December 23rd Edition

2024 Year in Review

December 23, 2024

A rollercoaster of a year in Canadian soccer is coming to an end, and if nothing else it will undoubtedly be a memorable one. In today’s edition, we’re looking back at some of the biggest stories that shaped 2024.

With the calendar year ending, Canada Soccer also announced their Players of the Year, and there was little surprise in the selections.

Finally, we’ll be taking a much deserved holiday next week, so this will be the last edition of The Northern Pitch for 2024. Whether you’ve been subscribing since day one, or recently joined our beautiful list of readers, we’re so grateful for your support and readership each and every week.

We’re excited to take things to the next level in 2025. Until then: Happy Holidays!

Canada Soccer

🏆 David & Gilles named Players of the Year

Canada Soccer

It was a pretty big week for footy in the nation’s capital, as two ballers from the Ottawa area were named Players of the Year: Jonathan David and Vanessa Gilles. Gilles takes the honour for the first time, while David earns his second selection after being named Player of the Year in 2019.

David ends the year as the all-time leading goalscorer in Canadian soccer history, scoring his 31st against Suriname in Canada’s final match of the year. He was involved in ten of the 14 goals Canada scored in 2024 — either scoring them or setting them up.

For club, he has been on a completely different level. Leading Ligue 1 in scoring with 11 goals this year, and adding six in the Champions League. He scored 36 goals and added 10 assists in the calendar year of 2024, and is one of the top strikers in world football right now.

Gilles, meanwhile, was the heart of the Canadian women’s national team this year, in both performances on the pitch and leadership off of it during a trying year for the program. She had four goals and an assist for the national team this year as a central defender.

With Lyon, she helped them with a Division 1 title, and to the final of the 2023-24 UEFA Women’s Champions League. She has a pair of goals in this year’s Champions League as well, as Lyon went a perfect 6-0 during the group stage.

Celtic’s Alistair Johnston and Nice’s Moïse Bombito were also finalists on the men’s side, while Jessie Fleming and Evelyne Viens rounded out the top three for the women’s national team.

Canada Soccer

5️⃣ The five biggest stories in Canadian Soccer in 2024

It has been nothing short of a wild year in Canadian football, with some real highs on the pitch, and some absolute gong-shows off of it. Here is a quick look back at the biggest stories from the year that was, and how they might impact things as we head into 2025.

  1. CanMNT reach final four at Copa América

Entering their first-ever Copa América, there were few expectations surrounding a Canadian team that had never won a match at a major international tournament outside of Concacaf. But Les Rouges quickly proved they weren’t just there to make up the numbers. After giving world number one Argentina all they could handle in the first game, Canada beat Peru, and drew Chile, to get out of their group. But they didn’t stop there. They would go on to stun Venezuela in the quarter-finals in penalties in one of the most impressive performances in national team history. Even their heartbreaking loss, again on penalties, in the third-place game against Uruguay had some memorable moments, especially Ismaël Koné’s epic scissor kick opener. This was the new Canada, and the World was put on notice.

  1. NSL reveals branding and initial clubs / signings

This was the year the Northern Super League was officially born, and with each passing announcement, be that logo, team name, players or more the league feels that much closer to reality. Fans got to find out which team and crest they can look forward to repping for decades to come, and which players will pull on that kit in the first year. This is truly a game-changing moment for the sport in this country, and for women’s football in general.

  1. Dronegate derails impressive Olympic campaign

It wasn’t all ‘super’ on the women’s side of the game, however, as Dronegate became the story of the Summer Olympics for Canada. What started with the arrest of Joey Lombardi for attempting to spy with a drone on New Zealand’s practice before their Olympic opener against Canada took the story completely away from CanWNT’s Gold Medal defence and remains a talking point to this day as more and more of Canada Soccer’s cultural issues come to the forefront. Assistant coach Jasmine Mander and head coach Bev Priestman were eventually sent home, and Canada were slapped with a six-point penalty. Somehow, they got out of the group in second after a dramatic victory over hosts France before bowing out to Germany in the quarters on penalties. They didn’t leave with a medal for the first time in four Olympic Games, but hell if it wasn’t incredibly impressive given the circumstances.

  1. Jesse Marsch’s hiring has instant impact on CanMNT

It is pretty much impossible to talk about the success of the CanMNT this year without talking about the man who was at the centre of it all, new coach Jesse Marsch. An American, coaching Canada? Really? Well it turned out to be the perfect hire, as after a shaky start against the Netherlands (we were all worried af let’s be honest), Canada rebounded with a big performance against France in a 0-0 draw, before reaching the Copa América final four. Canada followed that up by beating the USMNT on American soil for the first time since 1957, then reaching the Nations League final four. Pretty dang good first year for Marsch. Now he will look to bring the program some silverware in 2024.

  1. Bev Preistman out as CanWNT head coach, what comes next?

As part of the fallout from DroneGate, Canada Soccer confirmed that Bev Priestman will not be returning following her one-year FIFA suspension and that they had already begun the process of finding a new coach. A Gold medal-winning coach with Canada, Priestman’s vacancy brings real questions for the future of the program. Kevin Blue and the crew knocked it out of the park with the Jessie Marsch hiring, and will need a similar success in who they bring in for the women’s team in order to keep that group among the World’s best.

NSL

🎉 Big Holiday signing season in the NSL

Ketsia N’kumbu / Onfocus Media

The NSL was handing out serious gifts this past week in the form of a number of signings throughout the league just in time for the holiday season.

The busiest team was undoubtedly the Vancouver Rise, who kicked off their week of signings in impressive fashion with former Canadian women’s national team defender Shannon Woeller. They also added Jessica DeFilippo, Welsh international Josie Longhurst and goalkeeper Morgan McAslan all from Whitecaps FC Girl’s Elite. Defender Ariel Young, meanwhile, joins the team after playing pro in Denmark.

Roses de Montréal, however, are not messing around either as they secured Canadian international attacker Latifah Abdu from the French league. They also brought home Canadian youth international forward Tanya Boychuk from Sweden. There will be goals in Montréal this season, you can bet on that.

Rounding out the signings, Calgary Wild added Venezuela international midfielder Sonia O’Neill, who has had an outstanding career in Europe.

Ottawa Rapid’s roster remains a mystery, as they are the only club who have yet to reveal a player signing, while Halifax Tides have made just one public signing, but it’s Erin freaking McLeod, so we’ll allow it. Expect big announcements from both of these clubs in the year ahead.

Canucks Abroad

🌍 Canucks Abroad

Real Mallorca

🇪🇸 Cyle Larin en fuego! Real Mallorca travelled away and played against Getafe. Larin scored the only goal of the game. Larin has now scored four goals in five games. He’s ending 2024 with a bang.

🇩🇪 Alphonso Davies picked up a goal and an assist. Back from injury, Phonzy started for the Bavarian giants’ 5-1 triumph over RB Leipzig. Phonzy picked up an assist in the 74th minute after starting the counter-attack and finding Leroy Sané on the wing. Davies then scored a header in the 78th from a textbook cross from Joshua Kimmich.

🇧🇪 Promise David helps Saint-Gilloise to a draw. Sure, the goal didn’t go down as his own, but they’ll all count the same. David’s shot in the 59th minute would be saved by Simon Mignolet (yes, that Mignolet, from Liverpool years past) but clatter off one of the Club Brugge shotstopper’s own defenders as the two sides played to a 2-2 draw.

🇮🇹 Tajon Buchanan had his first start for Inter Milan. TJ earned his first start in Inter Milan’s 2-0 win over Udinese in the Coppa Italia. TJ came off in the 74th minute, but to earn a start for Inter Milan is a big step forward. We will see more of that!

🇫🇷 Jonathan David named Ligue 1 Player of the Month. JD has won his first Player of the Month for November for the first time! It feels like he should’ve already won this multiple times, but here we are. Finally, the CanMNT striker has earned this award and rightfully so.

🇮🇹 Ismaël Koné could be loaned out to Serie A. Marseille are reportedly interested in loaning out Koné to Lazio in January. OM are keen to give Isma more game time, and a loan spell to Lazio will give him more minutes. The loan move will reportedly not include a permanent transfer option.

🇺🇸 Lukas MacNaughton is on the move. From the boys in purple, to red-and-white, gold-and-blue, and now red-and-black, DC United acquired MacNaughton this week for up to $200k in GAM in a trade with Nashville SC. MacNaughton spent much of the 2024 season sidelined due to injury — so here’s to hoping new beginnings means more luck for the once MNT-capped centre-back.

🇺🇸 Brooklyn Courtnall joins the North Carolina Courage. It’s back to a Canadian trio down in Cary. The Courage made the CanW20 defender their first NCAA signing in the post-draft era this week, penning the 2022 U20 FIFA Women’s World Cup bronze medallist to a three-year deal.

🇩🇰 Jaime Perrault signs for FC Nordsjælland. One of the Whitecaps’ brightest names is signing overseas. The Danish club announced the signature of the 18-year-old winger, who featured for the Whitecaps this past summer in CONCACAF W Champions Cup action, this week. Perrault is the second Canadian player at the club, with ex-UBC Okanagan Heat goalkeeper Molly Race re-signing with FCN at the end of November.

Follow Canucks Abroad on Twitter, Bluesky and Instagram.

Canucks at Home

🏡 Canucks at Home

Canada Soccer

🍁 Olivia Smith and Nathan Saliba are Young Players of the Year. DARBY Magazine cover star Olivia Smith and CF Montréal’s emerging talent Nathan Saliba are Canada Soccer’s 2024 Young Players of the Year. This is Smith’s second time winning YPOTY and Saliba’s first time earning the award. Further details are provided in the provided link.

👏 Loïc Kwemi is Futsal Player of the Year. Former CS Saint-Laurent and current Valour FC baller has earned Canada Soccer 2024 Futsal Player of the Year. Kwemi finished joint second top goal-scorer with six goals in the 2024 Concacaf Futsal Championship, leading Canada to a quarterfinal finish. 2024 has been a big year for Loïc Kwemi.

🤔 Ryan Reynolds to acquire the Vancouver Whitecaps? Brendan Dunlop has speculated on Canadian Soccer Daily that the owner of AFC Wrexham should buy the Caps. With the historic Canadian club for sale, there is a risk that the franchise could move to Las Vegas, Detroit or Phoenix. Vancouver local Ryan Reynolds is the perfect fit, according to Dunlop. Frankly, we agree. This is the perfect match, and we need to keep Canadian clubs in MLS.

⚓️ Rayane Yesli to Halifax? Rumours from well-placed sources Algeria FC have the ex-Ottawa backup headed east, as the CPL off-season continues to swirl. After sharing the gloves with Nathan Ingham in 2024, Yesli’s campaign was much more muted compared to the ‘keeper’s breakout 2023 season. This move has the potential to be a shrewd one by the Wanderers’ front office as they look to restake their claims to being playoff contenders.

Follow Canucks At Home on Twitter, Bluesky and Instagram.

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Other news

📰 In Other News

🐝 Hummel is NSL's official kit provider. NSL have officially unveiled that Danish-based Hummel will be the league’s official kit provider. NSL will be Hummel’s first sponsorship for a professional women's league. This is a historic moment for both the league and the provider. Moreover, this is Hummel’s first major venture into North America.

🇮🇹 Federico Bernadeschi to stay in Toronto? Gareth Wheeler has disclosed that according to “multiple sources,” Bernadeschi has triggered a two-year extension in his contract after reaching a specific goal contribution. If so, that means Bernadeschi could now remain with TFC for the next four years as opposed to two. Further details could be read here.

🗓️ The MLS schedule dropped. The schedule for the 2025 MLS season has been revealed. Here are important dates to note for each Canadian club.

🔴 Toronto FC will host Vancouver, MTL, and Miami at BMO on March 29th, August 30th, and September 27th. TFC will travel to Miami, LAFC, and San Diego on April 6, June 13, and July 16, respectively.

🔵 CF Montréal will host its first seven games away from Stade Saputo. Their third game will be against the Caps on March 8th. Other notable away games are at Miami and Toronto on May 28th and August 30th. Big home games will come when TFC, LAFC and Miami visit on May 17th, May 24th and July 5th, respectively.

🌊 Vancouver Whitecaps start the season on February 20th, away at Saprissa. Other notable away fixtures include Portland Timbers, MLS Champs LA Galaxy and San Diego on February 23rd, July 4th and July 19th. Home fixtures include LA Galaxy on March 2nd and San Diego on June 25th.

🔨 Daniel Parra is leaving Forge FC. The Mexican fullback’s loan at Hamilton is coming to an end. It is reported that Parra will be joining Liga MX’s club Atlas.

🔴 Toronto FC have made three selections in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft. Defender Reid Fischer from San Diego State, midfielder Michael Sullivan from the University of Pittsburgh, and midfielder Joseph Melto Quiah from the University of Dayton. While the latter two were selected by draft, Reid Fischer came as an exchange between TFC and DC United. The Reds acquired DC’s first-round, 23rd overall draft pick in exchange for 50K in GAM. With the exchange, TFC selected Reid Fischer, while DC can earn an additional $50K if Fischer meets performance-based metrics.

🌊 Whitecaps drafted two fullbacks in the MLS SuperDraft. The Caps have drafted Adidas Generation left-back Tate Johnson in the 15th overall pick and then right-back Nikola Djordjevic 45th overall. The 19-year-old Tate Johnson is drafted from the University of North Carolina and already has professional experience. Tate made his pro debut with the Tampa Bay Rowdies when he was 16-years-old. Djordjevic has made 35 appearances out of 38 for Southern Methodist University between 2022-2024. In that period, he has registered two goals and 12 assists. Both full-backs are promising prospects.

🔵 CF MTL drafted Michael Adedokun. MTL have drafted Ohio State baller Michael Adedokun in the first round. The 2024 Big Ten Midfielder of the Year picked up 11 goals and 11 assists in 2024. Montréal’s first off-season recruitment started strong. Other draft picks include forward Arik Duncan from the University of California, Winger Caden Grabfelder from Penn State, and midfielder Arthur Duquenne from Clemson University.

🍁 Two Canadians were also selected in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft. Although the selections weren’t made by Canadian clubs, there was still value to be found. Ex-Whitecaps youngster — and 2024 National Champion with Vermont — Sydney Wathuta was selected 16th overall by the same Colorado Rapids that drafted Moïse Bombito and Kimani Stewart-Baynes in years past. FC Dallas would take the other, Penn State defender Mo Cisset, in the third round at 71st overall.