Keven Aleman and Bryce Alderson come from the junior wings of two rival Canadian franchises — Toronto FC and the Vancouver Whitecaps — but they have the same goal. To get to the U-17 World Cup. And that’s a dream they can realize on Wednesday.

TFC Academy accounted for five of Canada’s goals in an 8-0 rout over Barbados in CONCACAF U-17 men’s championship Thursday in Jamaica. Michael Petrasso scored three times in just 69 minutes on the pitch, while Keven Aleman scored twice in 58 minutes as the Canadians earned themselves a spot in the quarter-finals of the tournament.

These are signs that the women’s game isn’t getting stronger; in fact, we may be seeing the same trend that we’ve seen with women’s hockey. After a surge in interest in the 2000s, the game is shrinking rather than growing.

A Canadian Soccer Association delegation has delivered the bid book for the 2015 Women's World Cup to FIFA headquarters in Zurich. The delegation, which included federal Minister of State (Sport) Gary Lunn, Canadian Soccer Association President Dominic Maestracci, Vice-President Victor Montagliani and General Secretary Peter Montopoli, met with FIFA officials Tuesday, including President Sepp Blatter.

According to FIFA’s international match calendar, Canada’s senior men’s team will face Belarus March 29 in Antalya, Turkey. But FIFA announced Monday that it is investigating two international friendlies that were played in the Mediterranean resort. Last Wednesday, Estonia drew Bulgaria 2-2 and Latvia defeated Bolivia 2-1 in a doubleheader played in Antalya. In those two games, all seven goals were scored on penalties.

Within the space of the year, the two Canadian players who created one of the greatest goals in national team history have called time on their careers. Today, Richard Hastings, who roofed the extra-time golden-goal winner in the 2000 2-1 Gold Cup semifinal over Mexico, announced his retirement from the game. Hastings spent most of his career with Scottish side Inverness Caledonian Thistle, playing there from 1994-2001 and again from 2004-2009.

When news broke last week that women’s national-team coach Carolina Morace was going to resign after the 2011 World Cup over alleged CSA interference in her program, sympathy for the women’s program was widespread. After all, we were just a day from a massive CSA reform vote — and recently retired Kara Lang was off to Ottawa to carry the torch for the development of the women’s game in Canada. It was a noble cry for equality in a sports world dominated by men. But, after the vote, as the women announced their intention to boycott games through the media, there is no shaking that, with every passing day, their support is eroding.

The kid they call the Greek Messi got a gift. Ioannis Fetfatzidis placed a shot underneath the crossbar after a miscue from Canadian defender Ada Straith — and his goal was enough to give Greece a 1-0 win Wednesday in Larissa.

If the women’s national team continues to boycott games into the 2011 Women’s World Cup, FIFA has laws in place that would allow it to fine and suspend the Canadian Soccer Association.

What is disturbing to average Canadian soccer fan (and taxpayer) is that, if the matter is taken to the lawyers, that Morace would be the second women’s coach in a row brought in front of arbitrator.