Also: Leagues Cup kicks off, Huntsville and Muskoka updates, and trophies for Italia and Mexico

Many will point to the missed penalty kick by the legendary Christine Sinclair and say that’s why Canada settled for a draw against Nigeria in their World Cup opener on Thursday night (Friday aft in Australia).

The reasons for the draw go well beyond that one moment. A lack of bravery when shooting opportunities presented themselves, a lack of a finishing touch, and very little creativity in the final third all contributed to the loss – I mean, draw.

But, it kind of felt like a loss. Especially considering for the majority of the match Canada was in full control, moving the ball around the pitch with a lot of class at will despite the Nigerian strategy to defend staunchly and foul with reckless abandon.

Still, an opening match draw that gets one point on the board against a tough opponent isn’t the worst situation. They got to experience the type of physical battle that Ireland will be bringing to their Group B match on Wednesday, July 26 (8 a.m. EST) and can work on the attacking third between now and then.

That game will need to be a win, and a quality win of two or more goals, for the seventh-ranked Canadians to establish themselves in this World Cup as a contender. As the defending Olympic champions, and one of the top talented sides in the world, it’s time to act like it.

Canada finishes the Group stage against the No. 11 ranked co-hosts Australia on Monday, July 31 (6 a.m. EST).

Other results from Thursday included both host nations winning 1-0 – New Zealand over Norway and Australia over Ireland, while early Friday morning matches saw Switzerland top Philippines 2-0 and Spain beat Costa Rica 3-0.

Other upcoming matches of note . . .

The top-ranked defending World Cup champion United States kicks off their campaign against Vietnam Friday night at 9 p.m. EST; England takes on Haiti at 5:30 a.m. EST on Saturday; Netherlands and Portugal play Sunday at 3:30 a.m.; France faces Jamaica at 6 a.m. Sunday; while Monday features Italia vs Argentina at 2 a.m., Germany vs Morocco at 4:30 a.m. and Brazil against Panama at 7 a.m.

Visit FIFA Women’s World Cup for the full schedule, result and groups.

All Matches are available on TSN channels and apps.

LEAGUES CUP GETS UNDERWAY

The Leagues Cup between MLS and Liga MX teams gets underway this weekend as both leagues take a break to focus on the month long, World Cup-style tournament.

Canada’s three MLS teams each will be taking on one MLS and one Liga MX club in their respective groups. There are 15 groups with the top two from each group joining LAFC and Pachuca (who received byes into the round of 32) in the knockout rounds.

Toronto FC is in the East 3 group and will be facing New York City on Wednesday, July 26 away before hosting Atlas at BMO Field on Sunday, July 30. If TFC can get some of their starters healthy and on the same page, it’s a chance for them to pick up some positive momentum and maybe get some results.

Montreal is in East 2 against D.C. United and Pumas UNAM, which means they have as good a chance as anyone to go through. Montreal hosts Pumas at Saputo Stadium on Saturday, July 22 and also hosts DC United on Wednesday, July 26.

Vancouver is in the West 3 group against LA Galaxy and Club León. They host León Friday, July 25 before travelling to LA on Saturday, July 29.

Oh, and some guy named Lionel Messi is expected to make his Inter Miami in this tournament.

Things to Know about the Leagues Cup

There are no ties in Leagues Cup 2023. In the group stage, each team receives one point if the game is tied after 90 minutes. The winner of the subsequent penalty shootout will earn an additional point. Regulation wins count as three points.

The knockout rounds will be single elimination and results will matter as the third place match winner plus both finalists quality for the CONCACAF Champions League. Meanwhile, the champion gets a direct qualification into the Champions League round of 16.

MLS Season Pass on Apple TV will have all the Leagues Cup matches.

HUNTSVILLE STRIKERS ROUND-UP

On the Strikers rep development side of things, the U12 Girls took a couple tough losses this week against Sudbury (1-0) and South Simcoe United (2-0).

The U11 Girls suffered a 4-0 defeat away to North Bay, but they showed great heart and fight throughout the match.

The U12 Boys lost a close one, 3-2 against North Bay this week. Evan Wallgren scored both goals for Huntsville.

The U10 Boys lost to Sudbury 5-2 on Sunday before bounding back the next night with a 1-0 win over North Bay. Hunter Bradley and Atticus Kuehnen score against Sudbury. Sam Melson scored the winner against North Bay.

MUFC ROUND-UP

The Muskoka United U17 Boys were knocked out of the HDSL Cup with a 4-3 loss to Orillia. A last minute penalty was awarded to Orillia in the match. Noah Graham scored twice and Alfie Napper added the other for MUFC.

The U17 Girls lost to FC Emery on Wednesday in I-Model qualifying.

The U15 Girls had an up-and-down week. After being eliminated in HDSL Cup play with a 1-0 loss tp Collingwood, they rebounded with a 2-0 win over North Bay to continue their strong league form. Maisy Moore and Jamie DeMos scored for MUFC.

The U13 Girls tied North Bay 1-1 on July 10 with Andi Stevenson scoring before falling 9-0 on July 17 to Unionville in I-model C2 division play.

HUNTSVILLE SOCCER CLUB ROUND-UP

On Monday night Huntsville Women’s Soccer League action, Cottage Country Flowers held on for a narrow 2-0 victory over The SportLab to seal first place in league play, with Muskoka Tea Company topping Kim O’Grady 3-1.

Week 9 ‘Player of the Match’ awards were presented to Riley Giles, Alina Leffler, Hilary Wisenden and Maggie Pitts.

On Monday, July 24, the playoffs take place with a champion to be crowned.

Italia wins U19 EuroS, mexico gold cup champs

After several defeats by Italian club and national teams this year in either final or semi-final matches, the U19 Azzurrini deseverdly defeated Portugal 1-0 in their UEFA European Championship final last weekend.

On the same day, the Mexican national team also won 1-0 to claim the CONCACAF Gold Cup for the 9th time.

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