The promise of spring holds so much for Canadian soccer this year.
With the MLS season nearly upon us, there is much we know, but even more we that don't.
The schedule is set beginning in less than two weeks from now. We're happy to tell you that we have the Vancouver Whitecaps covered for you, wall-to-wall with 21 regular season games this year and 24 in each of the next two seasons as part of our three-year partnership.
How good will they be?
In this league, separating the wheat from the chaff is an impossible chore.
As for Toronto, this was supposed to be the year they turned it around. But as they sprint towards opening day, the questions are even more ominous than in years past.
The Adrian Cann soap opera threatens to be a destabilizing influence on a ship that is already listing (again).
As for next year's entrants, the Montreal Impact is moving forward as they'll announce their Saputo Stadium renovation plans at a news conference Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the Nutrilite Canadian Championship is little more than a month away with a new format. I've come to enjoy this tournament.
The nature of the rivalries has evolved in such a way that the teams seem to have generated a real hate for each other which seems to intensify the atmosphere around each match.
Let's hope Edmonton FC can ruffle some feathers and join the nasty party.
June belongs to the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
We'll find out Tuesday when and where Canada will play their group stage games. Will Junior Hoilett commit to Canada? Will the emerging Milan Borjan have the mettle to be our new No. 1 goalkeeper?
The day after the Gold Cup final, the Women's World Cup kicks off in Berlin's Olympic Stadium with Canada taking on Germany. We'll be deeply involved in this tournament with plenty of matches for you and a daily wrap-up show as well.
Later in the summer it gets more complicated. I was in Zurich last week when FIFA awarded the 2015 Women’s World Cup to Canada. It overshadowed somewhat the surprising news that CONCACAF would not get four full spots at the next World Cup in Brazil in 2014.
This news came despite the fact that everyone around the confederation was talking openly about how it was a done deal. Not so fast. I asked FIFA President Sepp Blatter directly why it didn't happen. His answer was simply that they can't satisfy everyone, and that the overwhelming majority was satisfied with the status quo.
This is a bad sign for CONCACAF president Jack Warner. It seems to me that it’s a pretty strong signal that his influence in FIFA is on the wane.
The announcement has also shaken CONCACAF's plans for restructuring the qualifying format for the upcoming cycle. Here's what was to happen under a scenario where the confederation would supply four countries to the World Cup.
It was simple, and beautiful at the same time.
The first round this fall would see the 32 countries divided into eight groups of four with the top two teams in each group advancing. Next year, the second round would see the 16 survivors drawn into four groups of four, again with the top two in each group moving on. Finally, in 2013, instead of the traditional hexagonal, it would be two groups of four, with the top two in each group gaining berths in Brazil.
A beautiful arrangement in my opinion. Nice and clean and a minimum of six qualifying matches for each country, and a maximum of 18.
But CONCACAF is now re-thinking the entire idea now that the fourth full spot has been denied. I would still look for six matches on the international dates this fall, but nothing is assured anymore. We'll have to wait until the end of July for all the answers. So where will success come from?
Will Toronto or Vancouver make some headway and make the playoffs? Will Canada find success at the Gold Cup?
We often do.
Will the Women's National Team make a splash in Germany? They appear to be on the rise under head coach Carolina Morace despite the recent political skirmishes.
Will Canada finally make some headway in World Cup qualifying regardless of the way its organized?
What do you think?
