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November 25th Edition
CanMNT take care of business, CanWNT youth movement, Eustáquio to York United & much more
This week, the Canadian men’s national team had a strong finish to 2024, booking a spot in the Concacaf Nations League final four.
Now CanWNT is trying to do the same, as they named their squad for upcoming friendlies against Iceland and South Korea earlier this week.
All of that plus a big hire for York United, Tajon Buchanan is back, and plenty of roster news for Canadian clubs ahead in this week’s edition of The Northern Pitch.
In this week's edition:
CanMNT
🇨🇦 CanMNT take care of business & book a ticket to Nations League Semis
Hanin Mazri / DARBY
It was as tidy as you’d like for the Canadian men’s national team at BMO Field on Tuesday. They closed out their Concacaf Nations League quarter-final series against Suriname at BMO Field with a 3-0 victory (4-0 on aggregate).
Jonathan David opened the festivities with his record 31st goal for Canada in the 23rd minute. From there, it was pretty much cruise control for the Canucks as Jacob Shaffelburg added two more on either side of half-time for the biggest margin of victory yet under new head coach Jesse Marsch.
It was a great way to cap off the new gaffer’s first year in charge, one that has seen the team make some pretty big waves in global soccer, be that a run to the semi-finals in the Copa América, a draw against France in a friendly or a dub against the United States on home soil for the first time since 1957 in September.
For the second time ever, Canada are now off to the Concacaf Nations League Final Four, where they will face Mexico in the semi-final in California on March 20. They lost the 2022-23 final to the USMNT, the only other time they reached the final round of the Concacaf Nations League. With the win, Canada have also earned a spot in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup this summer.
Canada will likely rise to their highest ranking ever (probably 31st) when the new FIFA list drops. This has been a big step forward for the CanMNT. Now it’s time for trophy talk in 2025.
CanWNT
🇨🇦 Youth movement for CanWNT in friendlies
Canada Soccer
It was squad drop week for CanWNT after they announced a pair of friendlies against Iceland (Friday) and Korea (December 3) to finish the year, and it did not disappoint.
This team is full of promising young talents to help the women’s national team finish out what has been a difficult year in style. Young CB BALLER Janet Okeke gets her first senior call-up, as does Nyah Rose, sister of Jade, who unfortunately misses this camp through injury—bummer timing on that one.
Excited youngster Jevena Hernandez-Gray is also in the squad, as is Megan Reid, a 28-year-old dual national who plays for Angel City. Oh, and after bagging against Spain, Marie-Yasmine Alidou made the squad BEFORE someone got injured this time. The average age of this squad is 23, so it should be no surprise that the interim head coach for this camp is Cindy Tye, the U-20 national team coach.
What was a difficult year for the program can hopefully be capped off with a couple of dubs, and we can all begin looking ahead to a more positive 2025.
Both of those games will be available to watch live on OneSoccer & FuboTV.
CPL
👏 Mauro Eustáquio named York United head coach
York United
We are just a couple of weeks into the CPL off-season and there have already been some pretty significant coaching changes.
The biggest newsmakers are York United, who, following the season, announced that Coach of the Year nominee Benjamín Mora, who led them to a historic 2024, including the most ever points in club history and a first-ever playoff win, would not be returning.
On Thursday, York announced his historic replacement. Mora’s assistant, as well as an assistant under his predecessor Martin Nash, Mauro Eustáquio will be the team’s new head coach.
Eustáquio, older brother of CanMNT’s Stephen, becomes the youngest manager in the league’s history at just 31. He is also the first-ever CPL player to become a head coach in the league, having played for Cavalry in the league’s first year.
He also recently spent a camp as an assistant with the national team, and is widely regarded as one of the top young coaches in the country. A big move for the pipeline, and another sign of York investing in young Canadian talent both on and off the field.
Canucks Abroad
🌍 Canucks Abroad
@CanMNTBible
🇮🇹 Evelyne Viens picked up an injury. The CanWNT forward did not train or feature in Roma’s match against Sassuolo. Viens was diagnosed with a small muscle injury and will not be sidelined for long. However, as a precaution, she will miss out on the CanWNT friendlies.
🇮🇹 Tajon Buchanan returns for Inter Milan. TJ graced the pitch for the final 16 minutes in Inter Milan’s 5-0 win over Hellas Verona. This is Buchanan’s second game since his injury in May. His first game back was with the CanMNT against Suriname, and now he has officially returned to club competition.
🏴 Alistair Johnston signed an extension with Celtic. The Bhoys in green are loving AJ. The CanMNT defender has signed an extension with Celtic until 2029. According to the club’s website, AJ is also affectionately referred to as Ali. We love Ali too.
🇫🇷 Jonathan David is not for the January window. LOSC club president Olivier Létang has ruled out the CanMNT striker being sold in the January transfer window. JD is considered too important for the club and is a part of their long-term plans. Létang wishes for JD to remain in Lille beyond the summer, but the decision rests on the striker. Earlier this week, David stated in regards to Barcelona, “When you are growing up supporting a team, it’s your dream to play for them.”
🏴 Olivia Smith with a calm finish against Newcastle. The rising star of the CanWNT found the back of the net in Liverpool’s 6-1 win over Newcastle United in the League Cup group stage. Smith scored the third goal of the game and now has three goals in all competitions for Liverpool.
🇫🇷 Adrien Rabiot and Roberto De Zerbi call out Ismaël Koné. Marseille teammate Adrien Rabiot and manager Roberto De Zerbi called out the former CF MTL baller. It was not a diss but a form of motivation. Both express the high potential ceiling of Koné and believe he could become one of the top players in the league. However, they believe the 22-year-old CanMNT midfielder needs to step his game up. Roberto De Zerbi recognized his start with OM was marred by injury. The Italian manager stated, “He needs to get to know this league better. He can do better. He has made very little use of his talents. He needs a mental breakthrough, otherwise his potential won’t be fulfilled…” Call it tough love, but the highest level requires honesty.
🇫🇷 Bombito was having a nice with Nice. Please humour us with the occasional dad joke. On Sunday, the young CanMNT defender played the full 90 minutes in Nice’s 2-1 win over Strasbourg. The former CS Saint-Laurent baller is enjoying life in France and has won 4/5 ground duels while conceding no fouls and completing 95% of passes. Strong stats.
Canucks at Home
🏡 Canucks at Home
Atlético Ottawa
👋 Atletico Ottawa part ways with Carlos Gonzalez. Ottleti says goodbye to head coach Carlos Gonzalez as the club enters a transition period. Former club CEO Fernando Lopez departed midseason, and the club’s most vital player, Ollie Basset, has left recently. Three integral keys to the club are vacant. Ottleti have a long off-season ahead of them.
🇺🇸 Luca Petrasso and Orlando are in the MLS Eastern Conference final. The MLS post-season is inching closer to the end. Orlando City have made it to the conference final against New York Red Bull. Former Toronto FC baller Luca Petrasso remained on the bench in Orlando’s 1-0 win over the ATL.
Other News
📰 In other news this week
@TrueNorthFoot
🔵 CF Montréal cleaning house. Four technical staff and 12 players are out the door. Joey Saputo’s two sons were appointed to front-office positions. Suffice it to say that CF MTL needs a reality TV show.
👋 Laurent Ciman is out. CFM MTL legend and assistant coach was among the three other technical staff members who were shown the door. The exit of Ciman enraged supporters as he is a favourite. Romuald Peiser, Luca Bucci and Barthélémy Delecroix have been axed.
😳 The clearance of players came as the biggest shock with the greatest reaction from supporters. Among the 12, the departure of Josef Martinez, Raheem Edwards and Matteo Schiavoni came as a surprise. Raheem had a consistent season, and Martinez had an impressive end-of-the-season campaign. While Schiavoni is a highly rated youth player. Gabriele Corbo and Joaquin Sosa were reliable defenders for the club. The other players listed did not come as a surprise since they’ve had minimal game time.
✍️ On the bright side, new contracts have been signed. Joel Waterman, Nathan Saliba and Jules-Anthony Vilsaint have signed new contracts with the club. Waterman has signed until 2028. MTL have exercised their 2025 options for Saliba and Vilsaint.
✅ Northern Picks
This week’s picks come from The Northern Pitch team.
🖼️ What to buy
Our friends at The Blizzard just launched a cool new poster visualizing the history of football tactics. Needless to say, a perfect gift for the football junkie in your life.
📺 What to watch
Who had the best finish? The lads show us how it’s done in a fun BTS clip from CanMNT training camp last week.