Plus, Euro 2024 underway, Toronto FC back in action, Muskoka United FC and Huntsville updates

The Summer of Soccer got underway with yesterday’s Euro 2024 opener between Germany and Scotland. More on that below.

But, as the headline reads, it’s time for the Copa America breakdown!

Okay, this may seem a little lazy to some, but when you do as much as I do week in, week out, sometimes following a similar format just makes sense.

That being noted, we’ll be looking at the Copa America through the same lens as we did in the Euro 2024 preview: who should win, who could win, the Bracket Busters, could cause an upset, it’s just nice to qualify.

Don’t quite love that this tournament is being played in the United States, but I do appreciate that CONCACAF teams are being included as it’s the Copa “America” and all the Americas should be represented.

Personally, I would love to see the Gold Cup go away and just have teams from CONCACAF qualify for the Copa each time out.

With that, and without further ado, on to the breakdown . . .

Should Win It All

Argentina

The defending Copa America and World Cup champions – who also won the Finalissima against Italia in between it all – are on quite the run and until they’re not, they’re still the champs. Obviously they’re ranked Number-1 in the FIFA World Rankings, but this group is a tad bit different than the one who won in Qatar.

Leo Messi is 37-years-old, their best players are also relatively long in the tooth, and manager Lionel Scaloni left one of the world’s most talented players – AS Roma’s Paulo Dybala – off the squad. Note: Dybala has been a valuable piece over the last few years and even scored a penalty in the World Cup final shootout.

They are the odds favourites for a reason, but it wouldn’t be shocking to see them fall to one of the next four nations.

Brazil

It feels like it’s been forever since the Brazilians won anything of real consequence (the Olympic gold medal at home in 2016 notwithstanding). But it really hasn’t been that long: they won the 2019 Copa America.

However, almost every single Brazilian fan or footballer would trade that gold medal or that Copa win for a World Cup trophy every single time.

Still, this expanded Copa America featuring six CONCACAF teams should be interesting and perhaps even have a “more important” vibe that previous iterations of this tournament.

Their squad is filled with players who have shone on the brightest club football stages and won both domestic and continental European trophies – including three from this year’s Champions League winners Real Madrid.

They’ll waltz through their group as per usual, but what happens in the late rounds when they play a side with as much quality as the Brazilians have? That hasn’t gone so well in recent years.

Uruguay

They’re being picked by a lot of smart people to win the tournament.

Indeed, in a post-game locker room chat after our old guy’s game last week, my buddy J.P. said Uruguay would win.

It would be really cool to see this great footballing nation back among the winners. They’ve won the Copa America 15 times (tied with Argentina) but not since 2011.

Also, and this always messes with people’s heads, Uruguay is the first nation to ever win a World Cup – way back in 1930. Yep, it was Uruguay winning the first ever tournament but none since.

They’re bringing a solid yet unspectacular back line to the Copa, but their midfield is very strong and they have an abundance of attacking talent. Real Madrid’s Federico Valverde has become a household name for his midfield play, while Liverpool’s Darwin Núñez can break a match open up front.

Uruguay will be a force to be sure.

Colombia

This team reminds me of the Euro 2020-winning Italia side that broke the world record streak for national teams after going unbeaten in 37 consecutive games. They still hold the record.

Colombia is on a stellar run of their own – unbeaten in 22 games since a 1-0 loss away to Argentina on Feb. 1, 2022. They can inch closer to that world record with a win or draw in their last warm-up ahead of the Copa America (June 15 vs Bolivia) and then at the tournament itself.

Oh, and there are several “quality wins” in this current streak. They have beaten Brazil, Germany, Spain, Mexico and most recently the United States (a 5-1 thrashing last week).

They have the confidence that comes with winning lots as a team, with full performances from the goalkeeper to the strikers and everyone in between.

And that’s where this squad reminds of the defending European champions from a few years ago – it’s an all-for-one attitude and they don’t rely on any one or two players to get the job done. This is evidenced throughout their unbeaten run, but more recently we saw five different players score against the U.S.

Colombia winning the Copa would not be a surprise at all . . . in fact, they should probably be more fancied to do it than they are at the moment.

Teams that could win

USA

Okay, we know they won’t win, even on home soil. However, if all the puzzle pieces fall the right way and all four of the “should wins” fail, then yes, the US could win the Copa America being played in the US.

Mexico

They’ll have plenty of support – as they do throughout North America when they play – and that tends to give them a boost. Could Mexico win the whole thing? Sure, they could. However, see above for what would need to happen.

Ecuador

Defensively stout, offensively challenged, Ecuador could ride nil-nil draws and one-nil wins deep – maybe even to a title – a la Greece in 2004. Discount a disciplined, prideful defensive squad at your own peril.

The Bracket Busters

Canada

I almost, alllmoossttt put Canada in the next category of thanks for coming out based on the fact I am hugely skeptical about Jesse Marsch (I will never forget this man benching talented Europeansin favour of playing less talented Americans and getting Leeds relegated two years ago).

But, Canada does have a solid core of European-based talent – including a lot of Champions League experience – and solid MLS veterans who know how to grind a result out. They’ll cause an upset, make a little noise and then bow out in the quarters.

Venezuela

This is a squad on the rise and are primed for a few upsets in the coming years. Not only at the Copa America, but in South American World Cup Qualifying as well. The nation’s first ever World Cup appearance in 2026 (especially with an expanded format) is not out of the question.

Jamaica

If I’m putting Canada in this grouping, I have to put the team that edged them out to qualify directly for the tournament (Les Rouges had to win a last chance qualifier). The Reggae Boyz are always a team that is dangerous and could cause issues for every team they play. Don’t be surprised if they beat anyone in a one-off in the tournament.

Chile

If this were eight years ago, maybe even six years ago, Chile may have been one of the favourites. However, they’re not quite at the same level as they once were when the leading characters were lighting up the top clubs and leagues in Europe. Still, I would never count them out completely and an upset over a favourite is not a far fetched idea.

It’s Just Nice to Have Qualified

Uhm, yeah, maybe a fluke knockout round appearance could happen, but more likely than not, these teams are all heading home very early. Though anything can happen, it’s likely that these teams will not be in the KO rounds.

Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay

TSN is the home of the Summer of Soccer for both the Copa America and Euro 2024.

Euro 2024

The tournament kicked off with hosts Germany thrashing Scotland 5-1 on Friday in a relatively unsurprising opener.

Maybe the scoreline was a bit surprising, but anything from a 0-0 draw to a 7-0 Germany win was always on the table.

Missed our Euro 2024 preview – check it out at: Breakdown.

The tournament proper gets underway today as three games – including a bigtime matchup at noon – get the ball rolling towards the July 14 final.

Today starts off with Hungary vs. Switzerland at 9 a.m., followed by Spain vs. Croatia at noon, then the defending champions, Italia, take on Albania at 3 p.m.

Sunday has Poland vs. Netherlands at 9 a.m., Slovenia vs. Denmark at noon, and Serbia vs. England at 3 p.m.

For a full list of matches, results, and standings, visit: https://www.uefa.com/euro2024/

Toronto FC

Though the team’s motto is All For One – or as my novelty TFC hat says Tutto Per Uno – for most of this season, we could be forgiven if we thought the motto was “No Berna, No Party” as the MVP calibre play of Federico Bernadeschi has been fantastic (minus the yellow and red cards).

On that note, TFC’s leading scorer is out for Saturday’s game against Chicago due to a red card (two yellows) received in their last league match two weeks ago – a 2-2 draw at DC United. Centre back Nicksoen Gomis is also missing due to seeing red in that match.

The Reds are also missing Jonathan Osorio and Richie Laryea (Canada) and goalkeeper Sean Johnson (US), who are all at the Copa America.

While Bernadeschi and Gomis will be back for the mid-week match on Wednesday against Nashville, the Copa trio will be gone until their teams are eliminated.

The good news is that Lorenzo Insigne returns after being away for the birth of his third child, while starting striker Prince Owusu is also back from injury . . . they will be relied on heavily to make up for Berna’s absence.

Let’s hope TFC gets the second half of the season started on the right foot with a full three points at home.

Muskoka United FC

The U18 Boys ran rampant at Collingwood on Tuesday night, with a late 9 p.m. start for the match. Still, MUFC got two goals a piece from Callum Simpson and Zachary Caplan and one from Basile Hayes in a 5-1 win.

The U16 Boys start the week off right with a 5-1 win over Sudbury U15 on Sunday in Huntsville. Wes Janas scored twice, with Dante Occhiuzzi, Lyam Bido, and James Laughton added the others for MUFC. The boys have three wins and one loss to start the year.

The U16 Girls travelled to North Bay on Monday and came home with a 2-1 win. Maja Lettress and Jamie deMos scored for Muskoka.

The U14 Girls defeated South Simcoe United 3-1 with Andi Stevenson netting two and Olivea O’Halloran adding the other.

The U13 Girls beat Collingwood 2-1 on June 5 with Kaley Verheye and Olivia Mackinnon scoring for Muskoka.

Our U14 and U13 girls play in the same HDSL U14 division and they took each other on this Wednesday night. The younger squad got the better of the result, finding a way to take a 3-2 victory. Raven Patterson scored twice with Nova Shaver adding the other for the U13s, while Andi Stevenson had both for the U14s.

The U12 Girls came from behind twice to grab a 2-2 draw away at Orillia on Wednesday. Lily Boyes and Juliet Occhiuzzi scored for Muskoka.

Jumping up a huge number of years, the Muskoka O45 team travelled to Orillia Friday night and came away with a well-deserved 4-2 victory. Brendan Rasmussen had a hat trick and Joe Melson added the other in the win. With many players still figuring out each others style, having two wins from three games is a fantastic start.

Huntsville Women’s League

In Week 4 action, On The Docks Pub secured a hard fought 2-1 win over Muskoka Tea Company by the narrowest of margins, their first of the year. Meanwhile, Muskoka Marshmallo Company stayed unbeaten with a 2-0 win over SportLab, 2-0.

This week’s Player of the Match awards went to Andrea Hill, Kate Kerr, Aliyah O’Dell and Jessica Napper. All players receiving generous gifts from our four locally owned and operated team sponsors.

The coveted draw for Annie’s Lasagna, courtesy of our supporter That Little Place By The Lights located in Downtown Huntsville, was won by Emily Lamb.

That’s it for this week. Stay tuned next week for what’s up at the Euros, Copa America, Toronto FC, Muskoka updates, and more. Thanks for reading and don’t forget to subscribe below.

Ciao for Now!