But, there’s also a real need to look at the prep for the Women’s World Cup. As Toronto isn’t a host city, this game against the Americans isn’t fulfilling a promise that the CSA has made to Canadians.

“We wanted, heading into this tournament, to leave the sport in a better place than what it was when we got into it,” Sinclair said. “I could never have imagined this would happen.”

As press conferences go, the announcement of Canada’s 2015 Women’s World Cup host cities was about as anticlimactic as they get.

After a trying winter, CMISL president Mel Kowalchuk has confirmed that Calgary United FC will face the Edmonton Drillers in Cowtown on the weekend of April 21 for the league championship.

FC Edmonton’s preseason schedule will see the NASL club make pit stops in both Winnipeg and Vancouver.

Kowalchuk wrote in an e-mail to The 11 that “it would be premature” to confirm that Vancouver will or will not have a team competing in the CMISL in 2012.

“In essence, we need four very good training fields in each city,” said Montopoli. “They need to be at an international standard. There are many options, some can have grass or some can have artificial turf.”

Now, the next part of the debate: Which cities will get the plum games — Canada’s home games, semifinals and final? FIFA and the Canadian Soccer Association released the names of the seven “candidate” cities to host games. Toronto wasn’t on that list, as expected, because of the conflict between the WWC and the Pan Am Games. The seven cities: Halifax, Moncton, Montreal Ottawa, Winnipeg, Edmonton and Vancouver.