In those manic first mid-May days after taking over as spent more time on the move than stationary. “Where am I?” the American paused when reached by the Star one night. “I, uhhh, just made it to Mallorca, actually.
” Turns out that whirlwind was just a palate teaser. Across Europe this weekend, men’s club seasons are kicking off in the usual swirls of anxious expectation, blind hope and a continent’s worth of unknowns. It officially began with inevitably won by Real Madrid.
This much we do know, however: Marsch’s air miles and Eurorail card are in for a torrid time. From England to Spain to France, Germany, Italy and well beyond the big five, this is shaping up to be the most Canadian season of European soccer that we have seen. With a home World Cup on the horizon in less than two years, it’s also likely to be the most consequential in the history of the men’s national team.
How so? Why so? Questions are understandable. If Marsch’s first week in charge was logistically chaotic, an all too familiar institutional mayhem again descended on Canadian soccer in the five weeks since a The which engulfed the women’s program at the and (temporarily for now) brought the national federation back into familiar darkness, although somewhat offset by the raw defiance of the players, who defied extreme punishment to progress in Paris. Light, however, is found elsewhere in France and wider Europe, where club sides across the continent have opened chequebooks and splurge.