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“Not only that, youth training is an issue. I didn’t start until I was 13. I think a lot of it has to do with the youth and grassroots and also players having to leave their country to find professional environments.”

The soccer landscape in Canada is changing.

In Edmonton, the local Scottish Society commissioned a 12,540 square-metre dome, housing a full-size field, allowing hundreds of teams to play the traditional game year-round.

The Canadian Premier League is set to kick off this spring, giving Canadian players an opportunity to play professionally at home in markets outside of Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.

“The Canadian men’s team should be at the top (of CONCACAF), it should be equal with the likes of the U.S.A.,” Ricketts said. “We have the players, we have the economical structure, we just need to provide the players with the facilities and I think that will be the next step.

“Being a part of the national team, we would be happy to train here (Edmonton Soccer Dome) in the winter months. With the CPL, they’ll get full advantage of this facility. This is what we need to grow soccer in Canada and the level of Canada in the future. More facilities like this across Canada will fuel the kids and give them better environments to train all year round.”

“It’s trending in the right direction. We have the right people in charge and they’re changing the little things the maybe held us back in the past. I’m very happy with the state of it right now and being the part of many transitions, many coaches, I see it heading in the right direction and I’m very excited for the future of Canada soccer.”

Canada has not qualified for a FIFA World Cup since 1986, the only time they competed in the tournament. They have not made it to the final round of CONCACAF qualifying (the Hex) since 1998.