England and Scotland are separated by only 96 miles of border but, as play ended in the Euro 2008 qualification rounds, the difference in attitude among soccer fans on either side of the line is light years apart.

The Scots fell at the last hurdle, a controversial 2-1 loss to Italy that robbed them of qualification after a 12-game series that included two famous 1-0 wins over France. The term most commonly used to describe this latest near miss was Glorious Failure. And some comfort can be taken in that.

Initially disappointed at the final whistle of their last game, Scottish fans soon found themselves lifting their heads and smiling again, realizing that an exciting rebirth in Scottish soccer was unfolding before their disbelieving eyes.

Manager Alex McLeish, building on a stout program begun by Walter Smith, forged a group of promising individuals into a strong unit, earning universal praise for taking a small nation so close to the summit of European soccer.

Players like Alan Hutton and James McFadden or goalie Craig Gordon, have emerged from the qualifying round with soaring reputations and there's renewed interest from top clubs in Britain and Europe about what Scottish players have to offer.

Although England came equally close - one point would have put either side through - the contrast in emotions and expectations couldn't be more distinct. The English, losing at home 3-2 to Croatia, have failed miserably, if the reaction of their fans and media are anything to go by.

Manager Steve McClaren, under a barrage of criticism from Day 1, was fired immediately after and the general sense is that this is a soccer program in serious trouble. It not only needs to find a new manager, it also needs to find players who can cope with the intense pressure of playing for England.

Ironically, the previous manager, Sven-Goran Eriksson, who was also chased out of his job under similar circumstances, has proved again what an astute manager he is by immediately taking unfancied Manchester City into a top five place in the standings.

McClaren had shown himself to be a capable manager before the England job by taking Middlesborough to the UEFA Cup finals. But the England job is steadily proving to be an unmanageable task and anyone who takes on the responsibility as manager will find the burden of expectation from England's ravenous fans to be a crushing load.

The new manager will also have to cope with a player pool that looks to be in need of either a serious clearing out or a fresh approach to drawing the best from the remarkable level of talent available to choose from.

Given that most of the players likely to be selected for England's national team are already well rewarded financially by their clubs, it will take someone with a masterful touch to get the next England squad properly motivated and committed to winning.

Somehow, that manager will have to find a way to match the small-country attitude that has seen teams like Scotland and Croatia build tight, cohesive teams full of committed, selfless players.

But when one considers that the money paid to players by Premiership clubs helps to soften the blow of national team failure, it's a challenging task that no England manager may ever achieve.

North American fans should take heart in the performances of smaller nations like Scotland and Croatia. As soccer remains a minor sport in North America, it's fairer to compare what's going on within the US or Canadian programs with the smaller European nations than with powerhouses like Italy, Spain or Germany.

Americans have always had an ability to extract maximum sporting benefit from lesser resources due to an ability to focus the use of those resources. Add to that the growth in size and quality of MLS soccer and many of the key ingredients are coming together to support this premise:

Both Canada and the United States, a rivalry not unlike Scotland-England,  have every reason to be ambitious in the coming years. For Canada, just getting to a second World Cup would be achievement enough in the short term.

But the growing popularity of the game, larger numbers of players to work with and a bigger , soccer-savvy business base to draw financial support from give the United States a clear edge,

Enough of one to justify saying that America will win its first World Cup before England wins its second. 

An amazing weekend of stylish play and well-struck goals left Canadian soccer fans looking foward to the week ahead.

Both Toronto FC and Team Canada scored emphatic wins in what was, arguably, the best weekend Canadian soccer fans have seen in many years. And that's taking into account the 0-1 home loss suffered by the Montreal Impact to the Charleston Battery in USL play.

Ahhh, that Montreal-Charleston rivalry. Those teams HATE each other. Don't they?

Well, that loss aside, Canadian fans had to be up on their hind legs and howling at the feast of goals served up in Saturday's 3-0 thrashing of Guatemala by Canada, followed by Sunday's 4-0 branding by Toronto FC on an FC Dallas squad that looked all too eager to mount up and ride home.

For those who viewed both matches, there was extra satisfaction in watching two days of misery for Guatemalan forward Carlos Ruiz. The serial dive artist is known to his fans as El Pescadito(The Little Fish) , perhaps because his flopping antics make him look like a well-hooked bass on a dock.

He was on the losing end for both games, earning a yellow card for a nasty elbow that split open Canadian defender Richard Hastings head, then 'showing up' for Dallas a day later and getting another yellow for chirping. Is their a Spanish word for 'schadenfreude"?

Toronto FC couldn't have found a better way to bid a temporary goodbye to the friendly confines of their BMO Field. They'll be on the road for their next six games as the U-20 World Cup tournament evicts them until late July.

They'll set off brimming with confidence, having raised their W-L-T record to 4-6-1, an impressive turnaround from an 0-4-0 start. And for a team that couldn't find the net through that initial four-game losing streak, Toronto has begun delivering goals that are pure eye candy.

It continued on Sunday, as defender Kevin Goldthwaite sold the Brooklyn Bridge on a cutback move that almost had his Dallas marker sliding into the beer garden behind the goal. His follow-up cross resulted in a first-ever goal for top rookie Maurice Edu.

Carl Robinson honored his daughter's Father's Day wishes to get a goal and planted a neat header in off the bar for his first goal in Toronto colours. Even the near misses are drawing oohs and ahhs.

Coming a day after Canada demolished Guatemala with three first-half goals, with Ali Gerba slicing home a sharp right footer to cap a dazzling, seven-pass masterpiece,  Canadian fans have to wonder what has happened to the stodgy punt-and-plod that was a hallmark of their game for decades.

Respected for defending well and breeding decent goalies, Canada has never been associated with eye-catching buildups or highlight-reel goals. It looks like it's all about to change.

This edition of the national team is full of atheticism, skill and quick minds, but most importantly, high-level playing experience .

No longer forced to rely on a conservative game plan based on defending well and making the most of set pieces, Canada can mix the power of sturdy veteran Dwayne De Rosario and the distribution and work rate of winger Martin Nash with the agile close control of Atiba Hutchinson and the playmaking and decisive touch of Julian De Guzman.

Thursday's Gold Cup semi-final with the United States in Chicago should provide an excellent examination of this blossoming soccer program. When you factor in these results with the promise of Canada's U-20 side, it's becoming clearer that the Canadian game has never been healthier.

And with a club side like Toronto FC giving Canadian youngsters an attractive  target to aim for in their future playing aspirations, the chances of this country experiencing another loss of talented players like Owen Hargreaves or Jonathan De Guzman become smaller all the time.