The quadrennial World Cup that kicks off Friday may be the planet's biggest excuse for a party, and Canadians will be joining in with gusto, wrote The Canadian Press June 10 in a story picked up by the Guelph Mercury, TheSpec.com and the Times & Transcript (Moncton):

With its ethnic diversity and soccer-crazy immigrants, cities such as Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver become unique places to experience a month-long spectacle that dwarfs the Olympics.

“Canada is a wonderful place to watch the game, partly because people shift allegiances as they go along,” said Pablo Idahosa, a social science professor in York’s Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies. “People, once their team is out there's that disappointment, but then they can go on to cheer for another team.”

The complete story is available on TheSpec.com.