Plus, Canada-US Gold Cup fiasco, Huntsville Indoor Soccer update, three-way battle for EPL title, and is Inter Milan second best in the world?

Two solid defensive performances resulting in clean sheets. Four away points against two tough opponents. The MLS goal of the week from Lorenzo Insigne. Federico Bernadeschi putting in work befitting a Designated Player. Sean Johnson doing Sean Johnson things.

Etcetera, Etcetera.

There is a lot to be positive about as Toronto FC heads into their home opener at BMO Field today.

Sure, it’s a long season and the Reds are a work in progress, but this feels better than anything we saw last season when even the wins felt empty.

Perhaps the only thing not to like about the home opener is the forecast of rain throughout the day (though the gametime forecast was looking much better as the week went on). Let’s hope the football gods provide some reprieve from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Those planning to be in attendance would do well to have rubber boots and a poncho – especially if their seats are in an uncovered spot in the stadium – and a plastic bag to carry a towel or two.

If the forecast stays true and the game features rain and a wet pitch, we probably won’t get the showcase of attacking intent gaffer John Herdman would want for a home match.

However, getting three points any way possible in the home opener will be a happy result for the players, coaches, team staff, and the supporters.

No prediction due to the potential weather impact but hoping for a quality result.

GOLD CUP FIASCO

Since we’re on the wet and wild topic, is there anyone (other than the nincompoops that forced the match to occur) who thought it was a good idea to play that Canada-US in a swimming pool?

The Gold Cup organizers and match officials in charge of making that call are so very lucky nothing serious happened to any of the players because there were serious safety risks being taken.

It was a poor choice to play that match at all, and though I was sad at the result (a 2-2 draw followed by the US winning in penalties), the thing is even if Canada won, I would still admonish the game being played at all.

Sure, they can say the 2-2 draw that went to penalty kicks had excitement (and there were bits of excitement) but the overall play was horrid due to the garbage surface that was more puddles than pitch.

The pitch was favourable to the US team as they are in transitionary period where an aging, slowing and skill diminished Alex Morgan is still a starter.

The Canadians on the other hand have several dynamos ready to take the mantle left by the GOAT Christine Sinclair, not the least of which is Jessie Fleming, a goddess on the pitch and midfield maestro who would have shredded the Stars and Stripes on a proper field.

Though Canada won’t get a Gold Cup trophy, the good news is that they can feel confident about their chances of defending their gold medal at the Olympics this summer.

Let’s just hope the Olympic officials don’t make them play soccer in the pool.

BRILLIANT BLUE MOON TAKES TITLE

Blue Moon have officially clinched the 2024 Huntsville Indoor Soccer League title with three matches to spare after beating Your Mum 15-11 on Tuesday night.

Unfortunately, due to a March Break bye week, they’ll have to wait until the evening of March 19 to savour the title and bask in the glory due to waiting on the results of the other matches.

Blue Moon has remained undefeated throughout the year, with Captain Chris O pleased as contributions have come from every player on the roster.

The skillful and speedy duo of Doug Allen and Braeden Thompson have been the offensive punch, Graham Thompson has provided a veteran presence, Mark Gomes provides a bit of everything, and Kate Kerr is the spark plug of the team.

Opare Akini started the year with the squad but left after three matches due to personal reasons.

As the league coordinator Melanie Mercier and Your Mum captain noted on Friday afternoon, when the announcement was made that Blue Moon were indeed champions, “everyone else is now playing for second.”

Indeed, with 18 points up for grabs after March Break, there is still a lot to play for: three teams are tied at nine points apiece and only separated by goal differential, while fifth place has six points and the bottom place team has five.

The other results on Tuesday, March 5 saw Golazos move into a second-place tie with Thunder FC and The Eh Team after beating the latter 10-3. Meanwhile, Thunder FC played to a thrilling 10-10 draw with Grape Soda.

Standings

THREE-WAY EPL BATTLE

Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal are all battling for the English Premier League title this year at the same time all three are still in contention for European glory.

Manchester did away with Copenhagen 3-1 (6-2 over two legs) on Wednesday to advance to the quarterfinals in the Champions League, while Liverpool waltzed over Sparta Prague in the first leg of their Europa League round-of-16 tie on Thursday.

That leaves both teams with options regarding who will play in this Sunday’s battle at Anfield (11:45 am EST kick-off time) as European rotation isn’t a concern. Only injuries will prevent any top players from this top-of-table tie that could well decide the rest of the season’s outcomes.

A Liverpool win gives them a four-point lead over the defending champions from the blue side of Manchester, a draw keeps the two sides separated by a point, and a City win would almost certainly mean another title for Pep Guardiola’s boys.

The outlier here is last season’s EPL runners up from London, the Arsenal. They could be in first place once this weekend is said and done if they manage to win over Brentford at home (Saturday at 12:30 p.m.), which would give them a one-point advantage over Liverpool before Sunday’s big match.

An Arsenal win means a Liverpool-Man City draw would have the Gunners and Reds tied at 64 points in first place and the Citizens in second at 63 points.

Of course, anything less than a win for Arsenal would certainly put them out of the hunt for the EPL title.

Which brings us to the fact they have the second leg of their Champions League round-of-16 tie with Porto at home on Tuesday and they’re trailing 1-0 after losing in Portugal.

That means manager Mikel Arteta has a big call to make this weekend … play his strongest side against Brentford to go after the Premier League that eluded him last year, or balance with an eye towards the Champions League.

Truthfully, Arsenal could win both matches over the next five days and still end up trophyless … they could even win the Porto match 1-0 and end up losing in penalties after extra time. That’s unlikely though as the Gunners are strong enough to win both and keep fighting deep into both the league and European seasons.

INTER MILAN IS THE SECOND-BEST TEAM IN THE WORLD RIGHT NOW

Okay, okay, there are other teams that could be in the running behind Manchester City, who are likely the best team in the world for now. Also, remember this is coming from an AS Roma fan, so understand it’s hard for me to write this.

But Inter Milan were oh so close to winning the Champions League last season, have a foot in the proverbial quarterfinal door this year, are so far ahead at the top of Serie A that they can focus on the Champions League and risk dropping domestic points, and have one of the most feared/sought after managers in the world.

Inter’s Mister, Simone Inzaghi, has the Nerazzurri playing like world beaters and could end up clinching the Scudetto very early this year.

They’ll play at fourth place Bologna on Saturday at noon before the Wednesday showdown with Atletico in Madrid. While it won’t be easy against the Spanish side, the truth is the first leg was a full value Inter win and Atletico were pretty lucky not to concede more.

Inter will focus on getting back to the Champions League final and taking things a step further, a luxury not every contender has (see above about the EPL).

Even more to the point is that Napoli, who are finding themselves again after an extended rough patch, could very well beat Barcelona on Tuesday and advance, plus all other Serie A teams (except la merda Lazio, who are eliminated) are in good positions to also move forward in Europe.

Why does that matter? It matters because Serie A is once again a strong league compared to the rest of Europe with several teams have opportunities to go deep into and even win their respective competitions.

The fact that Inter Milan has bested those teams, including handing an on fire AS Roma it’s only loss in 10 matches with Daniele De Rossi in charge, shows their strength.

Perhaps their only downfall this year was being eliminated in the Coppa Italia, but that trophy was never the true goal . . . the team’s focus has been on the Scudetto and Champions League all season.

Which is why, at the moment, Inter should be considered the second best team in the world, but they could end up being number-one if they can do the League-European double this year.