Off to the bright lights of... Sudbury

Dropped by to farewell my godson, who is off to take up a soccer scholarship at Laurentian University. This lockdown came at entirely the wrong time for his development, but he is a very tidy player and would fit into most teams.

The problem with players trying to make it over here is, of course, exposure. (Not the type related to excessive cold - just the lack of getting into the field of vision of a scout.) There is none. Nicolas would no doubt have been picked up by a non-league side in England, if not a League 1 or 2 team. Then it is about development and down, entirely, to him.

The Canadian Soccer Association are a complete joke. Football is organized so badly over here that it comes across as being, well, not organized at all. They go about it all wrong. There is nothing local, nothing regional, nothing for kids to aspire to. A joke, really.

But Nico will go to Sudbury, get his degree and no doubt do well. He is a great kid and has a fantastically supportive father. His godfather is a bit crap, but he's known that for a while.