Ryan Johnston

Follow TFC and the Champions League with Twitter. I will update from training, on match day and whenever news breaks.

The good fortune Gods can only provide so much, and will not allow me to cover the Winter Games and the World Cup in one calendar year. Hence, I will be blogging from the western shores of Lake Ontario instead of the Western Cape of South Africa.

I'll be honest; there is not going to be much analysis here, as such pursuits are better served for those with the good fortune of being on site in South Africa. So, World Cup commentary is probably a better way to phrase it. Much like the Winter Games in Vancouver, the World Cup will be covered on a much wider scale in 2010 thanks to the digital age. New, established and emerging technologies like Twitter, YouTube, etc. will provide unfettered access to the tournament, and will undoubtedly change how fans view and follow the tournament.

In Vancouver, social media dictated much of what we watched and read. It was remarkable to be a part of it in Vancouver, and as said, that is what I will try to provide in this space.

So, to begin, a quick primer on what sites, athelets, bloggers etc. you should keep an eye on.

Grant Wahl. Man, I hate/envy Wahl. Great job, great writer. He can be found on InsideSoccer at SI.com. Better yet, he is running a blog that should be a great source of info and analysis.

Twitter. Quit hating it and sign up. Much like a RSS feed, Twitter gives you a wealth of options and updates - once you weed out those who feel it necessary to let everyone know that pasta is delicious, you can spend the majority of your work day reading tweets. Here is a starting point, from there, you're on your own (but follow me, too)

Bloggers. A colleague of mine, Thomas Michalakos, won the opportunity to blog on, yep, you guessed it, the Greek national team in South Africa for The Guardian UK. He's new to the blogosphere, but owns top-level credentials as a shot-stopper on Sportsnet's indoor soccer team. Also, follow him on Twitter.

A few more to follow: Steven Goff @SoccerInsder || US defender Oguchi Onyewu @OguchiOnyewu5 & Steve Nash @the_real_nash. Much like Wahl, I hate/envy Nash, big time. As an aside, I was part of the team that beat his at the 2008 MLS Media Cup in Toronto. Woot. Great soccer player, and he will be there, in South Africa, covering the event for CBSSportsline.

The opening match has the makings of being something special. And as of right now, is seven day, five hours & 44 minutes from kick-off.

Unlike the curtain-raiser in Germany 2006 (Germany 4: Costa Rica 2), the June 11 match between host South Africa and usual suspect Mexico might end up being more like the curtain-raiser in Korea/Japan 2002. As it stands, that first match between Senegal and France is in my pantheon of great games.

World Cup is almost here, enjoy:

Check back daily for more of my 'commentary'.