Plus, Toronto FC thoughts, Canadian Women win Cup, and what to watch this weekend.

We all focus so much attention on the UEFA competitions plus the big four leagues, that we often forget some fun and fantastic football is being played just a wee bit down the ladder.

Typically, I’ll wait until late March or early April to write about the Championship and other second divisions like Serie B, Bundesliga II, et al.

However, I was able to catch the last 15 minutes of Leeds United’s stunning 3-1 away win over their nearest title contending rivals Sheffield United on Monday. It was so good that I had to write about them this week.

Plus, Leeds United fanatic Glen Duffield happens to be a friend and a soccer club colleague who I promised this to (hehehe).

As many who either follow the column or know me personally are well aware, outside of AS Roma or Toronto FC, I pick teams to cheer for based on whether or not they have Italian players or coaches.

In this case Leeds has Willy Gnonto, a young and promising Italian forward who earned caps with the Nazionale.

So, I would be keeping an eye on them whether or not Glen was a supporter. That’s simply a bonus.

At the time of this writing, Leeds had a five point gap at the top of the English Football Championship table and a nice cushion in the race for automatic promotion into the 2025/26 Premier League.

Though their 22-9-3 (75 points) record doesn’t seem that much better than second-place Sheffield’s 22-6-6 (70 points) record, the fact is that Leeds is by far the best side in the Championship this season.

Not only do they pass the eye test of playing attractive, fast-paced, attacking football, but their peripheral numbers boost their argument as top team overall.

They have 71 goals scored, good for first place and 16 goals ahead of next best Norwich City. Leeds has only conceded 21 goals in 34 matches, second best to Burnley (only 9 goals allowed).

Leeds plus-50 goal differential is by far the best in the league. Other statistic that Leeds is first in this year include most shots (389), most shots on target (199), most passes (18449), most assists (51), and are tied for the least yellow cards.

They are showing skillful composure all over the pitch and are full value for their first place position.

Leeds next match is Saturday, March 1 at 7:30 a.m. vs. West Brom. If you miss that one, be sure to catch the next, it’s well worth the time.

Toronto FC

Toronto FC continues its road start to the MLS 2025 season at xxx (March 1 at 7:30 p.m. on MLS Season Pass, Apple TV).

I started the year with cautious optimism and was slightly rewarded in game one. The 2-2 draw where the Reds came from behind twice to earn a point on the road at DC United last week had some highs, some lows and a lot of effort.

Cautious optimism is still alive and well . . . for now.

I hope the Reds have the new Norwegian striker Ola Brynhildsen in the starting 11 this weekend. Or at the very least have him come on in the second half for a solid 30 minutes as he gets his match fitness in order.

It will be interesting to see how he adjusts to MLS and if he can find an early understanding with the team’s top player Federico Bernadeschi, who is surely aching for a consistent goalscoring number-9.

Even another point this weekend would have to be considered a solid start to the year . . .

Lorenzo Insigne is still sitting, and not travelling, as surely the front office is trying to move him or at least come to a mutually beneficial buyout agreement. He did practice with the team this week, which is some form of progress. This situation will come to an end at some point – just hopefully sooner than later.

I also feel like if you’re paying the guy, why not have him on the bench as a sub? He can still score a banger and maybe you get 30 solid minutes a match from the Napoli native.

Canadian Women win Pinatar Cup

The Canadian National Women’s Team had two wins and a draw to capture the Pinatar Cup in Spain.

New head coach Casey Stoney got a nearly perfect start to her time at the helm of the number xxx ranked women’s football nation.

It was also nice for AFC Toronto fans to see their midfielder Emma Regan on the pitch and performing very well for Les Rouges.

The next matches for Team Canada’s senior squad haven’t been announced yet, but the U20 women will be competing in the Concacaf U20 tournament in May.

Matches of the Weekend

Normally I go into these long, drawn out previews, but you can find that anywhere. I’m taking a cue from last weekend’s column and getting straight to my picks for what to watch this weekend.

Saturday, March 1

Serie A: Napoli vs. Inter Milan, Noon, FuboTV Canada.

Bundesliga: Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Bayern Leverkusen, 12:30 p.m., DAZN Canada

La Liga: Atletico Madrid vs. Athletic Club, 3 p.m. TSN+

PSG vs. Lille, 3 p.m., FuboTV Canada

Sunday, March 2

FA Cup: Manchester United vs. Fulham, 11:30 a.m., Sportsnet Plus

Serie A: Roma vs. Como, Noon, FuboTV Canada

Serie A: Milan vs. Lazio, 2:45 p.m., FuboTV Canada

That’s it for me! Enjoy your weekend and thanks for reading!

Ciao for Now!

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