ALSO: Canada – US Gold Cup QF, Huntsville adult rec and Strikers, MUFC, U21 Euro final, and Women’s WC coming soon

Sometimes I wonder if the TSN analysts who never won anything of consequence in their lives are watching the same matches I am.

Not going to name drop since certain people just love the attention, but one former player who was a part of TFC’s darkest days as a club and are now is a regular sports television pundit seems to have it in for our two Italian stars without looking anywhere else on the pitch.

At least the other soccer pundit from the same organization took aim at the whole situation from the people in suits to the people on the pitch – which is a fair way to look at things.

Granted, some criticism for Federico Bernadeschi and Lorenzo Insigne is certainly warranted. There have been times when they needed to be more clinical in front of goal or more supportive of their teammates.

But, for a player who never won anything of consequence and barely played in a top European league to trash a pair of players who have forgotten more about the sport that person will ever know, is nonsense.

The team had the wrong coach the past season and a half, has gone through a myriad of injuries to just about everyone, and there is an obvious a lack of depth.

As well, anyone watching live who actually has a football mind can see that both Benardeschi and Insigne have been thinking five steps ahead of everyone else – they would pass the ball into open spaces where their teammates should be, but find no one moving to the right spot.

That’s where their frustration came in, that’s where all the issues have been arising: two men playing chess, while the rest of the team was playing checkers.

Scapegoating the DPs also lets players like CJ Sapong and Mark Anthony Kaye (though he’s been better recently) off the hook. Sapong is awful. Like horrible. He’s also a Bob Bradley guy who was brought in to be a finisher and can’t finish.

Sapong’s touches are amateurish, his runs off the ball are mid at best, his finishing is sorely lacking, and he shouldn’t be on the pitch. As a person who frequents BMO Field on matchday, I have a first-hand view of these things.

Last Saturday at home with TFC playing a decent enough match and the Italians were trying to make things happen. When teams are game planning for you and daring anyone else to beat you, it’s an opportunity for other Reds to step up.

Sapong should have scored at least two easy sitters and messed them both up (which is not a surprise as he misses chances every single game). Other players on the team also missed opportunities to shoot or missed changes, but Sapong’s misses were the worst.

Go back and watch every TFC match and you’ll notice that if Sapong wasn’t so bad at his job as a striker, this season would be looking much different – maybe still with some issues, but with a lot more hope.

GOLD CUP Quarterfinals

The Gold Cup Quarterfinals are upon us and in a bit of a surprise, Canada is taking on the United States only a few weeks after losing in the Nations League final to their southern neighbours.

Facing each other at some point in the CONCACAF tournament is not surprising, but doing it prior to the semi-final round is. But, that’s what Les Rouges get for finishing second in their group with one win and two draws.

Though I still will be watching on Sunday, July 9 at 7:30 p.m. (OneSoccer, Fubo TV) in the hopes of an upset, the truth is the US will likely win this match en route to winning the whole tournament.

The other Quarterfinal Match-ups are Panama vs. Qatar (invitee), 7 p.m. on Saturday; Mexico vs. Costa Rica, 9:30 p.m. on Saturday; Guatemala vs. Jamaica, 5 p.m. on Sunday.

HUNTSVILLE SOCCER CLUB ROUND-UP

On Thursday night Experienced League Action, Canvas Brewing Co. and Aimee Sinclair Fitness played to a 1-1 draw, while the Dr. Marc – Algonquin Orthodontics team put in a valiant effort despite a 6-2 loss to the Best Life team.

Playing with only 9 men on the pitch from the outset, Dr. Marc’s were within striking distance of a draw or victory right until the last ten minutes, when a pair of breakaways padded the score. As well, Dr. Marc had two different players miss penalties.

On Monday night, Cottage Country Flowers came from behind to beat Muskoka Tea Company 7-3, and Kim O’Grady were full value with a 4-0 victory over The SportLab.

Week 7 Players of the Match were Sophie Small, Paige Smith, Rebecca Hamilton and Becky Herbener.

HUNTSVILLE STRIKERS ROUND-UP

On the Strikers rep development side of things, the U12 Boys team pummeled Bracebridge 10-1 on Canada Day.

Scorers for the Huntsville against Bracebridge were Bryce Farley (3), Evan Wallgren (2), Nate MacKinnon, Owen MacKinnon, Theodore Sternberg, Michael Timpano, and Parker Brummell. For Bracebridge, Jordan Solman scored the lone goal.

Meanwhile, the Huntsville U12 Girls fought to a 0-0 draw in Collingwood on Monday night.

And the U10 Boys hammered Bracebridge 11-1. Atticus Kuehnen led the way with four goals, with two each from Anderson Sawyer, Hunter Bradley and Henry Lapp, while David Lettress added the other.

MUFC ROUND-UP

Muskoka United FC’s U17 Boys team picked up a 3-0 win over Orillia this week with Noah Graham, Zach Caplan and Rowan Simpson scoring for MUFC.

The MUFC U15 Girls team continued a strong start to the season with a 4-0 victory over South Simcoe United. Goals were scored by Chase MacKinnon (2), Olivia Chapman, and Leah Maxwell. Their record thus far is 4-0.

The MUFC U14 Boys added to the good wins on the week, smashing North Simcoe 8-1. Goals for MUFC were score by Kyliam Coulombe (3), Callum Leese (2), Wolfgang Kuehnen (2), and James Norman Habel.

The MUFC I-Model teams that are done qualifying (U15 Boys and U14 Girls) will soon being their C2 campaigns, while the U17 Girls are still in the qualifying rounds of their division.

U21 European championships

The U21 Euros are down to the final two with England taking on Spain this Saturday, July 8 at noon.

England defeated Israel 3-0 in the semi-finals, while Spain beat Ukraine 5-1.

We’ll have to cheer for the baby Lions in this one because I have lots of nice English friends.

Fans in Canada can watch the match on UEFA.TV for free – just log in with an email or social media account.

Women’s world cup

It all kicks off on Thursday, July 20th with co-host New Zealand and Australia both in action, while Canada will also be playing on opening day.

The Canadian Women’s National Team will announce their roster for the World Cup on Sunday, July 9.

This column will have a World Cup preview ready for Friday, July 14, so keep following!

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