To CONCACAF, it doesn’t matter if it’s Canada who gets the job done, or another of the countries from North America, Central America and the Caribbean.

For Canadians, the 2014 World Cup is a lot like the 2010 World Cup. Or 2006. Or 2002. Or 1990, 1994 and 1998. Canada didn’t qualify for the big tournaments, so our rooting interests lie in our heritage nations. Or maybe we watch American TV and follow the exploits of Michael Bradley and co. And, of course, we have to deal with the Canadian media assumption that somehow England is “our” team. But, as the 2014 World Cup plays out in Brazil, Canadian Soccer Association President Victor Montagliani is telling anyone who’ll listen about the bid to host the 2026 World Cup. We look at the coming bid, and what it means for the country and potential host cities...

Over the coming days, we will see how well Canada responds to Wednesday’s 2-1 loss to Japan in the group-stage opener of the Olympic tournament in Coventry. You can’t escape some of the parallels to the 2011 World Cup opener, another 2-1 loss to a world-power team.

“We create some technical blueprints in each game,” Herdman said during a conference call with media on Wednesday.

Luis Boa Morte, a desperate player. Toronto FC, a desperate club.

Herdman is now encouraging his players to play possession football when appropriate – but also not to shirk away from playing a more direct style against superior technical sides.

Right after the Canadian national women’s team was drawn into an Olympic group with World Cup champs Japan and World Cup third-place finisher Sweden, Herdman told reporters via a conference call that he didn’t think Big Red was in the Group of Death