December 2nd Edition

It was a bad week to be a coach of a Canadian MLS team. Both the Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto FC said goodbye to Vanni Sartini and John Herdman respectively this week.

Both situations bring with them a number of questions surrounding the present and future of the two clubs.

Plus, the Canadian women’s national team were back in action, CanMNT made a historic jump in the FIFA rankings and another Canadian baller made his La Liga debut. All that and more ahead in this week’s edition of The Northern Pitch.

In this week's edition:

• 🔴 John Herdman Resigns

• 🌊 The Vanni era is over

• 🇮🇸 Canada draw with Iceland

• 🌍 Canucks Abroad

• 🏡 Canucks at Home

• ✅ Northern Picks

MLS

🔴 John Herdman Resigns

Toronto FC ended the workweek with a pretty big newsdump, as they announced at 4 p.m. on Friday the resignation of Head Coach John Herdman.

Herdman leaves Toronto FC after just one full season in charge, with a total record of 16-6-22 (W-D-L). Toronto FC lost this year’s Canadian Championship final on penalties to the Vancouver Whitecaps, and finished 11th in the Eastern Conference, three points out of the playoffs.

On the surface, however, this seems like it has just as much to do with on-field performance as it does with Herdman’s alleged involvement in the Dronegate scandal which continues to rock Canadian soccer on a weekly basis.

Regardless of the outcome of all the investigations and reports that continue to surface related to these incidents, they aren’t going away any time soon. They would have hovered over Toronto FC with the faintest annoying buzz all season (sorry we couldn’t help ourselves) — and it would have been a significant distraction for a club that has been trying to rebuild itself for several years now.

Herdman’s legacy in light of this latest development remains a complicated one. There is no question that he played a significant role in elevating the game in this country to its current status on both the men’s and women’s side. The questions now surround what exactly he did to get them there, and whether any lines were crossed in the process.

This story is far from over, and all of it may never be told.

MLS

🌊 The Vanni Sartini era in Vancouver is over

In a perhaps more shocking bit of news this week, the Vancouver Whitecaps said arrivederci to Vanni Sartini (yeah I went to Italy once) on Monday.

The Italian coach was unquestionably the most successful of their MLS era, winning three Canadian Championships and leading the team to three straight playoff appearances as well.

He was also unquestionably the most entertaining, both in the way he had the Whitecaps play football, and all of his quotes, antics and Nickelback concerts off the pitch. The Vanni show will DEFINITELY be missed by all who cover and follow Canadian soccer.

Overall, he had a solid record of 57-39-51 (W-D-L) in his time in charge, which began on August 27, 2021 as an interim head coach when he took over for Marc Dos Santos.

With all that success, it begs the question as to why the Whitecaps decided this was the time to move on from Sartini. Sure, they finished the season with six straight losses which forced them into the Wild Card round of the playoffs (which they won 5-0 against Portland, might I add). But they showed well in a difficult series against LAFC, and this year felt like progress even if not exponential.

But the Whitecaps clearly think that this was an underachievement last season, and that this group of players has more to give.

This is a BIG and bold bet by Sporting Director Alex Schuster on the roster he has constructed, and a different coach and perspective can truly push the Whitecaps to compete for an MLS Cup, and not just be a participant each year.

CanWNT

🇮🇸 Canada draw with Iceland

In a game that probably won’t live long in anyone’s memory, Canada drew Iceland 0-0 on Friday in an international friendly in Spain.

There were definitely a few positive takeaways from this game for Canada. Once again, the backline stood tall and kept a clean sheet against an Iceland side who had scored in 12 straight matches.

They did so without several regulars at the back, including the injured Kadeisha Buchanan and goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan. At long last, Juventus goalkeeper Lysianne Proulx made her Canada debut in the second half and made three saves to keep a clean sheet. She did have a bit of a shaky turnover in the 53rd minute, but made up for it with a big save.

United’s Jayde Riviere, meanwhile, was Canada’s best player on the day. She made three interceptions, won four of six duels and created three chances as she dominated the right flank.

In attack, Marie-Yasmine Alidou went the full 90 and looked solid, creating two chances and taking three shots. Olivia Smith was a big spark off the bench as well, and made a strong case to start against Korea.

Hopefully Canada can finish the year on a high when they take on South Korea on Tuesday, December 3 in their final match of 2024 (12 p.m. ET / 9 a.m. PT, available on OneSoccer & FuboTV).

Canucks Abroad

🌍 Canucks Abroad

⬆️ CanMNT is ranked 31st in the world. The Men’s national team ranking has jumped from 35th to 31st, an all-time high for the CanMNT, beating their previous ranking record of 33rd.

👏 Alphonso Davies and Alistair Johnston were nominated for the FIFA Best XI. The CanMNT fullbacks have been shortlisted as defender nominees in FIFA Men’s Best 11. The Canadian pair enjoyed a strong 2024 campaign, and the Copa America run has helped them stand out. The question is, should Jonathan David have been nominated in the forward category?

🍁 Three Canadians featured in CONCACAF Nations League Best XI. Richie Laryea, Stephen Eustaquio and Jacob Shaffelburg have been featured in the Nations League Best XI League A Quarterfinals.

🇪🇸 Cyle Larin adds to his tally for Mallorca. The CanMNT #9 or Brampton Benzema opened his La Liga account in Mallorca’s 2-1 comeback against Valencia. Mallorca are currently in 6th place.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Junior Hoilett scores for Hibernian. He scored the winning goal in Suriname, and this past weekend, he scored in Hibernian’s 3-0 win over Motherwell. This is Hoilett’s second of the season for the Hibs.

🇪🇸 Justin Smith made his full La Liga debut. The French-born Canadian has made his first La Liga start in Espanyol’s 3-1 win over Celta Vigo. Smith was team captain of the U20 Canada team in the 2022 CONCACAF U20 Championship. He has been on the radar for the CanMNT, and his debut for Espanyol must have pushed that call-up date closer.

🇫🇷 Jonathan David scored a brace. Lille travelled away to Montpellier in a game that ended 2-2. Despite what should’ve been a sure win, JD picked up a brace with two converted penalties. David now has nine goals in Ligue 1.

🇭🇷 Niko Sigur scored his third of the season. The CanMNT youngster scored the only goal in Hadjuk Split’s 1-0 win over league rivals Dinamo Zagreb. A big goal for a big occasion: Hadjuk Split is now at the top of the league with three points cleared from second-placed Rijeka.

🇩🇪 Bayern Munich defeat PSG. The Bavarian clubs are PSG’s kryptonite. Phonzy featured for the full 90 minutes in Bayern’s 1-0 win over the Parisians. Munich are currently in 13th place in the Champions League, just a spot behind Lille.

🇫🇷 Lille are unbeaten in four games in the Champions League. We have established that Jonathan David loves the Champions League, and so does Lille. With their latest 2-1 win over Saputo-owned Bologna, the French Ligue 1 contenders have been unbeaten in their last four games with three wins and one draw. Their next three group-stage games are against Sturm Graz, Liverpool away and Feyenoord.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Celtic draw at home against Club Brugge. Alistair Johnston and the Bhoys in Green stumbled with an unfortunate own goal from Cameron Carter-Vickers. Celtic were able to salvage a point from a stunner by Daizen Maeda. Celtic are in 20th place in the UEFA Champions League.

🇫🇷 Nice suffered a loss over Rangers. The French club hosted Glaswegian club Rangers in the Europa League. It was a game to forget, as OGC Nice took a 4-1 loss to Rangers. Moïse Bombito did not feature in this game due to suspension. No Bombito, no party. Nice are second to last place in the Europa League standings.

🇵🇹 Porto held to a draw in Belgium. Stephen Eustaquio and FC Porto travelled away to Anderlecht. It was a chaotic game. Porto took the lead twice but conceded a goal in the 85th minute. The game ended 2-2. Staqs started for the Dragons but was subbed off in the 82nd minute. Porto are in 23rd place.

🗽JDG’s Red Bulls off to MLS Cup. 2014 called, it wants its MLS Cup Final back. After defeating Luca Petrasso’s Orlando, 1-0, in the Eastern Conference Final this weekend, the New York Red Bulls, boasting former CanMNT international Julian de Guzman as Sporting Director, are off to MLS’ championship game. That game, set to take place on December 7, will be against the stars of Western Conference champions LA Galaxy.

Follow Canucks Abroad on Twitter, Bluesky and Instagram.

Canucks at Home

🏡 Canucks at Home

👨🏻‍💼Atletico Ottawa appointed a new CEO. Manuel Vega has been appointed as the latest CEO of Atletico Ottawa. The 33-year-old joined from Liga MX’s Puebla FC, where he served as the club’s Director of Corporate Relations from 2023. His first order of business is to hire a new coach.

⚓️ Halifax’s Wanderers Grounds to increase capacity. Despite an underwhelming 2024 campaign, the attendance has been overwhelming. The Wanderers had the best attendance in the league, a sold-out crowd nearly every game. For the 2025 season, it will increase its capacity from 6,500 to 7,500.

🦉 Calgary Wild sign Jaclyn Sawicki. The Coquitlam, BC-born midfielder is the latest move in a string of deals for the wheeling-and-dealing Prairie club. Sawicki has suited up for the Philippines on at least 30 occasions, including playing all 90 minutes of the nation’s first-ever World Cup win (men’s and women’s) in 2023, after they defeated co-hosts New Zealand, 1-0, in Group A action.

Follow Canucks At Home on Twitter, Bluesky and Instagram.

✅ Northern Picks

This week’s picks come from DARBY Magazine.

📚 What to buy

Shameless plug time. This week, we launched Issue 4 of DARBY featuring cover stars Olivia Smith and Stephen Eustáquio. Over a year in the making, it’s filled with 136 pages of Canadian football stories including Whitecaps FC’s Ali Ahmed, Halifax Wanderers unofficial team mom Missy Searl, CS Saint-Laurent and many more.

For a limited time (until Friday) you can grab a copy at 20% off the cover price using the code: F4M20.

📺 What to watch

This week, the CPL released a 17 minute short film filled with behind-the-scenes footage of the 2024 CPL Final where Cavalry FC made club history taking down perennial powerhouse Forge. As the title suggests, it was ‘Worth the Wait’.

✅ Who to follow

For all you movers, shakers and business-deal-makers, give DARBY a follow on LinkedIn! Don’t worry—we don’t post annoying unsolicited advice.