Good post-the-other-kind-of-football morning!

We hope that you aren’t feeling too groggy this morning and that the Tums are doing their job, but we will keep the lights dim and whisper just in case.

There is plenty to report on the Canadian futbol side of things this week, including Stephen Eustáquio’s big move, Canadian club action kicking off for the first time this year and the NSL dropping its long-awaited schedule.

All that and more ahead in this week’s edition of The Northern Pitch.

It’s a Canadian takeover in Hollywood. On the footballing side at least, as new gaffer Marc Dos Santos of Montréal, QC, has assembled quite the cast of Canadian talent at LAFC.

Early in the off-season, the club brought back Mathieu Choinière full-time, after he had been on loan with the club from Swiss side Grasshopper in the latter half of last year. Then, it was Jacob Shaffelburg, acquired in a trade with Nashville SC.

On Friday, LAFC confirmed the completion of its Canadian Big Three by bringing in Stephen Eustáquio on loan. It is a shock move for the 29-year-old, who was expected by many to stay in Europe despite limited minutes with Porto this season.

But in a World Cup year, this is a move that will give Eustáquio a chance to be a star on a team who are at the very top of MLS, and intends on competing in Concacaf as well.

Whatever you think of the level, it will make sure that Eustáquio arrives match fit to the World Cup, and ready to be one of Canada’s top players.

The short-term loan currently expires on June 30, 2026, but does include an option to buy, which is believed to be in the range of 7-8 million euros.

Whatever the case, LAFC is a must-watch for Canadian footy fans this year.

For the first time in 2026, Canadian club footy was back in action as the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup kicked off in Hamilton, and boy howdy was it chilly.

-13 C with the wind whipping through Hamilton Stadium and Forge used it to their advantage, giving one of the best teams in the region a solid game in a 0-0 draw — the first CPL team to keep a clean sheet in the competition.

A big reason for that was Dimitry Bertaud, as the DR Congo international made seven saves, many of them spectacular, to keep Forge in the tie. Now, the tough part, going down to Mexico and not only getting a goal but a win. Still, they will now go down there in belief, and for the first time in their history, not trailing on aggregate.

On Wednesday, meanwhile, in their Concacaf debut, Vancouver FC were given a tough welcome to the competition in front of a sold-out crowd at Willoughby Stadium, losing 3-0 to the defending champions Cruz Azul.

They will now have to go down to Puebla on Thursday, at altitude, and try to fight until the end against a Cruz Azul side that played most of their starters.

Atlético Ottawa and Vancouver Whitecaps fans still have to wait another week to get underway, as they kick off their competitions on Tuesday, Feb. 17 and Wednesday, Feb. 18, respectively.

Year two, let’s get it!

The Northern Super League, at long last, announced its 2026 regular season schedule as the league kicks off again on Friday, April 24, with a NSL final rematch between Vancouver Rise and AFC Toronto at Swangard Stadium in Vancouver.

Just like in the league’s first season, the NSL’s six teams will play each other five times.

The playoffs are set to begin in late October, with the 2026 Final on Saturday, November 14. Once again, it will be played at a neutral site, with the dates to be announced soon.

Where fans can watch all the action and kick-off times still have not been announced, but this is more than enough to get us pumped for the league’s return to action.

The full schedule is available here.

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🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Olivia Smith scores a worldie. It feels like at least once a month, we’re here talking about Liv and wondergoals in the same sentence. But, once again, she’s done it again for Arsenal — for the win against CanWNT teammate Jade Rose and Man City, no less.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Cyle Larin’s mega debut. Speaking of important goals, Cyle Larin scored three minutes into his Southampton debut, the only goal in a 1-0 win over Watford. Canadian Saints fans (including the one writing this section this week) also couldn’t help but enjoy that Osmow’s commercial making the rounds across the pond.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Junior Hoilett bags an assist. Junior dancing down the wing… it’s almost guaranteed, isn’t it? JH picked up an assist on his Swindon debut against Oldham after being left all alone down the left to finish a 3-0 win.

🇫🇷 Jacen Russell-Rowe starts life in Ligue 1. JRR secured a deadline day switch to Toulouse, and now, he’s checked off the first item on the list: play his first Ligue 1 minutes. The former Columbus striker checked in for the final 15 minutes in a 1-0 loss to Angers.

⏰ Speaking of Deadline Day… there were a series of other moves this week that we haven’t touched on, so without further ado:

👏 Steven Vitória rides off into the sunset. And last but certainly not least, a Canadian stalwart announced his retirement this week. 379 club appearances, 46 CanMNT caps and memories galore, the penalty-taking centre-back officially called time on his career and was celebrated with a nice little video from Canada Soccer.

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🐂 It's official. Last week, Jonathan Sirois’s move to FC Dallas was imminent. Last Monday morning, it was officially announced that the 2021 CPL goalkeeper of the year had joined FC Dallas. In exchange, Montréal received up to $350k in GAM.

Ⓜ️ CF Montréal have signed a homegrown talent. As one goalkeeper and local talent leaves, another one takes his place. CFM have signed from its academy 16-year-old keeper Samsy Keita. The Canadian youth international is under contract through 2028-2029 with options for 2029-2031.

🌊 Cheikh Sabaly joined the Whitecaps. Despite all the drama off the pitch, the Caps continue with business as usual. This past week, Vancouver signed the baller from Ligue 1 club Metz. Sabaly will play for the Caps through 2028-2029 with an option for 2029-2030.

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🇲🇽 Atlético Ottawa signed three Mexican ballers. Ottleti have signed Jonantan Villal and Emiliano Garcia on loan from sister club Atletico San Luis. Both attacking midfielders will be in Ottawa for the 2026 campaign. Ottelti have signed free-agent midfielder Daniel Aguilar through 2026, with an option for 2027. Aguilar last played for Caracas FC in Venezuela in 2025.

🐴 Harry Paton joined Cavalry FC. The 27-year-old midfielder signed through 2027 with the Cavs. Paton joins Cavalry from Forge FC and has notably played in the Scottish Premiership for the majority of his career.

🦝 Inter Toronto FC signed a goalkeeper. Inter Toronto FC landed the signature of the Albertan goalkeeper Antonio Campos. The 19-year-old keeper signed his first pro contract and arrived from Div. 1 NCAA team Cal State Fullerton.

🔱 Sean Young has been transferred. Pacific FC’s Victoria native, Sean Young, has been transferred to USL Championship club Loudoun United FC. After five-years with the club, Young is being remembered and honoured as a club legend.

🎰 Themi Antonoglou heads to Vegas. One of the top two-way CPL free agents is now off the market. The former Valour left-back, released from his contract after the club folded, signed with José Bautista’s Las Vegas Lights this week.

🚗 Callum Montgomery joins Detroit. Another Canadian defender is also headed to the USL Championship. ‘Monty’ as he was known, the ex-Cavs CB joined former TFC legend Danny Dichio’s DCFC this past week.

⚜️ FC Supra will play across four different venues. The latest CPL club will spend its inaugural season across four stadiums in three different cities: Laval, Montréal and Québec City. Their official home for 2026 is Stade Boréale in Laval. Supra will also host matches at Stade CEPSUM and Stade Claude-Robillard in Montréal. They will also host games in Québec City at Stade Télus. For a club that aims to be Québec’s team, they are making an effort to expose themselves within the province’s largest municipalities.

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This week’s fans of the week are the boys behind Bosuns, a vintage clothing store in Windsor, Ontario. We caught up with Justin and Alex to talk shop as part of our What’s it to Ya? series. Read the interview here.

🏆 CanChamp schedule announced. The schedule for the 2026 edition of the CanChamps have been announced. The first game will take place on May 5th between Toronto FC and Atletico Ottawa. While the final will be played on October 21st.

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