Good morning! We hope you all enjoyed some family time this Thanksgiving and got to dive into some proper football over the holiday.

There certainly wasn’t any time off in Canadian soccer, with the women’s national team playing a pair of important tune-up friendlies against Denmark, and plenty of action in the CPL, plus a dramatic Canadian Classique.

All that and more in this week’s Tuesday edition of The Northern Pitch.

In their final matches before November’s massive World Cup qualifier, the Canadian women’s national team were left with more questions than answers after a pair of friendlies against Denmark.

On Friday, in Montréal, it was the attack. Canada had plenty of chances, but only Olivia Smith could score, converting a late equalizer to make it 1-1.

Canada did “win” the match on penalties, with Kaylee Hunter scoring the winner, a cool moment for a player who clearly has got next for this national team.

Thanksgiving Day in Toronto then brought questions about the team’s usually brilliant defending, as they conceded four times, including an incredible chip from half, in a 4-3 loss.

Smith scored again, and was a clear standout player this window for Canada, while DB Pridham opened her Canada account with Evelyne Viens potting the other.

Canada shipping four, however? That’s shocking. They hadn’t done that since back-to-back 4-0 losses to Japan and Brazil in 2019. Since then, Canada has formed one of the World’s best backlines.

On an overall positive note, a huge shoutout to Allysha Chapman after her 100th and final cap for Canada. An Olympic gold medallist, Chapman was one of the most fearsome competitors ever to pull on the Canada shirt, and set the tone for the national team’s intensity for over a decade.

Canada need to learn the lessons from this match quickly, because next time it’s do or die. When they take on Panama on November 28 in the Concacaf W Championship quarter-finals, a win will send them to the 2027 World Cup.

Canada finished their friendlies in Minnesota against the USMNT. If we’re being honest, this was a sub-par game for both sides.

Canada got off to a strong start, with the boys on the US's heels in the first 25 minutes. The high pressure was working, and chances were being created, but once again, the decisive final pass or shot was missing. Nonetheless, the CanMNT created chances and took them.

Offside? The only goal of the game came from USMNT striker Justin Ellis as he tapped in a low cross from Alex Freeman. Since it is a friendly, there is no VAR; Ellis looked to be offside, but it is close, if we’re going by the daylight offside rule.

It was a disappointing second half. Canada continued the attack and registered more shots and touches in the box than the US. The home team, meanwhile, showed little interest in possession and seemed content to hold onto the lead. Despite the attacking momentum, the CanMNT couldn't finish their chances, though they came close a couple of times. The game would end 1-0 for the States.

Stephen Eustaquio is going to be fine. The CanMNT captain came off the pitch after hearing a snap in his collarbone. The initial report had him listed as injured, but after receiving X-ray scans, he has been reported to be okay and it doesn’t appear to be serious. The CanMNT does not need another key player injured.

Marcus Caldeira and Theo Corbeanu were called up. Both players were called up at the last minute to the squad as replacements for Cyle Larin and Tajon Buchanan. Despite not earning a cap in this game, the experience is valuable.

On the bright side, we're moving on up! 30 was a nice solid number, but 27 is a nicer one. With all of the recent friendlies and Canada’s World Cup campaign. The CanMNT find themselves in new pastures once again

Next up, Guatemala in the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Millar and Larin nominated. What’s better than one Canadian getting a nod for Player of the Month? Well, two, duh. The duo were among six players tipped for the PFA Fans’ Championship Player of the Month award. The list also included former Whitecap, Sebastian Berhalter.

🇪🇸 Vini Jr. wanted a piece of Nathan Saliba. Saliba found himself at the middle of one of the stranger ways Canadians have made a name for themselves in international football this week. Brazilian superstar Vini Jr. got himself sent off in Real Madrid’s 1-0 win over Villarreal after grabbing a chunk of Nathan’s hair.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Aribim Pepple keeps scoring. The former Cavalry FC youngster found the back of the net again for Plymouth this week, scoring the first in a two-goal comeback on penalties over Newport County in the EFL Trophy. Perhaps another CanMNT look is on the horizon?

Follow Canucks Abroad on Twitter, Bluesky and Instagram.

🌊 Vancouver handed an L in Chicago. It was like a vintage MLS game with the NFL’s Chicago Bears gridiron still painted on the pitch. We love to see it and totally not distracting to watch. The Caps could use that as an excuse, since they would leave the Windy City with a 3-1 loss. The Fire completely outplayed the Whitecaps in the second half, raising questions about whether they’ll be ready for the playoffs. A dub away at LAFC this weekend will be a major confidence booster.

🍁 Le Classique with another last-minute thriller. From kick-off, there was a feeling this was going to be another edition of the best Darby on the East Coast. The first half was a tense affair with TFC dictating the rhythm of the game, but CF Montréal would draw first blood with a goal from Daniel Rios. MTL would take control of the second half until Toronto decided to clutch it out in stoppage time. A volley from Lewis Morgan in the 92nd minute and a counter-attacking goal from Djordje Milhailovic in the 94th minute. Both goals came from unmarked men at the far post. TFC won 2-1, and CFM’s playoff chances are seemingly out of reach.

☀️ LAFC vs Whitecaps a classic. Whenever these two sides meet, it’s always exciting. Jacob Shaffelburg and Mathieu Choinière were starting alongside Denis Bouanga and Son Heung-Min. Maritime Messi would get the game started as he got Tristan Blackmon sent off with a red card in the 6th minute. Despite the red, the Caps held their own. Oliver Larraz scored the first goal of the game for Vancouver, but Denis Bouanga would equalize in the 46th minute. The game ended 1-1, a good result for the Caps given the red card and no Thomas Muller.

⚽️ Luc de Fougerolles with his first MLS assist. The CanMNT defender came off the bench in the second half away at Philadelphia. Before the goal, the Philadelphia Union were leading 2-0 over Real Salt Lake. LDF would set up a consolation goal that would end the game 2-1 for Philly. It was a clean assist for the young defender.

👏 Marcus Caldeira scores again. The newly minted CanMNT call-up tucked one into the back of the net for Minnesota this week, scoring a nice shot at the near post to give the Loons a late lead. A shame the game finished 2-2 against Houston.

🧤 Dayne St. Clair with a clean sheet. The CanMNT keeper started for Inter Miami as they hosted DC United. Messi and co ended the game with a 4-0 scoreline with the Argentinian and Luis Suarez scoring a brace. Dayne got a clean sheet for his role.

Wednesday, October 14
CF Montréal vs. Atlanta United (7:30 PM ET @ Stade Saputo)
Toronto FC vs. Orlando City (7:30 PM ET @ BMO Field) St. Louis CITY vs. Vancouver Whitecaps (5:30 PM PT)

Saturday, October 17
Red Bull New York vs. Toronto FC (7:30 PM ET)
Austin FC vs. Vancouver Whitecaps (5:30 PM PT) Seattle Sounders vs. CF Montréal (10:30 PM ET)

Follow Canucks Abroad on Twitter, Bluesky and Instagram.

⚜️ Loïc Kwemi brings his season tally to 14 goals. Two games and two wins so far for Supra under Kyt Selaidopolous. This week, Supra travelled to York Lions Stadium to face off against Inter Toronto in a School Day match. Tomasz Skublak opened the game with a banger inside the box, but league top goal scorer Loïc Kwemi would score a brace and ensure that Supra would leave Ontario with a 1-2 win. FC Supra are now in 5th place and have a chance to qualify for their first-ever CPL playoff.

🔨 Forge steamrolled Pacific FC. It was a long game for PFC. Forge’s goals came from mistakes from Pacific: a bad back pass Sami Keshavarz, a penalty conceded by Joshu Belluz, and disorganized defending leading to Ben Paton’s goal. Forge ended the game with a 3-0 win.

⚜️ Supra still have hope for playoffs. Supra hosted Vancouver FC at Stade Boréale in a game where they couldn't afford to concede points. Especially since VFC now occupies the last playoff spot Supra is trying to reach. This game was a thriller. Loïc Kwemi opened the game in the 6th minute with another trademark goal. VFC would equalize in the 59th minute, benefiting from the Daylight offside rule. Safwane Mlah would score a second goal for Supra with a stunner of a volley. VFC would have the last laugh, ending the game 2-2 with a goal from Matteo Campagna in the 96th minute. This game was absolute scenes.

🦖 Chateau and Tabla link-up is powerful. When the most direct striker is paired with a technical winger, you get Atlético Ottawa’s attack. In this game, they once again showed their qualities against Pacific FC in Victoria. Nicolas Chateau scored a goal in the opening minutes, and he would later set up a goal for Ballou Tabla in the 64th minute. Ottawa defeated PFC 0-2.

🦝 90-5-past Toronto. Look away Toronto fans. The Forge bulldozer continued to leave goals and clean sheets in its wake as they doubled up this week with a 5-0 win over their 905 Darby rivals. Noah Jensen and Nana Ampomah scored early, Antoine Batisse and Marko Jevremovic added two more, and Ben Paton wrapped up the win in the 89th minute.

⚓️ Halifax equalize late to keep season alive. Both the CPL playoff race and the Shield race got a lot more interesting when Thomas Meilleur-Giguère headed home a stoppage-time goal to see Halifax draw 2-2 against Cavalry FC. The draw keeps Halifax’s playoff hopes alive, and also deals a blow to Cavalry’s quest to lift the CPL Shield. The Calgary club are now tied on points with Forge at the top, but do have the tiebreaker at the moment—so they stay top. One other positive for Cavalry, Tobias Warschewski has now set a CPL single-season record for assists with his tenth of the year.

This week’s CPL fixtures:

Friday, October 16
Supra du Québec vs. Inter Toronto (7 PM ET @ Stade Boréale)
Vancouver FC vs. Halifax Wanderers (7 PM PT @ Willoughby Community Park)

Saturday, October 17
Atlético Ottawa vs. Forge FC (1 PM ET @ TD Place Stadium)
Cavalry FC vs. Pacific FC (2 PM MT @ ATCO Field)

Follow Canucks At Home on Twitter and Bluesky.