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- March 10th Edition
March 10th Edition
The Vancouver Whitecaps are on a wave, CanMNT returning to Montréal and more!
A crazy week across the world coincided with what was actually a pretty quiet week in Canadian Soccer.
But since the start of the MLS season, it feels like the Vancouver Whitecaps have been making constant headlines for their outstanding play both in the league and Concacaf Champions Cup. Plus, CanMNT are heading to Montréal in October to play against… well, we don’t know yet.
In more news, Davids are automatic in Europe right now, some unique fundraising moves for Canada Soccer and plenty more ahead in this week’s edition of The Northern Pitch.
In this week's edition:
MLS
🌊 Vancouver Whitecaps are on a wave
Vancouver Whitecaps
The Vancouver Whitecaps have BEEN saying they are the best team in Canada — and once again to start this year they are backing it up.
It isn’t only the fact that the three-peat Canadian Champions defeated CF Montréal 2-0 at home this past weekend, courtesy of goals from Mathias Laborda and a first-ever pro goal for Tate Johnson. It is that they are now top of the west, winning their first three matches of the season for the first time in club history.
The Whitecaps also absolutely balled out against five-time Concacaf Champions Cup winners CF Monterrey midweek in continental play. They were incredibly unlucky to have emerged with only a 1-1 draw at BC Place in the first leg. The second leg of their round of 16 clash is this coming Wednesday, at 5:30 p.m. PT / 8:30 p.m. ET down in Mexico.
Brian White is bagging goals for fun right now. Ali Ahmed has taken another step forward and is looking like the game-breaker we always knew he could be at this level, and new manager Jesper Sørensen looks like an ideal fit for this team.
If there’s one concern for the Whitecaps right now, it’s injuries. Ryan Gauld left Saturday’s game in the 25th minute after a non-contact injury, and fans are eagerly awaiting any news about how long their star attacker might be out. After exciting starts to the year, both Jayden Nelson and Sam Adekugbe have also suffered injuries — although Nelson’s especially isn’t expected to be long-term.
With all the uncertainty surrounding their future in BC, this is a heck of a way to kick off the season — and show that they should remain right where they are in Vancouver.
CanMNT
⚜️ CanMNT are headed back to Montréal in October
Canada Soccer
The calendar for the Canadian men’s national team is quickly filling up.
A few weeks after announcing a pair of friendlies in Europe in September, against Romania and Wales in those respective countries, Canada Soccer revealed the team will be back home in Montréal for a friendly in October.
The opponent will be confirmed ‘following out-of-region World Cup qualifying matches’ — and will be played on Oct. 10, 2025. Based on this description, the most likely opponents would be someone from AFC — although a South American opponent could also be possible.
The CanMNT have not played a match in Montréal since June 13, 2017 — a 2-1 win over Curaçao in a friendly which marked Alphonso Davies’ debut with the national team. Time sure flies, doesn’t it?
It gets better for Montréal, as the city will also host Canada’s preparations before the 2026 FIFA World Cup, including a send-off friendly in June 2026 — also with the opponent TBD.
More announcements are expected to come soon, including more details on Canada’s June, October and November international windows.
Giveaway
📕 Sinclair book giveaway winner!
Congratulations to the winner of our March subscriber giveaway: Kara Reeb 🎉 Keep an eye out for the signed book heading to your mailbox.
Thanks to everyone who entered, and stay tuned for more special giveaways soon!
Canucks Abroad
🌍 Canucks Abroad
LOSC / Ligue 1
🇫🇷 Jonathan David scored and assisted this week. JD adding numbers to his resume. This past Tuesday, Lille travelled to Dortmund in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16. The game ended 1-1 with David assisting Hakon Arnar Haraldsson’s goal. This past weekend, Lille hosted Montpellier and defeated the away team 1-0. JD scored the only goal of the game. Jonathan David has now 14 goals.
🇫🇷 Theo Bair scored for Auxerre. Feed the Bair! Auxerre travelled to Reims and dispatched the home side 2-0. In the 15th minute, CanMNT striker scored a header for Auxerre from a corner kick. This is Theo’s second goal of the season.
⬇️ CanWNT dropped in ranking. FIFA has released its latest Women’s world ranking. While the top four retained their positions, Japan moved into fifth, and Canada dropped from sixth to seventh.
🇮🇹 Alistair Johnston linked with Inter Milan. Rumours have emerged that Inter Milan have become interested in signing the CanMNT right-back. The Italian club believe that €10 million would be enough to acquire the Canadian defender.
🇺🇸 Bianca St-Georges to Utah Royals. The CanMNT forward has signed with the Royalty as a free agent. St Georges signed a one-year contract with the Utah club.
🇺🇸 James Pantemis outshining Maxime Crepeau. The former CF MTL keeper initially signed with Portland as a backup keeper. Since then, he has slowly been making his way as the first-choice keeper. This past weekend, Portland Timbers played away at Nashville. Pantemis saved two penalties in the first half. He has become the second keeper in MLS history to make multiple penalty saves in a half. Despite the outstanding performance, Portland lost 2-0 to Nashville.
🇧🇪 Promise David scored a brace. Things have been looking good for Promise David lately. Union St.Gilloise hosted Standard Liege and thumped the away team 3-0. PD was a major factor in USG’s win, scoring in the 20th and 55th minutes. The brace has pushed David’s stats to nine goals and four assists. CanMNT are truly spoiled with forward options.
🇭🇷 Niko Sigur assisted on a counter. Hadjuk Split hosted HNK Gorica in the Croatian top division. In the 22nd minute, Hadjuk Split led the game 1-0, with the assist coming from Canadian youth Niko Sigur. The game ended 2-1 for the home side.
Canucks at Home
🏡 Canucks at Home
Calgary Wild FC
🌠 Finishing touches on NSL rosters. The last few NSL signings before the start of training camps have begun to trickle in — the start of the season itself, just over a month away. Calgary Wild and Halifax Tides both announced goalkeepers this week with Stephanie Bukovec and Sophie Guilmette, respectively. The Tides also added former NCAA champion Marika Guay. AFC Toronto announced midfielder Nyota Katembo. All six teams do still have some time and roster space to maneuver with.
🦅 Kunle Dada-Luke joined Vancouver FC. The iconic headband worn by Kunle Dada-Luke will now be adorned in Vancouver FC. Pacific FC’s star full-back has been transferred to their mainland rivals for a one-year contract with an option for 2026.
🌾 Myles Morgan signed with Valour FC. Valour FC have signed U21 Canadian talent Myles Morgan from the Whitecaps FC 2. The 19-year-old Toronto-born forward has signed through 2026 with an option for 2027.
🐎 Cavalry FC signed local youth. Mihail Gherasimencov has signed a loan with Cavalry FC from the Whitecaps FC 2. The 19-year-old defender was born in Moldova but was raised in Calgary and then later joined the Whitecaps academy. Now that’s two Whitecaps youth academy players signed to CPL clubs.
Other news
📰 In other news
Canada Soccer
🎧 Canada Soccer’s first Music Ambassador. Canada Soccer announced the creation of a new philanthropic program: Perfect Pitch. It is a collaborative effort between Canada Soccer and Infinity Records to unite Canadian talent and soccer fans. Music producer and songwriter Boi-1da will be the program's creative director and executive producer. Infinity will also produce a series of anthems for the upcoming 2026 World Cup.
🔴 Toronto FC conceded another loss on the road. FC Cincinnati hosted TFC on a chilly night. Both teams seemed evenly balanced, with a slight favour for the home side in the first half. However, the momentum shifted for Cincinnati as TFC conceded a penalty in the second half. The game was sealed as Yuya Kubo scored Cincinnati’s second in the 88th minute. The silver lining for Toronto is newcomer Zane Monlouis played positively in defence. Sean Johnson had put in a serious shift by making key saves throughout the game. The game ended 2-0 for Cincinnati.
🔱 Pacific FC signed Mexican forward Emanuel Montejano. PFC landed the signature of the 23-year-old Mexican forward from Pumas. Montejano signed through 2025 with an option for 2026.
🎽 The Halifax Wanderers unveiled new kits. The Wanderers revealed their 2025 home and alternate kits to a live audience in downtown Halifax. The home kit, with elements of clouds and smoke, was inspired by match day at the Wanderers Ground. The alternate kit is inspired by the flags of Nova Scotia and the Halifax Regional Municipality.
☁️ Pacific FC reveals away kit. PFC’s sky-coloured away kit, or the Sky’s The Limit kit, symbolizes the club’s player development. The away jersey pays homage to Pacific’s talent development on Vancouver Island “that guides local players from the grassroots to the professional game.”
❌ Kingston’s stadium plans are cancelled. Kingston will have to wait a little longer for their stadium. Victory Grounds Ventures, the company that would’ve built the stadium, has stated that they have identified “potential legal challenges.” It is unclear what those challenges are, but it is clear that construction of a stadium at the Memorial Centre has been tabled for now. However, the CPL have still identified British Columbia and Ontario as the provinces for the next two expansion teams.
✅ Northern Picks
🧩 What to watch
Ball maker and designer Jon-Paul-Wheatley (@jonpaulsballs / @12pentagons) recently shared his latest creation: a 60 panel puzzle ball. This guy continues to blow our minds with his concepts and craftsmanship.
✅ Who to follow
@Veneziafcfemminile recently launched their official channels and we love to see it.