draw Saturday against the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. Bush was thrust into the starting lineup because of an injury that regular No. 1 Bill Gaudette suffered to his ankle in a loss at Puerto Rico two weekends ago.

Venezuelan forward Fernando Anor has been named Major League’s Soccer Player of the Week. Anor set up a goal and scored the other as the Columbus Crew went into the stifling heat of Houston’s Robertson Stadium and came out with a 2-0 triumph. He also drew the foul that saw the Dynamo’s Lovel Palmer sent off.

Luis Tejada scored in injury time to give Panama a 1-1 draw with Canada in their final group-stage game at the Gold Cup in Kansas City. With the U.S. beating Guadeloupe 1-0 in the second half of the doubleheader, the draw relegated Canada to the role of the worst-positioned third-place side of the three groups — and the players and coaches earned tickets home.

Canada is used to being on the short end of controversial referees’ decisions at the Gold Cup. On Saturday, the calls went Canada’s way —helping Les Rouges to a tense 1-0 win over Guadeloupe in Tampa. Dwayne De Rosario converted a second-half penalty-kick attempt to give Canada a win in a game in which it held a man advantage for 86 minutes plus stoppage time.

Toronto FC can’t build its new Downsview training facility fast enough. The artificial turf at the City of Toronto’s Cherry Beach field claimed a victim Tuesday, as Toronto FC defender Adrian Cann was carried off the pitch by teammates after making an awkward turn. His right knee was wrapped in ice and he was taken to hospital.

Same country, new club. Canadian national-team efender Mike Klukowski has signed a two-year deal with Mansiaspor, which finished in 10th position in the Turkish league last season. Mansiaspor is also home to Canadian winger Josh Simpson.

The cloak-and-dagger preparations of the Canadian women’s team continue ahead of the World Cup. Despite having no mention of it in an materials sent to the media or on the Canadian Soccer Association website, we have it on good authority that Canada beat the Netherlands 2-0 in a behind-closed-doors friendly in Rome.