After recent reports indicate that Chicago and Vancouver pulled out of the World Cup bidding cities for the United States and Canada, the host city shortlist, announced today, showed that North Doodletown, New York; La Junta, Colorado; and Foam Lake, Saskatchewan were still in the running to host the world's premier international soccer competition.

"We are proud to show our many hiking trails and scenic ruins to the international community," stated Doodletown mayor Rob Fredrikson. "We know that our Doodletown walking tour would help illustrate why the worlds game should come to North Doodletown."

While many cosmopolitan cities in the United States and Canada pulled out of the bidding process, smaller municipalities, townships and cities are seeing this as their chance to put in their bid.

"We have a water park for the kids, now," stated the mayor of Foam Lake, Carolyn Alberth. "And we have plenty of real estate for any of the international players looking to settle into our city. We are easily accessible right off the Yellowhead Highway and only 237 kilometers to Saskatoon."

Sources from within the joint bid indicate that the larger cities do not see the benefit from hosting the international tournament and the required protocols and rigors of being a host city, but that didn't phase La Junta mayor Raymond Figeroua who stated, "we will just pull some bleachers out from the school gymnasium, that should solve the attendance issues."

The Nutmeg News will have more on this as more international cities pull out of the joint bid process.