December 9th Edition

It’s a bit of a sad week knowing we have no more national team football in 2024. But the Canadian women’s team gave us one more big win to end the year, as they picked up a dominant victory against the Republic of Korea this past week to go undefeated (in regular time) during the year.

Plus, it was draft week in the Canadian Premier League, Canadian strikers with the last name David cannot stop scoring, NWSL signings and plenty more in this week’s edition of The Northern Pitch.

In this week's edition:

• 🇨🇦 CanWNT finish the year in style

• 🍁 2025 CPL-U SPORTS Draft

• 🌍 Canucks Abroad

• 🏡 Canucks at Home

• 📰 In Other News

• ✅ Northern Picks

CanWNT

🇨🇦 CanWNT finish the year in style with big dub against Republic of Korea

For a team that went through the absolute ringer this year once again off the field, it was a pretty impressive 2024 on the pitch for the Canadian women’s national team.

They finished the year with one of their most dominant performances, a 5-1 victory over South Korea in Spain on Tuesday.

Interestingly, it came with a heavily rotated side (for both sides it should be mentioned), with several players who did not get much burn under the previous regime playing a big part in the dominant performance.

First and foremost, Olivia Smith is just different. She forced an own goal to open the scoring, scored the third herself by absolutely bodying her way through the Korean backline and then had a beautiful set-piece delivery assist on Canada’s fourth. She finished the match with a stunning eight shots and four chances created.

Another player who is finally getting some deserved time in the limelight is Marie-Yasmine Alidou, who scored perhaps the best goal the national team scored this year with an absolute banger in the 52nd minute.

After Canada conceded their lone goal of the match in the 76th minute, Vanessa Gilles finished off a fantastic year for country, with a lovely header just two minutes later. Adriana Leon finished off the scoring in stoppage time.

There were a few more performances definitely worth shouting out. Emma Regan balled out in midfield and looks like a player worth giving a bigger opportunity in the coming year. Jeneva Henandez Gray, meanwhile, marked her national team debut at just 18 by picking up an assist.

Hernandez Gray was one of three players who made their Canadian women’s national team debut on Tuesday, including dual-national central defender Meghan Reid, and 19-year-old Nyah Rose.

All in all, a heck of a way to end the year for Canada. Here’s hoping for a much less tumultuous 2025 for the program, where they can find a proper new gaffer and continue this impressive run of form.

CPL

🍁 2025 CPL-U SPORTS Draft

The Canadian Premier lead held their annual draft on Thursday, with 16 players being selected out of Canadian universities.

Going first overall was TMU star striker Jevontae Layne to Valour FC. The 22-year-old from Brampton scored 10 goals in nine matches for the Bold this season, and has been one of the top scorers in League1 Ontario the past two years with Simcoe County Rovers.

Other familiar names taken were Joven Mann, who scored the U SPORTS Nationals winning goal, who goes to the Halifax Wanderers, and Jason Hartill and Owen Antoniuk, both of whom have previous CPL experience with York United and Atlético Ottawa respectively. Hartill now heads to the nation’s capital, while Antoniuk joins his hometown Cavalry FC.

Players selected by their respective clubs will be attending training camps in the hope of signing a first-team contract. They are able to sign CPL-U SPORTS contracts, which allow them to return to school in August without losing their U SPORTS eligibility.

A lot of ballers came through the draft in years past, including Joel Waterman, Victor Loturi and Forge defender Garven Metusala. Will one of this year’s class join that list? Only time will tell.

Canucks Abroad

🌍 Canucks Abroad

🇫🇷 Just a chill Canadian guy. OGC Nice hosted Le Havre and defeated the away team 2-1. Bombito was in the starting lineup and continues to impress in France. Nice are currently in sixth place.

🇳🇴 Patrick Metcalfe, champion. Fredrikstad are back on top of Norwegian football after their first taste of cup glory since 2006. The record Norwegian cup champions won their 12th title after defeating Molde, 5-4 on penalties, with the former Whitecaps midfielder on the field into the first half of extra time as full-time ended 0-0.

🇫🇷 Jonathan David scored a brace against Brest. The Iceman is on fire. Lille defeated Brest 3-1 at home by converting a penalty in the 7th and scoring in the 21st minute. JD has 11 goals in Ligue 1 this season. This marked his 100th goal for Lille.

🇫🇷 Another David finds the back of the net. Promise David decided to join JD by scoring a brace against Gent in the Belgian Cup. PD has eight goals and one assist for Union St. Gilloise with the brace this season.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Alistair Johnston assisted in the opening goal. Celtic hosted Junior Hoilett and Hibernian at Celtic Park. The Bhoys in green defeated the Edinburgh club 3-0. AJ provided the assisted Arne Engel’s opening goal with a cross. Junior Hoilett started on the bench for Hibs but came on in the 82nd minute.

🇮🇹 Tajon Buchanan played 20 minutes against Parma. It’s been a long road to recovery for TJ, and the increased game time is a good sign. Before the injury, Buchanan was new to Inter and was fighting to earn a spot in the starting lineup. The injury was a setback. But now, he was given 20 minutes in Inter Milan’s 3-1 win over Parma. Hopefully, soon, it’ll be a full half and then a spot in the starting lineup.

🇫🇷 Derek Cornelius returned for Marseille. The CanMNT defender has returned to the first team and started on the bench in Marseille’s away game at Saint-Étienne. Cornelius came off the bench in the 69th minute and saw out Marseille’s 2-0 win.

🇩🇪 Alphonso Davies is reportedly to sign a new contract. Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg has stated that there has been “significant progress regarding a contract extension.” The deal is not done yet, but further crucial talks are reported to take place before Christmas. It seems likely that Phonzy will sign a new contract, and Manchester United is aware of the situation.

🇺🇸 Nichelle Prince re-signs with Kansas City. The Current, despite Desiree Scott’s retirement, will continue to have Canadian representation through 2026. Prince heated up towards the end of 2024 and with now stay in Missouri for two more years, plus an option for 2027, after inking a new contract this week.

🤕 Unfortunately, Phonzy also suffered an injury. In Bayern Munich’s 4-2 win over Heidenheim, Alphonso Davies and Kingsley Coman have sustained muscle strains in their left hamstrings. They will be sidelined for the rest of 2024.

🇵🇹 Stephen Eustaquio and Porto are in the same group as Messi and Inter Miami. The new international club competition, the Club World Cup, will be coming to 12 venues in the United States. Stephen Eustaquio, Alphonso Davies, and Tajon Buchanan will be featured in this competition, as will their respective clubs, Porto, Bayern Munich, and Inter Milan. Groups have been drawn. Staqs and Porto have been drawn in Group A, along with Brazil’s Palmeiras, Egypt’s Al Ahly and Messi’s Inter Miami. Phonzy and Bayern Munich have been drawn into Group C along with New Zealand’s Auckland City, Argentinian giants Boca Junior and Portugal’s Benfica. TJ’s Inter Milan has been drawn into Group E. Inter Milan will face Buenos Aires’s River Plate, Japan Urawa Reds, and Mexican giants Monterrey.

Follow Canucks Abroad on Twitter, Bluesky and Instagram.

Canucks at Home

🏡 Canucks at Home

⚓ Thomas Meilleur-Giguère signed a two-year deal with the Wanderers. The Quebecois defender has moved from the Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast. Meilleur-Giguère has also signed a two-year contract with the Haligonian side. This is a major signing for the Wanderers. TMG brings experience as a veteran defender and as a 2021 CPL Champion.

👑 Shola Jimoh returns to York United for 2025. The 16-year-old sensation had a break in the 2024 season. York United has confirmed that Shola Jimoh will return with the Nine-Stripes for the 2025 campaign.

Follow Canucks At Home on Twitter, Bluesky and Instagram.

Other news

📰 In Other News

🛞 NSL announced Canadian Tire as a founding partner. The bag has been secured. The NSL has signed a multi-year and multi-million dollar deal with Canadian Tire. As a founding partner, each NSL club will have the Canadian Tire logo on their left shoulder.

🏟️ Ruben Del Campo has left Ottawa. The Swiss forward has left the club after a year and a half. Ruben Del Campo leaves Ottleti with 14 goals in 49 appearances.

✅ Northern Picks

This week’s picks come from Ferias, a music collective deeply rooted in the Montréal dance community known for their summer block parties and winter space jams.

🎧 What to listen to

Our friend Rafa Aslan, who we play summer footy with, just released an ambient electronic album called Again and Again. Favorite track - You Never Say.

🛍️ What to buy

Retro Football Gang: This brand specializes in nostalgic, 90s-inspired retro-print apparel that blends football and hip-hop culture. Their latest drop includes Maradona-themed Christmas merch, cheekily titled ‘Let it Snow’, and their tees are some of our favourite go-to pieces for shows.

✅ Who to follow

Chris Tatist is a local creative whose art blends painting, photography, and fashion. We especially love his vibrant, colourful pieces inspired by football culture. 

You can follow ferias on Instagram here.