After a quieter week last week, it’s fair to say the Canadian soccer news cycle was back in full swing.

We had squad announcements, player transfers, all kinds of rumours and found out how the CanWNT will begin their 2026 schedule.

Plus, some big moves in the CPL and NSL, and plenty more ahead in this week’s edition of The Northern Pitch.

It’s back to business for the Canadian men’s national team as they host a January camp this week, bookended by a friendly against Guatemala on Saturday in Los Angeles.

12 players who have yet to be capped by the senior men’s national team were called up for this camp, including exciting dual-nationals Marcelo Flores and 18-year-old Whitecaps striker Rayan Elloumi and three Canadian Premier League players. Plus, training player Marius Aiyenero has been included as well. Kid is a future baller.

But this year is about staying locked in on the prize, and the main focus of this camp should be about getting guys who could/will be on the roster like Mathieu Choinière, Richie Laryea, Jonathan Osorio, Kamal Miller, Jayden Nelson and Joel Waterman, more crucial reps together.

The one change to this roster listed above, Jacob Shaffelburg, was forced to withdraw due to having surgery for a groin injury. He has been replaced by Toronto FC’s Malik Henry. That’s a big loss for what was an important camp for Shaff, and maybe an opportunity to get a measure of revenge against Guatemala.

Nevertheless, it’s an intriguing group, which should see a lot of national team debuts and potentially some surprises along the way. There haven’t been this many new faces in a national team camp in a minute.

The Canadian women’s national team will kick off an important 2026 year at the SheBelieves Cup in March.

The 11th edition of the invitational women’s tournament will see Canada play Colombia on March 1 in Nashville, the United States on March 4 in Columbus, and Argentina on March 7 in Harrison.

After a disastrous end to 2025 where they went winless and goalless in their final five matches, Canada have a chance to get 2026 off on the right foot—particularly with an opportunity to again test themselves against the World’s #2 team.

Really, however, getting a result against the United States might be a step too far for a Canadian team in a bit of a transition period—so the big takeaways will be whether or not they can get back to business against teams like Colombia (ranked #20) and Argentina (#30).

Canada lost against Argentina in their most recent meeting 1-0 in Langford back in April. They beat Colombia by that same scoreline back at the 2024 Olympics.

Two of CanWNT’s key leaders have new homes at the club level as both Kailen Sheridan and Janine Sonis were announced as having signed for new clubs in the NWSL this week.

Sheridan, 30, departs the San Diego Wave after four seasons to join the NC Courage. With San Diego, Sheridan won an NWSL Shield and an NWSL Challenge Cup, while also being named NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year in 2022.

The Courage missed the playoffs by a single point this past season, so they will be hoping Sheridan can help turn that around in 2026.

Out on the West Coast, Janine Sonis is headed home to join expansion club Denver Summit FC. The 31-year-old, born in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, returns to her home state after spending the past two seasons with Racing Louisville.

Being the Canadian women’s national team’s fifth all-time scorer, she will bring key leadership to the new club and knows what it takes to win, having won an Olympic Gold (and bronze), two FA Cups, and an NWSL Championship while playing for Portland in 2022.

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🇮🇹 Jonathan David with a goal and assist. That’s more like it from JD. After missing a penalty last week (a panenka, no less), most were down in the dumps. But, there was more to smile about his performance against Ismaël Koné—with an assist and his 150th club goal.

🇲🇽 Marcelo Flores brace. He’s coming into camp, and he’s coming into camp hot. The Canadian-Mexican dual-national kicked off Tigres’ Clausura season in style late Sunday night, scoring both his team’s goals in a 2-1 win over Ottawa’s sister club Atlético San Luis.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Ali Ahmed debut quashed. A one-month turnaround was always a long shot for Norwich’s newest Canadian arrival. Canaries head coach Philippe Clement confirmed that while Ali wouldn’t be making his debut in the FA Cup this past weekend, we could “expect” him to feature "in the next weeks.” Hopefully, not too many of those ‘weeks’.

🇮🇹 Évelyne Viens can’t stop. Not even if you asked nicely, we think. Év’s strong 2025 has carried into 2026, despite Roma falling 2-1 to Juventus in the Supercup. Roma’s goal saw Viens with the perfect cutback before putting it on an absolute plate.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Deanne Rose scores. It’s been a difficult path back from injury for D-Rose. Down in WSL2 this week, though, Deanne scored her first club goal in over two years in a 4-2 loss to Bristol City.

🇫🇷 Florianne Jourde scores. Jourde also found the back of the net on Sunday for PSG. It was the icing on a 2-0 win over Lille in the Coupe de France féminine round of 32.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Sigur to Celtic.. or not? This rumour took a pretty big 180 this week. Earlier this week, it seemed like Celtic beating out Wolves was a done deal despite Wilfried Nancy’s sacking putting the move on hold. But as of Saturday, with Hajduk loaning out Fran Karacic, Sigur’s own move now seems dead in the water unless Celtic up their bid.

🇧🇪 Jonathan Sirois to Anderlecht? The Olivier Renard pipeline-rumour mill is beginning to flow once again. With Sirois still a target for European clubs, Anderlecht reportedly threw their hat into the ring, putting him on their GK replacement shortlist. However, CFMTL insider Nilton Jorge says the GK is “not a truly serious option.”

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🔵 CF Montreal signed Daniel Rios and loaned out Félix Samson. CFM have signed former Whitecaps forward Daniel Rios as a free agent. The Mexican forward has signed for the 2026 season with options extend for another two seasons. MTL have also loaned out homegrown talent Félix Samson. The 18-year-old defender, born in Connecticut to Quebecois parents, has been loaned out to FC Cincinnati for the 2026 season with an option to buy plus sell-on percentage if sold to future clubs.

🔴 Toronto FC traded with Minnesota United. TFC have received 300k in GAM from Minnesota United in exchange for a 2026 international roster slot.

🔴 Josh Sargent to Toronto? TFC have officially submitted a formal transfer bid to Norwich for the American forward for $18 million. As of the time of writing this, talks are ongoing and it feels like things will be confirmed once this newsletter comes out. One thing is for sure, Toronto FC are thoughtfully building a solid roster. With the Walker Zimmerman signing and re-signing of Derrick Etienne Jr, there is potential in this squad.

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⚜️ FC Supra has signed two new players. The Quebec club has signed Aboubacar Sissoko and Wesley Wendje. Sissoko joins Supra as a three-time champions, lifting the title twice with Forge FC and once with Atletico Ottawa last season. Wendje, former captain of Ligue1 club CS Saint-Laurent, returns to Montréal from Valour FC.

🔨 Forge FC signed Ismael Oketokoun. The 19-year-old striker signed from Platges de Calvià in Spain’s fifth tier. In seven senior appearances, Oketokoun has scored two goals.

🔱 Pacific FC signed Eleias Himaras and re-signed three players. PFC have landed the signature of a London, Ontario, goalkeeper through 2026 with options for 2027 and 2028. Himaras joins Pacific from Valour. PFC have also announced that they have re-signed Matthew Baldisimo, Lukas Browning, and Roshawn Juhmi through 2026 with an option for 2027.

🦖 Atletico Ottawa extend Tyr Duhaney-Walker and Tristan Crampton. The 22-year-old defender, Duhaney-Walker, has signed through 2027 with Atletico Ottawa. The 23-year-old goalkeeper, Crampton, has signed for 2026 with an option for 2027. Ottleti have re-signed two local boys, further showcasing Ottawa’s talents.

🦅 Vancouver FC have signed three new players. Morey Doner, Luis Toomey and Marcello Polisi have all signed with VFC for the upcoming 2026 campaign. Defender Doner joined from USL Championship club Oakland Roots and will be with VFC through 2027. Midfielder Toomey joined from Auckland FC from the Australian A-League and will be with Vancouver through 2026, with an option for 2027. Polisi joined from USL Championship club Detroit City FC and has signed for the 2026 season with an option for 2027.

🐴 Cavalry FC’s Michael Baldisimo, Joseph Holliday and Michael Harms extend contracts. The former Whitecaps midfielder, Baldisimo, has extended his contract with Cavalry FC through 2026 with options for 2027 and 2028. Cavalry FC announced that goalkeeper Holliday and defender Harms have both extended through the 2026 season, with options for 2027 and 2028.

💫 Inter Toronto FC re-signed Oswaldo Leon. Inter Toronto have extended the contract of the Mexican CB through 2027 with an option for 2028. Leon was a key component in Inter Toronto’s backline last season.

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🌆 Samantha Chang has joined AFC Toronto. The perfect transfer in NSL’s short history. AFC have signed an NSL champion, while for Samantha Chang, this is a homecoming. The Mississauga baller returns to the GTA after her contract ended with the Vancouver Rise. For the 2025 runner-ups, the AFC have acquired a player who was pivotal to Vancouver’s success. The Supporters’ Shield is great, but the AFC need to lock in on a title, and Chang will play a vital role.

🪽 Sadie Waite signs with Ottawa Rapid. The Rapid also made a leap into the market this week, bringing home midfielder Sadie Waite. Waite, a Canada under-20s regular currently with the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the NCAA, will look to bring even more speed and dribbling ability to an already highly-technical Ottawa midfield.

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😞 Wilfried Nancy has been fired from Celtic. After 33 days, MLS’s beloved coach has been sacked by Celtic FC. His tenure in Glasgow has been a rough one. Nancy was bombarded with criticism from the press and Celtic fans alike. Without a transfer window and inheriting a squad that operates under a different system, the job was going to be challenging. From the beginning, it was a mountain to climb with minimal equipment. Unfair? Perhaps. With 2 wins and 6 losses, it was not a good look.

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