- The Northern Pitch
- Posts
- February 17th Edition
February 17th Edition
CanWNT are back in action, U-17 boys are World Cup bound & CPL clubs eliminated from Champions Cup
There were some tough losses across Canadian soccer this week, but there is also no doubt that the future looks bright.
Both Forge and Cavalry were eliminated from the Concacaf Champions Cup, but not before once again showing that CPL clubs can absolutely compete at the continental level. And, for a ninth time, Canada qualified for the FIFA U-17 men’s World Cup.
Plus, CanWNT kicks off under Casey Stoney, the CPL’s all-time leading goalscorer returns home, some big signings for Canadian MLS teams and plenty more ahead in this week’s edition of The Northern Pitch.
In this week's edition:
CanMNT
🏆 Canada qualify for U-17 World Cup
Canada Soccer
Canada are off to Qatar (again). This time, for the U-17 FIFA World Cup in November.
The Canadian U-17 team dominated Group A at the U-17 Concacaf qualifiers, defeating host Bermuda 7-1, Anguilla 8-0, Curaçao 7-1 and Turks and Caicos 6-0. Finishing atop their group qualified them for the World Cup.
Plenty of young future CanMNT ballers showed out at the tournament, with Fulham youth player Aiden Evans scoring seven times, including a four-piece against Bermuda. Feyernood’s Kevin Khan and LAFC 2’s Marius Aiyenaro bagged five each.
Some other players who showed out at the tournament: York United’s Shola Jimoh, CF Montréal youth academy’s Sergei Kozlovskiy and CF Damm’s Andre Ali-Gayapersad. Remember those names you’ll be hearing from them again soon.
Canada are still looking for their first victory at a U-17 World Cup, but this talented group feels like just the squad that can take the country to new heights in Qatar in November. The future is in good hands.
CanWNT
🇨🇦 CanWNT back in action at the Pinatar Cup
Canada Soccer
For the first time in 2025, the Canadian women’s national team are back in action on Wednesday as they kick off the 2025 Pinatar Cup against China.
The invitational friendly competition, which is hosted in San Pedro del Pinatar, Spain, is a round-robin format with the team who finishes with the most points (or has the highest tiebreaker) after each team has played each other winning the competition.
Canada will also face Concacaf rival Mexico on Saturday before wrapping up the Pinatar Cup against Chinese Taipei next Tuesday. All matches will be available on OneSoccer.
With this being Canada’s first camp under Casey Stoney, more than just the results will be analyzed as fans will take particular interest in how the team is set up, and which players are given opportunity.
One example, Stoney has often mentioned that she believes Marie-Yasmine Alidou is a #10, and is likely to deploy the 29-year-old in that position at this camp. She is also clear in wanting Canada to be a more attackingly decisive side. After a 5-1 win against South Korea to end 2024, can Stoney help Canada increase their attacking ideas over the next few weeks?
The team announced one roster change since last week as Bianca St-Georges was removed through injury, with Carly Wickenheiser earning her first-ever call-up to the Canadian national team. The 27-year-old dual-international currently plays for BK Häcken in Sweden as a midfielder. She is the daughter of NHL Player Doug Wickenheiser, and is the cousin of Canadian hockey legend Hayley Wickenhesier.
Concacaf
❌ Both CPL clubs eliminated as Whitecaps get set to kick off Concacaf Champions Cup campaign
Forge FC
It was a sad week for Canadian clubs in the Concacaf Champions Cup, as both Forge and Cavalry were eliminated following second-leg trips down to Mexico.
Forge were in tough as they stepped onto the pitch at Estadio BBVA on Tuesday, already down 2-0 on aggregate. But unfortunately, things didn’t get much better in the away leg as after Tristan Borges struck the crossbar early, Forge fell 3-0 to a brace from Mexican international Germán Berterame and would lose the series 5-0 overall.
Still, over two legs, Forge were a lot closer than that scoreline suggested. The Borges’ opportunity just one of the many big chances they created throughout the series.
Even tougher to take was Cavalry FC’s result down in Mexico City. With a 2-1 victory in the first leg, a dub or a draw would have seen them through. Instead, after going down to ten men just before half-time, they lost a heart-breaker 2-0, and 3-2 on aggregate.
The Cavs made history by becoming the first CPL club to get a win in the competition, and showed just how far the league has come that it can now do battle with Mexican giants after just six years of existence.
Now attentions turn to the Vancouver Whitecaps, as the defending Canadian champions kick off their round one series against Costa Rican club Deportivo Saprissa, kicking off on Thursday, with the second leg at BC Place on February 27.
This is a record 38th appearance for Saprissa in this competition, as they won it all in 2005. Their squad features Panama international and former Whitecap Kendall Waston.
Canucks Abroad
🌍 Canucks Abroad
Benfica
🇵🇹 Marie-Yasmine Alidou scored off the bench. Benfica hosted Racing Power Taça de Portugal (FA Cup equivalent). Alidou started off the bench and then came on and broke the 2-2 deadlock in the 87th minute with a header in the box. The game ended 3-2 for Benfica.
🇫🇷 Vanessa Gilles scored for Lyon. The CanWNT scored the first goal of the game in the 10th minute against Guingamp. Gilles scored a header from a corner kick, contributing in Lyon’s 7-0 win over the opposition.
🇮🇹 Evelyne Viens comes up big in the Coppa Italia semi-final. The CanWNT forward has finally found the back in the net since November. AS Roma travelled to Sassuolo in the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final. Evelyne Viens scored the first goal of the same in the 3rd minute, leading to Roma’s 3-1 over Sassuolo.
🇵🇹 Hernandez Gray assisted in her pro debut. The former Vancouver Whitecaps Girls Elite has made her professional debut for Sporting Libson. A memorable moment was amplified. Gray assisted in Sporting’s equalizer against Damaiense in the second leg of the semi-final of the Taça da Liga (EFL Cup equivalent). Sporting defeated Damaiense 8-1 on aggregate.
🏴 Alistair Johnston put in a shift against Bayern Munich. Last week, Celtic hosted Bayern Munich in Glasgow in the Champions League. Both teams are fighting for a spot in the round of 16 in a two-leg matchup. In the first leg, Celtic were defeated at home 2-1. Alistair Johnston started for Celtic against Bayern Munich and had a positive game with a 7.3 rating for his club on FotMob. That is the second-highest rating for his team. Alphonso Davies was absent due to injury however, in the return leg, both CanMNT fullbacks will play against each other on the same wing. A small Canadian Darby on the pitch.
🇵🇹 Steven Vitoria signed with Boavista. The veteran CanMNT defender has joined Porto-based club Boavista as a free agent. Boavista are struggling in last place and are fighting to stay in Portugal’s top division. Side note: Real Salt Lake, this is how you do a checkered club kit.
🇫🇷 Ismaël Koné earned his first start with Rennes. The former CF Montréal midfielder has earned his first start for Rennes. Moreover, it was a big game as Rennes hosted league favourites Lille. Jonathan David did not travel with the team. Koné played the majority of the game as he came off in the 73rd minute while the game remained 0-0. The game ended with Lille earning a 2-0 dub over Rennes.
Canucks at Home
🏡 Canucks at Home
Vancouver FC / CPL
🦅 Terran Campbell joined Vancouver FC. The Burnaby-born striker returns to the Westcoast from Forge. Campbell has signed a two-year contract with an option for 2027. VFC struggled to convert opportunities last season, but with the addition of the League’s all-time goalscorer, it should solve some problems.
🚨 Stay up to date with the latest CPL transfers. There are a lot of transfers that can happen in a week. To stay up to date, we recommend you check out the transfer page of the Canadian Premier League. If not, wait for us to talk about it next week!
Other news
📰 In Other News
Toronto FC / MLS
🔴 Ola Brynhildsen joined Toronto FC. The Reds have signed Norwegian forward Ola Brynhildsen on a 12-month loan from Danish heavyweights FC Midtjylland. The loan includes a purchase option at the end of 2025. TFC fans, here’s a clip to get you excited. The Theo Corbeanu, Ola Brynhildsen and Bernadeschi front three is looking dangerous.
🎽 MLS Canadian clubs reveal kits. MLS clubs have been dropping their latest kits this week. All three Canadian clubs have released their home kits. The Vancouver Whitecaps have retained the iconic hoop across the kit. Toronto FC have decided to return to their roots and have gone all red. Notably, there are three shades of red: RFC red, active red, and shadow red. CF Montréal tapped into their history and brought back the blue and black stripes. Supporters have missed the iconic stripes, symbolizing the club's history.
🌊 Vancouver Whitecaps went shopping. The Caps have signed a forward, a goalkeeper, and reportedly secured a potential loan this past week. American forward Emmanuel Sabbi has signed from Ligue 1 club Le Havre. Sabbi has signed through 2027 with an option for 2028. MLS free agent Adrian Zendejas as a backup goalkeeper through 2025 with an option for 2026. Lastly, it has been reported by Transfermarkt that the Whitecaps are set to sign Daniel Rios from Chivas Guadalajara on loan. If the loan is secured by the time of this edition’s release, the Whitecaps would be adding serious muscle in their forward position.
🔵 James Rodriguez will play against CF Montréal. MTL are the only Canadian outfit to feature in the 2025 Leagues Cup. This week, their opponents and the dates of each game have been revealed. Montréal will face off against Colombian Captain James Rodriguez and Club Leon at Stade Saputo on July 29th. Then, travel to New Jersey to play against Deportivo Toluca FC on August 1st. Finally, hosting the final game at home versus Club Puebla on August 5th.
🇧🇪 Dan Kloomp signed with RAAL La Louviere. The Belgian second division is becoming a favourite destination for CPL ballers. Cavalry’s pivotal defender has joined the Belgian club after an impressive league-winning season with the Cavs. There was a period when Kloomp was rumoured to move to MLS, but now that conversation has been put to bed with his transfer to RAAL La Louviere.
✅ Northern Picks
This week’s picks come from Peter Duda. He’s the co-founder of Worldie FC, lives in Boston, MA and thinks Ao Tanaka is a top 10 center-mid in England.
🎧 What to listen to
My music taste has been all over the place recently, but I keep coming back to Mk.gee. He's an indie artist with a super unique sound who is well on his way to stardom at this point, and for good reason. I'm also on a bit of a house kick at the moment, so shout out to Chris Stussy as well, that lad is groovy.
📚 What to read
I finally got around to reading "The Minotaur at Calle Lanza" by Zito Madu. Zito is someone I've followed for a while in the footy space, and this memoir is a super cool and creative reflection of his own life intermixed with some wild abstract sequences drawing parallels between the uncertainty of life and the maze that traps the minotaur. If you are looking for something that makes you think yet reassures you all the same, I'd recommend it. I'm gonna read it again and probably learn something new each time.
✅ Who to follow
I've been loving the legend Dan Sandison's content on IG (@dan_sandison). The Mundial Mag founder is now cooking up as the head of marketing at Sokito, and it’s been cool to see some behind the scenes stuff as well as his usual witty IG stories. He is a Liverpool fan though, so follow at your own risk...