SoccerCanada's pride of ownership

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I am currently house hunting. This Englishman's Canadian castle has been sold which will render the vendor homeless midway through the World Cup unless he finds something suitable in the near future.
 
Finding 'something suitable', it turns out, is easier said than done. This is due, in part, to the way in which some estate agents market their clients' homes. Suffice to say I am now up to speed with the industry lingo.
 
Descriptions such as "stunning" and "immaculate" accompany many of the properties for sale. The fact most of them are neither just means the agent is being, shall we say, 'creative' in his or her attempt to drum up interest from people like me.
 
A phrase with which I have become familiar in recent days is "pride of ownership". It is intended to convey a message of a solid property, which has been meticulously maintained and is in prime condition for a prospective buyer.
 
My wife and I have stopped going to see such stock. From what we can tell, pride of ownership is actually agent-speak. Roughly translated, it means the dwelling is still standing but is going to need thousands of dollars spent on renovations to drag it into the 21st century and make it habitable.
 
I was fortunate to witness pride of ownership of an entirely different kind this past weekend. While Toronto FC was out of town, I was asked to MC the Ontario Soccer Association's annual awards banquet. It is, as you might imagine, a gathering of the great and the good of the province's soccer achievers.
 
The accolades flowed thick and fast. Those honoured, including a referee who has taken charge of some 6,000 games, were all worthy recipients. All were warmly applauded to the stage where a member of the OSA executive handed over the memento as flashbulbs illuminated the room.
 
A turn of the page completely changed the atmosphere. The general murmur, audible from the announcer's podium, suddenly ceased. Heads were turning eager to catch a glimpse of Canada's over-achievers. It was time to recognize a team of Canadian champions.
 
"Canada doesn't win much in soccer" I began. It wasn't in the OSA's carefully prepared script, but in that moment it just felt right. "So when it does, it is something to be celebrated by all who care about the game in this country," I continued.
 
The applause was already building as I attempted to continue the story. People began standing and cheering as I described Canada's dramatic victory at the 2010 CONCACAF U17 women's championship. Eleven members of the squad were from Ontario and the OSA wanted to highlight their success.
 
One by one the team was announced and the girls made their way to the stage accompanied by a thunderous standing ovation. If they didn't comprehend quite what they had achieved in March down in Costa Rica, here was validation for their collective effort.
 
The final name called to the stage was that of coach Bryan Rosenfeld. His players were only too happy to lead the applause. Rosenfeld, the former Hamilton Steelers and Toronto Blizzard goalkeeper, created champions from a team he had barely two months to put together.
       
His brief address was simple and straightforward. He spoke with passion about how each and every member of his team bought into an all-for-one mentality and how that approach, combined with discipline and hard work, helped the team stifle the favoured Americans to reach the final.
 
There is no tangible reward for this team. There are no fat contracts awaiting these youngsters, no major sponsorship endorsements for them to sign. In time, some may join the ranks of Women's Professional Soccer in the USA like a number of their senior counterparts.
 
For the time being, there is only gratitude and pride. Rosenfeld's team will soon begin preparing for the FIFA U17 World Cup, which takes place in Trinidad and Tobago in September. Canada and Mexico, along with the hosts, will represent CONCACAF. The 2008 finalists, the U.S., will not be in attendance.
 
Junior women's soccer is a long, long way short of the sport's pinnacle. The game, as played by amateur teenagers, bears little resemblance to the World Cup extravaganza little more than a month away.
 
But all champions share a common bond. Champions earn the right to be praised and, in this case, Canada has earned the right to be proud.

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