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...

Sura Yekka is still in high school; and she has the chance to do something that’s a true rarity in either men’s or women’s soccer. She’s already represented Canada at U-17 World Cup; she’s expected to be one of Canada’s stars at this summer’s U-20 World Cup. And, she’s likely to make the senior squad for next year’s Women’s World Cup. Three World Cups at three age levels in just over a year. How many other players could boast such a feat?

Despite a home-field advantage, it wasn’t Canada but rather South Korea whom developed the majority of the scoring chances in the first half. However, a great save made in the eighth minute by Canadian goalkeeper Erin McLeod set the tone for what was to come for the rest of the half.

“It will be the most memorable game in my life,” Lee said in a release issued by the Whitecaps. “I’m a happy guy. I learned so many things throughout my career, much more than I had expected when I was young. It is a great time to finish with a great team and great people. I deeply appreciate our fans, my teammates, and all of the staff in the club. I’m sure Vancouver Whitecaps FC will remain in my mind as my team forever.”

And even though the late autumn/early winter conditions in Edmonton won’t be anything close to the July conditions we’ll see at the 2015 Women’s World Cup, Herdman said that getting a friendly in at the stadium where Canada will open the tournament will be vital to the team’s preparations. And, he said the cold can be a coaching tool, to see “if the players can focus on the task at hand.”

But Canadian Soccer Association General Secretary Peter Montopoli, who is with the FIFA contingent as they tour the Women’s World Cup 2015 sites, said that the expectation is that the training grounds used by the world’s top national sides will be up to the same quality as the artificial surfaces in the stadiums.

The grass vs. turf debate was a topic of debate once again on Wednesday, during a sponsored conference call with three members of the women’s national team — Rhian Wilkinson, Erin McLeod and Diana Matheson — and Women’s World Cup communications officer Sandra Gage.

“If anyone in Canada has players up front, there’s definitely some shirts available,” Herdman said.

The city was named one of four hosts for the 2014 tourney. The announcement was made at BMO Field ahead of Canada’s sold-out women’s match Sunday against the United States. The other host cities are Edmonton, Montreal and Moncton.

Just 10 minutes into the second half of its second match at the Yongchuan Cup, the Canadian national women's team itself down by three goals to the world-16th ranked South Koreans.