Happy European winter transfer deadline Monday!

Today could be a big day for a few key Canadian internationals, particularly those with World Cup hopes — just as it has already been a big window of moves for Canadian ballers.

Larin is off to the Championship, JRR to France with more rumoured to be coming soon. Plus, a concerning week for the Whitecaps future, Concacaf Champions Cup kicks off and more ahead in this week’s jam-packed edition of The Northern Pitch.

This should be an exciting time to be a Whitecaps fan.

In just a couple of weeks, they are down in Costa Rica to begin what they hope is another deep run in the Concacaf Champions Cup against Cartaginés on February 18. A few days later, they kick off their MLS campaign at BC Place.

But the dark cloud that has been looming on the horizon for the club for over a year, ever since it was announced the team was up for sale, feels like it is drawing ever-closer.

This week, CEO Alex Schuster met with media to discuss the team’s stadium situation, and the bigger question which is their long-term viability in the Vancouver market. It doesn’t sound like things are going well at all.

The club hasn’t been making much progress on any of their potential stadium solutions, opening up what is a larger conversation about facility funding in this country — especially in terms of World Cup legacy money.

As it stands, the Whitecaps won’t even be able to play all their games at BC Place this season due to stadium conflicts. What that looks like remains to be seen. The club has been forced to play Concacaf Champions Cup matches at Starlight Stadium in the past, and even an MLS Cup Playoff match on the road in Portland when it was actually a Whitecaps home match based on seeding.

It sounds like things could be even worse for the Whitecaps this season, which will only increase pressure from Major League Soccer to find a long-term solution. On Saturday, the league released a statement saying that at this time there was “no clear path forward to resolving these challenges in future years”. Bleak.

On the ownership front, there have been plenty of groups expressing interest in purchasing the team. But when it comes down to the financials of keeping the team in Vancouver, it becomes a bit of a nonstarter as things currently stand.

Overall, not the kind of distraction you want ahead of a season where the Caps are looking to build on a historic 2025, where they won a fourth Canadian Championship and reached the final for both the MLS Cup and Concacaf Champions Cup. It’s scary hours for ‘Caps fans.

Most of Canada may be covered in snow and ice, but domestic footy is back this week with kick off of round one in the Concacaf Champions Cup.

The tournament begins in Hamilton on Tuesday, where temperatures could get as cold as -16. Forge will look to use that to their advantage as they once again face the monumental task of shaping up a Mexican giant, this time Tigres. The first leg kicks off at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT on OneSoccer.

The following day, an even smaller David faces an even bigger Goliath as tournament debutants Vancouver FC host 2025 champs Cruz Azul in Langley. The Eagles will be hoping to show the same fight they did in the CanChamp final against the Whitecaps to keep this one from getting ugly. That match kicks off at 7 p.m. PT / 10 p.m. ET.

Once again, the first round of the tournament has two windows, so later in the month Atlético Ottawa get underway against Nashville SC, while the Vancouver Whitecaps take on Cartaginés.

Can a CPL club pull off a major upset and advance for the first time?

After just over 402 minutes, a goal and an assist, the Cyle Larin experience at Feyenoord is over.

A late winter transfer saw CanMNT’s second most prolific striker head to the Championship, where he joins Southampton, still on loan from Mallorca. The hope is that after a failed move to the Netherlands, he can reignite his scoring touch with the Saints.

It hasn’t been a great season for Southampton, who, after getting relegated from the Prem last year, now find themselves 14th in the Championship. They have to find ways to win more games down the stretch, and the hope is that Larin can provide that spark.

Larin’s spot in the CanMNT setup is also facing unprecedented pressure. Jonathan David, Promise David and Tani Oluwaseyi have all leapt him in the depth chart. Theo Bair was scoring for fun in Switzerland before going down injured, JRR is off to France, Daniel Jebbison remains in the mix and even Charles-Andreas Brym has been ripping it up in the Netherlands recently.

The 30-year-old Larin needs to hit the ground running or risk his spot at the World Cup. It’s a good level, and a solid club for Larin, but he can’t waste time showing the scoring touch that he’s always had during the best stretches of his career.

It’s official, FC Supra has revealed their inaugural kit. As all the other CPL clubs have revealed their kits for the 2026 campaign, FC Supra’s jersey leans into the Québecois identity. It’s also the first kit released in the new partnership between the CPL and hummel, replacing previous kit sponsor Macron. A strong start.

Supra’s inaugural jersey means a little more than just a cool jersey, it digs a little deeper. For club President Rocco Placentino and Chief Brand Officer, Paul Desbaillets, the kit is a reflection of the football community in Quebec and the journey that it took to launch a CPL club.

Blue and Red. The navy blue represents the French influence and origins within the province. While the red is symbolic of Canada. The Québec flag can be found on the kit with the Canadian flag on the sleeve.

Diamonds. The diamond pattern on the kit is what set outs FC Supra’s home jersey compared to other CPL clubs. A unique design within the league, the diamonds represent Montréal’s legacy that is built on resilience and unity.

À nous. For us. The slogan can be found on the collar of the kit. A reminder that this is the intention of this club. A club for Québec and by Québec.

🏆 Olivia Smith is a champion (again). The trophies are coming thick and fast in North London. Arsenal lifted the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup on Sunday. Liv played a major role, scoring in both their semi-final vs AS FAR and the final vs Corinthians.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Ali A’s triple-A performance. Ali Ahmed’s move to Norwich might already be the best move of the year, and the post-World Cup summer hasn’t even hit yet. AA picked up a goal and an assist as Norwich defeated Championship leaders Coventry, 2-1.

🇫🇷 Jacen Russell-Rowe to… TFC? No, not that one (sorry Reds fans). Our favourite MLS insider Tom Bogert revealed extra details early this week that Ligue 1’s Toulouse FC is the French club interested in JRR — with a rumoured over 2 million euro price tag.

⭐️ Carly Wickenheiser returns stateside. After six years in Sweden, the St Louis-born CanWNT midfielder is headed to the NWSL. Wickenheiser was unveiled by North Carolina this week, with the Courage adding her through 2027.

🇮🇹 Jonathan David scores and assists. The Iceman is so back. Juventus destroyed Parma on Sunday, 4-1, and JD was there to lead the second-half charge as he added a goal and an assist to his surging tally now that 2025 has become 2026.

🇧🇪 Promise David helper (and transfer rumours). Union picked up an important 1-0 top-of-the-table win over Club Brugge and Promise was all over the assist. It could also be one of his last big matches for Union as Sascha Tavolieri reported this week that USG have a plan in place for PD to depart this summer, likely after the World Cup.

🇩🇪 Alphonso Davies saves Bayern. It’s not been a good go of things for Bayern recently, with last weekend’s loss against Augsburg followed up this week with a draw at Hamburg. But, silver linings as they are, Phonzie showed he still absolutely has his speed as he put in a goal line clearance in the 74th minute, protecting the draw.

🇮🇹 Ismaël Koné scores. And boy, was it a beauty. In a week where Roberto de Zerbi’s Marseille were dumped out of the Champions League knockouts by a 98th-minute goalkeeper goal, it seemed almost poetic that IK would be soaring at Sassuolo with this pearler of an effort.

🇲🇽 Marcelo Flores scores. His switch hasn’t yet been processed, but as it seems destined to happen, we’re including him here. He scored his third goal of the Clausura season this week in a 2-1 win against León, with quite the individual run. And, it’s all before his Canadian homecoming in the Champions Cup as Tigres travel to Forge this week.

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🌊 Joedrick Pupe loaned to the Caps. Vancouver have secured a loan deal from Belgian club Sint-Truidense V.V. for the 28-year-old defender. The deal also includes an option to buy.

🌊 Bruno Caicedo signed through 2028-2029. The Whitecaps have acquired the 21-year-old Ecuadorian youth international from Barcelona SC. Caicedo has agreed to a U22 Initiative contract that will seem through to the 2028-2029 season, with an option to extend for another season.

🌊 Aziel Jackson has been acquired from Jagiellonia Białystok. The Whitecaps have secured a loan deal from the Polish club for the 2026 season with an option to buy. The American midfielder has spent time in both MLS and various leagues in Europe.

🌊 Belal Halbouni is back. The Caps have re-signed the defender through 2027 with an option for the 2027-2028 season.

🐂 Jonathan Sirois to Dallas. This was not on our bingo cards. We expected Sirois to make a move to Europe but with Thomas Gillier becoming the club’s #1, the Montrealer had to leave. As reported by Thomas Bogert, Dallas is finalizing a deal that’ll be worth $150K plus $200k add-ons.

🐦‍⬛ Marcus Caldeira signs with Minnesota. The former West Virginia University Mountaineer (quite the mouthful) is now a Loon. MNUFC inked their 2024 SuperDraft pick to a one-year contract with two-and-a-half more seasons in club options.

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🍁 New CPL logo and rebranded League1 Canada. If we’re being honest, the previous logo was mid. But this new iteration is a welcome change as it leans into the maple leaf red with gold. With the new badge came the announcement that League 1 Canada was rebranded as the Premier Soccer Leagues Canada (PSLC).

🌾 Also, welcome Prairies Premier League. Under the new PSLC, a new seven-team league will be launched that’ll include Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Northern Ontario. The inaugural season of the PPL is scheduled to kick off in May.

⚓️ The Wanderers have signed Marcus Godinho and Francesco Troisi. The Haligonians have signed former CanMNT Marcus Godinho and 18-year-old Francesco Troisi. Godinho signed through 2026, with options for 2027 and 2028. Troisi signed from Simon Fraser University and has signed through 2027 with an option for 2028.

🔨 Kevaughn Tavernier resigned with Forge. The 19-year-old forward has signed a multi-year deal with the Hammers after spending time on a development contract.

🔨 Forge FC have signed Dimitry Bertaud and Antoine Batisse. The DR Congo national team goalkeeper, Bertaud, signed with the Hammers to a multi-year deal. The 30-year-old French CB, Batisse, has also signed a multi-year deal with Forge FC.

🔱 Pacific FC resigned Mattias Vales. The Tridents have resigned the 17-year-old homegrown talent to an Exceptional Young Talent contract. The midfielder will be balancing high school with professional football. Lamine Yamal vibes at the previous Euros.

🦝 Inter Toronto FC re-signed Frank Sturing. The defender will return with Nine Stripes and has signed through 2026.

👏 Brett Levis announces retirement. The 32-year-old Saskatchewan has announced that he has retired. Levis has left on a high note as a 2025 CPL champion with Atletico Ottawa.

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🌊 Halifax add two to the GK union. The Tides found a gem in goal with Anika Tóth last season, and that competition isn’t getting any easier this year. Halifax signed former Liverpool, Everton and Canadian youth keeper Rylee Foster, and U SPORTS standout Samantha St. Croix this week, to bolster an incredible battery between the sticks.

🦉 Calgary Wild re-sign three. It was a busy week for the Wild in terms of returns on the back line. Defenders Grace Stordy, Meikayla Moore, and Tilly James were all announced for 2026 extensions by the club as they retool for the upcoming season.

🌹 Montréal sign Evelyn Badu. The Roses welcomed the first Ghanaian player in the NSL this week, in Evelyn. Badu brings solid international experience, finishing third with Ghana at the 2024 Women’s AFCON, and has spent the last four years at club level with Norwegian sides Avaldsnes and Molde, and French club Fleury.

🏔️ Vancouver introduce two. Last season’s champions are adding even more potential. The Rise this week announced the additions of Camila Reyes and Maithé López. Both Colombian internationals, Reyes was last with Santa Fe, runners-up in the 2024 Copa Libertadores, while López arrives on loan from the NWSL’s Angel City.

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👏 The Canada Soccer Hall of Fame has two new names. Julian de Guzman and Melissa Tancredi have been named to the Hall of Fame. The two former professional players will be honoured later this year. Official goated.

⚽️ Soccer is the most played sport in Canada. New national research from the Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities finds that soccer is the fastest-growing sport among young people. The main contributing factors to this rise are attributed to lower financial barriers, strong roots in local communities, flexible pathways for athletes with various abilities, and it is also a safe and inclusive environment.

🏆 Ottawa to host the 2026 National Championships. Ottawa Gloucester Soccer Club will host both the men’s Challenge trophy and the women’s Jubilee trophy in October.

🏆 Calgary to host Futsal Championship. Canada Soccer’s Futsal Canadian Championship will be held in Calgary in this upcoming April. The competition will be held at the Seven Chiefs Sportsplex in Tsuut’ina Nation.

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