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- January 27th Edition
January 27th Edition
European transfer deadline week, CPL stars on the move and more!
It felt like the calm before the storm in Canadian soccer this week.
Over the next few weeks, there will be the European transfer deadline where many Canadian players could make significant moves (which we preview below), CanWNT will be back in action for the first time under Casey Stoney, MLS kicks off and so does the Concacaf Champions Cup.
That isn’t to say there’s not still plenty to talk about this week across Canadian footy, including a concerning injury for Alphonso Davies, CanWNT’s opponents at the Pinatar Cup, more NSL and CPL signings and plenty of other big stories ahead in this edition of The Northern Pitch.
In this week's edition:
CanMNT
⏲️ European transfer deadline week
OneSoccer
We are a week away from transfer deadline day for most of Europe, as on Monday, February 3rd the window closes for most major European leagues.
As teams across the continent try to better their squads for the second half of the campaign, there are two key Canadian men’s national team players in particular to watch.
The first, is the curious case of Ismaël Koné, who after just a few months with new club Marseille, some of which have included being sidelined with injury, seems to have already fallen completely out of the plans of manager Robert De Zerbi. The manager has been pretty harsh with his criticism of the talented 22-year-old, and it doesn’t sound like relationships are going to repair there any time soon.
Lazio in Serie A are said to be interested in a loan deal with an option to buy, while other French clubs are circling as well. Whatever happens, it seems crucial that Koné get a change of scenery during a really important time for his development.
The other story to watch this week is the status of Tajon Buchanan. Canadian men’s national team manager Jesse Marsch this week confirmed the fact that Buchanan is looking for a loan move after limited minutes with Inter Milan this season.
A number of clubs have expressed interest in the 25-year-old winger, including AS Roma and Torino. The most recent club to be linked? Dutch champions Ajax. Following a leg break this summer which kept Buchanan out for the first few months of the campaign, the priority for Tajon should be playing again and getting his confidence back.
With both of these players being genuine game-changers for the Canadian men’s national team, the next week is going to be crucial for both of their careers.
CPL
⭐️ Stars on the move in the CPL
Forge FC
It has already been a blockbuster off-season in the Canadian Premier League, but this week seemed to kick things to another level — especially in Hamilton and Langford.
As they always seem to do, Forge are moving mad. Having already poached Players’ Player of the Year Brian Wright from rivals York, they also announced the signing, and return to Forge, of York’s Mo Babouli. Earlier in the week, they added Dan Nimick, a 2023 Defender of the Year nominee from the Halifax Wanderers. CPL Bayern Munich is back on their business.
Pacific FC, one of only two teams to ever beat Forge in a CPL Final, are reuniting the Championship core. This week, they announced that fullback Kadin Chung is returning after two seasons with rivals Vancouver FC, and that starboy winger Marco Bustos is returning after two years in Sweden.
One player who will be leaving the island this off-season, however, is Steffen Yeates, returning to play for hometown York United. The Nine Stripes have been getting all the Toronto boys this off-season, with Brampton boy Luke Singh signing on as well after being released by Toronto FC.
York also confirmed the return of defender Frank Sturing, and Mexican fullback Orlando Botello on loan from Monterrey.
Canucks Abroad
🌍 Canucks Abroad
Royale Union St-Gilloise
🇧🇪 Promise David scored his 11th goal of the season. Union St-Gilloise travelled to Beerschot. Promise David scored the game's second goal, racking up his season tally to 11 goals. USG defeated the home side 4-0 and are currently ranked third in the Belgian first division.
🏴 Olivia Smith scores again. The Liverpool forward has found the back of the net again this week. Smith scored in the opening three minutes after the Leicester City keeper cleared the ball right into the CanWNT forward. Unfortunately, Leicester City would defeat Liverpool 2-1.
🩼 Alphonso Davies is out injured. Bayern Munich travelled to the Netherlands to face Feyenoord, where they were defeated 3-0. In this matchup, Alphonso Davies was subbed off in the 45th minute after sustaining a hamstring injury. It was reported on Thursday by BILD, that Phonzy will be sidelined for the next 4-6 weeks.
🏴 Alistair Johnston and Celtic move onto the Champions League knockout stage. The Bhoys in Green hosted the Swiss club Young Boys. The Glaswegian club defeated the away side 1-0, confirming a spot in the next round of the UEFA Champions League for Celtic. This will be Celtic’s first time in the next round since 2013. Under the new Champions League format, Alistair Johnston and Celtic will have to play against Aston Villa in a match to qualify for the round of 16.
🇦🇹 Nael Kane joined LASK. The CF MTL-Europe pipeline is at work again. This time, CF MTL have exported winger Nael Kane from the academy, after joining the setup at the start of 2024 from West Ottawa SC. Kane has signed with Austrian club LASK through 2027.
🇵🇹 Alidou scored for Benfica. The CanWNT and her club Benfica travelled to Famalicao. The home club were defeated 3-1 by the Portuguese giants, with Marie-Yasmine Alidou scoring the first goal of the game in the opening minute.
🇮🇹 Evelyne Viens picked up an assist. Roma travelled to Northern Italy in a game that ended 3-2 for AC Milan. Despite the loss, the silver lining is that Evelyne Viens assisted the second goal of the game in the 38th minute.
🇨🇳 Ryan Raposo set to sign with a Chinese club. Rumours have been circulating that Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Ryan Raposo has supposedly signed with newly promoted Chinese Super League club Yunnan Yukun. At the time of writing this, the tone of this rumour is highly speculative.
Canucks at Home
🏡 Canucks at Home
Vancouver Whitecaps / MLS
🌊 Jayden Nelson signed with the Vancouver Whitecaps. The 22-year-old Canadian winger signed with the Caps through 2028 with an option for 2029. Nelson joined Vancouver from Norwegian first division side Rosenborg BK.
🇩🇪 Eintracht Frankfurt wants Nathan Saliba. Montréal reporter Tony Marinaro suggested that third-place Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt has been interested in signing CF MTL midfielder Nathan Saliba. This comes after Matthew Scianitti reported last week that a club in France and Germany are interested in the 20-year-old.
Other news
📰 In Other News
🇨🇦 Pinatar Cup opponents. Although not yet officially official, the CanWNT crept closer to their first test with Casey Stoney at the helm this week. With UEFA Women’s Nations League action in February keeping European teams busy, and a non-return to the SheBelieves Cup, Canada’s next international opponents are setting up to be 17th-ranked China, 31st-ranked Mexico and 42nd-ranked Taiwan.
⚽️ Brian White and Caden Clark are balling out. American star boys for Canadian clubs have enjoyed a good week. The USMNT hosted Costa Rica in a friendly where Whitecaps forward Brian White started, and CF MTL midfielder Caden Clark came off the bench. Both players scored their first goals for the USMNT. White scored a cool finish in the 20th minute. Caden Clark scored a left-footed banger in the 77th minute.
🇳🇬 Ottawa Rapid FC sign Ngozi Okobi-Oke. Amidst a slew of NSL signings this week and following the major signing of Desiree Scott last week, Ottawa welcomed Nigerian attacking midfielder Okobi-Oke to the nation’s capital. She brings some serious pedigree to the club with two World Cup appearances and four Women’s AFCON titles. The club also unveiled Canadian midfielder Stella Downing and Norwegian winger Johanne Fridlund.
🌄 Vancouver Rise FC add Samantha Chang. The Rise welcome the Canadian midfielder back to domestic shores. Chang will pair up with Quinn in what might yet be one of the best NSL midfield signings on paper. Vancouver also inked American forward Nedya Sawan and Swedish midfielder Sofia Hagman to deals this week.
🌹 Mégane Sauvé returns home to Montréal. The former all-star Carabin and three-time PLSQ champion also made a Canadian homecoming this week, as the endcap to five new names announced by the Roses. The others included American forward Alexandria Hess and defender Jodi Smith, and Canadian goalkeeper Anne-Marie Laroche and winger Claire Monyard.
🔴 Four join AFC Toronto. It was also busy in the Ontarian capital this week with a quartet of new faces for AFCT. Leading off, was NDC Ontario product and 2024 League1 Women’s Premier second-team all-star forward April Lantaigne. The side also announced midfielder Ivymae Perez, goalkeeper Sierra Cota-Yarde and 2023 U SPORTS Rookie of the Year defender Sarah Rollins.
🌊 Halifax Tides make a pair of signings. Last but not least, the Tides also continued to build out their roster, the smallest of all six NSL teams so far, with the additions of American full-back Kiley Norkus and Québécois midfielder Daphnée Blouin. Talk about another busy week.
Northern Picks
✅ Northern Picks
📚 What to read
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✅ Who to follow
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