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March 3rd Edition
CanWNT lift the Pinatar Cup, Whitecaps advance in Champions Cup & a giveaway from the G.O.A.T.
Canadian soccer stood on business this week at many levels.
Be it gaffer Jesse Marsch calling out the 51st state nonsense, the Canadian women’s national team winning the Pinatar Cup, or the Vancouver Whitecaps in Concacaf, there were plenty of memorable performances this week for those representing this country.
Plus, some more young ballers are moving from the CPL, big national team players news, a special giveaway and more ahead in this week’s edition of The Northern Pitch.
In this week's edition:
CanWNT
🏆 CanWNT win the Pinatar Cup
Canada Soccer
One camp under Casey Stoney and the Canadian women’s national team already have some silverware.
Lifting the Pinatar Cup, and winning an exhibition competition played in Spain, probably wasn’t the overarching goal for February’s national team camp. Still, it is a nice reward for some promising football played under the new head coach.
Canada clinched the trophy in their final group game, a dominant 7-0 victory over Chinese Taipei. Marie-Yasmine Alidou was the star for Canada, with a hat-trick inside the opening 33 minutes.
After the match, Stoney spoke about how she couldn’t understand why Alidou hadn’t previously been given a bigger role with the national team. It is certainly a question that has been on the minds of national team supporters over the past year — especially given the team’s struggles in scoring and creating chances.
Jordyn Huitema also scored a brace against Chinese Taipei, Megan Reid added her first international goal just before half-time, and Clarissa Larisey rounded out the scoring in the 75th minute. It was the most goals Canada have scored in a match since February 1, 2020 Concacaf Women’s Olympic qualifying — when they defeated Jamaica 9-0.
What comes next for Canada during the March-April international window and the rest of the year is not clear, but there have been reports of home friendlies at some point over the next few months — where Stoney would get the opportunity to coach the team on Canadian soil. Expect more announcements soon.
Concacaf
🌊 Whitecaps advance in Concacaf Champions Cup
Vancouver Whitecaps
The Vancouver Whitecaps are moving on in the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup after a 3-2 aggregate victory over Saprissa on Thursday night.
The Caps came into the second leg trailing 2-1 on aggregate after a loss in Costa Rica last week — but quickly set about putting the visitors under pressure at BC Place. Ali Ahmed had a few good early looks and Vancouver was unlucky to not be leading when the two sides headed to their dressing room for half-time.
Moments into the second half, Vancouver found their breakthrough, as yet another moment of magic from Jayden Nelson saw him pick out Brian White in the box who headed home for a 1-0 lead.
The Whitecaps needed a bit of luck after that, as former Cap Kendall Waston rattled the crossbar on a corner kick — one of two times the woodwork was struck by a Saprissa player in the second half — but they added some further security when White added a second in the first minute of second-half stoppage time.
It doesn’t get much easier for the Whitecaps from here. On Wednesday night, (10:30 p.m. on OneSoccer/Fubo) they host five-time Concacaf Champions Monterrey at BC Place for the round of 16 first leg. Monterrey fairly comfortably handled Forge FC 5-0 over two legs in round one. The second leg takes place on Wednesday, March 12, with Vancouver also hosting Canadian rivals CF Montréal on the Saturday in between in MLS action.
Giveaway
📚 March Subscriber Giveaway!
We’re back with another special giveaway for our beautiful subscribers. This time, it’s a signed copy of the G.O.A.T. Christine Sinclair’s incredible memoir: Playing the Long Game.
To enter, just fill out the form linked below. Good luck!
Canucks Abroad
🌍 Canucks Abroad
TSN
🍁 Daniel Jebbison is officially Canadian. It’s official: Daniel Jebbison has officially committed to Canada. The Oakville, Ontario-born striker has been linked with the CanMNT for some time now. This past week, the Bournemouth striker joined Promise David and committed to Canada over England. Jesse Marsch has been working hard to lock down dual nationals. But do we have too many strikers now?
🇺🇸 Adriana Leon joined San Diego Waves. The CanWNT forward has said goodbye to England and is back on the American West Coast. Adriana Leon has signed a two-year deal with the San Diego Waves with an option for 2027. Leon struggled for minutes with Aston Villa, and moving to the NWSL is a positive step forward to maximize game time.
🏴 Alistair Johnston is wanted in England. It’s been a good week for AJ. The Canadian full-back has reached the milestone of 100 appearances with Celtic. Soon after, rumours of English clubs interested in AJ started circulating. In a Q&A session, David Ornstein stated that Fulham and Ipswich are interested in signing the CanMNT right-back. Alistair has been making a name for himself in Scotland, but his performance against Bayern Munich has proven that he can perform at the highest level. We need to see AJ in England.
🇫🇷 Jonathan David scored a consolation goal. This was a big game as Lille travelled to Paris to face Ligue1 leader PSG. Jonathan David did not feature in the starting lineup against PSG. It was a rough one for Lille as they were down 4-0 for the majority of the game. JD came off the bench in the 63rd minute and then scored Lille’s only goal in the 79th minute, ending the game 4-1 for PSG.
🇮🇹 Evelyne Viens scored against Juventus. Roma travelled to play against Juventus in the first round of the Championship group of Serie A. The top five clubs compete in a separate group, essentially play-offs, but in league format. Things did not go well for Roma as they lost 4-3 to Juventus. The silver lining, Evelyne Viens scored Roma’s third goal.
🇵🇹 Marie-Yasmine Alidou registered an assist. Benfica hosted Vilaverdense and defeated the away team 6-0. Among the goal contributors, Alidou assisted the first goal.
🇩🇪 Alphonso Davies picked up another injury. Bayern Munich travelled to Stuttgart, and it was Phonzy’s first start for the club after returning from injury. Towards the end of the game, the CanMNT captain picked up a knock and was then substituted. Bayern Munich's Sporting director, Max Eberl, described the injury as “nothing dramatic.” Good news.
🇺🇸 Max Crépeau and Jacob Shaffelburg are also out injured. TSN’s Mattew Scianitti has reported that both players have picked up injuries. Crépeau is dealing with a lower-body injury and was left out of Portland’s lineup against Austin FC. Shaffelburg is dealing with a thigh injury and was not fit to feature in Nashville’s away game against NY Red Bulls. However, the injuries do not appear to be serious and are expected to return to training by next week.
Canucks at Home
🏡 Canucks at Home
MLS
🔵 Emil Gazdov has officially joined CF Montréal. CFM have signed another CPL baller to its squad. Pacific FC keeper has joined bleu-blanc-noir, joining former 2021 CPL Goalkeeper of the Year Jonathan Sirois. Gazdov signed through 2026 with an option for 2027-2028.
🇳🇿 Atletico Ottawa signed Monty Patterson. Ottleti have signed New Zealand international Monty Patterson to the squad. The 28-year-old forward has signed a two-year contract with Ottawa.
⚓ Adam Pearlman loaned out to the Halifax Wanderers. The Haligonians have signed the 19-year-old defender to a season-long loan from Toronto FC. The U21 Canadian defender will join fellow Canadian youth Alessandro Biello with the Wanderers.
🦅 James Cameron transferred to Colorado Rapids. Vancouver FC have now exported two players in the off-season. Full-back James Cameron has been transferred to MLS club Colorado Rapids for an undisclosed amount. Before joining the first team, Cameron will start with the Colorado Rapids II MLS Next Pro.
🌾 Valour FC have signed Zachary Fernandez. Valour have announced the signing of the 23-year-old full-back from the Halifax Wanderers. The former Ligue1 AS Blainville baller has a one-year deal with an option to extend to 2026.
Other news
📰 In Other News
Vancouver Whitecaps
🥤 Coca-Cola is an NSL partner. Coca-Cola has entered the chat. The soft drink giant has been listed as the latest NSL partner. Coca-Cola’s Smartwater and Powerade will be the official hydration drink for the players, with the Coca-Cola brand being featured in broadcasts and in stadiums. Coca-Cola will also announce an exclusive national promotion giving the chance for the fans to win a VIP trip to the league’s first-ever final.
🔴 It was a long night in Orlando for TFC. The hardships of last year were in full display: poor defence. To be fair, this Orlando City team has been touted to be MLS contenders. They are good. For Toronto FC, their defence opened up like potholes on a Montreal street. Three of Orlando’s four goals came from long balls over the top or through balls down the middle of the park. TFC’s gaps were exposed and exploited. However, Deybi Flores’ goal was a beauty of a screamer. Club youth Markus Cimermancic started and had a solid performance. The game ended 4-2 for Orlando City.
🔵 A cold night in Minnesota for CF Montréal. MTL were held 0-0 for the majority of the game. The defence of bleu-blanc-noir put in a major shift in dealing with Minnesota’s attacking prowess. MTL’s weakness came in the midfield. Minnesota outplayed CFM in the middle of the park. They struggled to create chances and were caught defensively. The absence of Samuel Piette was felt. No bulldog, no party. Good night for Dayne St. Clair and Tani Oluwaseyi. St Clair picked up a clean sheet and Oluwaseyi registered an assist. A tough night for Jonathan Sirois as Minnesota’s only goal was preventable and an awful one, too. The game ended 1-0 for Minnesota. Also, there was a crazy VAR decision. Watch the replay. Crazy.
🌊 Vancouver Whitecaps are not messing about. The Whitecaps hosted and defeated 2024 MLS Champions LA Galaxy 2-1 at BC Place. The game started strong, with Sam Adekugbe scoring the first goal in the third minute, but, sadly was subbed off in the 32nd minute due to a quad injury. He was seen distraught on the bench. We wish him a speedy recovery. The Galaxy equalized soon after in the 39th minute. However, Brian White secured the bag with a clutch header from a perfect cross from Pedro Vite in the 87th minute. For the Caps, the front three of Ryan Gauld, Brian White and Jayden Nelson will emerge as the best front three in the league. The Caps will host MTL next week, and Joe Waterman will have to work overtime.