Happy New Year! It’s officially a HOME WORLD CUP year y’all.

In the first newsletter of 2026, it is undoubtedly transfer season for Canadian ballers as several secured big moves this week, while more are reportedly on the way.

That, plus some big moves for Canada’s MLS teams, John Herdman has a new home and more ahead in this Jan 5th edition.

Before we get into it, a special thanks to everyone who submitted feedback last week! We’ll be reaching out today to the giveaway winners.

Just like for Canadian soccer in general, we are looking to take The Northern Pitch to a new level in 2026, so thank you again for your continued support, reading and interacting each and every week. Now let’s get into it.

When Ali Ahmed scored against Inter Miami in the 2026 MLS Cup final, it felt pretty likely that it would be his last goal for the club.

After a breakout campaign scoring four goals and adding 11 assists in all competitions, he appeared poised to take on a new challenge in a World Cup year. He was a key member of a Whitecaps team that not only reached the MLS Cup Final, but Concacaf as well, while winning their fourth straight Canadian Championship — and the CanChamp MVP.

That challenge has materialized and it’s a relegation battle in the English Championship with Norwich City FC. Ahmed has signed a three-year deal with the English club until 2029.

The Canaries currently sit 22nd in the league, with just six wins from 26 matches. They are in the relegation zone by a single point. They have, however, improved immensely since Phillip Clement took over on November 8, losing just three of their past 10 matches. They are an ambitious club, who have been in and out of the Prem, so hopefully in the later years of his deal, they are fighting for promotion.

Ahmed would become the fifth Canadian currently playing in the Championship, joining Alfie Jones (Middlesbrough), Daniel Jebbison (Preston North End), Liam Millar (Hull City) and Iké Ugbo (Sheffield Wednesday).

The Tennessee Waterfall is headed to Hollywood.

This past week, it was announced that LAFC had traded with Nashville SC for Canadian winger Jacob Shaffelburg in exchange for $1 million in General Allocation Money.

After initially breaking into the league with Toronto FC, Shaffelburg became a star while playing for Nashville, scoring 15 times in 106 matches in all competitions for the club. He also has six goals in 31 matches with Canada.

Shaffelburg joins fellow Canadian international Mathieu Choinière with LAFC as well as newly promoted Canadian coach Marc Dos Santos, not to mention a star-studded squad featuring Hugo Lloris, Denis Bouanga and, of course, Son Heung-min.

This could be a big move for Shaffelburg, who is looking to make the final push to make Canada’s World Cup roster after a bit of a tough recent stretch since being sent off this summer in a Gold Cup quarter-final against Guatemala.

The battle for Canada’s number one goalkeeper at the 2026 FIFA World Cup is headed south to Florida.

It was officially announced on Sunday that Dayne St. Clair has signed with Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami, the defending MLS Cup champs. None other than Fabrizio Romano weighed in on the other half of Canada’s goalkeeper duo, saying that Max Crépeau is close to signing with Orlando City SC.

This is a big move for the 31-year-old, who played just 15 matches this past season for the Portland Timbers after losing his starting job of a few different occasions to fellow Canadian James Pantemis. He has, however, played well any time he has suited up for country, which is why he is still very much in the goalkeeper race.

Before joining Portland, the Québec keeper had also played for CF Montréal, the Vancouver Whitecaps, and won an MLS Cup with LAFC. He has 29 caps for Canada.

It is hard not to feel, as well, that this is a missed opportunity for Toronto FC. With the national team’s top two goalkeepers—one of them a hometown product—available in free agency, not landing at least one of them feels like a chance allowed to quietly slip away.

🐺 Niko Sigur to Wolves? Our favourite tap-in merchant is back with more CanMNT news. According to Fabrizio Romano, Niko Sigur could be set to join Ali Ahmed in making a move to Blighty this winter, with Premier League basement-dwellers Wolves among “a few top-5 league clubs” interested in the Canadian.

🇮🇹 Maya Antoine to Roma? The name might be unfamiliar to some now, but not so for long. A key starter for Sweden’s IFK Norrköping, the Vanderbilt alum could follow in the footsteps of Évelyne Viens and Mia Pante soon, according to Aftonbladet journo Amanda Zaza.

💛 Gabby Carle extends with the Spirit. Gabs is staying with the NWSL champions. The fullback, who missed out of the Championship-winning match due to injury, re-upped on a huge four-year deal this week, ensuring a stay through 2029.

🇮🇹 Jonathan David assist vs Pisa. Big or small, all contributions count. JD was on the scoresheet for Juventus in the Bianconere’s post-Boxing Day clash with a late assist. Sure, it didn’t look the prettiest — especially after a missed panenka to start 2026 — but it’s still worth something.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Junior Hoilett scores. Hoilett had the final goal by a CanMNT player for 2025 after Hibs took down Aberdeen, 2-0, on the penultimate day of the year. The strike was coolly hit too, sneaking in at the near post in the first minute of stoppage time.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Kadeisha Buchanan is back. After an extended spell on the sidelines due to an ACL injury, KB is back on the (training) pitch for Chelsea. The core CB for Canada will also be on the plane as the Blues head to Portugal for their winter training camp.

👋 Kailen Sheridan parts ways with San Diego. In a bit of a shock announcement, SD announced the mutual termination of Kailen Sheridan’s contract this week. Though, mutual may need to be in quotes, based on Sheridan being the Wave’s captain, and on socials.

🦢 Canadian duo join Boston Legacy. BSG is headed (back) east with a three-year deal in tow, joining fellow Canuck forward Amanda Allen as a member of the new NWSL side. The Legacy are one of two NWSL expansion sides for 2026, alongside Megan Reid’s Denver Summit.

Emil Gazdov has been loaned out to St Pauli. This was an unexpected move. The CFM keeper served a short loan with Valour in the latter half of the 2025 season. Now, the third choice MTL keeper has earned a short-term loan to Germany with, arguably, the coolest club in the Bundesliga, FC St. Pauli.

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🔵 CF Montreal loaned Ivan Losenko. CFM have added the midfielder on loan from the Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk. For an undisclosed fee, Losenko will serve a one-year loan with an option to extend, followed by an optional permanent transfer once the loan period ends.

🔴 Walker Zimmerman is now a Red. The free agent defender has signed with TFC on a two-year deal. The USMNT defender is a much-needed signing for Toronto. The veteran defender will address the defensive lapses that TFC struggled with last season.

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🐴 Nathan Ingham joins Cavalry. The two-time Golden Glove nominee and now 2025 CPL champion has signed with Cavalry FC through 2028. With Marco Carducci announcing his departure from the club, Cavalry’s signing of Ingham feels amplified—a solid move for both club and player.

⚓ Marco Carducci signs with Halifax. Speaking of Carducci’s departure; a new face has also landed in Halifax. Ingham’s fellow two-time Golden Glove winner kicked off the CanPL offseason GK carousel and has now signed a two-year agreement with the Wanderers ahead of the 2026 season.

⭕ Manny Aparicio stays in Ottawa. Supporters in the Dub got a nice Christmas present this year as their captain re-upped on a new deal through 2027. The club had an option year left for Aparicio but rewarded the CM’s efforts with a brand new deal.

😬 Afshin Ghotbi sues VFC. It’s never a boring week in Canadian soccer. A notice of civil claim filed in the BC courts this week states VFC’s former head coach is suing the club over an alleged $500k loan (plus interest) that has not been repaid. With SixFive’s other club, Pacific, also up for sale, we’re hoping both issues are resolved soon.

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🇮🇩 John Herdman is now Indonesia’s gaffer. Random? Perhaps. But if you’re in-tuned with Asian football, this is exciting news. The Asian Football Confederation has been dominated by Japan, Korea, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Australia (they have been included in the AFC since 2006). Indonesia, with its Dutch influences, has been a country with massive potential but without a proper structure at the national team. With a strong domestic league, it is one of the most exciting in Asia. John Herdman is a builder; if he can replicate what he has done with Canada, Indonesia will be a quiet powerhouse within the next decade. This is a project worth paying attention.

🇭🇹 Haiti is considering playing friendlies in Montreal. According to Haitian journalist Caleb Jephte Pierre, Haiti is in negotiations with Montreal to hold pre-World Cup friendlies at Stade Saputo. Montreal is home to the largest Haitian population in Canada. Once confirmed, we recommend that all in Montreal attend this game. The vibes will be on point.

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