Plus, U20 CONCACAF, U19 Euros, Leagues Cup, and Muskoka updates

You’ve likely heard about the Canadian women’s team drone scandal by now and the fact that two staffers (who were scouting the New Zealand team) and coach Beverley Priestman were sent home on suspension from the Olympic Games in France.

With new information coming to light that this was not a one-off or the unapproved actions of a rogue staffer who decided to use a drone to spy on a team during a closed practice, it’s time for Priestman to do the honourable thing and completely step down from her roll with Team Canada.

There is no coming back from the embarrassment this has caused Canada Soccer, the Canadian Olympic Committee, and Canada in general.

UPDATE: Priestman is suspended for a year by FIFA and the Canadian Women’s Team have been docked six points, meaning they’ll need to win out and hope to nab a best third place spot to defend their gold.

Apparently, they used drones to get a competitive edge on at least three other occasions (that we’re aware of) during the gold medal run at the last Olympics . . . but not against any teams they should have been particularly worried about.

Though they looked pretty out of sync early against New Zealand on Thursday when they went down 1-0, then ended up dominating possession, owning the play and eventually getting two stellar goals late to tie and win the match.

This Canadian side is very talented, has players playing at the highest levels against the best in the world, and should only really have been worried about matches against other medal contenders.

But perhaps it’s the fact that the Canadians know what to expect from the other medal contenders that prevented them from trying to spy on those teams during closed practices . . . or maybe they did, and the other big nations did and everyone at a certain level does it.

Maybe it’s just that the people in charge of Team Canada’s spying were not as good as the Americans or French or Spanish or anyone else.

Unlike the unnecessarily high-handed attitudes being bandied about the media (including from some of my former colleagues who I greatly respect), social media threads, and people without championhip DNA, I choose to continue to support wholeheartedly our women as they attempt to go back-to-back at the Olympic Games.

My goodness it has been annoying and disheartening to read the comments, the stories, the piling on of negativity as if all these people never made a mistake in their lives, especially the voices of those who want to punish the athletes by having them withdraw from the tournament when they had no knowledge of these actions.

It’s time everyone got over themselves and cheered on our ladies on the pitch, who more than ever will need all the love and support they can get from their home nation as certainly the rest of the world will be cheering against them.

Here’s another perspective: It’s okay to be the big, bad bullies who will do anything to win (even spy on other teams) because frankly we had decades of being the nice people who lost (or got a “fourth-place medal”) by doing everything right.

The people in charge are being disciplined and further punishments will likely be handed down in the future . . . it’s time to get back on the Canadian Women’s Team bandwagon. Let’s see them win and excel under the intense scrutiny they’ll be facing each and ever match.

Allez! Allez! Let’s Gold!!!

U19 Euros

It could really be a Spanish Summer after their senior men won the Euros, and both their men’s and women’s U19 teams are playing for their respective continental titles as well.

The U19 Euro women’s final takes place on Saturday, July 27 at 11 a.m. with Spain taking on the Netherlands, while on Sunday, July 28 at 2 p.m. Spain faces France in the men’s U19 final.

Both finals can be seen for free on UEFA.TV

It’s altogether likely they could sweep these competitions and that would go with the Women’s senior team being the World Cup holders – and with a chance to add gold in France.

My only concern is there isn’t more hate for Spanish football – and there really should be as you shouldn’t get to be this successful and be unscathed.

I mean Spaniards are some of the most smarmy, self-important people on the planet, yet all the hate is reserved for England, Italy, France, and others.

We can respect their success, appreciate the beautiful football/soccer, but still have a hate on . . . can’t we?

U20 CONCACAF

The Canadian U20 men’s team finished their group stage portion of the CONCACAF championship with a 2-1 win over El Salvador on Friday night.

The Canadians got through the group stage undefeated, tied with first-place Honduras on seven points, but in second place in their group due to goal differential. Canada’s quarterfinal match goes on Tuesday night at 10 p.m. against a yet to be determined opponent.

Youth tournaments are so fun because there is a certain je ne sais quois about the way younger athletes perform with a robust and fearless energy.

Those wanting to cheer Team Canada on can watch their matches on One Soccer or FuboTV Canada.

Leagues Cup 2024

Here we go! The annoying break in the MLS season to play a “kind of” continental cup tournament between the MLS and Liga MX clubs.

The first time was interesting and there were some things to like. It’s just the annual thing that’s annoying: let’s make it every two or four years and do it when there isn’t a World Cup or Euros or Copa American taking place.

Now, with that out there, let’s look at this year’s Leagues Cup from a Toronto FC supporter perspective . . . for everyone else – Lionel Messi is not playing due to his injury so Miami will likely not win the tournament again.

In terms of TFC (unless they pull off a huge run and win the whole thing), I hope they can advance from the group stage and maybe win one or two knockout rounds before being eliminated.

Realistically, a trip to the semis or the final without winning the trophy doesn’t really help this team in the long run. This year is about getting back to the playoffs, finding a way to secure one or two home playoff dates and making some noise.

A deep run in the Leagues Cup without winning the trophy is a recipe for disaster and could lead to fatigue and injuries to key players down the stretch – it’s not something anyone really wants to see.

I hope John Herdman uses this as an opportunity to try some new attacking ideas, new line-ups, and to practice different formations to better prepare for the rest of the MLS season (plus, a Canadian Championship semi-final second leg they need to win).

Toronto FC opens their Leagues Cup campaign on July 27 against New York City FC at 8 p.m.

Leagues Cup matches can be seen on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV (some are free, some have a subscription required) and on TSN.

Muskoka United FC

The U14 Boys won their 7th game of the season last weekend against Bradford. They now have a 7-1 record just over halfway through the season, good for first place in their division.

The U14 Boys followed up that win with a come-from-behind 4-3 victory in their Tuesday night Cup match against Innisfil. They were down on two separate occasions but managed to keep fighting for the win (and only had one sub). Kyliam Coulombe scored twice, with Wolfgang Kuehnen and Joel Kim adding the others while Henry Guy’s outstanding hustle led the way as he set-up two of the goals.

The U16 Girls won 3-1 on Monday over North Bay with Leah Maxwell, Maddie Allison, and Jamie deMos scored for Muskoka.

The U14 Girls travelled to Collingwood on Wednesday night and won 3-2 with Andi Stevenson, Claire Nicholson, and Olivea O’Halloran scoring.

The U18 Boys fell 3-1 in a thunderstorm shortened game against Orillia this week. Just as MUFC was about to make a comeback and pushing for more goals, lightning and thunder struck, causing the game to be called in the 77^th minute. Noah Graham scored for Muskoka.

Meanwhile, on Thursday night in Innisfil, the Muskoka O45 men’s team fought hard for a 1-1 draw with the Barrie Masters. Muskoka fell behind 1-0 for the third straight game, and each time came back with a valiant second half effort (two wins, one draw). The Old Guys now have a 4-1-1 record in league play (2^nd place) and have advanced to the League Cup final (to be held in mid-August). Steve McCallum scored a lovely goal from the top of the 18-yard box for Muskoka.