It’s a World Cup year, and it feels like the soccer news cycle is moving at an unprecedented rate in this country — and we are only in the first month of 2026.

This week again, on and off the pitch, there is an abundance of topics to cover, everything from key hirings, to dates to circle on the calendar, exciting new dual nationals and plenty more.

Plus, more CanMNT transfer windows, Ali Ahmed is Him and plenty more in this week’s edition of The Northern Pitch.

Well, that’s a blast from the past.

Canada Soccer made its long-awaited hire of a national team Sporting Director and it’s a name incredibly familiar to Canadian footy fans: Kenneth Heiner-Møller.

The 55-year-old from Denmark was previously an assistant for the Canadian women’s national team under John Herdman, before taking the reins following Herdman’s controversial departure in 2018.

It didn’t exactly go great, to be fair, during a tricky period as the program moved on from Herdman’s shocking move to the men’s team.

But this is a different role, one that will actually have him oversee both CanMNT head coach Jesse Marsch and CanWNT’s Casey Stoney.

Importantly, Heiner-Møller has full understanding of what it takes to coach the Canadian national teams, and both the benefits and challenges. It is an important hire in modernizing the Canadian soccer structure.

Heiner-Møller previously served as the technical director with the Danish Football Federation. Most recently, he was the technical director for San Diego FC, and by all accounts did an outstanding job with the expansion MLS side, which finished at the top of the Western Conference in their first season in the league.

He will fully move into the role over the summer, as he transitions out of San Diego. His wife, Anja Heiner-Møller, led the Vancouver Rise to win the inaugural Diana B. Matheson Cup as NSL champions.

Marcelo Flores is ours.

After a soap opera last few months, where the 22-year-old dual-national from Georgetown was called up as a training player for Canada, and then again for January camp before the invitation was declined, it appears he has finally made his decision.

Reports, and straight-up quotes from Mexican national team head coach Javier Aguirre, suggest that Flores has filed his one-time switch to join Canada after previously repping El Tri.

It’s a big get for the program at a crucial time. Flores hasn’t exactly set the world on fire since joining Tigres from Arsenal, but he has a strong pedigree and a skill set as an attacking midfielder that Canada is clearly lacking.

Before he officially hits the pitch with Canada, it might be time for a few Canadian supporters to say sorry, because this guy was getting mad hate for no reason.

There’s now a real chance he could be part of Canada’s squad for 2026, especially if he can impress during the March international window and keep bagging goals in Liga MX.

Coming into this past week, we knew that the Canadian women’s national team were kicking off 2026 in the United States at the SheBelieves Cup.

Now, the April window is taking shape as well with the announcement that the team will compete in the 2026 FIFA Series. The new initiative from FIFA was established to create meaningful international matchups during non-Tournament windows.

As part of the competition, Canada has been included in a group with Brazil, South Korea and Zambia.

Canada’s group will be played in Brazil, although it isn’t clear yet who their opponents will be. Canada, well, has played Brazil a lot over the past few years, and Canadian fans would probably prefer a different test, even if Brazil are a top nation — currently ranked sixth in the World.

The full schedule will be announced soon, but CanWNT’s 2026 is already shaping up to be an exciting one.

The next stop on Canada’s road to 2026 was revealed this week, and it is Toronto’s BMO Field for March friendlies against Iceland and Tunisia on March 28 and March 31, respectively.

Tunisia, despite a rough AFCON are a solid opponent, and one who will give Canada a good challenge. They were lights out during World Cup qualifying, and have been to six of the past eight World Cups.

Iceland, however, have fallen off a bit. Since the highs of Euro 2016, they have now missed out on back-to-back Euros and World Cups. They currently sit 74th in the world, a European opponent, yes, but far from the most inspiring one.

Rumours have it that Canada’s final unannounced friendly could be against Turkey in June.

Let’s all be honest, we were hoping for a little bit more. Germany, Portugal, Brazil, someone that would have made global headlines. But at the end of the day it’s all about prep.

If Canada go out and take care of business at the 2026 World Cup, nobody is gonna be talking about who they played in their pre-tournamant friendlies.

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🍁 CanMNT on the move. With a week left to go in the final transfer window before this summer’s World Cup, there’s a lot riding on potential moves for playing time. None more so than for Cyle Larin and Stephen Eustáquio, who could be off to Turkey and Spain, each, if the rumours are to be believed.

🇳🇱 Alessandro Hojabrpour joins FC Emmen. The CPL to Europe pipeline continues to flow. Three-time champ Alessandro Hojabrpour will take his next steps in the Netherlands, signing a one-and-a-half year deal (plus option for another year) with FC Emmen in the Dutch second tier.

🇸🇪 Tiago Coimbra set to join IFK Göteborg? Not far behind Hojabrpour, another CPL star could be on his way to northern Europe. According to insider Josh Healey, Halifax striker Tiago Coimbra is set to join Sweden’s IFK Göteborg. It’s a well-travelled path with Bustos, N’sa, de Brienne and Salter all making the switch in the last few years.

🇮🇹 Jonathan David’s stellar week. JD’s recent form has been electric, and that didn’t stop this week. He started off midweek with an assist to USMNT’s Weston McKennie in a 2-0 UCL win over Benfica. Then, over the weekend, he fired Juventus to a massive 3-0 win over Napoli with another well-hit finish.

🇪🇸 Tani Oluwaseyi scores. It was also Tani Time in Europe this week, as he struck for the second UCL weekend in a row. Villarreal dropped a 2-1 loss to Ajax in the end, but take nothing away from Oluwaseyi’s finish.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Wingers on the scoresheet in England. I can do anything you can do, better. That’s what might’ve been said jokingly by Liam Millar and Ali Ahmed midweek in the CanMNT group chat we’re sure definitely exists. The two scored within minutes of each other in wins over Preston and West Brom, respectively.

🇩🇪 Alphonso Davies returns to the XI. There was a big story in Munich this weekend, as Phonzie was named to his first starting eleven since his ligament injury last March. It didn’t go totally to plan, with Davies playing at right-back and Bayern losing their Invincibles bid in a loss to Augsburg, but still positive to see for Jesse Marsch’s captain.

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🇺🇸 Jacen Russell-Rowe rumours. It’s not a late Sunday evening without a Bogert-bomb involving a Canadian MLS player. JRR could be off to Ligue 1, per everyone’s favourite MLS insider, becoming the next player to make the NCAA → MLS → Europe journey.

🔵 Tomas Aviles joined CF Montréal. MTL have had an impressive transfer season, especially after securing a loan deal for Tomas Aviles from Inter Miami. In exchange for the 21-year-old Argentinian defender, Miami receives an international slot.

🌊 The Whitecaps signed Oliver Larraz. Admittedly, we’re late on this one, our bad. Almost two weeks ago, the Caps secured free agent Larraz through 2027 with an option for another season.

🔝 CF Montreal tops in GAM among Canadian clubs. With a smart transfer season, the Saputos can pat themselves on the back with over $6 million in GAM sitting in their coffers. While the Whitecaps have about $5.5 million in GAM, and TFC has $5.3 million. The full story and breakdown can be read here. It is worth the read.

We stand with you Jahkeele. Not every week brings positive news. This past week, Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty has spoken out against the racist messages and imagery that he had received from a supposed CF MTL supporter. JMR has highlighted the pervasive issues of racism that continue to follow players in our beautiful game.

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⚓️ Sven Zitman and Miguel Arilla are Haligonians. The Halifax Wanderers have secured the signature of the Dutch defensive midfielder through 2026 with an option for 2027. Zitman signed from Dutch club TOP Oss. Arilla arrived from Creighton University and will be in Halifax through 2026, with options for 2027 and 2028.

🦅 Vancouver FC resigned Henri Godbout. The 20-year-old returns to VFC for a second season on a U-Sports contract.

⚜️ FC Supra bolster their roster with four new players. Alessandro Biello, Clément Bayiha, Bakary Kaboré and Keesan Ferdinand have all signed with FC Supra. Forwards Bayiha and Kaboré have signed through 2026 with an option for 2027. Defender Ferdinand is locked in through 2027 with an option for 2028.

💫 Inter Toronto signed Béni Badibanga. The rebranded Toronto club have been making impressive moves in this transfer market. They have now confirmed former Forge FC winger’s services through 2026.

👀 The CPL to test Arsene Wenger’s offside rule. The legendary Arsenal coach has proposed a new rule called “the daylight offside law.” If there is clear space or daylight between the attacker and the last defender, it will be called offside. As opposed to having the attacker’s head, feet, or body pass the last defender. Here’s a visual demonstration of the proposed offside law. The CPL have approached the International Football Association Board (IFAB) to trial the daylight offside law.

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🌊 The Halifax Tides have signed Jordyn Rhodes. The midwestern American has signed with the Haligonians for the 2026 season. Rhodes has spent the past two seasons in Iceland and comes with impressive stats, scoring double digits in 2024 and 2025.

🏔️ The Vancouver Rise have signed Sura Yekka and Audrey Francois. Canadian defender Yekka joins the Rise after spending six years in Europe’s top divisions. Notably, playing in Sweden, France and Germany. Canadian forward Francois puts pen to paper with Rise FC from Harvard University. The Laval, Quebec baller has also featured for various youth teams for Canada Soccer.

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