December 11th Edition

This past Tuesday, the eyes of the nation turned to Vancouver as the G.O.A.T made her curtain call at the stadium temporarily named after her in a 1-0 win over Australia. It’s going to take us all a little while to adjust to the fact that Christine Sinclair is now a ‘former Canadian international’, but the legacy she leaves is going to last well beyond that state of disbelief.

There was plenty more to celebrate this week as well, as two Canadians lifted the MLS Cup, Cyle Larin is off the mark in La Liga and CanMNT got a dream draw for Copa America…if they can find a way to qualify.

The biggest and best from this week in Canadian Soccer is all ahead in The Northern Pitch.

The greatest to ever wear the Canadian shirt hung up her boots on Tuesday, and understandably there has been a lot of reflection this week on the unmatchable career of Christine Sinclair.

When that red number 12 came up on the substitutes board on Tuesday at Christine Sinclair Place, it officially signalled the end of a golden era within Canadian Soccer.

As we enter the final month of the 2023 it has unquestionably been a disappointing year for the program. After so much momentum coming off a World Cup year in 2022, it seemed like almost every headline was of a negative nature, whether that was from the labour disputes, or the results on the pitch.

Tuesday in Vancouver, however, was a perfectly choreographed celebration of not only the best Canadian soccer player of all time but everything that the sport can be when it is at its best in this country. Where we all work together in pursuit of greatness instead of the factional divide that has stalled the rise of the sport in this country.

Much of that greatness is forever evident in the career of the woman honoured on Tuesday. Sinclair, after all, was the first to make Canada believe we could compete at the highest level. Whether it was the free kick against Germany moments after breaking her nose at the 2011 World Cup, the hattrick against the Americans at London 2012 or becoming the greatest international goalscorer ever. Period. And of course, gold in Tokyo.

These sort of accomplishments and performances don’t only take fearlessness, but more than anything a relentless determination to leave the shirt in a better place. When the circumstances around her got increasingly difficult, both on and off the pitch, she stood taller and fought them head on.

While it was her individual moments of brilliance that often carried the program to where it is today, Sinclair was adamant about sharing the stage with her teammates. That was on full display in her final final match, as she was surrounded by her London 2012 teammates, and made every effort to make sure Sophie Schmidt and Erin McLeod got just as much love as she did on Tuesday.

She worked tirelessly to inspire the next generation. Whether that was appearances at soccer camps, or just sticking around after home matches to sign autographs or taking pictures. She has already launched a foundation dedicated to inspiring and empowering girls with goals.

If Canada Soccer is going to reach its potential, especially with a home World Cup on the horizon, we could all stand to be a little bit more like Christine Sinclair.

🧹 CanWNT swept Australia in an impressive friendly series. While the focus was understandably on Sinclair’s retirement, her team’s performance was also incredibly encouraging. After thumping what was admittedly a pretty second-choice Matildas side on Vancouver Island, 5-0, they took on the main squad on Tuesday and were full value for a solid 1-0 victory. Some quality composure from Quinn was the difference as they headed home the winner. The defence held strong for two clean sheets, but what was more impressive and promising was the confidence and quality with which Canada attacked. Cloé Lacasse is a genuine game-changer and has only grown in confidence since moving to Arsenal this season. She looks to have created excellent chemistry with Nichelle Prince and Adriana Leon. Meanwhile, playing Ashley Lawrence on her natural side and as a wingback with an opportunity to move further forward and create offence has been critical to Canada’s success. With Paris 2024 looming, this team could make some real noise at the Olympics once again.

🇨🇦 The nominees for Canada Soccer Player of the Year have been announced. The following list of nominees will not surprise anyone, as a matter of fact, any of these players have a strong case in winning Player of the Year. However, the biggest names to be nominated include Alphonso Davies, Jonathan David, Cyle Larin, Cloé Lacasse, Jessie Fleming and Vanessa Gilles. But this is only a portion of all names. Men’s nominees also include Stephen Eustaquio, Tajon Buchanan, Alistair Johnston, Ismaël Koné, Richie Laryea and Kamal Miller. The rest of the female nominees include Kadeisha Buchanan, Ashley Lawrence, Adriana Leon, Nichelle Prince, Jade Rose, and Kailen Sheridan.

⚽️ CYLE LARIN DID A GOAL LET’S GO. At long last, Canada’s striking talisman finds the back of the net in La Liga. Real Mallorca hosted Spanish big boys Sevilla and walked away with a 1-0 win. The only goal of the game came from Cyle’s saucy finish. Stir the pot cause it was pure class, like a Michelin-star restaurant. A perfect takedown touch at the edge of the box and a banging shot with his left going to the bottom corner. Cyle has just proven the kind of performance he can produce in a big game. We pray this will be the case all season.

🤝 League1 Alberta officially joins League1 Canada. Now, there are four provincial leagues under the League1 Canada umbrella. L1 Canada has reached an agreement with the Alberta Soccer Association (ASA) to add L1 Alberta to the national alliance of the Division III Pro-Am league. The latest league will contest its first season in 2024 with seven men’s and women’s teams. Football is growing in this country, and there are now more avenues to compete at higher levels.

🥁 Project 8 will reveal the league name in 2024. Diana Matheson revealed that there will be team announcements in the new year and the unveiling of the pro women’s league name in 2024. Matheson also stated that teams will be on sale until the spring. Three of the eight league’s founding teams have already been confirmed: the Vancouver Whitecaps, the Calgary Foothills and AFC Toronto. Matheson also said she is confident that one of the eight teams will be in Quebec. Canada’s professional women’s league will play its first match in 2025. The full story can be read here.

🤩 Canada versus Argentina, Phonzy versus Messi. So, we’ve all conveniently forgotten about Jamaica defeating Canada at BMO. It’s okay we have too. Now, looking to the future, Canada still has a chance to qualify for Copa America 2024 through a play-in round against Trinidad and Tobago. If Canada qualifies for Copa America, it would be the same group as Argentina. Specifically, if Canada defeats Trinidad on March 23rd, we would be placed in Group A with Argentina, Peru and Chile. It's tough, but the experience will be invaluable. Let’s get it.

👀 Tajon Buchanan is rumoured to be wanted by Manchester City. As we near January, the transfer rumour mill starts spinning stories that give us hope or straight-up lies. This rumour, we want to believe. It was reported that Manchester City is interested in Tajon Buchanan. With Pep Guardiola dropping points in the prem, he is looking for more forward options to help Erling Haaland rake up goals. Along with TJ, Manchester City also considers other players such as Serge Gnabry, Kaoru Mitoma and Raphael Leão. If City are truly interested in Tajon Buchanan, they must pay Club Brugge for the Brampton Winger £50 million. Mitoma and Gnabry have Premier League experience and would be the safe bet. However, Mitoma is pivotal to Brighton’s plans, while Gnabry has become a rotational player with the rise of Musiala. Could TJ be that guy for Pep? Or will be benched and just an option like Kalvin Phillips?

🥇 Ismaël Koné’s goal becomes the goal of the month. Last week, we spoke about Koné’s banger against Norwich City. That goal earned him the reward of Watford’s November Goal of the Month.

🇵🇭 The Philippines is moving heavily on Canadian talents. Everyone’s favourite Southeast Asian island, the Philippines, is moving on Canadian talents not being called to the CanMNT. Patrick Metcalfe, Kadin Chung, and Michael Baldissimo.

🇵🇹 Eustaquio picked up two assists over the weekend. Staqs had a good weekend in Portugal. Porto hosted Casa Pia AC and beat the away team 3-1. Canada’s playmaking CM assisted Evanilson and Pepe’s goal in the first and second half of the game. Eustaquio currently has three goals and three assists this year. If he keeps this up, a big club in another country will knock.

😳 Things didn’t look good for Phonzy. The week's biggest surprise was Bayern Munich getting ripped apart by mid-table Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1. Yes, they lost 5-1. Phonzy did not have a good game. To be fair, Bayern’s overall defensive lineup and tactics were subpar. Opened up and ripped apart like a Jamaican patty after a long night of festivities. Davies was subbed off at the half.

🍁 Canadians are in the WSL London Derby between Arsenal and Chelsea. Five Canadians played or were subs in the biggest WSL matchup of the weekend. For Arsenal, Cloé Lacasse and Sabrina D’Angelo started the match on the bench, while Jessie Fleming started for Chelsea, assisting on her side’s lone goal, with Ashley Lawrence and Kadeisha Buchanan remaining as options off the bench. Arsenal played at the Emirates and defeated first-placed Chelsea 4-1 in front of 59,000 supporters. Wow. Lacasse, Lawrence, and Buchanan came off the bench in the second half.

The Columbus Crew won their third MLS Cup. Wilfried Nancy, Mo Farsi, and Jacen Russell-Rowe are MLS Cup Champions. After a single season in Columbus, Nancy has proved that his method of football is the solution. The biggest stories to emerge from the Crew’s win are the two Montrealers, Nancy and Farsi.

Let’s start with Montreal lad Mo Farsi. His footballing story can be compared to Jamie Vardy’s career. In 2017, Mo played CEGEP (college) level football with Ahuntsic, later playing for Longueuil and Blainville in the PLSQ (now L1 Québec) while repping the Canadian national Futsal team. In 2020, Cavalry picked him up after impressing in an open trial. In 2022, he joined Columbus Crew 2 in MLS NextPro and has now become the 2023 MLS Champion. Within five years, he went from semi-professional football to the top of North American football. Note how CF Montreal is not featured in his resumé. Should Farsi be called-up by CanMNT? If not, Algeria will gain a major talent.

Wilfried Nancy displayed something CF MTL fans knew but the front office couldn’t provide: a winning formula. We can talk about the game itself, or you can watch the highlights here. However, as said in previous editions of the Northern Pitch, MTL’s biggest loss was not Milhailovic, Koné or Alistair Johnston. It was Wilfried Nancy. To have won the MLS Cup after just a year with the Crew proves everything that the MTL fans knew what would’ve happened if CF MTL had given Nancy what he wanted. It could’ve been a sold-out Stade Olympique at the final. The front office of CF MTL must be kicking themselves.

Let’s end on this note: Wilfried Nancy is the first black coach to win the MLS Cup. Breaking barriers and has the winning formula that everyone will emulate in the MLS. Trend setter.

Lifelong Coventry City FC and TFC faithful Adam Brace, gives a deep dive into his current obsessions. A talented design lead at Loblaws Digital can also be found on the pitch for local homies Parkdale Panthers FC.

📚 What to read

With the winter months weather setting in I love to stay home and get inspired flipping through coffee table books. A recent addition I’ve been excited to dig more into is 1Shilling The Football Programme Revolution Of 1965-85. It’s an awesome look into vintage British football programme design. It features stunning design work from over 40 different clubs, combines my love of design and football and spotlights master designer John Elvin, who’s revolutionary work defined the graphic language for my hometown club Coventry City in the early 1970’s.

📺 What to watch

It’s been out for quite some time now but I was really moved watching Dele Alli’s interview with Gary Neville, Dele: “Now is the Time to Talk”. The traumatic stories and revelations accounted by Dele are an important reminder of the vulnerability of some the most high profile athletes and how mental health can impact their performances, careers and personal lives. It reinforces to me, that fans, clubs and organizations need to be aware of the impact the pressure and conditions of professional sports have on its high-profile athletes.

🎧 What to listen to

If I’m out of the house in the winter months it’s usually when I’m walking the dog or heading to the office. I typically load up podcasts to kick off my day with a shot of inspiration. I’ve been enjoying exploring the back-catalog of The High Performance podcast, an interview show that taps into the experiences and insights of over 250 guests that represent some the planets highest performers. Two stand out episodes to get started for me are Paul Barber, CEO Brighton and Hove Albion and Kieran Tripper’s interview “How struggle made me stronger”. 

✅ Who to follow

@art_of_football with the holidays coming up I know I can always rely on Art of Football’s awesome clothing & apparel for gift ideas for my footy loving friends and family.