The wait is over! This coming week, the Northern Super League is back and the opening weekend features a trio of marquee matchups.

Plus, the CanWNT wrapped up FIFA Series Brazil, FC Supra played their inaugural home opener and more in this week’s edition of The Northern Pitch.

The Canadian women’s national team wrapped up FIFA Series Brazil on Saturday night with a 1-0 loss to the hosts.

The lone goal was scored on a 47th-minute volley by Brazil’s Aline Gomes. The goal was controversial, however, as it looked as though there was a clear foul in the buildup.

Canada were not happy with the refereeing in general, with suggestions that she played a pretty big role in the outcome. Still, Casey Stoney said would have liked to have seen her team be more decisive in the final third, as they were held without a goal for the eighth time in their past 11 matches.

It was a mostly successful window for Canada, however, with the most impressive result coming on Tuesday, when, despite going down to 10-players with a red card shown to Jade Rose, Canada defeated South Korea 3-1.

Viens opened the scoring, while a brace of Gilles' second-half headers added to the lead while Canada were down a player.

The women’s national team will next be in action this summer, as they continue preparations for the crucial Concacaf W Championship in November.

After a spectacular inaugural season, the Northern Super League’s much-anticipated sequel kicks off on Friday with a rematch of the 2025 final between the Vancouver Rise and AFC Toronto.

This time, it’s on Rise turf at Swangard Stadium (10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT on TSN). Both sides have seen some key departures and additions over the off-season, with the defending champions Rise adding Canadian international Sura Yekka and youth international Mia Pante on loan from Roma. They did, however, lose some high-profile players, including Lisa Pechersky and Holly Ward.

Samantha Chang also joined rivals AFC Toronto, but subsequently suffered a season-ending ACL injury. Toronto, meanwhile, lost Emma Regan to the NWSL, but gained Vitoria Pickett on a full-time basis and exciting Canadian youth international Olivia Chisholm.

Then, it’s a Saturday double-header, as Halifax Tides host Ottawa Rapid at the Wanderers Grounds at Noon ET on CBC, and Calgary Wild host the Montréal Roses in Calgary at 7 p.m. ET.

Montréal and Ottawa will look to improve on 2025 seasons where they made the playoffs, but lost in the semi-final round. Calgary and Halifax, meanwhile, begin the push for their first-ever playoff appearance.

Our footy weekends are about to get a whole lot better, and year two in the NSL will bring must-watch action as always.

On the northern slope of Mont Royal, FC Supra played their inaugural home opener at Université de Montréal’s Stade du CEPSUM. Supra du Quebec hosted the 2025 CPL champs, Atlético Ottawa, to a chilly afternoon game.

The Supra style has been established. Flair, grit, technical and creative. Players were given the freedom to express themselves in the final third. Backheels, flicks, and skills were expressed. A brand of football synonymous with coach Nick Razzaghi.

The Montreal aura came through. Supra’s inaugural home opener was played to a sold-out crowd of 4,965. Flares and smoke bombs were present among the Ultras. Vibes.

Ottawa desperately needed a win. The away team suffered two losses prior to coming to Montreal. The 2025 champs needed three points, and they found them at CEPSUM.

A last-minute header from a set piece scored by Tyr Duhaney-Walker solidified the game 0-1 for Ottawa. Haitian keeper Garissone Innocent kept Ottawa alive as he made nine saves out of 10 shots on target.

Despite the loss, Supra are here to stay, and they demonstrated quality football. From defence to attack, the home club dominated the pitch. The attacking combination of Sean Rea and Loïc Kwemi might turn out to be the most exciting attacking duo in the league.

Next game: Supra will face off against the Halifax Wanderers at Stade du CEPSUM.

🇩🇪 Alphonso Davies, Bundesliga champion. A big day for Phonzie. Not only did he win his 7th Bundesliga title in his career (and Bayern’s 35th), but he did it in style with the title-clinching goal against Stuttgart. His effort to make it 3-1, in a 4-2 final, is one to behold.

🇮🇹 Jonathan David scores. Jonny’s also back! The Canadians are hotting back up at the perfect time and JD is one of those. He headed Juventus into an early lead on Sunday against Bologna, a game that Juve would win out, 2-0.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Aribim Pepple scores. Bim is still on fire. The CanMNT call-up had to spend a couple weeks on the sidelines recently but was back to full force on Saturday. He scored on a fast Plymouth break to make it 3-1 over AFC Wimbledon.

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🌊 Whitecaps can’t stop winning. Sporting Kansas City travelled to BC Place without CanMNT fullback Zorhan Bassong. The Caps are on a roll as they dispatched the away team 3-0, with all the goals coming within the first half.

🔵 Did CF Montréal have a convincing win? Yes. CFM defeated Red Bull New York 4-1 at home and did so in a convincing fashion. Club captain Samuel Piette started for the first time this season and Prince Owusu registered three assists. MTL played an exciting style of football under caretaker coach Philippe Eullaffroy’s first game in charge.

🔴 TFC did a TFC. Toronto hosted Austin FC at BMO Field to a 3-3 draw, in a game that can be described as typical Toronto fashion. Austin scored first in the half, but TFC fought back to make it 2-1. Only for Austin to make it 2-3, but through pure TFC grit, the home side ended the game 3-3 with the equalizing goal coming from Kobe Franklin. Another emotionally turbulent game for the boys in red.

🪧 #SaveTheCaps. Supporters groups in Vancouver, and from further beyond, are banding together. While not much has been said recently about the ‘Caps stadium situation, SaveTheCaps is a fan campaign gaining traction to keep the Whitecaps in Vancouver.

Wednesday, April 22nd
Toronto FC vs. Philadelphia Union (7:30pm ET @ BMO Field)

Saturday, April 25th
Toronto FC vs. Atlanta United (1:00pm ET @ BMO Field)
CF Montréal vs. New York City FC (2:30pm ET @ Stade Saputo)
Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Colorado Rapids (10:30pm ET @ BC Place)

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⚓️ Last-minute drama in Halifax. Pacific FC travelled to the Atlantic coast to face off against the Wanderers. PFC took the lead with a goal from Alejandro Diaz, who took advantage of the daylight offside rule. HFX came back with two goals, and PFC went down with a red in the 79th minute. Despite going down a man, Pacific ended the game with a stoppage time stunner from Bul Juach. The game ended 2-2, and please, Wanderers Ground, never change. The vibe is immaculate.

🔨 Forge held to a draw at home. Hamilton Stadium hosted Forge FC and Cavalry FC in a nil-nil draw. Cavalry held the majority of possession; however, Forge outshot and created more goal-scoring chances. Despite Forge’s Rezart Rama seeing a red card in the 56th minute, Cavalry failed to capitalize.

🦝 Inter Toronto FC's first win of the season. Inter Toronto hosted Vancouver FC and handed the away team a 1-0 defeat. Despite the loss, VFC’s attack was relentless as they registered 6 shots on target out of 14. Statistically, they dominated Inter in almost every aspect. At the end of the day, it’s about three points and the home club earned it. Shout out to Callum Irving for robbing Ollie Bassett on an open-net breakaway.

Friday, April 24th
FC Supra du Québec vs. Halifax Wanderers (7:00pm ET @ CEPSUM Stadium)

Saturday, April 25th
Cavalry FC vs. Inter Toronto FC (3:00pm MT @ ATCO Field)

Sunday, April 26th
Atlético Ottawa vs. Vancouver FC (1:00pm ET @ TD Place)
Pacific FC vs. Forge FC (3:00pm PT @ Royal Athletic Park)

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📻 Radio Canada's investigation into the World Cup. This is old news, but for those who are not aware, Radio-Canada’s investigative documentary series “Enquête” released an episode on the World Cup. Specifically looking into FIFA’s demands on host cities. The doc focuses on Montréal opting out as one of the host cities. It is eye-opening and worth watching.