- The Northern Pitch
- Posts
- October 28th Edition
October 28th Edition
Whitecaps chop Timbers to face LAFC, CanWNT draw with the Champs, and CPL finals in Calgary
It was playoff week across Canadian club footy as both the CPL and MLS postseasons got underway.
There was plenty to celebrate for Cavalry FC, the Vancouver Whitecaps and Atlético Ottawa, while for CF Montréal, Pacific FC and York United in particular, it has been a heartbreaking week.
All that, plus CanWNT picking up a draw with the World Champs, the NSL’s first player signings, Jonathan David is HIM and much more in this week’s edition of The Northern Pitch.
In this week's edition:
MLS
🌊 Whitecaps chop Timbers, face LAFC in MLS Playoff Round One
MLS
Vancouver Whitecaps remain Canada’s top MLS team. Despite having an iffy period towards the end of the regular season, the Caps have taken down the Portland Timbers in a style we know: beautiful attacking football.
Ryan Gauld, aka “mini-Messi.” The Scotsman’s hat trick performance was so good that he got a shout-out post on Copa 90. It was the perfect night for Ryan Gauld to make a statement. Despite being the lower seed team, Portland were at home, and Vancouver had to make a statement over their Cascadia rivals. Portland had no answer for Gauld. A frenzied and chaotic tap-in goal in the 19th, an incredible second goal in the 30th and a beautiful run into the box with a superb finish in the 59th minute. Ryan Gauld is him, and we can’t get enough of his second goal. Pure class and technique. It’ll make a Brazilian stand to their feet and applaud.
It wasn’t only Ryan Gauld's magic but the team build-up that led to his goals, epitomizing the Caps’ attacking strength. Vancouver’s attack was relentless and took the air out of Providence Park. Every time the Caps got close to the box, the feeling of an imminent goal felt palpable. Portland’s defence was disorganized and chaotic, with moments of ball-watching.
“God can be a Timbers fan but God doesn’t exist for me.” The statement from Vanni Sartini can be summarized as bars. It's a quote that is so piercing that MLS had to post it on all its social media. It is evident for Sartini that destiny is manifested and not given. It is created and not discovered.
Long night for James Pantemis. This was a night to forget immediately for the former CF MTL keeper. This playoff game does not reflect Pantemis’ season. As the official backup keeper, he has registered five clean sheets and a 66% save percentage, compared to Maxime Crépeau’s one clean sheet and a 57% save percentage. Therefore, the MTL’s West Island keeper was Gary Neville’s first choice over the CanMNT #1. It is unfortunate for Pantemis. He had a decent regular season in a turbulent 2024 campaign for Portland.
For the Whitecaps, LAFC are next. It is officially Round 1 of the MLS Audi Cup playoffs. In this round, teams will play each other in a three-game series. Vancouver enters with good momentum and will face off against conference leaders LAFC. This will be exciting football since LAFC has Hugo Lloris, Olivier Giroud, Denis Bouanga and Mateusz Bogusz. The games are October 27th, November 3rd and if needed, November 8th.
A nailbiter in Game 1 in LA. The Whitecaps would take it to LAFC, closely matching the hosts through the 90. The visitors even nearly struck first, with Brian White being denied only by the woodwork through seven minutes. LAFC’s Denis Bouanga would open the scoring after Tristan Blackmon was dinged for a handball 30 minutes in. Ryan Gauld would hit a free-kick again off the uprights heading into half. Cristian Olivera would strike off the underside of the crossbar to double LAFC’s lead before the hour mark. Gauld would finally get his goal in the 94th minute, but it was too little too late, as referee Jair Marrufo blew for full time, the final score 2-1.
CanWNT
🇪🇸 CanWNT concede late to draw with the World Champs
Canada Soccer
The Canadian Women’s National Team came within minutes of escaping Almendralejo, Spain with three points against the defending World Champs, but an 89th-minute equalizer from Cristina Martin-Prieto saw the match end in a 1-1 draw.
Canada had taken the lead in the 47th minute through Marie-Yasmine Alidou, she of the late injury call-ups, and looked like they might be able to get a big three points against the run of play.
Spain attempted 32 shots, 10 of which were on Kailen Sheridan’s net, while also holding 73 per cent of the possession. Canada had just one shot on target, the Alidou goal. But we all know scoring on this Canadian women’s national team isn’t easy and they put in another strong defensive performance.
We don’t exactly know what’s next for this CanWNT team, but we do hope it involves a home friendly or two against someone that isn’t either Brazil or Australia. Maybe Spain wants a rematch?
CPL
🐎 The 2024 CPL Final will be in Calgary as Cavs finally beat Forge
David Chant / CPL
The Canadian Premier League playoffs kicked off this week and it has already been a historic postseason.
It all kicked off on Wednesday at York Lions Stadium with the 4th vs. 5th match, where York United celebrated their first-ever playoff home game with a first-ever playoff dub, 2-0 over Pacific FC.
That victory earned York a trip to the nation’s capital for the CPL quarter-final against Atlético Ottawa. That game went absolutely DUMB, with 16-year-old Shola Jimoh equalizing with the last kick of the 90 minutes, before the teams traded goals in extra time to force a penalty shootout. The first penalty shootout in CPL playoff history ended in a W for Atleti — the first home playoff win in the Ottawa’s club’s history.
Meanwhile on Sunday, regular season winners Forge FC hosted Cavalry FC in the qualifying semifinal. For the historic first time in CPL playoff history, it was the Calgary club who got the better of Forge, with a 1-0 victory as a result of a goal from CPL Golden Boot winner Tobias Warschewski.
That victory earned Cavalry a spot in the CPL Final, which they will host on November 9 at ATCO Field. This is the second time that the CPL Final will be played in Calgary, after they hosted the second leg of the inaugural edition back in 2019, back when it was a home-and-away affair.
Cavalry will now host the winner of Atlético Ottawa and Forge FC, the latter getting a second chance to reach the final under the CPL’s playoff format. Forge host Atléti in the semifinal on Saturday, November 2 at Tim Hortons Field.
Canucks Abroad
🌍 Canucks Abroad
LOSC
🇪🇸 Jonathan David is having fun in the Champions League. Lille travelled to the Spanish capital to take on Atletico Madrid. Atleti took the first half, but Lille tied with Edon Zhegrova's goal. In the 65th minute, JD came off the bench and showed why Atléti should’ve bought him over the summer. He converted a penalty in the 74th and scored Lille’s third goal in the 89th minute. JD’s brace earned him a spot in FotMob’s Team of the Week. Lille walked out of Spain with a 3-1 win.
🇫🇷 More JD news. The man can’t stop scoring. Lille travelled away to Lens in the Derby du Nord. It was a tight affair, but the CanMNT striker broke the deadlock during stoppage time after converting a penalty. Lille defeated Lens 2-0. Jonathan David has six goals in nine Ligue1 games.
🏴 Alistair Johnston can do it all (and more). Canadian Rangers fans… you may want to skip over this one. For the Celtic supporters on the other hand, if you didn’t tune into the Celts’ 3-0 win over Motherwell this week, you missed out. The day started with AJ being handed the captain’s armband from the start for the first time this season. Johnston would, well, take it and run, heading home the second goal of the day on top of securing the clean sheet. All in a day’s work, eh?
🇭🇷 Niko Sigur scored his second goal of the season. The CanMNT youth scored the Hadjuk Split’s game-winner over NK Lokomotiva. The win has sent Hadjuk Split seven points clear at the top of the table in Croatia’s top division. Sigur’s game-winning goal is also a potential season-winning boost.
🤕 Liam Millar tore his ACL. Hull City hosted Burnley on Wednesday, and Liam started on the wing. He came off in the 13th minute due to injury. Hull City manager Tim Walter has confirmed that the CanMNT winger's injury is a torn ACL.
🇺🇸 Silverware for Nichelle Prince and Desiree Scott. The Canadian pair would see history with their Kansas City Current teammates in the aptly named NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup final, played this week against fellow NWSL side NJ/NY Gotham. The Destroyer would see the final 8 minutes — Prince being with the CanWXNT for their 1-1 draw against Spain — as the Current sealed a 2-0 final.
🇮🇹 Tajon is back in training. Everyone will recover in good time. Tajon Buchanan has officially returned to training with the first team. After Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi indicated that TJ could feature soon, Buchanan was on the bench for Inter’s hectic 4-4 draw against Juventus. Talk about a game to return to.
🏴 Spoony… dish? The originator of the Spoony chop turned provider for Dunfermline this week in a 2-1 loss to Falkirk. Pulling a different club out of his bag, David Wotherspoon provided a perfect free-kick assist that rifled into the Falkirk goal.
Canucks at Home
🏡 Canucks at Home
AFC Toronto / Northern Super League
🌌 Inaugural player signings for the Northern Super League. That’s right, the day is finally here. After league co-founder Diana Matheson hinted a couple weeks ago that announcements could be coming any day now, the first four players in NSL history were revealed this week. Time to go through them one by one!
🔴 AFC Toronto announce Jade Kovacevic. For those not in the Ontario soccer scene, there is simply no introduction that could precede and do Jade justice. The 30-year-old Hamiltonian has terrorised defenders at every level, from OCAA, to League 1, and even overseas, with more goals than games played. Suffice it to say, the four-time League1 Ontario MVP and five-time L1O Golden Boot winner might be the perfect inaugural signing for a league designed to create opportunities where they didn’t exist. Learn more about Kovacevic here and here.
🌹 Roses FC sign Gabrielle Lambert and Charlotte Bilbault. Roses FC were next up, announcing the second and third-ever players in NSL history. Born in Saint-Hyacinthe, just east of Montréal, hometown goalkeeper Lambert brings European experience back to MTL, having played for Montpellier and Saint-Étienne in the French D1 Arkema, and for Freiburg in the German Women’s Bundesliga. French-born defensive midfielder Bilbault brings a wealth of international miles to the squad. The 34-year-old owns a notable 56 caps for the senior Les Bleues squad, the last of which came just last year, having spent most of her entire career in the French top flight.
🦉 Calgary Wild present Farkhunda Muhtaj. The final signing of the week went to Calgary, with the Wild welcoming the Afghan-Canadian midfielder to YYC. Muhtaj, a former member of the York University Lions, also brings experience from across the pond, having played for Fortuna Sittard. More importantly, Muhtaj has made a massive impact off the field, changing the lives of many through refugee and gender equality activism, including helping to organise the rescue of the Afghan women’s national team in 2021. Muhtaj was also honoured as part of the Volkswagen FC: Game Changers program in 2022, sharing more of her story.
🦉 Calgary Wild also added to their ownership group. Alongside the news of Muhtaj being the club’s first signing, the Wild unveiled another big name star… from the hockey world. Winnipeg Jets defenceman (and Calgary native) Josh Morrissey and his wife Margot were announced as having bought into the team.
Other News
📰 In other news this week
Canada Soccer
📈 Canada continues to rise. After a rocky end to 2023, the CanMNT’s return to form under Jesse Marsch continues to be rewarded. In the latest men’s world rankings, released this week by FIFA, Les Rouges now sit 35th. The win over Panama at BMO saw the CanMNT pick up 3 spots, including one against their October rivals.
🌎 CanM17s in action. International competitions continue to come at us full tilt. Groups were drawn and announced this week for the Concacaf Men’s U-17 Qualifiers, scheduled for February 2025. Canada’s men’s U-17s will be in Group A, alongside Curaçao, Anguilla, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and hosts for the group, Bermuda. The winner of the group will qualify for the 2025 U-17 World Cup in Qatar.
🧤 Jonathan Sirois is fifth in clean sheets. The 23-year-old keeper has made 118 saves for CFMTL and is ranked fifth in clean sheets in MLS.
💵 The MLS Player Association released player salaries. The Athletic's graph shows the salary budget of each MLS club. Canadian clubs stood out, and their seasons make this stat interesting.
🔴 Toronto FC has the second-highest salary behind Inter Miami, with $31.8 million and no playoff spot.
🏔️ Vancouver Whitecaps are 12th on the list with $17.4 million and are now in the first round of playoffs.
⚜️ CF Montréal has the lowest salary expenditure in the league, with $11.4 million and was knocked out in the Wild Card playoff round.
😞 CF Montréal bows out with heads high. Cue “See You Again” by Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth, dramatic? Yes. That was CF Montréal’s season. It was a season with ups and downs, and their Wild Card playoff game against the ATL summarized it. It started strong until things took a turn towards the end of the second half as Atlanta put past two goals. However, MTL bounced back in the second half to salvage the game. Just like the regular season, Josef Martinez’s goals brought MTL back. But, the cruelty of life can be found in penalty shootouts. Tom Pearce’s pen was saved, and Jonathan Sirois was beaten in every shot.
👏 Despite the loss, the CFM supporters received their team with a standing ovation. That playoff night demonstrated two things: this iteration of MTL has potential, and Stade Saputo on a big night feels like a European night. Montréal has confirmed they will break the yearly tradition and not fire Laurent Courtois. The club is building on its potential.
🧑💼 But wait, more CF Montréal news! The club held an end-of-year media day with club president Gabriel Gervais. Two things stood out during the press conference: the club's future as an MLS franchise and its philosophy about spending. Gervais was asked if CFM would be sold and moved in the event of a winter-spring MLS season. The club president responded with a no and said that the league decisions are made between MLS and club owners. In light of the MLSPA player salary data, a question was asked about MTL being the league’s lowest spender. He had an interesting response. He’s talking about TFC. Also, here’s a full breakdown of the player salary of CFM.
⚓️ Yann Fillion has left the Halifax Wanderers. Despite the CPL play-offs still ongoing for another two weeks, offseason moves and rumours have already begun to sprout from across the league. Halifax goalkeeper Yann Fillion was first to confirm that he is moving on, posting his departure to the Wanderers faithful via his IG this week.
🔱 Kunle Dada-Luke on the move. Pacific livewire Kunle Dada-Luke is preparing to set sail from Vancouver Island after a post on TikTok. Per Wanderers Notes’ Josh Healey, the Mississauga-born full-back has offers across the CPL and USL.
🦅 Eyes on Austin Ricci. It seems like Austin Ricci’s stint in Langley will also be a short one. The other half of a late-season trade that saw Kembo Kibato head to York, Josh Healey is also reporting multiple CPL teams keeping tabs on the striker, one of the few remaining Year 1 players.
✅ Northern Picks
This week’s picks come from The Northern Pitch team.
🎨 Who to follow
Hailing from Greece, @apostolisdimitropoulos is an artist that creates amazing drawings of footballers. You’ve never seen your favourite baller drawn like this before.
📺 What to Watch
Rio Ferdinand Interview with Phil Jones. The perspective of these players completely changes when you hear about their story in their own words. Footballers are still just people like all of us.
👕 What to buy
If you’re in Toronto, check out Freak Vintage, a new vintage shop with lots of footy gear to browse.
🎧 Who to Listen
Goal Diggers UK is an award-winning Black woman-led football podcast.