January 20th Edition

The four biggest job openings in Canadian soccer heading into 2025 have now all been filled.

After Casey Stoney and Robin Fraser took over as head coaches of the Women’s National Team and Toronto FC respectively last week, this past week saw Jesper Sørensen named head coach of the Vancouver Whitecaps and Diego Mejia take over as the bench boss for Atlético Ottawa.

In this week’s edition of The Northern Pitch, we break down both of those hires, look at some game-changing signings for the NSL, CanWNT ballers changing clubs in Europe and plenty more.

In this week's edition:

• ✨ Quinn & Desiree Scott to the NSL

• 🌊 Whitecaps hire Jesper Sørenson

• 🌍 Canucks Abroad

• 🏡 Canucks at Home

• 📰 In Other News

NSL

✨ Quinn & Desiree Scott headline huge week of NSL signings

With just 86 days until kickoff, there were some absolute statement signings in the Northern Super League this past week.

None more so than Vancouver Rise’s signing of 29-year-old Canadian international Quinn. Still in their prime, Quinn is an Olympic gold medallist with over 106 caps, and six goals, for their country.

Having a player of Quinn’s calibre willing to sign in the league in its first year is a significant moment, and one that instantly boosts its credibility. Their decision to come home after six seasons with the NWSL’s Seattle Reign is another trailblazing moment for the Toronto-born midfielder.

Meanwhile, in the nation’s capital came just as surprising a signing, as legendary Canadian midfielder Desiree Scott came out of retirement to sign with Ottawa Rapid. With 187 caps for Canada, only three players, including league founder Diana Matheson, have more.

Nicknamed ‘The destroyer’, having the experience of the 37-year-old in the league is invaluable, especially for a young Ottawa team. She also proved this past season with Kansas City Current that she still has plenty to offer on the pitch.

With each passing week until kickoff, it feels like the standard of the new league continues to rise. This is going to be a competitive product on the pitch from day one, and that is an exciting prospect.

MLS

🌊 Vancouver Whitecaps hire Jesper Sørenson

After weeks of speculation, and more than a few different names linked to the job, the Vancouver Whitecaps unveiled Jesper Sørensen as their sixth head coach on Tuesday.

The 51-year-old joins the club after two seasons as the manager of Brøndby, having also previously managed Fredericia and Silkeborg. He is a bit of a surprising hire given the fact that he has never coached, or played for that matter, outside of his native Denmark.

In Denmark, Sørensen developed a strong reputation for being a tactically adept manager who prioritized attacking football. He also has a history in youth development, having coached the Denmark U-21 team — an exciting fact with a club that boasts a lot of top talent coming through their academy structure.

During his first full season in charge of Brøndby, Sørensen nearly won the Danish title before a loss on the final day of the season cost his team the trophy.

With a roster that Sporting Director Axel Schuster has said should be far more competitive than it has been under previous head coach Vanni Sartini, who repeatedly failed to get past round one of the MLS Cup playoffs, Sørensen will be expected to quickly deliver results out west.

Sartini did, however, lead Vancouver to three straight Canadian championships. As a result, Sørensen’s first official match as the Whitecaps’ head coach will come against Costa Rican champs Deportivo Saprissa in the Concacaf Champions Cup on February 20 in Costa Rica.

Canucks Abroad

🌍 Canucks Abroad

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Clarissa Larisey has signed with Crystal Palace. CanWNT baller has made the move from Sweden to England’s WSL. Larisey has signed with Crystal Palace until 2027 for an undisclosed fee.

🎢 Phonzy contract talk is a rollercoaster ride. Earlier this week, as per Marca, Alphonso Davies has agreed to terms with Real Madrid. If so, Los Blancos would offer a five-year deal with an annual salary of €20 million. However, according to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Phonzy is close to signing a compromise with Bayern Munich. It’ll be a four-year deal with the Bavarian giants. Only minor details are left to be negotiated, but in the meantime, the CanMNT captain’s future remains unresolved.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Olivia Smith scores her first 2025 goal. Liverpool hosted Brighton at home, and the DARBY Magazine cover star scored the game’s first goal. Liverpool started a counter-attack, and Smith picked up the ball at the half, ran down the wing like Salah, and found the net. Brilliant. Liverpool defeated Brighton 2-1.

🇫🇷 Jonathan David assists in Lille’s win over Nice. Lille hosted and defeated Nice 2-1. Bombito did not travel to Lille due to injury. However, it was a good game for JD as he contributed an assist in Lille’s first goal against Nice.

🇵🇹 Jeneva Hernandez-Gray joined Sporting Lisbon. The Canada-Portugal connection is a prolific one. Portugal has become the gateway for CanWNT ballers into Europe. The latest baller to move to the land of bifana, bacalhau, and vinho verde is Jeneva Hernandez-Gray. The 18-year-old from Vancouver Whitecaps Elite has signed her first pro contract with Portuguese giants Sporting CP. 

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Junior Hoilett contributed an assist. The Hibs hosted Clydebank in the Scottish FA Cup. Hibernian defeated the away side 3-0, and Junior Hoilett assisted the first goal. 

Follow Canucks Abroad on Twitter, Bluesky and Instagram.

Canucks at Home

🏡 Canucks at Home

⚓️ Isaiah Johnston is a Wanderer. The Halifax Wanderer have signed Canadian midfielder Isaiah Johnston from USL Championship club Loudoun United FC. The former York United player has signed with the Haligonians through 2026 with an option for 2027.

🔵 Nathan Saliba is wanted in Europe. Montréal has become Canada’s gateway to Europe. This was the cultural reality, and now it is becoming the reality in football. Since 2022, MTL has exported five players to Europe, and Nathan Saliba could be joining them. The MTL academy graduate has extended his contract with the club, but the 20-year-old midfielder has gained attention from clubs in France and Germany. Saliba is committed to MTL and maximizing his game time and development to reach Europe.

🇵🇹 Jahkeele to Portugal? Another CF MTL baller could be headed to Europe. TFC academy graduate moved to MTL in 2024 and now could be headed to Portugal’s Vitória SC. Jahkeele traded to MTL in exchange for $850k, which can be up to $1.3 million with add-ons. TFC also retain a sell-on clause if Jahkeele moves to Portugal. Montréal is asking €3 million for the fullback. If the deal happens, Jahkeele will join Dieu-Merci Michel at Vitória SC.

⚒️ Forge re-signed Tristan Borges and Kyle Bekker. The four-time CPL Champions have re-signed pivotal veteran players Tristan Borges and Kyle Bekker. Forge has signed both players to a multi-year deal. It is a wise decision if Forge are aiming to win another CPL title.

🔨 Dan Nimick to Forge FC. Defence wins championships. It is rumoured that Forge are aiming to sign Halifax’s vital defender, Dan Nimick. As per reports, Forge are in talks with Nimick after the 24-year-old defender has announced his departure from Halifax. Such an acquisition for Forge will bolster their squad and reassert Forge as CPL favourites.

👑 Cameron DaSilva and Gabriel Bitar have signed with York United. League1 Ontario defender Cameron DaSilva and VFC’s midfielder Gabriel Bitar have joined the Nine Stripes. The Simcoe County Rovers defender has signed a one-year deal with an option for 2026-2027. Bitar has signed a two-year deal with York United in exchange, Vancouver FC receiving the first pick in the 2026 CPL-U Sports Draft.

🇧🇪 Grady McDonell to Belgium. The 16-year-old Vancouver FC baller joined the club in 2024 on a three-year deal. Club Brugge's second team are in pursuit of the Canadian-born U17 Ireland midfielder. Grady McDonell could be sold to Club Brugge for $500k with add-ons. This will become the CPL’s highest outbound transfer fee.

Follow Canucks At Home on Twitter, Bluesky and Instagram.

Other news

📰 In Other News

🏟️ Atlético Ottawa apoint Diego Mejía as head coach. The 41-year-old Mexican coach will become Atleti’s third-ever gaffer. Mejía joins the club after most recently coaching FC Juárez in Liga MX. After three seasons of a more defensive approach under Carlos González, Mejía is expected to bring more attacking flair to the nation’s capital. With Atleti finishing third, and losing in the CPL semi-final, despite a star-studded lineup, Mejía will be expected to hopefully help the club reach higher heights in 2025.

🔵 Prince Owusu crossed rival lines. The above visual is A1. MTL have had a productive off-season transfer window. TFC’s Prince Owusu, the latest inbound player, surprised supporters on both sides. Owusu signed a two-year deal with an option for 2027 with CFM, and the details of his contract are undisclosed. However, his salary at TFC was upwards of $800k, and MTL has around $ 3 million in GAM. For a striker with nine goals in 37 games, is this a wise move? Or does MTL see something that TFC missed?

🇲🇽 Atletico Ottawa signed Juan Castro. Ottleti have signed Mexican midfielder Juan “Coque” Castor to a one-year deal with an option for 2026. The 33-year-old midfielder comes to the capital with a wealth of experience in Liga MX and is considered one of the most important players in Atletico San Luis’s history.

👋 Béni Badibanga has left Forge. The Belgian forward has claimed to have terminated his contract due to “just cause.” Badibanga responded after Forge had listed him as one of the players under contract but stated that he had already terminated the contract for just cause on January 6th.

🏟️ Kingston is one step closer to the CPL. It’s happening. Kingston has approved a multi-use stadium at the Memorial Centre location. The stadium's construction makes Kingston a potential site for a CPL expansion team. Canada is slowly becoming a footballing nation.