Ottawa —
It was the kind of pitch-perfect evening amateur soccer players and their parents dream of all winter. Months of withering brutal weather gave way to soccer abandon on the turf, as two of Ottawa’s best junior teams clashed in the sunlight.
Watching on the sidelines was Nathaniel Salhani, a soccer-obsessed 8-year-old who could not wait to get the words out when asked if he was excited about Canada hosting the World Cup.
“I’m going to the Canada, Ireland soccer game!” he beamed.
His mother was beaming too.
“We deserve this, to finally be recognized as a soccer nation,” said Nathaniel’s…