Happy Monday!

The Canadian men’s national team kicked off 2026 with a dub, and we learned a little bit more about what the year ahead will look like, including a return to the Iceteca.

Plus, a couple of clear teams to watch in the NWSL are emerging for Canadian fans, Ali Ahmed did the business in his debut and plenty more in this week’s edition of The Northern Pitch.

There’s no such thing as a friendly in Concacaf.

Canada learned at the Gold Cup just how difficult Guatemala can be on their day, and in a reunion in Los Angeles on Saturday night, they were met with a feisty opponent once again.

The match saw 14-12 in fouls, and some fun shoving matches, but just the one goal, which came on a lovely header from Jacen Russell-Rowe. The Columbus Crew striker was one of several bubble players on the squad hoping to make an impression — and he did just that when he headed home a Malik Henry cross in the 66th minute.

The two sides decided to play the match as ‘tier two’, meaning 10 subs each and that the game wouldn’t count towards FIFA points nor official international appearances. That allowed Marsch to get a first look at several players, and a few really impressed, including JRR, Ralph Priso and Henry.

Next up, the March window. What exactly, and who? We don’t know yet, but they will be playing, it will be the big boys, and the World Cup is ticking closer by the second.

Neither Boston Legacy FC nor Denver Summit have kicked a ball yet, but they already have plenty of fans north of the border. That’s because, as both build their inaugural rosters, they have recruited Canadians pretty heavily.

This week, AFC Toronto captain Emma Regan announced she was leaving the NSL side to head west and join Denver. She joins a group that already features Canadian internationals Megan Reid and Janine Sonis.

On the East Coast, meanwhile, NWSL veteran Nichelle Prince will look to bring her experience to Boston Legacy, whom she joined this week. Boston had previously signed Canadians Amanda Allen and Bianca St-Georges. Former Canadian U20 defender Élisabeth Tsé has also joined the Washington Spirit from the French top flight.

It has been a busy few weeks of Canadian movement, and it will be interesting to see how these club situations play out for some of Canada’s key players.

It hosted one of Canada’s most famous victories. Now, the ‘Iceteca’, otherwise known as Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, will look to give CanMNT some magic before the 2026 World Cup.

This week, Canada Soccer announced that a June 1 friendly against Uzbekistan will be played at the stadium, a good test for Canada as they prepare to welcome the world.

Interestingly, the match will be played on a grass surface as opposed to the turf, which currently sits at Commonwealth Stadium.

While Uzbekistan may not be a traditional power in the soccer landscape, they are undoubtedly a nation on the rise and a strong opponent. Coached by Italian legend Fabio Cannavaro, they are now ranked 50th in the World and will be a difficult World Cup group with Colombia and Portugal.

They lost just once in 2025, to Uruguay, this past year, including victories over Egypt, Iran and Qatar. Canada will also be announcing more friendlies and opponents very soon.

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🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Ali Ahmed makes his Norwich debut… and it was a pretty darn good one. It was only a short 45-minute cameo as Ali gets back up to match speed, but that was all that needed for AA to get his first Canaries assist AND hit the crossbar in a 2-1 win over Wrexham.

🇧🇪 Promise David is unstoppable. He really can’t stop scoring. PD rippled the net twice this week, four days apart in the cup and the league. They were similar bangers too, with Promise embarrassing a few defenders both times.

🇮🇹 Évelyne Viens on fire. Év also can’t be cooled. It’s more proof that she probably should be making a few more CanWNT starts in 2026, getting yet another assist this week. It was on the game-winning goal, too, in a 2-1 win over Sassuolo.

🇮🇹 Jonathan David scores. Going all the way back to the start of the week, the other David was also in the goals this week. JD applied a trademark finish on a rare fast break for the second goal of the afternoon as Juventus demolished Cremonese, 5-0.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Owen Goodman joins Barnsley on loan. Let’s hope this loan spell will be better than the last for Goodman. After being recalled from Huddersfield at the window having lost his spot as the starter, the GK is headed just down the road to another League One side until the end of the season.

🇨🇿 Adonija Bryan Ouanda joins Slavia Prague. The 20-year-old Ivorian-Canadian winger has been a recent breakout star, that at one point, was rumoured to be joining the Vancouver Whitecaps. However, Slavia Prague have beat the Caps to his signature, signing him on a four-year deal. He’ll join Czech side Slovácko until the summer.

🤕 CanMNT injuries piling up. The CanMNT injury bug was in overdrive with not one, but two players sidelined this week. First was Theo Bair, who will be out for 6-8 weeks with an ankle injury. Then, Ismaël Koné was ruled out of Sassuolo’s weekend matchup against Napoli due to a bone bruise, according to TSN’s Matthew Scianitti.

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🏆 CanChamp bracket has been announced. Not exactly MLS-specific, but important nonetheless. The 2026 CanChamp schedule has been announced, with CF Montreal hosting League1 Alberta champs Calgary Blizzard SC, and Toronto FC playing CPL champions Atlético Ottawa. The Vancouver Whitecaps will play the winner of Pacific FC vs. Cavalry FC.

🔴 Toronto FC signed William Yarbrough. It’s by no means a flashy move, but it’s a smart one. As Luka Gavran is expected to be the starter this season, this pickup adds a veteran presence in goal and mentoring opportunities for Gavran and Adisa de Rosario. Yarbs’ addition could also help steady the ship if it begins to rock at any point this season.

🌊 The Whitecaps say no to Inter Miami. USMNT defender Tristan Blackmon is a wanted man, Inter Miami are keen on signing the MLS Defender of the Year. The Caps are also keen on keeping Blackmon in BC. Inter Miami has placed a bid, but Vancouver has rejected it.

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🦖 Atletico Ottawa have signed Garissone Innocent, Tim Arnaud and Roni Mbomio. The CPL champs have signed PSG and Haitian international goalkeeper Garissone Innoncent through 2026 with an option for 2027. The 18-year-old midfielder Tim Arnaud from CF Montreal has signed a three-year contract with an option for an additional season. Roni Mbomio has officially signed with Ottleti from Atletico Madrid on a permanent deal through 2026 with an option for 2027.

🦅 Vancouver FC acquired Martin Nash, Tom Field and Mohamed Amissi. VFC have announced Martin Nash as the club’s head coach. After spending time as the club’s interim coach in 2025, Nash will now be the Eagles’ manager through the end of 2027. VFC have also landed the signature of former Cavalry FC midfielder Tom Field and Burundian forward Mohamed Amissi. Field has signed through 2026 with an option for 2027. Amissi has signed through 2027 with an option for 2028.

⚜️ FC Supra signed four more local talents. The CPL’s first Quebec club continue to sign local talents and have added Matisse Chrétien, Ismael Yeo, Thomas Lebeuf and Omar Elkalkouli.

🔱 Joshua Belluz joined Pacific FC. The 25-year-old defender from Toronto signed with PFC after spending time in the US with Colorado Rapids 2 and USL Championship club Hartford United.

⚓️ The Halifax Wanderers acquired Finn Linder and Lucas Olguin. The defender will be reuniting with Vanni Sartini on the East Coast. Linder is a product of the Whitecaps academy and has signed through 2026 with an option for 2027 and 2028. The Haligonians have also added U21 midfielder Lucas Olguin from Toronto FC II in MLS Next Pro. Olguin signed through 2026 with an option for 2027 and 2028.

🇲🇽 Inter Toronto FC have signed Raul Lopez and Ariel Almagro. Inter Toronto continue to lean into their Mexican connections with the latest signing of Raul Lopez from Andorra’s top-flight. The defender has signed through 2026. Ecuadorian winger Ariel Almagro has signed through 2026 with an option for 2027.

🐴 Cavalry has signed Amer Didic and said goodbye to Shamit Shome and Diego Gutierrez. The Cavs have bolstered their backline with the latest acquisition of Didic from Atletico Ottawa, the CPL veteran has signed through 2027 with an option for 2028. Shamit Shome and Diego Gutierrez have departed from the club as free agents.

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🌊 Julia Benati joins Halifax. Another former Ottawa Rapid midfielder is on the move. The former League1 Ontario MVP inked a deal with the Tides for 2026 this week, becoming the second ex-Ottawa player to strengthen their ranks after Stella Downing joined the club earlier in the window.

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🇵🇦 Panama select New Tecumseth. Thomas Christiansen’s side are coming to Canada, after selecting the Nottawasaga Training Centre as their base camp for this summer’s World Cup. Panama will play their first two group stage matches in Toronto, against Ghana and Croatia, before heading to New York to play England. The site is just one of two in Canada, with Vancouver’s National Soccer Development Centre being the other.

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