Sporting Madness

A quick note that I'll be staying up to live-blog the opening game of the Canadian women's soccer team's quest for Olympic gold (yes, they start before Friday's opening ceremonies). Kick-off is at 4:45 ET (1:45 PT) this coming morning, and the game can be seen live on CBC. I'll also have notes from the Brazil-Germany match, which will be streaming live on CBCsports.ca. For background on the team and the competition, check out this excellent Ed Willes piece in the Vancouver Province , striker Kara Lang's blog on the Province's website, Gary Ahuja's excellent piece on defender Randee Hermus in the Langley Times or Duane's preview over at Out of Left Field . Hope to see you in the live-blog comment thread!

To make a Major League Soccer franchise, you will need: - One (1) large metropolitan area with a long soccer tradition - One (1) billionaire owner committed to building a soccer-specific stadium at his own expense - At least three (3) natural rivals either in the league , entering the league , or pushing for an expansion slot . - 48, 172 fans who come out for a mere exhibition game against an MLS side (granted, one with a noted superstar ) - One (1) prominent and highly recognizable Canadian soccer player , national coach, Hall of Fame member, club coach, star executive, team president, spokesperson , TV commentator and newspaper columnist to helm the franchise bid. - One (1) soccer-specific waterfront stadium (NOTE: Highly desirable, but can be replaced temporarily by the following concoction: one (1) aging stadium that's shown it can handle high-level soccer matches , one (1) provincial premier willing to step into the breach left by local authorities and spend money on spor...