January 22nd Edition

It’s crazy to think, but next year Canadian soccer is FINALLY going to have the women’s league that it deserves. With Project 8 set to launch in 2025, expect announcements to start coming in quickly with exciting details about the professional women’s game in this country.

This week, we got an ownership update from one of the league’s flagship clubs, with reports (shoutout to "‘SHE scores bangers’ for this, who you should definitely be following by now) that season tickets will be available to purchase this fall, with the league set to announce its official name in short order.

The transfer window, meanwhile, has been going crazy with plenty of Canadian clubs and players involved. As such, we have devoted an entire section to just that in this week’s newsletter.

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

Things have been a bit quiet around Project 8 in recent months, but this week it became clear they have been grinding in silence.

It brought the news of the proposed league’s first celebrity owner as Canadian sprinter Andre De Grasse announced that he has bought into AFC Toronto, one of the league’s founding clubs.

De Grasse, a 29-year-old from Scarborough, was a Gold medallist in the 200-metre event at Toyko 2020 — one of six olympic medals he has to his name.

At those very same Olympics, famously, the CanWNT also claimed Gold in a thrilling penalty shootout win over Sweden. De Grasse says he has long been a fan of the sport, and hopes he can play a big part in the domestic league’s growth.

Celebrity ownership in football is nothing new: Elton John at Watford, Will Ferrell at LAFC, David Beckham at Inter Miami, Michael B. Jordan at Bournemouth, Natalie Portman at Angel City — but it’s more popular than ever in recent years thanks to the success of Wrexham AFC owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney documented in their fantastic series Welcome to Wrexham.

These influential individuals bring with them not just the necessary capital, but also platforms that can elevate a club’s brand.

As the sport in this country continues to grow, perhaps so will interest from Canadian celebrities looking to make their impact on the global game. Whether it’s in the MLS, CPL or Project 8 (or even League1), it is exciting to think what more of this could mean for the sport in Canada.

Either way, shoutout to Andre De Grasse for continuing to be a trailblazer for sport in this country and taking a leading role in helping to establish women’s football in the 6ix.

Ahead of one of the biggest matches in CanMNT history, perhaps the most intriguing question revolved around who would be on the sidelines for the team.

On Friday, Canada Soccer announced that Mauro Biello will be back in the technical area as the interim head coach has been extended through the March window which features a critical 2024 Copa America play-in match against Trinidad and Tobago.

It is a pretty uninspired choice after the disaster that was November at BMO Field against Jamaica, a match in which it is fair to say some coaching and tactical blunders from Biello contributed immensely to Canada’s loss. Does that, however, make it the wrong decision?

At the end of the day, determining who will coach this team going forward is one of the most crucial decisions this program has ever made. It shouldn’t be rushed, even with such a short timeline, and since new General Secretary Alyson Walker is set to start her job literally today, March is probably too early to name a new head coach.

Biello is familiar with and trusted by the team. He knows the players, is familiar with the program and likely even the opponent in a way that many other options wouldn’t have been.

But qualifying for the Copa America, and getting a chance to play a world class opponent like Argentina, is irreplaceable. This is a can’t-lose match for the program ahead of 2026, and Biello already bungled the first chance CanMNT had to reach the tournament. That just can’t happen again.

The pressure is on, because if CanMNT can’t get it done AGAIN with Mauro in charge, the fallout is going to be as big as anything we have seen so far. Bringing Biello back is somehow both playing it safe and massive risk at exactly the same time.

Only March 23 will tell if it was the right decision. 

🇨🇦 Canada will face Brazil in SheBelieves Cup 2024 in April. It seems like the CanWNT can’t get enough of Brazil. Understandably so. Last october, Canada played friendlies against Brazil in Montréal and Halifax. Ahead of the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, CanWNT will once again face Brazil in the SheBelieves Cup in April. This invitational competition will be played in the US where Canada will also compete against the USWNT and Japan. Proper footballing heavyweights. This is a perfect opportunity for warm matches ahead of the Olympics. If Canada were to defeat Brazil in the first round, they will move to the final and face the winners of US versus Japan.

🇺🇸 The Club World Cup and CONCACAF Gold Cup will be played in the US. Yes. 2024 just started, but 2025 is going to be a good one. The US will host two major international tournaments, the Club World Cup and Gold Cup, in separate parts of the country. The Club World Cup will be hosted on the East Coast as an account for less dramatic time change for European clubs. Meanwhile, the Gold Cup will be held on the West Coast. Pack your bags, kids. We’re watching FC Copenhagen versus the Whitecaps.

🍁 CPL announced 2024 home openers. The 2024 season of the Canadian Premier League begins on April 13th. The first eight home openers have been announced and the full CPL regular season schedule is to be released tomorrow the 23rd. The first game starts at 1 pm ET between Atletico Ottawa versus York United. All home openers can be found here. The full 2024 league schedule will be revealed on Tuesday.

🔵 CF Montréal sells out season tickets for the first time. Things are looking up! Is Montréal abandoning the Habs for Bleu-Blanc-Noir? Is it the Messi effect? Likely the former. People aim to benefit from the potential arrival of Messi and his band of aged Barcelona’s finest to Stade Saputo. Season tickets are sold out for the first time in the club’s 30-year history. However, CFM has also released bundle packages of six games, including the match against Inter Miami. For those who may be bummed out about missing out on a season ticket, at least an alternative has been provided.

⚽️ Cyle Larin is on one. He’s starting to make the case to become the first-choice striker for the club. He has netted five times this season in all competitions. Larin has found the net three times in a row. His recent performances saw him take Mallorca to the Copa Del Rey quarter-finals after scoring in the 121st minute against Tenerife. Meanwhile, Mallorca’s first-choice striker, Vedat Muriqi, is slowly returning from injury. The Kosovan forward has scored 15 goals last season for Mallorca. With Larin’s form, would he be able to continue the streak and become the first choice?

Olivia Smith is on an even bigger one. Make that four straight games with goals for Olivia Smith, who is quickly living up to her potential as one of Canada’s most exciting prospects in her first European season, this one came in the cup against Albergaria on a powerful header less than three minutes into the match. Make that 14 goal contributions on the season for the 19-year-old. Pure class.

🔄 Nichelle Prince was traded from Houston Dash to Kansas City Current. The trade comes as a surprise for the Canadian international. Prince has scored 12 goals in 88 appearances for the Texas club. Houston Dash traded Prince for Cece Kizer and an international slot for 2024. Nichelle will be joining Desiree Scott at Kansas City.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Sarah Stratigakis signs with Bristol City. The Robins have confirmed a move for the CanWNT international midfielder from Swedish club Vittsjö GIK. Stratigakis has signed an 18-month deal with Bristol City. While in Sweden, Stratigakis scored eight goals in 52 appearances. The 24-year-old Torontonian becomes the 10th Canadian player to join the English WSL. We’re taking over one club at a time.

🇭🇷 Lucas Ozimec signs with Dinamo Zagreb. The 18-year-old TFC academy player has signed with Croatian powerhouse Dinamo Zagreb. The forward from Oakville, Ontario, has represented Canada at the U17 level, playing twice in the recent FIFA U17 World Cup. He’s represented Canada eight times. Dinamo Zagreb has produced some of Europe's best talents: Luka Modric, Mario Mandzukic, Josko Gvardiol, Mateo Kovacic and Andrej Kramaric. This club has a track record for producing gems. Lucas Ozimec is now in one of the best youth development systems in the world.

🔵 CF Montréal signed Matias Coccaro. It is no secret that MTL has struggled to score goals. That problem may have been solved with CFM signing Uruguayan forward Matias Coccaro from Argentinian club Huracan for $2 million. The 26-year-old has signed a three-year deal with MTL and has scored 31 goals and seven assists in 110 appearances for Huracan.

🌊 Vancouver Whitecaps sell Simon Becher to Danish club Horsens. The ‘Caps have sold forward Simon Becher to Danish club AC Horsens. Vancouver acquired Becher in the first round of the 2022 MLS SuperDraft. Becher leaves the club with eight goals and two assists in 26 games in all comps.

🇨🇳 Ryan Raposo is linked with a move to the Chinese Super League. The Vancouver Whitecaps player has been rumoured to move to China. Shanghai Shenhua and Shanghai Port have been connected with Raposo. Part of the deal includes a Chinese passport, a key role with the Chinese National Team and a pay raise. Raposo is half Chinese from his mother’s side and Portuguese from his Father’s. The uncapped Canadian seems to be vying for his national team options. Like Mo Farsi, if uncalled by CanMNT, he has options to look elsewhere. Perhaps China is the answer for Raposo.

🦅 Vancouver FC signed 15-year-old Grady McDonnell. VFC has signed the Surrey wunderkind Grady McDonnell out of the Vancouver Whitecaps academy to a three-year contract. McDonnell had already impressed internationally as he represented Ireland’s U17 team for the European Championship qualifiers. For Vancouver FC, their ethos to become a prime destination for young talent is starting to bear fruit. TJ Tahid and Grady McDonnell are proving that VFC is the place to be for the youth.

🐎 Cavalry FC signed German player Tobias Warschewski. The former Edmonton FC player returns to Alberta with Cavalry FC, signing with the club until the end of 2024 with a two-year option. Warschewski has played for the U19 German National team and competed in the UEFA European U19 Championship. While in Edmonton, he scored 12 goals and 14 assists in 51 games.

🔱 Pacific FC transfers Easton Ongaro to Novara FC. The Edmonton striker has put pen to paper with Italian Serie C side Novara FC. Ongaro has netted five times and assisted twice in 29 appearances for PFC. The transfer fee has been undisclosed. The club also announced that Amer Didic is departing, a week after Manny Aparicio. Big changes are coming on the Island.

🇲🇽 York United signed Mexico U-20 defender Oswaldo Leon. The new owners, Game Plan Sports Group, have made a move to bolster their defence with the signing of Oswaldo Leon per a report from Northern Tribune. The Club America graduate has played 100 games in the Expansion MX league.

📚 What to read

This past year was the probably the best in Canadian Premier League history, and with that in mind, Canadian footy podcast Coast to Coast FC put together ‘Rewind the Tape’: a 34-page E-zine that recaps the 2023 CPL season with contributors from across the country. Basically a CPL yearbook vibe, and a great read.

📺 What to watch

If you haven’t watched this, we’re a little worried about your priorities. Captains of the World is not the latest Marvel movie but a documentary series following the captains of the 2022 World Cup. Spoiler: Canada is not represented in this doc. Why? We don’t know, but please send angry emails to Netflix accordingly.

🎧 What to listen to

How to Run a Football Club is a new podcast from Spencer Owen, a EAFC Youtuber turned club owner of Hashtag United — an internet created team formed in 2016 that now competes in the English seventh division. Each week, Owen chats with other football owners from various levels, including Sunday league legends SE Dons, all the way up to West Ham United Director Jack Sullivan.

✅ Who to follow

If you love football culture, then you must follow @Ultras_culture_ on Instagram. They curate ultras worldwide and bring the best football supporter vibes to your phone. We love this page, and inspires us to visit these venues for the ultra culture.