Todd: The Alouettes juggernaut is looking more like a naught

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It was a game the Alouettes blew, one paper cut at a time.

If Charleston Rambo didn’t fumble a gorgeous pass that McLeod Bethel-Thompson dropped softly into his hands, if Bethel-Thompson didn’t run like a middle-aged commuter tiptoeing his way through a crowded train station when he’s forced to take off, if Pier-Olivier Lestage didn’t pick the exact wrong time to take a 15-yard misconduct penalty — well, you get the point.

A 21-20 loss to the B.C. Lions on a field goal by former Alouette Sean Whyte wrote the wrong ending for the Als Saturday night at Percival Molson Stadium. A fifth straight loss to the Lions and the second of this young season, following a loss to Hamilton on the road.

Even with Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke still trying to find his rhythm after returning from the NFL, the Alouettes juggernaut is looking more like a naught.

It’s a shame because the defence played so well, from Kabion Ento’s early interception in the end zone to Lwal Uguak swatting down a late pass from Rourke on a play that should have effectively ended the game.

Without the dynamic edge that Davis Alexander gives the offence, even the efforts of tailback Sean Thomas Erlington and the stellar play of receiver Tyson Philpot were not enough. Bethel-Thompson throws some beautiful passes, but under defensive pressure he becomes a statue — and not the kind you put up to honour a great player.

Happy trails and good luck: To goaltender Cayden Primeau and defenceman Logan Mailloux, both given a chance to play elsewhere by Kent Hughes when it appeared there would not be a spot for them with the Canadiens in the coming season.

After years of close-but-no-cigar with the Canadiens, Primeau was dealt to the Hurricanes for a seventh-round pick. The return on the Primeau deal doesn’t amount to much, but the trade that sent Mailloux to St. Louis for Zachary Bolduc looks brilliant. Whether Mailloux’s career in Montreal was stalled by his defensive weaknesses or by his background following a controversial draft, we had the sense that Mailloux was never going to make the leap to the big club on a permanent basis.

In return, the Canadiens got a defensively tough young winger coming off a 19-goal season and (not coincidentally) another French-speaking player following the retirement of David Savard.

Add the trade that sent draft picks and Emil Heineman to the Islanders for Noah Dobson and the drafts of Alexander Zharovsky, Hayden Paupanekis and another mighty mite in L.J. (Little John) Mooney and fans had reason to be pleased with the work of Jeff Gorton, Kent Hughes and the scouting staff.

Now about that second-line centre…

One World Cup too many: If ever there was a shining example of the wretched excess of sporting events on the global calendar, it’s the Club World Cup — especially when that event is held in the United States, which is not and never will be a genuine soccer nation.

The glut of year-round soccer appears to have caught up with the sport at last, despite some elegant play on the pitch. Tickets for the Club World Cup’s first semifinal dropped to $13.40 (yes, the decimal point is in the right place) after being priced at $473.90 less than 72 hours earlier.

As my mentor Patrick Hickey points out, the Club World Cup was a misbegotten idea from the beginning — especially going up against the Gold Cup in the U.S. The final is to be held in beautiful downtown East Rutherford, N.J., next Sunday, July 13 — and play in the major European leagues begins in mid-August, barely a month later.

It’s too much for the athletes, too much for the fans, too much for everyone except the billionaires who run the clubs and can never get enough.

Pure gold at the Gold Cup: Meanwhile, if you forget the bizarre chicanery that somehow allows Saudi Arabia to migrate roughly 13,000 kilometres west to compete in CONCACAF and the organization’s strange feud with Team Canada coach Jesse Marsch, the Gold Cup had its moments.

But the crowning glory came Sunday in steamy Houston when Edson Alvarez scored the winning goal to give Mexico a 2-1 victory over the USMNT at a time when anyone with Mexican or Central American origins is in the crosshairs of the controversial ICE agents operating in the U.S.

And I’m off to Leaf land: No column next week, gerbils and beans, because I’m off to the home of the greatest team in the history of hockey for an event I must attend — not to worship at the altar of the Leafs, Jays, Raptors, etc.

Back with the usual lies, rumours &&&& vicious innuendo on July 21 in digital format, July 22 in print.

Heroes: Kabion Ento, Lwal Uguak, Tyrice Beverette, Tyson Philpot, Sean Thomas Erlington, Edson Alvarez, Victoria Mboko, Gabriel Diallo, Laura Siegemund, Esther Gonzalez, Tim Mayer, Alex Delvecchio, Zachary Bolduc &&&& last but not least, Kent Hughes.

Zeros: The Club World Cup, Victor Montagliani, Dana White, UFC, Shedeur Sanders, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, Wayne Gretzky, Bud Selig Jr., Claude Brochu, David Samson &&&& last but not least, Jeffrey Loria.

Now and forever.

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