Plus, Canada Women in QFs, Leagues Cup, Muskoka United FC, and will it be the summer of Spain?

The All About Kitchens team that led the Huntsville Experienced League all year were crowned champions on Thursday night.

After surviving a scare against Muskoka Detail in the semi-finals, managing to eke by in penalties after a tough 1-1 draw, All About Kitchens were too much for Near North in the final, waltzing to a 3-0 victory.

Near North had beaten Bestlife 2-0 in their semi-final with Bestlife topping Muskoka Detail in the third-place match.

Here are some photos from the finals night with a video that includes some penalty kick moments.

Allez, Allez Les Rouges!!!

This was my tweet and social post the other day:

That sums it up nicely. Today (Saturday, August 3), Canada takes on Germany in the quarterfinals at 1 p.m. and I’m not putting anything past this plucky, gritty, talented team that’s intent on defending that gold medal and show this drone stuff doesn’t matter on the pitch.

Other quarterfinals feature the US and Japan at 9 a.m., Spain vs. Colombia at 11 a.m., and France vs. Brazil at 3 p.m. Every women’s quarterfinal is a marquee match-up and worthy of the Olympics.

Oh, and since no one asked, the watered down, should be a better organized men’s tournament sees Morocco take on Spain, and France against Egypt. Gee, I wonder which two teams the IOC and FIFA would prefer in that final?

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Leagues Cup

Trying to care about this tournament. I’m really trying to, but with the Olympics on, the European club season set to start in late August, and Toronto FC not really having a shot to win the whole thing, I’m not feeling it.

That being stated, the aforementioned TFC takes on Pachuca on Sunday night at BMO Field (with TFC listed as the away side) and both teams have already qualified for the round-of-32 virtue of each beating NYCFC in penalties after regular time draws.

Please, oh please, let gaffer John Herdman choose to start a make-shift line-up and try some new things in this meaningless match.

A return to the MLS Playoffs is all that really matters this year to keep the project moving forward and hopefully allow for some moves to be made in the off-season to take a real run at a league trophy next year.

Plus, there is still the Canadian Championship to play for and a 2-1 deficit to reverse in late August before another domestic cup final against Vancouver.

Or, if Herdman must play his starters, limit it to a half and be happy if no one gets injured. 

Muskoka United FC

Lots of the development aged teams (U12 and under) were on a season break this week, but a few of MUFC’s older competitive teams had games.

The U14 Boys took a 3-0 result over Barrie on Tuesday night with James Habel scoring twice and Kyliam Coulombe adding the other for Muskoka.

The U14 Girls were also on the winning side this week, taking a 2-1 result over Collingwood with Jovie Moore and Olivea O’Halloran scoring for Muskoka.

On Monday’s hot and humid night, the U16 girls fought to a 1-1 draw with North Bay at Conroy Park in Huntsville.

Jumping up to the Muskoka Old Guys (O45 men’s team), it was a very tough defeat, 4-1 to Innisfil on Wednesday night at Gostick Park in Bracebridge. Despite controlling most of the play, having around 20 (or more) shots at the net with several on goal, the Muskoka guys could only manage one score. Oh well, they’ll learn and grow from this result as the season progresses.

Brendan Rasmussen was the only Muskoka player to find the back of the net.

Summer of Spain

They won the senior Euros on the men’s side, the U19 men’s and women’s team won their UEFA tournaments (and if not for a determined Italian team, they could have won the U17 tourney too), and both their men’s and women’s team are in the knockout rounds at the Olympics.

It’s getting annoying, like England winning anything annoying, and it’s time someone put a stop to it.

Seriously don’t understand how so many other nations get so much hate and no one says anything about Spain . . . literally one of the world’s biggest, baddest nations in football and history.

And I’ll leave it right there.

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