Plus, thoughts on Toronto FC and interesting upcoming matches this week

Soccer moms are a fantastic bunch of people: getting their kids to training and matches, double checking that equipment and water are in their bags and providing the necessary fuel for the demands of their chosen sport.

On that note, I’m dedicating this week’s Soccer Saturday column to sharing my appreciation for my favourite soccer mom on her birthday.

My wife Kandis has not only been a huge part of the kids’ soccer lives but has been the rock behind the scenes for everything related to my soccer involvement as well.

When I was a coach for either of our children’s teams (or both for a few years), Kandis was always there helping keep the kids on point and the schedule straight for our family.

If I was coaching one of the kids, Kandis was always on the scene to ensure the other one was getting where they needed to be. We still split those duties now, even thought I’m not coaching anymore.

The thing is her behind the scenes roles have, and continue to be, a tad more necessary due to my extra commitments as both a player and a board member with the Huntsville Soccer Club for well over a decade, with Muskoka United FC volunteering being added more recently.

Through it all, Kandis has supported the soccer commitments to the point that she’s a part of the lifestyle as well.

Despite her and I joking that the Toronto FC season tickets we have are just for me and the kids, the truth is I can see how much fun she has and how excited she gets at the live games. She’s even braved those frigid February and early March matches at BMO Field over the years.

I could go on and on about how important and wonderful Kandis’ support has been to our soccer family, but I’m sure you all get the point.

So, let’s all cheers to our family’s favourite soccer mom the day of her birth!

Happy Birthday Kandis!

Toronto FC

Still no movement on the John Herdman replacement yet, though we did hear that interviews have been taking place.

I understand wanting to be methodical and get this right after the horrendous Bob Bradley experiment, and then Herdman needing to escape Canada to avoid punishment for his role (leadership?) in the drone scandal. But the preseason starts early in the new year with the first match of the season taking place on Feb. 22 in D.C.

The manager needs to be hired and put in place by January 1, 2025 to get at least a jogging start on affairs ahead of a very important campaign where a playoff spot and a return to Canadian Championship supremacy are the minimum goals.

Yes, there have been some small moves done, but until we get a new manager announcement and some more significant roster announcements are made, I’m going to avoid commentary on players for now.

Most Interesting Upcoming Matches

Looking for an interesting match to watch in the upcoming days that might not include the club you support?

Here are my picks (at least one from each league), with Boxing Day in the English Premier League proving some interesting and tantalizing prospects for the at-home viewers.

Serie A: This is a weird point in the Serie A schedule where none of the big teams are playing each other. Still, Fiorentina vs. Udinese (Dec. 23 at noon) should provide some fireworks and Le Zebrete will be keen to take points off La Viola ahead of Christmas. Udine are coming off being eliminated by Inter Milan in the Coppa Italia round-of-16, so even splitting the spoils away to fourth place Fiorentina will be seen as a big positive. Streaming on FuboTV.

Bundesliga: Wolfsburg vs. Borussia Dortmund (Dec. 22 at 11:30 a.m.). The last match in the Bundesliga ahead of a two-week winter break. The winner moves into the Top 8 and within direct striking distance of the prime European places. The loser stays out of the top 10 and has a lot of work to do to catch up when the Bundesliga returns to action on Jan. 10, 2025.

EPL: It’s Boxing Day special time! Okay, I’m going to ignore the weekend matches even though there is Tottenham-Liverpool (11 a.m. on Dec. 22). December 26 has a wonderful slate of matches to entice. Just head to FuboTV Canada and starting with Man City vs. Everton at 7:30 a.m., then check out Newcastle-Aston Villa (both teams had solid wins Dec. 21) at 10 a.m., with Wolves-Man United (12:30 p.m.), and Liverpool-Leicester (3 p.m.) rounding out the day. There are also other matches at 10 a.m. to choose from. Enjoy!

That’s all for this week! Ciao For Now Everyone!

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