Canada lost 3—0 to Morocco on Saturday in Houston. There it is. The score, plain as a fence post. And it closes the book on one of the finest four-game runs this country has ever strung together at a World Cup.

Now, before you lean over and remind me that a loss is a loss, do me one small favour.

TAIT: Team Canada's World Cup journey a uniting force Back to video

Imagine, just for a minute, that Alberta went its own way Saturday. Its own country. Its own soccer team. Nothing fancy — a work in progress.

Go on. Picture it. Big plans. Bigger dreams. A whole federation stitched together out of pure hope. And the president’s office? A trailer. On a gravel lot. With a space heater that only fires up if you give it a kick. Twice. And then, naturally, apologize to it.

A decade away, maybe more, not from being a soccer power — from fielding a team at all. Eleven players. Socks that match. National colours still to be argued over at a folding table. A ball that, on a good day, holds air.

Keep the trailer in your mind, would you, as your thoughts drift back to the final whistle Saturday. Morocco 3, Canada 0. And wouldn’t you know it, even in a........

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