“They have a real fighting spirit, like the Canadians.” And, Herdman says the Aussies can burn you with plenty of scoring threats around the park.

To be frank, it's pretty bad — about as bad as any Canadian fan would imagine. She won't be available for the upcoming Olympics and, in terms of her recovery, we're talking years, not months. And, as you'll see in the statement, she says there are "no guarantees" that she makes a full recovery.

But this is all that matters: With games left against El Salvador (home) and Honduras (away), Canada still controls its own destiny. At the start of this group stage, we would have taken this scenario. Gladly. Two games left, and all to play for — with no games left against Mexico.

Life isn’t like a John Hughes film. In real life, the socially awkward guy who listens to Echo and the Bunnymen doesn’t end up with the most popular girl in high school. In real life, if the scrawny kid challenges the neighbourhood bully to a fight, he comes home with his own blood on his shirt and there’s fewer teeth in his mouth than he began the day with.

“I’m looking to come back to North America. I’m kind of in between things, talking to a few clubs. Hopefully, after this camp, things will be sorted out.”

“They should do what they think is best for their club and best for their supporters,” Peterson said in a media conference call on Tuesday.

So, with more internationals on NASL rosters, the question arises: Should the NASL break for the international windows?

“This one game at home could change the future of Canadian soccer, it could change careers,” de Guzman said Friday in a media conference call.

The 34-year-old Canadian midfielder is on trial with the Eddies and played in Friday’s friendly against Newcastle United’s U-21 squad. The Eddies are in the midst of their preseason camp in Scotland.

“It’s a tough test for us,” said Canadian women’s team coach John Herdman. “But, certainly, not a team that frightens Canada too much.”