TORONTO -- The Canadian Soccer Association released its 2014-18 strategic plan Thursday, with an eye on a huge prize further down the line. 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. . -- Arizona coach Bruce Arians says there "were obviously very, very many problems" with the officiating in the Cardinals 24-21 loss at Philadelphia. . Canadas 5-1 loss to Finland in the semifinal ranks as the tournaments most-watched game with a record 2.7 million viewers, the largest ever for a World Juniors game played outside of North America, and winning Saturday as the most-watched program on Canadian television.
http://www.thejaguarsfansshop.com/Jagua ... ersey/.com) - Colorado forward P. .Kessy tried to show what he can do playing left wing for the Oilers in 5-0 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday in pre-season action. .com) - Al Horford collected 19 points and 16 rebounds and the Atlanta Hawks held off a furious rally to beat the Detroit Pistons 106-103 on Friday night in a game between two of the NBAs hottest teams.Charlotte, NC (SportsNetwork.com) - The Charlotte Hornets used a dominant second quarter to crush the Minnesota Timberwolves 105-80 on Monday afternoon. The Hornets shot 12-of-22 from 3-point range overall to win for the seventh time in their last eight games. Gerald Henderson and P.J. Hairston each hit three triples, and Henderson led Charlotte with 17 points. Brian Roberts added 16 points and five assists for Charlotte, and the Hornets reserves outscored Minnesotas by a 52-31 margin. The Timberwolves lost for the second time in three games despite 18 points from Thaddeus Young. Andrew Wiggins added 12, but shot just 3-of-14 from the field. Final Score: Washington 111, Philadelphia 76 Washington, DC (SportsNetwork.com) - Marcin Gortat had 20 points to lead seven Washington Wizards who scored in double figures during a 111-76 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday. The Wizards led the Martin Luther King Jr. Day game for the final 42 minutes and were ahead by double digits over the last 38 1/2. Kevin Seraphin scored 14 points off the bench and John Wall had 11 points and 10 assists for the Wizards, who have won seven of their last nine. Nene added 12 points while Paul Pierce, Bradley Beal and Otto Porter each scored 10. The Wizards shot better than 55 percent from the field, making half of their 14 3-pointers. They outrebounded the Sixers 53-30. Henry Sims led Philadelphia with 13 points. Jerami Grant scored 12 and Nerlens Noel had 11 with seven rebounds, three assists and four steals, but Michael Carter- Williams shot just 2-for-13 for seven points. The Sixers have lost four of their last five on the heels of a 3-1 stretch. Final Score: Atlanta 93, Detroit 82 Atlanta, GA (SportsNetwork.com) - Paul Millsap and Mike Scott scored 20 points apiece and the sizzling Atlanta Hawks beat the Detroit Pistons 93-82 on Monday for their 13th consecutive win. Atlanta has won 27 of its last 29 games and is one victory shy of tying the longest winning streak in franchise history set in 1993. Al Horford, named Eastern Conference Player of the Week on Monday, accounted for 14 points, seven assists and six rebounds in the win. Greg Monroe had a big game in defeat, scoring 16 points and tying a career high with 20 rebounds. Fellow big man Andre Drummond totaled 13 points and 18 rebounds for Detroit. Final Score: LA Clippers 102, Boston 93 Los Angeles, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - DeAndre Jordan scored 19 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked six shots to help the Los Angeles Clippers survive a late Boston Celtics rally in Mondays 102-93 win. The Clippers led by as many as 23 in the third quarter but allowed the Celtics to get as close as three late in the game before escaping with their third win in their last four games. Blake Griffin led Los Angeles with 22 points and the Clippers also received 16 points from both J.J. Redick and Jamal Crawford. Boston fell for the fifth time in its last six games despite getting 59 points from its bench. Brandon Bass paced the Celtics with 17 points and Marcus Thornton chipped in 15 while shooting 3-of-6 from 3-point range. Marcus Smart scored 14 with four triples and seven assists, and Evan Turner contributed 10 points and 10 rebounds. Final Score: Golden State 122, Denver 79 Oakland, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Klay Thompson led five players in double figures with 22 points as Golden State pounded Denver by a 122-79 count on Monday. Stephen Curry went for 20 ppoints and eight assists for the Warriors, who have won two in a row since a 12-point loss in Oklahoma City over the weekend and improved to 10-1 in their last 11 outings.ddddddddddddShaun Livingston and Leandro Barbosa each contributed 12 points and James Michael McAdoo had 11 in the rout as Golden State tied a franchise record with its 16th consecutive home victory. Ty Lawson netted 19 points and six rebounds for the Nuggets, who have dropped three straight games after winning five in a row. Jameer Nelson totaled 14 points and dished out five assists in defeat. Final Score: Dallas 103, Memphis 95 Memphis, TN (SportsNetwork.com) - Monta Ellis scored 25 points and the Dallas Mavericks pulled away for a 103-95 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday. Dallas ended the game on a 14-4 run after Mike Conleys 3-pointer gave Memphis its first lead since the first quarter with 4:03 remaining. The Southwest Division-leading Grizzlies missed nine of their last 10 shots and had a four- game winning streak snapped. Dirk Nowitzki got eight of his 21 points in the game-ending run and Chandler Parsons scored 15 for the Mavericks, who pulled within a half-game of Memphis lead atop the division. Conley returned after missing two games with an ankle injury and scored 22 to lead the Grizzlies. Marc Gasol added 20 points and Zach Randolph scored 18 with 15 rebounds. Final Score: Houston 110, Indiana 98 Houston, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - James Harden poured in a season-high 45 points to lead the Houston Rockets in a 110-98 win over the Indiana Pacers on Monday. Harden scored 33 after halftime and was one point off his career high set back on Feb. 20, 2013 against Oklahoma City. Dwight Howard totaled 14 points and 17 rebounds, while Corey Brewer chipped in with 13 points off the bench for Houston. C.J. Miles and Donald Sloan went for 23 and 17 points, respectively, off the Indiana bench. The Pacers have dropped five straight games. Final Score: New York 99, New Orleans 92 New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Its over. Carmelo Anthony had 24 points and nine rebounds as the New York Knicks snapped their franchise-record 16- game losing streak following a 99-92 victory over the Anthony Davis-less New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night. The Pelicans trimmed a 15-point first half deficit to a point with under two minutes left when Tyreke Evans connected on a runner in the paint. Omer Asik was called for a foul with less than a second on the shot clock a bit later and with the time winding down again, Anthony found a wide open Jose Calderon in the right corner. Calderon, who had been 1-of-9 at that point, nailed the 3-pointer to stake the Knicks to a 96-92 advantage with 32.7 seconds left. Ryan Anderson was off on a right corner triple at the other end and Anthony sealed the outcome by making 3-of-4 from the foul line down the stretch. Langston Galloway netted 21 points and Amare Stoudemire added 14 points and six rebounds off the bench for the Knicks, who hadnt won since Dec. 12 against the Boston Celtics. They turned the ball over just four times. New Orleans was not only without Davis for a third straight game due to a left toe sprain, Jrue Holiday also missed his third consecutive contest due to right ankle imflammation. Evans finished with 23 points and nine rebounds, while Asik added 11 points and 17 boards for New Orleans, which has dropped five of its last eight games. ' ' '
