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November 18th Edition
CanMNT take the lead on Suriname, Bev's out, injury news and more
It was another week of good, bad and ugly in Canadian Soccer as the men’s national team were back in action with a win in the Concacaf Nations League quarters, but the Drone scandal continues to hover over the sport in this country.
More good news: the Canadian Women’s National Team will end the year with a pair of intriguing friendlies in Spain.
Plus, some brutal injury news, a big star leaving the CPL, and more big transfer rumours ahead in this week’s edition of The Northern Pitch.
In this week's edition:
CanMNT
🇸🇷 CanMNT take the lead on Suriname
Canada Soccer
It’s rarely pretty on the road in Concacaf. And it certainly wasn’t for CanMNT on Friday night in Suriname, as they ground out a 1-0 victory in Paramaribo in their Concacaf Nations League quarter-final.
After 82 frustrating minutes of dominating possession and chances, including Tani Oluwaseyi hitting both posts (that poor guy is straight-up cursed in front of goal in a Canada shirt), it was the vet Junior Hoilett off the bench who had a beauty of a finish for the winner.
Unsurprisingly, the goal came off of a lovely pass by Jonathan David who has been the centrepiece of the Canada attack since Jesse Marsch took over.
With over 100 places of difference in the FIFA rankings between Canada and Suriname, the expectation would perhaps be a more convincing performance. Goals have still been a little bit hard to come by for this team lately. But any result on the road in Concacaf is always worth celebrating, especially against a Suriname team that look like a real emerging team in the region.
Now, Canada return home for Tuesday’s second leg at BMO Field with hopes they will be able to get a far more convincing result on Canadian soil. Win this series, and they are off to the Nations League final four in March. This is a big game, and maybe the last time to see the national team in Toronto for a bit, so make sure to grab your tickets if you haven’t already.
This time last year, they held a one-goal lead on aggregate over Jamaica going into the second leg at BMO Field and blew it on away goals. Can the lads get the business done this time around?
CanWNT
🚁 Bev out, but DroneGate drags on
Canada Soccer
We have… some sort of clarity on the [redacted] dronegate?
Canada Soccer released some of the findings of an independent report regarding the use of drones to spy on opposition teams, stemming from what took place at the Paris Olympics.
Only a 36-page summary of the report put together by Sonia Regenbogen was released of the full report, which is closer to 400 pages and there were a number of redactions.
It was disappointing if understandable from both a legal and cultural perspective, to protect the names and identities of those involved so that they could participate without fear of any sort of professional retribution. A lot of the response to this will be internal, as Canada Soccer have already put a lot of internal policies in place to stop this sort of practice in the future.
The biggest takeaways were probably expected: all three CanWNT staff involved in the scandal at the Olympics won’t be coming back following their suspension. Joey Lombardi, who flew the drone over New Zealand practice, had previously resigned.
The Federation is already searching for Bev’s replacement. Perhaps even more so than Jesse Marsch replacing John Herdman in the men’s program, this is a crucial hire in terms of stabilizing and restoring trust in, the program during a difficult time.
One figure who remained rather absent from the report was former men’s national team head coach John Herdman, who Canada Soccer were not able to get in contact with for this report due to scheduling conflicts. The report did say they may still pursue disciplinary action.
Reports, including one from the Toronto Sun’s Steve Simmons, are already surfacing that Herdman may be out at Toronto FC. But others have disputed this fact.
This isn’t over, but hopefully it was a significant step in the right direction, because this is really the last thing we want to be writing about on a weekly basis.
CanWNT
🇨🇦 Iceland & Korea friendlies to end the year for CanWNT
Canada Soccer
The Canadian women’s national team will have one final camp this year, as they announced earlier this week a pair of international friendlies to be played in Murcia, Spain.
Les Rouges will be taking on world #13 Iceland on November 29, and #19 South Korea on December 3. A pair of good tests, with hopefully some good results and performances to end what has been a trying year for the program. Canada were just in Spain a month ago where they played the defending World Cup winners to a 1-1 draw.
No word yet as to what the coaching staff will look like for this one as the search for a new head coach is ongoing. But whoever is in charge, we hope we see a few more young players mixed in as this team starts to build toward the 2027 World Cup. Oh, and after bagging against Spain, Marie-Yasmine Alidou had better be called up to the initial squad this time.
One player who unfortunately will not be part of the camp is Kadeisha Buchanan, who Chelsea confirmed has suffered a torn ACL. The world-class central defender will definitely be missed for both club and country, and we wish her a speedy recovery.
Canucks Abroad
🌍 Canucks Abroad
Chelsea
🤕 Kadeisha Buchanan is out for the rest of the season. The Chelsea defender tore her ACL in their 3-0 win over Olivia Smith and Liverpool. On Saturday, Chelsea's manager Sonia Bompastor confirmed medical results and said that the CanWNT defender would be out for the rest of the season.
🇪🇸 Alphonso Davies’ agent denies Marca's rumour. Nick Huoseh has denied the rumour that Phonzy had signed an agreement with Real Madrid, as the Spanish news outlet Marca claimed. Phonzy’s future remains uncertain as rumours of Manchester United and Barcelona have become interested in the CanMNT captain.
🧊 Jonathan David and transfer rumours, again. If there’s any certainty in life, a Jonathan David transfer rumour will always emerge. JD’s performance has been a talking point lately, leading to a heated debate on whether JD should be considered an elite striker on CBS Golazo. The supposed interest from Bayern Munich and Barcelona indicates that David is in the bracket of elite strikers. These clubs are currently fielding the best strikers in the world, including Harry Kane and Robert Lewandowski. Would JD be a backup striker? Or would he be the heir of one of these forwards? In either situation, it will be a major learning experience for David.
⚽️ UWCL goals (literally). Both Lyon and Chelsea saw Canucks on the scoresheet with the final goals of the day this week. Vanessa Gilles, as always, was lethal off a corner — except this time, instead of a thumping header, it was toe-poking home a loose ball in a 3-0 win over Évelyne Viens’ Roma teammates. Over in Scotland, meanwhile, Ashley Lawrence was the saviour for Chelsea, making good on a second bite of the cherry for the match-winner in a 2-1 result against Celtic.
🇺🇸 Karifa Yao with a big goal for Rhode Island FC. The former CF Montréal defender scored the opener in the club’s Eastern Conference final against Charleston Battery. Rhode Island would go on to take a Wicked Good™️ victory, 2-1. The expansion side will now face the Colorado Springs Switchbacks for all the marbles.
🇺🇸 Washington Spirit, finals-bound. Gabby Carle and the Spirit will play for all the marbles after a semi-final thriller over NJ/NY Gotham. With Carle on the pitch, the Spirit would score in stoppage time to send their semi-final to extra-time, then penalties. In the extra frame, Gotham would incredibly miss all three penalties, sending Washington through to next Saturday’s final against Orlando Pride.
🇺🇸 NCAA Women’s College Cup views. It’s banner season south of the border, as the NCAA’s Division I championship got underway in storied Cary, North Carolina this week. 61 Canadians are among the madness, representing 32 of the 64 schools at the dance.
🇺🇸 Take a bow, Holly Ward. What a start to the W College Cup it was as well. It was a record-breaking performance for the University of Texas senior and Vancouverite, scoring FOUR goals in the Longhorns’ first-round match-up against Boston University. Definitely one worth keeping an eye on, ahead of the NSL next year.
Canucks at Home
🏡 Canucks at Home
Roses MTL
🌹 Samuel Piette is the latest investor-ambassador of Roses de Montréal. The captain of CF Montréal has joined Maxime Crépeau as the latest investor-ambassador of the NSL club. Piette has not only financially invested in the club but will also serve as one of its ambassadors and is tasked with “advancing the growth and visibility of women’s soccer.”
🦉 Calgary Wild announce a pair of Calgarians. The Wild announced a home-brewed duo this week, as they continue to cook up their inaugural NSL squad. Sarah Keilty-Dilling, goalkeeper, and right-back Grace Stordy, both alumni of the Calgary Foothills, were added this week to a squad that already boasts Afghan-Canadian (and all-around impeccable human) Farkhunda Muhtaj and Kiwi international Meikayla Moore.
Other News
📰 In other news this week
CPL
😔 Atletico Ottawa says goodbye to Ollie Bassett. Ottleti’s #10 will not return to the club in the 2025 campaign. The creative midfielder has spent three years in Ottawa and quickly became a fan favourite and one of the league’s best players. It is still unclear where he is headed, but rumours suggest he may return to England.
👍 York United launched a League1 Ontario team. The CPL side has announced the creation of a League1 Ontario team, the York United FC Academy. The team will comprise amateur U20 with a maximum of three U23 domestic players. This is a pivotal moment in talent development within the York United system. Good move.