TORONTO -- The Canadian Soccer Association released its 2014-18 strategic plan Thursday, with an eye on a huge prize further down the line.http://www.soccerwalesshop.com/aaron-ramsey-wales-jersey/ . Hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup. "The process has to start now," CSA president Victor Montagliani said Thursday of a bid to stage "the grand-daddy of them all." Brazil is hosting the mens World Cup this summer, with Russia (2018) and Qatar (2022) in the wings. A 2026 bid would probably have to be filed around 2018. Canada is hosting the womens World Cup next year. Getting that right is key to being able to giving the mens tournament a shot. CONCACAF, which covers North and Central America and the Caribbean, has not hosted the mens World Cup since the U.S. in 1994. "Were the only G-8 nation to not host the World Cup," Montagliani added. "Weve hosted almost every other event .. I think its time for Canada to step up to the plate." By next year, Canada will have hosted every FIFA event except for the world futsal, beach and club championships and Confederations Cup. Montagliani says the World Cup bid is part of the new blueprints strategy to encourage growth in the game in Canada. Such a bid goes hand in hand with reviving a national mens team that currently ranks 111th in the world, sandwiched between Bahrain and Guatemala. While the Canadian women turned heads with a bronze medal at the 2010 Olympics, the men have not won since being knocked out of World Cup qualifying in a 8-1 humiliation in Honduras in October 2012. A 2-0 loss in Slovenia last November stretched the Canadian mens winless streak to 14 games. Canada is 0-11-3 over the streak and hasnt scored in 10 games. The winless run has seen the Canadian men outscored 27-2. Canada has not won since a 3-0 World Cup qualifying victory over Cuba in Toronto four days before the Honduras debacle. In the national teams defence, Canada has played tough opposition in Australia, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Denmark, Japan, Mexico, Panama, Slovenia and the U.S. And coach Benito Floro has looked to young talent since taking over the squad last summer. Montagliani pointed to the U.S. successful bid for the 94 World Cup. "When they bid for the World Cup, I wouldnt say the game was in a healthy state in the U.S. both professionally and domestically. Their leadership group decided to put a bid together and I think that was a bit of a lightning rod for people to come together." A World Cup bid would require eight to 12 stadiums with 10 the optimum, according to CSA general secretary Peter Montopoli. All would have to accommodate at least 40,000 with more for the venue for the final. The CFLs recent trend towards new stadiums and plans to revamp BMO Field in Toronto help the CSA cause although much work would remain, not to mention questions about artificial surfaces. "There are a lot of requirements from a hosting perspective for a mens World Cup," Montopoli acknowledged. "Its massive." FIFA, CONCACAF and the federal sport minister are aware of the CSAs intentions, he added. "We have been trying to get to the prime minister. Hes busy. But we will be getting to the prime minister on this file." CONCACAF seems on board, tweeting its congratulations on the CSAs "ambitious new strategic plan." A bid to co-host the World Cup was possible, with the subject already having been raised with U.S. Soccer, Montopoli said. With FIFA yet to issue its 2026 hosting guidelines, Montopoli said talk of a co-hosted bid "might be a little premature but it certainly is possible." The CSAs 2014-18 blueprint is titled "Leading a Soccer Nation." It is a pithy document divided into four goals with 27 sub-points. The four major goals are: 1) Invest in technical leadership. 2) Ensure consistent world-class performances by our national teams. 3) Govern the game in Canada professionally. 4) Encourage and oversee the grown of the game. The CSA plan also calls for mandating technical development across the country and establishing a national player database. The strategic plan was 18 months in the making with input coming from town hall meetings and an online survey (which got 3,000 responses). It also involved looking at the strategic plans of other sports in Canada including hockey, figure skating, volleyball and golf, as well as foreign soccer organizations from the U.S. and England to Mexico and the Netherlands. "Because we believe there was no point in re-inventing the wheel here," said Nick Bontis, director and chair of the CSAs strategic committee. Changes in CSA governance have made the association better able to institute its policies. The makeup of the CSA board is no longer made up of regional interests, with the emphasis on skill set rather than geography. Bontis says the new strategic plan will pay immediate dividends. "Weve never historically necessitated a certain behaviour by our provincial associations," said Bontis. "This strat (strategic) plan is the opposite. It necessitates certain behaviours." That includes provincial governance reform, investment in technical leadership and mandating provincial strategic plans. "Historically it was 10 different countries writing their own strat plans, their own technical plans, moving forward and somehow -- in some sort of magical way, Abracadabra -- the CSA was supposed to co-ordinate 10 national plans. That is something that needs to go away in the short-term." Bontis will be front and centre in the CSAs plan to create a national player database, allowing it to better leverage its 850,000-plus registered players. "We are in the year 2014 and we are archaic," he said. "Its an embarrassment how we register players across the country." "Harvesting a million registrants will have fundamental changes in the way we do business in soccer in Canada," he added. Players currently register with their local club, with the information and accompanying fees eventually flowing to the district and then the province and then the CSA. Bontis goal is for players to register nationally online, establishing a connection directly with the national program. Canada Soccer previously prepared a hosting bid for the 1986 FIFA World Cup, which was originally awarded to Colombia but then went to Mexico. That tournament marks Canadas lone participation in the event. Canada hosted the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 1987 (then known as the FIFA U-16 World Tournament), the U-20 Womens World Cup in 2002 and the U-20 World Cup in 2007. This summer will see another edition of the U-20 Womens World Cup in Canada with the Womens World Cup to follow in 2015. http://www.soccerwalesshop.com/ . Sixth-ranked Kvitova beat Roberta Vinci 6-3, 7-5 for an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the semifinals. The remaining doubles cant change the overall result. The Czechs face Germany in the final in November at home.http://www.soccerwalesshop.com/blank-wales-jersey/ . James Neal and Brandon Sutter each had a goal and an assist, and the Penguins won for the first time in four games, 4-1 over the Nashville Predators on Friday night.WINNIPEG -- Maybe its third time lucky for linebacker Ejiro Kuale, who has bounced around a bit since he was released by the Toronto Argonauts after the 2012 season ended with their Grey Cup win. As the Winnipeg Blue Bombers opened their main training camp Sunday, Kuale is one of the newcomers brought in to bolster a sagging defence that ranked overall where the Bombers finished 2013, in the CFL cellar with a league high 585 points against. After brief stints in Montreal and Saskatchewan in 2013, Kuale is entering his fifth year in the CFL in Winnipeg, where the Bombers are now coached by former Toronto special teams co-ordinator Mike OShea. The two have a lot of good things to say about each other. "He understands what its like to be a player," says Kuale, who played special teams in Toronto when OShea was there. "He approaches the game differently from any of the coaches Ive ever been around." The Bombers are in need of a middle linebacker after star Canadian Henoc Muamba jumped to the NFL and Kuale, six-foot-two, 238 pounds, is certainly a contender. "Theres good competition at that middle linebacker spot but Kuale is, having coached him in Toronto, hes a different type of player," said OShea. "Hes very physical. Hes always in great shape and he can be a leader, that sort of emotional type of leader for guys. Hes come in and hes not let us down." For someone who will turn 31 in July, Kuale showed no ill effects Sunday from a four-and-a-half-hour practice in weather that wouldnt have been out of place in his hometown of Daytona Beach, Fla. "I feel great today although I should have brought my old cleats, my brand new cleats have my feet hurting a bit. . . I pulled a rookie move, Im a vet, I should know better." Veteran offensive lineman Glenn January liked what he saw at camp. The O-line is another place the Bombers are looking to add talent. "Everyboody thinks they look good May 31 or June 1 but I think were looking pretty good," said January, entering his eight season in the CFL and sixth with the Bombers.http://www.soccerwalesshop.com/joe-ledley-wales-jersey/. After disappointing fans with as 3-15 season in 2013, January wasnt getting too bold in his predictions. "They should be expecting a better season than last year." But he says the labour dispute between the league and players isnt getting in the way of business on the field. "Its Day 1, lets focus on football." OShea agreed, saying he sees no signs the players have anything but playing football on their minds The defence is coached this season by Gary Etcheverry, another favourite of OShea who is known for taking an unusual approach. "We have to forget everything weve learned about football and buy into what coach Etch is trying to teach us," says Kuale. Defensive back Johnny Sears says its going to be unique and the kind of defence opposing teams may have a hard time preparing to battle. "You cant get a bead on it, its different," he says. "I might not be playing the position you see me playing today... The scouting report says `This guy plays here. Next week when they see us, I might play there for the first snap, who knows the rest of the game... I think thats a good advantage for us." The first day of camp brought its share of injuries. Former Detroit Lions running back Kevin Smith was sidelined with a hamstring pull when he jumped to make a catch early in practice. Canadian wide receiver Jordan Brescacin also had a hamstring injury. Canadian linebacker Jesse Briggs was favouring an arm but OShea said they didnt have a report on what might have happened. Offensive lineman Paul Swiston wasnt on the field and is still recovering from off-season surgery, said the coach. Defensive lineman Willie Moseley is expected to return in a couple of days from a muscle strain. Cheap Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL JerseysCheap Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys ' ' '
