Welcome to the Starting XI, a new weekly series that examines some of the current soccer news around MLS, CPL as well as the men's and women's national teams.



1. I had a chance to speak to a few members of the Canadian women’s national team after their fifth-place finish at this month’s Algarve Cup in Portugal. While there was some obvious disappointment in not winning the tournament, those I spoke to were generally pleased with their results given that it was their first tournament under new coach Kenneth Heiner-Moller.



What struck me was how much more of a collaborative the women’s team could be with Heiner-Moller at the helm and how the decision-making power could sway more toward those on the pitch than on the sidelines.



“We typically work out our challenges collectively and then we relay back to the staff and we’re able to come up with a solution,” said one of the players. “As players, we love that we have that...