Euro vibes, depressing times, and Canada being Canada
Catching up after my European break
So, I’m back from Europe. Did I miss anything?
Not going to lie, this has been a tough year to stay motivated for, but some time on the continent was nice. It’s helped me get my groove back, after a lot of blah so far in 2025.
Notably, I got to enjoy the women’s Euros in prime time last week. It was a great way to end the days after exploring France and Belgium during the day.
The Euro has been delightful and, just like the men’s edition of the tournament, the football is hella compelling.
If you haven’t been watching, the bottom of the bracket in the knock-out stage is going to be something, with the world champs from Spain looking even stronger than they did two years ago and France finally looking the part in a major tournament. Throw Germany, who play France on Saturday in there, and the host Switzerland (vs Spain, Friday) and you are going to get some great football.
England, which plays Sweden on Thursday, looks likely on the other side of the bracket, but the Italians (vs. Norway tomorrow) could surprise. Don’t believe the rankings, Italy is the favourite against the Norwegians, who haven’t looked great.
Regardless, the tournament is underlining just how good the women’s game is these days, which shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone reading this. Watch. You’ll thank me.
There’s few things like a summer tournament to reenergize your interest. For many of us in Canada, the World Cup and Euros were all the football we got for a long time, so these tournaments will always hold a special place for me. Adding the women’s events to the calendar means we never are at a loss for some distraction in the heat.
And, we need distraction here in Toronto and Montreal. Not sure there’s much more to say there. I took time out of my vacation to give you some typos and thoughts on the end of the Italian era, it’s not been any worse since that — comical 101st minute penalties aside. As for Montreal…
It’s best to just stay quiet, I think. Ce n’est pas bon.
Then there’s Canada and the Gold Cup. Look, it’s good to remind ourselves that we are Canada sometimes. I’m happy that mess happened while I was sleeping in Dunkerque, however.
I think that about catches things up. I’ll have more to say in the days ahead as I’m making a commitment to blogging more often. There will be a long-form article on the Oasis show and my trip, for those who enjoy that. In the meantime, to steal a phrase from my old podcasting buddy Ben Knight…
Onward!
Welcome back!