Flattered by the success of the Olympic bronze medal in 2012, the Canadian women’s national team may have been as glittery as fool’s gold to casual sports fans. But, really, with the team’s offensive issues and lack of stars in the primes of their careers, was elimination at the quarter-final pretty much inevitable?

Canada’s players had to give the fans at BC Place a teary salute after they lost their Women’s World Cup quarter-final to the English. The success of the team at the London Olympics was a feel-good story that lingered for three years. But did loyalties that were spawned in the Olympic run come back to haunt Canada in 2015? Damn straight they did...

The third-place match is usually the most-criticized game of any World Cup, women or men. The argument: Why make the semifinal losers stick around for another game, when third place isn’t regarded as that big a deal in World Cups? But, England’s win over Germany showed us the other side of the debate; that the game can mean a heck of a lot to the players involved...

Mark Sampson, head coach of the English women’s team, spoke about how vital the rise of the WSL has been to the success of his Lionesses. At the Women’s World Cup, 22 of the 23 players on the English roster came from WSL clubs. The odd one out was striker Jodie Taylor, who plays with the Portland Thorns of the NWSL.

Those seats had been reserved for FIFA delegates. But hundreds of delegates who were supposed to be in those seat  decided to stay away from the Women’s World Cup opener — as it came just days after Swiss and American authorities made arrests of FIFA officials on racketeering and fraud charges.

Montreal is an event town. And that was shown to be true during the Women’s World Cup, where attendances were small for early games not involving the likes of Canada or the United States. But, when the games grew in importance, so did the crowds at Olympic Stadium

Now, the issue is finally out, with much of it dedicated to a look back to the biggest soccer tournament ever played on Canadian soil. As well, look for features on Cyle Larin, Chaim Roserie and a look at the history of the Jackson Cup.

We begin our look back at the 2015 Women’s World Cup with a salute to the champions — this tournament was held on Canadian soil but, by the time the final kicked off, the Americans had made it theirs — on the field and in the stands...

The Edmonton Aviators may have been a blip in the history of the Canadian soccer. But two of their alumni will make a return to Commonwealth Stadium — where the Aviators played their one and only home season schedule, back in 2004 — when the Canadian women’s team opens the World Cup against China on June 6.

“When I picked the Canadian team up, the discipline wasn’t there, because the passion wasn’t there. They’d forgotten what it meant to play for Canada,” he said.