Also: Huntsville Soccer Club, Muskoka United FC, Canada into semis, European Qualifying, and more

Maybe it’s because I’m a father and coach of a girl soccer player, maybe it’s because our beloved AS Roma women’s team is so fun to watch, or maybe it’s all the Canadian women representing, but the UEFA Women’s Champions League has me enthralled.

There are tons of goals, some wonderful skills, lots of passing, and huge improvements in quality of play year after year.

The best teams in this year’s group stage have familiar club names: defending champion Barcelona, eight-time winners Lyon, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint Germain, Serie A champion Roma, Real Madrid, Benfica and Chelsea.

This competition is a great opportunity for Canadian fans to cheer on our own as there are plenty of home grown athletes playing in Europe right now.

Ashley Lawrence, Jessie Fleming and Kadeisha Buchanan are part of a Chelsea line-up that also features one of the world’s top three players in Australia’s Samatha Kerr, England magician Lauren James, and more high quality individuals.

Lawrence and Fleming start most matches for one of this year’s favourites to hoist the trophy.

Evelyne Viens is a consistent starter and goal scorer for high-flying Roma. Viens scored the first of Roma’s goals in a thrilling come-from-behind 2-2 draw away to Bayern Munich a couple weeks ago.

Marie Alidou plays for Benfica and was a catalyst in their recent 1-0 win over Rosengard, taking the shot that was tipped in the for the games only goal.

Meanwhile, Clarissa Larisey plays for Swedish side BK Häcken, who recently upset Real Madrid 2-1. Larisey was a second half sub in that match.

Canadians who were part of the Champions League qualifying rounds this year included Julia Grosso at Juventus, and Cloe Lacasse and Sabrina D’Angelo of Arsenal.

Meanwhile, other notable Canadians playing in Europe include Shelina Zadorsky at Tottenham, Adriana Leon at Aston Villa, Marie Levasseur at Montpellier HSC in France, and Sura Yekka at Vittsjö in Sweden.

I may have missed a few as I was trying to focus mainly on Champions League teams and players, but a few others popped up in my searches, so I added them.

While much ado is made about having our own women’s league in Canada (it’s coming soon), and the points are valid, the fact we have many national team players contributing at the highest level is a good thing.

Playing with and against the best teams and players in the world can only serve our nation well moving forward.

For those just getting into the UEFA Women’s Champions League is that DAZN, which has the broadcast rights to the competition, has joined forces with YouTube to provide free live games as they aim to grow women’s football throughout the world.

Check out the games, highlights and more at: DAZN Women’s Football on YouTube.

Those who have DAZN, can also see plenty of other matches from women’s leagues in Europe including Italy, Spain, and Germany.

register for adult soccer in huntsville

Registration for adult indoor programs in Huntsville has been open for a couple of weeks and the limited number of spots in each of the co-ed programs are filling quickly.

Our regular Tuesday night league for more experienced individuals has been renamed to Division 1. It’s a 4 v 4 program that will have a pick-up format until the holiday break, with teams being made and league play beginning in January and running through April.

On Thursday night, an intermediate pick-up league called Division 2 with mixed skill levels participating runs weekly with 4 v 4 games. There will not be teams made, it’s a come and play program.

Visit https://www.huntsvillesoccer.ca/adult to learn more and find links to register.

There is also a Huntsville women’s only training program that runs Mondays from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. It’s an invite only program and those interested can email the coordinator to find out more: womensleague@huntsvillesoccer.ca

european qualifiers – euro 2024

A lot of pundits and Ukrainian fans are probably still lamenting the defending European champion Italian team’s fortune in the last 20 minutes of their qualifier this week.

Admittedly, there were some questionable calls that favoured Italy – including what should have been a penalty kick for Ukraine very late in the match – that contributed to the 0-0 draw in Leverkusen, Germany that sent the Azzurri directly into the finals, and relegated Ukraine to the playoffs.

However, when we look at the match as a whole, the team that played better and deserved the result they needed was the Italian team and it’s a bit of football justice having been the better team a few times during the last World Cup qualifying cycle but we all know what happened then.

Let’s look at the stats: Italy had 60 percent of the possession, 17 attempts on goal (10 more than Ukraine), 39 attacks (again, 10 more than Ukraine), 9 corners taken (5 more than Ukraine), 454 passes completed (133 more than Ukraine), and the list goes on.

In every major category Italy was the better team and deserved the draw – if not a win – that put them through. That much must be acknowledged when mentioning the one penalty kick that was not awarded to Ukraine.

For Ukraine, I hope they learn and grow and make it through the playoffs to qualify for the final tournament in German next summer. They would offer great value and certainly also deserve a spot based on their full qualifying campaign results.

For a full list of who qualified, the playoffs, and more, visit: https://www.uefa.com/euro2024/news/

CONCACAF NATIONS LEAGUE

Canada could not get the job done. All they needed was a draw at home to qualify for the Copa American and advance to the CONCACAF Nations League semifinals. Even a 1-0 loss would have done after a 2-1 away win with away goals being the first tiebreaker.

Before we lament Canada’s home performance, let’s give credit to the determined and pesky Jamaican side that got the job done at BMO Field in Toronto: they went through on the away goals rule after the teams were tied 4-4 on aggregate.

Back to Les Rouges, they were up 3-1 on aggregate, then tied 3-3, then up 4-3. And, in contrast to Italia-Ukraine, in Canada-Jamaica it was a penalty awarded to the Reggae Boyz that was questionable.

And while the penalty was harsh – and a very CONCACAF style call that – the truth is that Les Rouges put themselves in a position to have that matter by allowing Jamaica to score two goals before that.

It was certainly not the redemption I (and others) called for ahead of this quarterfinal match-up and the critics were pointing out the Canada Soccer flaws from the top down as our national team program deficiencies have been exposed since the 0-3 performance in Qatar last winter.

Canada still has a back-door playoff shot at qualifying for next summer’s Copa America. They’ll take on Trinidad & Tobago in March in one-game play-in in Texas. Let’s hope they can pull it together by then and at least qualify that way.

HUntsville soccer club AGM

The Huntsville Soccer Club annual general meeting will be held on December 13 at 7 p.m. via a Microsoft Teams call. All players, coaches and families of youth players are welcome to attend, as well as anyone interested in learning more about the Club.

The following voting positions are up for election this year, Vice President, Minor Soccer Director, Head Club Coach, Adult Coordinator, Diversity & Inclusion Officer, and Treasurer.

Opportunities exist in taking on other roles for the club that require seasonal or limited commitments, including Equipment Manager and Field Scheduler. 

Anyone interested in joining the club’s executive committee or becoming a volunteer in another fashion can email administrator@huntsvillesoccer.ca

Muskoka united fc looking for sponsors

Muskoka United FC are looking for 2024 sponsors at both the club-wide and team specific level.

Local sponsorship, combined with the extensive efforts of the volunteer board and coaches, allows the club to offer ever-growing and improving rep soccer programming throughout Muskoka and the surrounding areas.

If you have any interest in becoming a sponsor or to find out other ways to help, contact muskokaunitedfc@gmail.com