The World Cup final kicks off Sunday at 1 p.m. local time. FC Edmonton hopes that it can open the Commonwealth gates at noon, and then show the game on the brand new Jumbotron that has been installed at the stadium. But it’s not that simple. The team confirmed it needs to ensure it has the rights to show the game at a ticketed event. And that means approaching either the CBC and/or FIFA.

Want to talk about the World Cup, and what it means on a global scale? How soccer influences international politics? And what it will mean if Canada wins the right to host the 2026 World Cup?

And, if injuries during the fall-season break keep mounting, Miller may need even more reinforcements. The Eddies are now sweating on the health of forward Tomi Ameobi, midfielder Ritchie Jones and keeper Lance Parker.

Striker Chad Burt and midfielder Cristian Raudales will be available for the Eddies on Wednesday and hope to crack the team’s NASL roster for the upcoming fall season, which begins July 13.

Edmonton has hosted the Commonwealth Games; it’s hosted the World Championships in Athletics. It’s been a part of every major soccer tournament that Canada has hosted — and, in 2015, it will host more Women’s World Cup matches than any other city. The reason for Edmonton’s prominence? Commonwealth Stadium: Even though it was constructed in the 1970s, it still remains the country’s premier sports venue that doesn’t have a roof Canada...

Mallan Roberts is a man of two nations, but he only officially belongs to one of them.

But, there's one part of that World Cup section that's sure to get a lot of attention. And that's the stated Canadian Soccer Association goal of an all-Canadian Division One — or "1A," as CSA President Victor Montagliani called it in our interview.

The second issue of Plastic Pitch, out today, features a 16-page section on Canada's bid for the World Cup.

The Eddies scored six on Sunday. Daryl Fordyce scored 34 seconds into the match, the fastest goal from the start of a game so far this NASL season, and the Eddies were on their way to a 6-1 hiding of the Carolina RailHawks.

“One win in our first eight games, that’s a recipe for disaster anywhere in the world,” said Miller after FCE trained Thursday at Clarke Stadium. “If things don’t change, there will be changes. That’s the nature of the profession I’m in.”