Tonight is the CSA and Umbro Canada's big night, when we all learn exactly what the new special centenary celebrating kit will look like as well as finding out the schedule of games over the 2012 season.
Will the kit be something retro, inspired by some great moment or iconic kit from the last 100 years, or an entirely new design with some kind of small nod to history in it somehow? It's stayed very under wraps so far, though was a hint given away in that youtube video Umbro Canada put out a couple of weeks back? The one that is now mysteriously not on youtube anymore. Who knows, let's just hope it's a little more original than 2011's Huddersfield Town (home)/St Johnstone's (away) inspired combo.
As for the schedule, we know that the men's team will be playing Armenia in Cyprus on February 29th, that there'll be a centenary celebrating friendly somewhere in Canada, sometime in early June against the U.S, and that Canada will have home games against Honduras on the 12th of June, against Panama on September 7th and against Cuba on October 12th. We also know that the women will be playing at the Olympics in London this summer. Today's the day we find out any other games, and just where exactly all those games will be played.
Will Vancouver's impressive crowds for the Women's Olympic Qualifying tournament be too little too late to overcome the players' concerns about playing on BC Place's artificial surface? Will the CSA try to build on the shaky momentum established in 2011, yet run the risk of large immigrant followings showing up by having all the games in Toronto? Will they go to other places, like Montreal or even Moncton if they think that's where the biggest hometown advantage will be found?
All that information will be revealed tonight, and all of Waking the Red's Ontario based reporters will be there live and in person to get all sorts of footage for you, you lucky bastards. For those of you stuck at home, you can follow along with the CSA's live stream, but if you can't do that, join me here where I'll be updating the best I can with all the pertinent info, and hopefully some random extra details of the evening.