Canada’s U20s might have stumbled over the line—but they’re over the line, nonetheless.

Jesse Marsch’s squad closed out Group C this week with a 1-1 draw against Honduras and a 2-2 draw against Jamaica in the group stage finale. They were stung hard in both games, giving up equalizing goals.

This was especially the case against Jamaica, after Sean Leighton scored a decisive penalty 12 minutes into stoppage time. Valter Sedin, son of Henrik Sedin, and Marius Aiyenero had the goals for Canada to rescue a point from the closer.

Still, their big win over Panama in the opener meant they finished top of Group C and escaped a potential quarterfinals draw against the U.S. or Mexico. The margin over Panama meant Canada edged out Jamaica on goal difference, with Panama and Honduras finishing 3rd and 4th respectively in Group C.

Remember, the four semifinalists will qualify for the 2027 U-20 World Cup, and the top-ranked nation (second, if the U.S. are top) will also book a spot for the 2028 Olympics, so a good draw could mean everything. The best nation from each of North America, Central America and the Caribbean will also qualify for the 2027 Pan Am Games.

Their quarterfinal opposition will be very familiar—because of how the teams have been seeded based on the positions they finished in. The first-placed teams were seeded 1 through 3 based on their group stage results, the second-placed teams 4 through 6, and the two best third-placed teams as 7 and 8.

That all means Canada will get a second shot at beating Jamaica on Wednesday, August 5, after the draw ensured both teams advanced as the bottom nations in each rung. What drama.

Preseason did not go according to plan. Norwich City played La Liga club Osasuna in a preseason friendly. Ali Ahmed came off the bench but only played nine minutes before he came off injured.

“It doesn’t look good,” said Norwich manager Philippe Clement regarding Ahmed’s injury. The CanMNT winger suffered what was disclosed as a knee injury. Given the manager's statement, this could be a ligament injury.

Ali Ahmed’s absence will be felt. Norwich City and the CanMNT will be missing Ahmed as he’s become a vital piece of both teams’ lineups. Fellow Canaries teammate Jose Cordoba shared his thoughts on the injury and it appears that his injury has affected the mood of the squad.

It remains unclear what the injury is, but whatever it is, we wish Ali Ahmed a fast recovery! As for now, he will likely miss out on the CanMNT friendlies against Chile and Peru.

The CanWNT are joining the CanMNT in returning to home turf for a pair of international friendlies in October over the Thanksgiving weekend.

Canada Soccer announced this week that the CanWNT will play a two-game series against UEFA opposition in Denmark, on Friday, October 9 at Stade Saputo in Montréal, and Monday, October 12 at BMO Field in Toronto. The Montréal match has also been earmarked as the CanWNT’s annual Pride Celebration Match.

Most Canadians would be thankful for a couple of solid test matches. With Canada and Denmark only separated by three spots in the FIFA Rankings — Canada in 9th and Denmark in 12th — that’s hopefully on the cards to happen.

The head-to-head record between the two nations is even with three wins for both nations, but Denmark have scored 13 goals in those games, compared to Canada’s eight. They last met at the Algarve Cup in 2017, with Canada winning 1-0.

Footballing ties are close between the two nations, including Canada Soccer sporting director Kenneth Heiner-Møller, and NSL head coaches Anja Heiner-Møller and Katrine Pedersen all Danes.

Both nations are in the midst of preparing for next year’s Women’s World Cup in Brazil. Denmark have already booked their tickets with UEFA qualifying wrapped up, while Canada are looking for final reps before the Concacaf W Championship in November, which will serve as Concacaf’s qualifiers for the WWC.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Alistair Johnston to Everton? Where there’s smoke, there’s fire — and there’s a lot of smoke. AJ is close to becoming the first CanMNT player in the Prem since Junior Hoilett (not counting Theo Corbeanu and Daniel Jebbison’s short cups of coffee) with Everton’s £15 million bid near to closing the deal. London clubs Crystal Palace and Fulham could also try to beat the Toffees to AJ’s signature.

🇭🇷 Niko Sigur on the move? Interest in Sigur is a known quantity and because of that, the transfer wire started to light up when he missed out of Hajduk’s season opener. However, it could all be a mirage after manager Gonzalo Garcia suggested it was because of a knock Sigur picked up after the World Cup.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Jamie Knight-Lebel joins Motherwell on loan. The Scottish Premiership’s Canadian contingent grew by one this week, as Bristol City sent JKL out on loan to Motherwell. The Robins clearly rate his talents, but couldn’t find a spot in their squad. Still, it should be excellent experience for the CanMNT CB.

🌊 San Diego loans Brooklyn Courtnall. Speaking of Canadian defenders going on loan, CanWNT defender Courtnall is headed down the California coast. She swapped NorCal’s Bay FC for SoCal’s San Diego Wave, joining Adriana Leon.

👑 Cloé Lacasse with a hat-trick of assists. MVP season loading for Lacasse? It’ll be hard to argue against her if this form keeps up. Lacasse was La-classe again for Utah as the Royals pasted Portland, 5-1. Cloé had not one, not two, but three assists in the massive win.

⛰ Janine Sonis from the spot. Two of the CanWNT’s best performers in the NWSL this season, Lacasse and Sonis, both found the scoresheet. For Sonis and the Summit, it was from the penalty mark to level a 1-1 draw against Nichelle Prince’s Boston Legacy.

🇨🇿 Bryan Ouanda gets an assist. It wasn’t the prettiest or anything, but they’ll all count when you’re looking to make a good impression at the start of the season. The 21-year-old winger will be hoping Jesse Marsch comes calling in October.

🇧🇪 Promise David wins the Belgian Supercup. Promise added to his Belgian trophy cabinet as Union Saint-Gilloise defeated Club Brugge on penalties in the Supercup. David came on for the final 12 minutes, and scored USG’s first penalty.

🇵🇹 Stephen Eustáquio lifts the Portuguese Super Cup. The future is yet to determind for Steph — but for now, he’s still a Super Cup champion with Porto. The CanMNT midfielder was an unused sub as Porto knocked off Torreense, 1-0.

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👋 Sebastian Berhalter makes his Whitecaps exit. The Berhalter era in Vancouver is officially over. After months of speculation — Berhalter was set to become a free agent at the end of the season — he was unveiled by Middlesbrough this week. The rumoured $2 million fee was a fraction of his market value.

🌊 Is the Whitecaps’ ownership saga finally over? We won’t know until a full announcement — but according to Sportsnet’s Dan Murphy, former Vancouver Canucks owner Arthur Griffiths has submitted a bid to purchase the club. Current CEO Axel Schuster previously said over 30 groups had been interested before backing out of a deal, but now, it seems like at least one could be going further.

🔴 Toronto FC held to a draw in the Big Apple. The boys in red travelled to New York City and left Yankee Stadium with a 1-1 draw. TFC are going through a rebuild, and they have a talented starting lineup. The question remains whether Robin Fraser is the right man or whether TFC need another big-name player to bring the team over the edge. Time will tell.

Ⓜ️ CF Montréal still winless at home. Since the MLS’s resumption after the World Cup, MTL have earned only two points in three home games. One thing is certain: if the midfield can find Prince Owusu, goals will come. Also, Brayan Vera’s goal should be considered for goal of the season. CFM drew at home against the New England Revolution, 2-2.

☀️ West Coast giants held to a draw in Vancouver. Western Conference top dogs the Whitecaps hosted second-placed LAFC at BC Place. Korean legend Son Heung-Min opened the game with a banger in the 37th minute. The Caps did not stop, as Thomas Müller converted a penalty in the 75th minute, ending the game 1-1.

🧤 Max Crépeau wins Goalie Wars. Call it a distraction, call it a show. Max picked up some new silverware at the MLS All-Star Game after defeating USMNT goalkeeper Max Freese and reigning champion Pedro Cruz in Goalie Wars.

👏 Whitecaps sign Kwasi Poku. The former Forge fullback-turned-striker is back on Canadian shores, this time, in MLS. The Whitecaps moved quickly to secure his services from RWD Molenbeek (who are undergoing financial troubles) in the wake of Berhalter’s transfer.

🏆 Leagues Cup on the horizon. For a good chunk of MLS clubs, the Leagues Cup is back on the schedule. CF Montréal and Toronto FC will have the next two weeks off but the Vancouver Whitecaps will press on with three games.

Wednesday, August 5
Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Atlante (7:30PM PT @ BC Place)

Friday, August 7
Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Juárez (7:30PM PT @ BC Place)

Tuesday, August 11
Tigres vs. Vancouver Whitecaps (7PM PT)

Saturday, August 15
CF Montréal vs. DC United (7:30PM ET @ Stade Saputo) Toronto FC vs. New England Revolution (7:30PM ET @ BMO Field)

Sunday, August 16
Seattle Sounders vs. Vancouver Whitecaps (4:30PM PT)

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⚜️ Supra with three points in two games this weekend. Quebec’s team had two matches this week, with the first game away at Calgary on Tuesday and a weekend fixture away at Victoria. Supra were defeated 2-1 at ATCO field with a last minute goal from Cavalry’s Amer Didic. Supra then played in Langford against Pacific FC and defeated the home club 1-2. An 84th-minute goal from Supra’s Safwane Mlah would solidify the three points, while Loïc Kwemi’s penalty confirmed the forward as the league’s top goal scorer with 8 goals.

🦅 Vancouver FC leapfrogs Atletico Ottawa into third place. The Eagles hosted the 2025 champs in Langley and handed them a 3-1 defeat. Vancouver have been enjoying impressive form, picking up a four-game winning streak.

🐴 Cavalry thumped Inter Toronto at home. This was a game that Inter Toronto would want to forget. The Cavs hosted the Nine Stripes and defeated the away team 5-0. Striker Tobias Warschewski did not score but registered three assists. Inter Toronto are now winless in their last 8 games.

⚓️ Halifax slowed Forge’s momentum. The Wanderers just handed the Cavs vital breathing room, reducing the gap by giving Forge a 0-0 result. Halifax frustrated Forge’s attack with a rigid defence. Forge continued to press the attack and pressured the Wanderers’ defensive shape. At the end of the day, the game can be summarized as being caught between a rock and a hard place.

🦖 Atlético Ottawa sign Diego Gutiérrez. Ottleti continued their midseason retool this week, signing the former Valour and Cavalry midfielder to a short-term deal with an option for 2027. Gutiérrez made his debut off the bench vs. Vancouver FC.

Friday, August 7
Forge FC vs. Vancouver FC (7PM ET @ Hamilton Stadium)

Saturday, August 8
Atlético Ottawa vs. Halifax Wanderers (1PM ET @ TD Place Stadium)
Pacific FC vs. Inter Toronto (2PM PT @ Starlight Stadium)
FC Supra vs. Cavalry FC (8PM ET @ Stade Boréale)

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🌆 AFC defeat the Wild twice this week. This has been a good week for Toronto; it seems like they finally found their winning form with two back-to-back dubs against the Calgary Wild. AFC defeated the Wild 1-0 at home. This past weekend, Toronto travelled to Calgary and handed them a 6-0 defeat. To be fair to Calgary, a red card in the 33rd minute completely shifted the game. Was the red card justified? It may be a tad harsh but a pen nonetheless.

🌹 Mimi Alidou scored her first NSL goal. It was exciting football. Both teams went on a full-on attacking tilt, with the Rise registering 19 shots and the Roses putting in 18. With all those shots, it resulted in an exciting 4-3 win for Montreal. Seven different goal scorers, and among them was Mimi Alidou with her first goal for the Roses.

🏔️ Vancouver Rise sign Alex Lamontagne. The Rise needed some help in the goals department, and Lamontagne will be just that. The twice Canadian international has been banging them in for the last eight seasons in France and returns home for the first time since heading overseas in 2018.

🦉 Calgary Wild add three. The last-placed Wild needed some reinforcements and with the transfer window now open, they’re finally picking up steam. The additions saw a trio of defenders — Madison Pogarch’s NWSL experience, Canadian Frederique St-Jean and American Taylor Otto.

🪽 Keera Melenhorst extends with the Ottawa Rapid. Locking down one of the top midfielders in the NSL? Check for Ottawa and their hometown option, as they announced a deal through 2027. Melenhorst has nine goal contributions in 13 games this season.

✍️ Montréal Roses ink Amandine Pierre-Louis. The Montréal-born midfielder is coming back home. Pierre-Louis is a Haitian international but MTL through and through after being unveiled by the Roses. She also returns from France, playing alongside Lamontagne for the last five seasons.

✍️ Halifax Tides pen Meredith McDermott. Getting in on the player news bandwagon, the Tides signed American forward Meredith McDermott to her first pro contract. McDermott played for the University of Virginia for three seasons and was a dynamic attacker.

Monday, August 3
Halifax Tides vs. Ottawa Rapid (3PM AT @ Wanderers Grounds)

Friday, August 7
Montréal Roses vs. Halifax Tides (7PM ET @ Stade Boréale)

Saturday, August 8
Vancouver Rise vs. Calgary Wild (4PM PT @ Swangard Stadium)

Sunday, August 9
Ottawa Rapid vs. AFC Toronto (2PM ET @ TD Place Stadium)

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