On Tuesday, just as we should be celebrating the kickoff of a third FIFA tournament on Canadian soil in just over a decade (how many have you hosted in this same period, England?), the age-old argument popped up yet again. You know the one. Canada plays a home game and the supporters of our opponent out-sing, out-chant and outright embarrass our soccer humble selves. Or do they? The latest case in point was Tuesday evening and - depending on which newspaper you read or website your frequent - there was either 500 or as many as 1,000 Ghanaians doing their level best to recreate the scenes of the 40,000 seat capacity national soccer stadium in Accra as they cheered on their Black Princesses to the 1-0 victory over the host nation. Lets be clear here - no manner of moaning and laying blame with the Canadian Soccer Association will change this. Football has endured in the hearts, minds and pulsating veins of most, if not all the 200-plus nations which make up planet FIFA, for generations. The beautiful game is a birthright. A lifestyle. Then factor in our splendidly diverse population - comprised of people from these very same FIFA nations. This holds especially true for all our major cities and urban areas, most of which are located by the border. Its why back in 2008, Saputo Stadium was overwhelmed by the unfamiliar blue of Honduras. A country whose citizens flocked in multitudes in support of their nation at no less a football event than a crucial World Cup qualifier. Not so much a travelling support from Tegucigalpa or the murder capital of the world San Pedro Sula. The car parks told the story as you saw license plates from numerous provinces and from as far away as those unfashionable states made famous by the Coen brothers. As some obsessively do the CSA, do we also blame with the Canadian Border Services Agency for this? Personally, I much prefer to take the read of our U-20 head coach Andrew Olivieri who spoke with TSN 690 Thursday evening. Olivieri didnt think there was any issue on Tuesday. "I dont think it was much of a problem at all, I think thats expected," he stated. "Anywhere you go there will always be visiting fans." Olivieri was spot on with his assessment of how things are slowly, but surely, improving soccer culture-wise - as Canadians in higher numbers and increasing decibels become emotionally connected to the worlds game. "You know what a few years ago there may be would have been more Ghanaians than Canadian fans," he added. "The progress our game has made has been fantastic, and the support we have been getting has been fantastic." This was clearly evidenced, in that very same stadium as Tuesdays game versus Ghana, on so many occasions during the Brazil 2014 qualification. It was a watershed moment off the pitch for the sport in Canada. Even the players at times seemed overwhelmed with the support. The scenes and sounds were unprecedented. Fever Pitch indeed. Last springs encounter between the London 2012 semi-final foes was much more memorable for what was happening on the terraces than on the pitch. Irony is a huge force for football supporters. My, how the 22,000 plus who packed into BMO Field let the 2011 World Cup runners up know this was anything but a friendly! Those days have been over since Old Trafford. Long gone are those days the CSA would look to pack the stands with the supporters of our opponents. Or organize half-time entertainment that was more in keeping with the traditions of the visiting nation. If the locals werent rushing to the box office and if having Ziggy Marley scrimmage with the mens national team during a media event 48 hours before 2006s Labour Day friendly versus Jamaica in Montreal would help inflate numbers then so be it. Im no CSA apologist, but what needs to be factored in to those less than halcyon days was the fact the governing body was so utterly dependent on ticket sales. Whilst across the hallways of Soccer House on Metcalfe Street, the phones in the sponsorship and partner departments werent exactly ringing off the hook. Although I would have preferred to have seen ex-pat Canadians in the same number and beer drinking volume as our Australian cousins during last falls MNT game in London we cant deny the fact our soccer culture is maturing. We are a developing soccer nation that will always hit bumps in the road on and off the pitch. And just like when a member of the family, a friend or close work colleague hits experiences adversity our job is simply to support and encourage. The same holds true for our football fandom. Its why were referred to as loyal supporters. None more so in the Canadian national team sense, than that truly inspiring football collective, The Voyageurs. Not sure the American Outlaws or for that matter many other supporter groups across planet FIFA can lay claim that their national domestic cup competition is named for them. My, how much I look forward to a World Cup Finals for Canada, when - just like in 1967 - the travelling Celtic support descended on Lisbon for the European Cup Final. So much did they enjoy their visit many Celtic supporters stayed on to take up residency in the Portuguese capital. Football culture at its most supreme. Makes you wonder how many eight-year old kids are running round the streets of Istanbul with John Lennon accents. In the meantime, our Under 20s are back on the pitch this evening. Heres to a packed and frenzied house as we go in search of a much needed three points. Ill sure to be wearing red and be rather loud in the stands, along with Baby Bear when we play our final group game in Montreal next Tuesday evening. As will most of her club teammates. Not confirmed at this point if North Korea has been given its own supporters section. 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Hall joined Bengals teammates for a voluntary workout on Monday. Hes got his mobility back and is on schedule to be ready for the season. CINCINNATI - Bengals cornerback Leon Hall is happy with his recovery from a torn Achilles tendon and expects to be ready for the start of training camp in July.EDMONTON -- The Edmonton Eskimos have had some dynamic receiving duos throughout the franchises history, and theyre hoping another is developing this year. Veteran slotbacks Fred Stamps and Adarius Bowman have shown they can be the one-two punch -- like Brian Kelly and Tom Scott in the 1980s or Ed Hervey and Terry Vaughn in the early 2000s -- that gives opposing CFL defences more trouble than they can handle a if they can stay healthy. In the Eskimos season-opening 27-20 win in Vancouver last weekend, Bowman had nine catches for 105 yards and the heavily guarded Stamps four for 40 yards. Both caught crucial touchdown passes. The Eskimos may never have another duo like Kelly and Scott, who terrorized CFL defences the five years they were together in Edmonton and were key players in the Eskimos five straight Grey Cup victories. But with the Eskimos preparing for their home opener tonight versus Hamilton, both Stamps and Bowman were anxious to establish themselves as a pair to be reckoned with. "Im going into my fourth year with Fred now and I think we go at each other, tandem with each other, so teams cant do double team and triple team on him when you have guys like me and Shamawd (Chambers) making plays," said Bowman. "So if everybody continues to do their roles and I continue to make my plays when they come, Freds going to do his thing." Last year, in 16 games, Stamps "thing" was 68 receptions for a CFL leading 1,259 yards and 11 touchdowns. Bowman played only the final nine games and had an impressive 44 catches for 697 yards and five TDs. The only season the two have played together for more than half a season was 2011 when they both played 15 games. Stamps had 82 catches for 1,153 yards and eight TDs while Bowman chipped in with 62 catches, an identical 1,153 yards and four TDs. The thought of both of them being healthy all season has them, along with quarterback Mike Reilly and thee Eskimos offence, salivating.dddddddddddd "Man, the skys the limit," Stamps, who has had five straight seasons of more than 1,000 reception yards, said of the pairs potential. "Its exciting to see something like that. Its big to have him back, healthy again. As the season goes on were going to get stronger and stronger." Reilly said the Stamps-Bowman duo gives defences multiple things to worry about on every play. "With them being on separate sides of the field it gives defences lots to think about," he said. "You cant push coverage to one side or the other because youre going to get exposed." One of the big questions with Stamps and Bowman is their health. Stamps, who will likely finish his career in the top two or three of virtually every Eskimo receiving statistical category, has played a full season only twice in his seven years in the league while Bowman has yet to get through an entire schedule in six years. "It feels good," Bowman said of his health after a leg injury kept him out of 25 games the last two seasons. "I had that little thought in my head last year when I came back, its not like theres total confidence about every step, plant and breaking and everything Im doing." After finishing last season and starting this one strong, that no longer appears to be a concern. The win in B.C., while it wasnt a particularly strong showing by the offence that simply made too many mistakes in the first half, was important for the confidence of both the team and Bowman. "For my confidence it was great," said the 6-3, 210-pound Bowman, adding the new offence installed by the new coaching staff is much better than last years. "Its better in terms of schemes, things that we can go into games with. I felt like we only used a small portion of what we have. When we can get to what we have, were going to be a better offence." Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '