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July 14th Edition
Smith makes history once again, CanChamp semis are set, and De Fougerolles locked in with Fulham.
A historic week.
Multiple reports over the past few days indicate that a Canadian baller is about to set a new transfer fee world record over in Europe.
Meanwhile, at home, three CPL teams have reached the quarter-final round of the Canadian Championship for the first time ever.
That, plus more off-season moves in the works for Canadian ballers and more in this week’s edition of The Northern Pitch.
In this week's edition:
CanWNT
🏴 Olivia Smith making history once again
Attacking Third
One million British Pounds.
That is the reported world-record fee that would send Canadian international Olivia Smith from Liverpool to WSL rivals Arsenal per multiple reports, including originally from The Guardian. The previous transfer record was £900,000, which Chelsea paid for defender Naomi Girma.
In her first season in England this past year with Liverpool, Smith scored seven times in 20 FA WSL matches after joining Liverpool for a club record transfer fee from Sporting Lisbon.
She joins an Arsenal team who are coming off their second-ever European championship after defeating Barcelona 1-0 in the 2024-25 final. If they are dropping this kind of bag on Smith, she is going to be given every opportunity to be a star on one of the top teams in the world.
Canada hasn’t had a world-class attacker since Christine Sinclair, and this kind of move could take Smith to that level. It’s a game-changer for the national team, which has a lot of exciting young attackers coming through the system right now.
After breaking the record for youngest player to ever debut for the senior Women’s National Team at 15 years and 94 days old back in 2019, Olivia Smith is making history once again with a record-breaking transfer — a milestone that feels less like a peak and more like the beginning of what's to come.
P.S. If you didn’t grab a copy of Liv’s DARBY Issue 4 cover when it dropped, there are two copies remaining for sale here (you’re welcome).
CanChamp
🏆 CanChamp reaches semi-finals
Canada Soccer
And then there were four.
And, for the first time ever in the Canadian Championship, three are from the Canadian Premier League.
The back-to-back-to-back defending champion Vancouver Whitecaps (the only MLS team remaining), will host Forge FC in a home-and-away CanChamp semi-final. The winner of that will host the final. On the other side of the draw, first-time semi-finalists Atlético Ottawa take on Vancouver FC.
As such, a CPL team will qualify for the final for the first time in a normal CanChamp tournament. Forge are the only CPL team to appear in a final, when they were given the spot automatically by winning the CPL’s Island Games. Forge went on to lose that 2020 final to Toronto FC on penalty kicks in Hamilton.
Forge will have their work cut out for them if they want to reach a second final, against a very good Whitecaps team who are the clear favourite to win a fourth title. But they have experience beating MLS teams before, as it was CF Montréal who they beat 3-2 on aggregate in the quarter-final.
The Whitecaps, meanwhile, narrowly defeated Valour FC 4-3 on aggregate on a 90th-minute Bjørn Inge Utvik header in the 90th minute. Fellow B.C. side Vancouver FC stunned defending CPL Champs Cavalry FC in the semi-final, while Atlético Ottawa beat York United in a wild 4-3 game.
The first leg of the semi-final will be played on Wednesday, August 13, followed by the second legs in mid-September. The final will take place on Wednesday, October 1.
CanMNT
📝 Fougerolles locked in with Fulham
Fulham FC
Four more years!
Fulham announced this week that they have extended Luc de Fougerolles on a four-year deal. He has been with the club since he was eight.
The 19-year-old defender didn’t play much this past season for the club due to an injury, and has made just one first-team appearance. But this summer with Canada at the Gold Cup, he showed his incredible potential. He has made seven appearances already for the national team, and increasingly looks like an important player both now and for the future.
The Vancouver Whitecaps had been linked to the young Canadian earlier in the window, and it will be interesting to see if there is a loan move in the works, or if Fulham might actually give him minutes this season.
Best case scenario, we have a Canadian in the Prem this season. Worst case, given De Fougerolles’ talent, it seems like only a matter of time.
Canucks Abroad
🌍 Canucks Abroad
Canada Soccer
⬆️CanMNT are movin’ on up. Despite a tough summer at the Gold Cup, Les Rouges are still on an upwards trend in the FIFA World Rankings. Jesse Marsch’s boys jumped Sweden and Wales to go from 30th to 28th in the latest rankings.
🇭🇷 Luka Banovic on trial at Hajduk. Niko Sigur might soon have a fellow Canadian at Hajduk, if he stays. Banovic, an 18-year-old Croatian-Canadian CB, was noted on trial this week, after recently leaving the Whitecaps. One to keep an eye on.
🇩🇪 Kilian Michelbach, first-team squad player? Another one to soon keep an eye on could be Ingolstadt’s Kilian Michelbach. The 17-year-old centreback saw minutes in a first-team friendly for the 3. Liga side this week. Michelbach is eligible for Germany and Canada.
🇸🇪 Keera Melenhorst goes pro in Sweden. Another member of the 2022 CanW20 group is in the professional ranks. Melenhorst, who also won Concacaf Futsal goal in April with the FWNT penned an 18-month deal with top-flight side Linköping FC. The last Canadian to sign with them? None other than NSL leading scorer, DB Pridham.
🇫🇷 Moïse Bombito out until September. More bad news for Bombito. After missing the Gold Cup for wrist surgery, Le Figaro has reported that Moïse will be out for the next two months with a micro-fissure in his tibia. Here’s to hoping he’ll be back before then.
🇺🇸 Tani Oluwaseyi shows out for Minnesota. It was Tani Time, multiple times, for the Loons against San Jose this week. Not only did he once again find the back of the net, but Tani also picked up two assists in a 4-1 win over the Earthquakes. Baller.
🇲🇽 Apertura underway in Liga MX. Good news with the start of the new Liga MX season. Lucas ‘El Tanque’ Cavallini is back from his ACL injury, and was on the bench for Puebla in a 3-2 loss to Atlas. A first-team promotion was also on the cards for Pumas’ Santiago López, sporting the number 30 instead of his old #252 in a 3-0 loss to Santos Laguna.
Major League Soccer
⚽️ MLS Recap
MLS
🌊 Vancouver take a rough L away. It’s been a rough couple of months for Vancouver. The Caps travelled to Colorado and were handed a 3-0 loss against the home club. With this loss, Vancouver are now in third place in the Western Conference. Ali Ahmed and Ryan Gauld remain injured and their absences are now being felt. Fun fact, former CF MTL midfielder, Djordje Milhailovic, picked up three assists this game.
🔴 TFC share points with the ATL. The post-Italian era continues with a draw at home. Would it have been any different with them? Most likely no. The Boys in Red took the lead in the 47th minute with a header from Deybi Flores. As three points started to look guaranteed, Atlanta decided otherwise. In the 90+6th minute, Atlanta were awarded a penalty and the away team equalized the game 1-1. Football can be cruel.
🔵 MTL gain a point in Orlando. Things have been rough for Montreal this past week with losses at home against Inter Miami and Forge FC in the CanChamps. This past weekend, Montréal travelled to Florida to play against Orlando. The home team took the lead but Prince Owusu equalized the game with a converted penalty in the 83rd minute. The game ended 1-1 and Prince Owusu has scored nine goals in 22 matches.
This week’s MLS fixtures:
Wednesday, July 16
Philadelphia Union vs. CF Montréal (7:30PM ET)
Houston Dynamo vs. Vancouver Whitecaps (5:30PM PT)
San Diego FC vs. Toronto FC (10:30PM ET)
Saturday, July 19
CF Montréal vs. Chicago Fire (7:30PM ET @ Stade Saputo)
Nashville SC vs. Toronto FC (8:30PM ET)
San Diego FC vs. Vancouver Whitecaps (7:30PM PT)
Canadian Premier League
🍁 CPL Recap
CPL
🏟️ All square between the league’s top-two. This match didn’t start Ottawa’s way, but it sure ended so. Forge got out to an early start thanks to Kyle Bekker’s second goal in five days. It seemed destined to end that way as Forge started to park the bus. But, Rezart Rama’s late overhead clearance ended up with a boot to the face of Joaquim Coulanges. That sent Ballou Tabla to the spot, and gave Ottleti the opening they needed for a 1-1 final.
🔱 Toualy magic guides Pacific to victory. Halifax travelled to take on Pacific, and once again, the fans at Starlight Stadium were treated to a thriller. Luckily, this time, the Tridents came away with all three points as Yann Toualy knocked home a hat-trick, capped off with a winning penalty. The Wanderers hit back twice in the first half through Yohan Baï and Tiago Coimbra in the 3-2 affair.
👑 Vitória for York on Portuguese Heritage Night. It was a perfect lineup for York’s Portuguese Heritage Match, featuring two Portuguese-Canadian head coaches in Mauro Eustáquio and Phil Dos Santos. Adonijah Reid was a sparkplug for the Nine Stripes, earning a penalty and scoring the winner in another 3-2 finish. All this match missed were the pastéis de nata and pão de deus, which were nowhere to be seen.
🦅 Cavalry stifled again by Vancouver. For all the CanPL goals this weekend, there had to be some balance. That balance came in Langley, in the form of a 0-0 draw. Neither Cavalry nor Vancouver could solve each other in their CanChamp rematch. Not even Nico Mezquida seeing red near the hour mark resulted in any goals.
This week’s CanPL fixtures:
Friday, July 18
Forge FC vs. Pacific FC (7PM ET @ Hamilton Stadium)
Atlético Ottawa vs. Halifax Wanderers (7PM ET @ TD Place)
Saturday, July 19
York United vs. Vancouver FC (4PM ET @ York Lions Stadium)
Sunday, July 20
Valour FC vs. Cavalry FC (3PM ET @ Princess Auto Stadium)
Northern Super League
🌌 NSL Recap
Northern Super League
🌊 The Hart era starts with a W. On Monday, Halifax officially turned a new page in their history, as Lewis Page gave way to Stephen Hart behind the bench. Already, the decision seems to have been a shrewd one as an improved Tides team nursed home a slim 1-0 victory, thanks to a Megumi Nakamura goal, past the Calgary Wild.
🌆 AFCT get revenge on the Rapid. After being trounced 4-0 the last time Ottawa came to town, AFC Toronto were keen to get one back against their Ontario neighbours. And that they did, as Kaylee Hunter’s brace and super-sub Cloey Uddenberg’s last-minute insurance marker helped spirit AFCT past the Rapid, 3-0. In a touching moment, Hunter, a Liverpool supporter, celebrated her first goal with Diogo Jota’s trademark celebration.
🌊 Montréal get a Hart-to-Hart. If the claims of NSL parity didn’t already have enough to stand on before, they almost certainly have do now. After a draw against fifth-placed Vancouver last weekend, the Roses were gut-checked by the last-placed Tides on Saturday. Halifax snuck away with all three points, 1-0, as Daphnée Blouin capitalised on a late goalkeeper error from Montréal.
🦉 Wild hold on for three points. Just over ten games into the season and the consensus take so far seems to be: what is happening with the Vancouver Rise? Coming into the season, the outfit were highly-rated. But since then, they’ve earned just 12 points, and fell 2-1 to Calgary over Stampede weekend on a Meggie Dougherty Howard free-kick banger. This is a storyline to keep watching.
This week’s NSL fixtures:
Tuesday, July 15
Halifax Tides vs. AFC Toronto (6:30PM AT @ Wanderers Grounds)
Saturday, July 18
AFC Toronto vs. Montréal Roses (7:30PM ET @ York Lions Stadium)
Sunday, July 19
Calgary Wild vs. Ottawa Rapid (4PM ET @ McMahon Stadium)
Halifax Tides vs. Vancouver Rise (7PM AT @ Wanderers Grounds)
Northern Picks
✅ Northern Picks
🎽 What to buy
The 5th edition of The Icarus Cup took place this past weekend, and DARBY once again graced the front of one of the amazing kits worn at the tournament. For those of us who couldn’t attend, every kit is available for purchase at icarusfc.com.
✅ Who to follow
Our guy Hanin Mazri (@hanin.mazri) has been covering the Club World Cup this past month and has captured some incredible images along the way.