On Wednesday, Wanderers announced the signing of the club’s first local player, 17-year-old Scott Firth.

So, did Shiels feel the weight of expectation on his shoulders when he took the field with his new Eddies teammates for the first time Monday?

For interim Canadian men’s national-team coach Michael Findlay, the process of picking players for the Nov. 11 friendly in South Korea featured some logistical issues.

Advanced analytics are helping soccer managers across the world assess their teams’ strengths and weaknesses. But Canada was one of the first national programs to embrace analytics — way back in the early ‘80s

“The defending was a calamity,” said FCE coach Colin Miller after the match. “We didn’t give ourselves a chance.”

Yankey, who plays for Arsenal, gave England the 1-0 win over Canada in the final. The two sides will meet again for a friendly April 7 in Rotherham, England.

The real difference to the English game would be the fact that, outside of Southern basement dwellers Reading and Queens Park Rangers, the non-playoff teams would all still have something to play for outside of relegation.

This is simply a statistical look at how the teams have performed. But it is compelling. Outside of the Habs, the North American sports teams have a history of slumping badly once their owners go and invest in the world’s most popular league, the EPL. And, for Red Sox fans, Avalanche fans and the like, it’s absolutely justified to have a case of little man syndrome — based on the stats.

Arsenal midfielder Steph Houghton scored the goal that gave GB a 1-0 win over Brazil on Tuesday. Kim Little, the Scottish star on Team GB, is also Arsenal’s leading scorer. She scored 17 goals in 17 games for the Gunners in 2011-12.

New York Red Bull Thierry Henry, the brightest soccer star in the biggest media market in MLS, got the POTW nod after the votes from the North American Soccer Reporters were counted.