It’s rivalry week for the Canadian men’s national team as they carry back-to-back wins into Minnesota to face the United States men’s national team.

CanWNT, meanwhile, are back on home soil on Friday, kicking off a crucial and exciting few months for that program.

Plus, Mr.CPL calls it a career, another coaching change in Montréal and plenty more ahead in this week’s edition of The Northern Pitch.

Can they do it on a sunny fall day in Montreal? Blessed weather, packed Stade Saputo, Peru in their iconic home kit and the CanMNT with a 2-0 dub. A perfect day of footy.

Maritime Messi balled out. The Haligonian Jacob Shaffelburg started out on the left wing while Liam Millar was on the right. Shaff balled out with a brace in the first half. Both goals came from crosses into the far post, with an unmarked Jacob tucking the goals away. One with his left foot and the other with a header.

Overall strong performance. The boys seem to improve with each game. Richard Chukwu had a solid performance and slotted into the starting lineup seamlessly. Nathan Saliba appears to improve with each game, emerging as a serious talent. Fulham need to recall Luc de Fougerolles from loan and start him.

The Peruvians showed up. Almost half of the sold-out Stade Saputo were Peruvian supporters. Blanquiroja supporters from Montreal were joined by those coming in from Toronto and Chicago. Banners and flags on the railings. It was like the away section of the stadium was Lima. Unfortunately, their beloved Bicolor did not match the energy of their supporters.

Samuel Piette’s last dance. As Junior Hoilett had his send-off at BMO Field, Sam had his at Stade Saputo. In the 62nd minute, Jesse Marsch made an unusual substitution, bringing in nine players. However, Samuel Piette would get his solo substitution as he came on for Stephen Eustaquio in the 66th minute. The CF Montreal captain received a roaring ovation from supporters.

The subs maintained momentum. The substitution was essentially an entire lineup shift, which could have disrupted the team’s momentum. However, that did not occur. The subs maintained the same intensity and created plenty of chances. The game plan is ingrained with everyone on the team. The chemistry appears to be set.

Next up, the United States on Tuesday in a big battle against their biggest rivals and a chance to prove they are still in the conversation as one of Concacaf’s top sides.

The Nick Razzaghi era is over. Supra’s first-ever coach parted ways with the club on Monday after the club’s 0-6 defeat away at Calgary. With play-off aspirations slowly slipping away, the steep scoreline confirmed the club’s decision to part ways with Razzaghi.

Incomes Kyt Selaidopolous. Kyriakos ‘Kyt’ Selaidopolous has been announced as the club’s new manager. The former Forge assistant coach and Montreal native returns to Quebec with six years of experience with the Hamilton club. This contrasts with Razzaghi’s background.

Was it fair to fire Nick? This is the debate Montrealers are having, and most would agree that Supra should have let Razzaghi finish the season. FC Supra are eight points out of a playoff spot and were knocked out at the semi-finals of the CanChamp against Forge. For an inaugural CPL season with a coach with no professional experience, this is an impressive feat. However, pro ball is a different game.

Key figures within the club, such as Nick Razzaghi and former sporting director Mateo Cabanettes, came from Ligue1 QC club CS Saint-Laurent. In other words, minimal professional football experience. Both of whom were let go from the club. Were they set up for failure? Not at all. But unlike Saint-Laurent, pro sports is a business, and sometimes being homies is not enough.

Third Montréal football club to fire their coach mid-season. It started with the annual tradition of CF Montréal firing Marco Donadel in April. Later, Montréal Roses fired Robert Rositou in August, and now FC Supra followed suit with Nick Razzaghi being let go. However, what CFM and Roses have in common is that both clubs’ performances have improved after the fact.

Maybe the same will occur with Supra? On paper, maybe. There’s only one way to find out.

Mr. CPL himself has hung up his boots.

At a special event at Hamilton Stadium on Thursday, Bekker announced his retirement. The plan had always been to call it quits at the end of this season, he said, but an ACL injury suffered in the CanChamp semis sped up that timeline in an unfortunate way.

Ten minutes after his injury, however, he was back on the bench, knee in ice and cheering on his team to a spot in the CanChamp final. The armband isn’t just worn on the pitch.

Since day one, Bekker was the Canadian Premier League and Forge FC’s main man. The first signing, the first star player, he led the way and set the standards across the league for eight seasons. Grew the game at home in a way few Canadians ever have before.

Four CPL titles. Two Shields. Six-time MVP nominee, winning it in 2020. Nobody was as good as Forge’s #10, and nobody was as consistent.

Names like Alphonso Davies, Jonathan David and Stephen Eustáquio will forever be seen as trailblazers for what they did in Europe. But make no mistake, what Bekker has done for the game in Canada is just as important to paving the way for the next generation.

A true Canadian soccer legend, and a legacy left at the heart of the sport in this country.

⛰ Janine Sonis makes things happen. Another week, another goal and assist from Janine Sonis. The goal was really the highlight, as Emma Regan also had a hand in setting up — even though we’re not entirely sure that Sonis meant to put this one in the back of the net.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Aribim Pepple scores for Plymouth. Bim kicked off another win for Argyle this week, this time, scoring the first in a 2-0 win over Leyton Orient. The melee from the corner sent Plymouth top of League One. Winning.

🇳🇱 Charles-Andréas Brym scores again. Two weeks in a row, CAB has found the back of the net for NAC Breda. His fourth goal of the season was a beaut, turning, firing, and drawing Breda level after Vitesse opened the scoring in their 2-2 draw.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Marie Levasseur finds the net. Levasseur was left out by Casey Stoney for October, and she’s out to prove she should be back in. Maz restored parity for Birmingham City in what ended up being a 4-3 loss to Liverpool in the WSL Players Cup.

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✍️ Thomas Muller signed an extension. The Whitecaps have announced that Thomas Muller has extended his contract through the 2027 MLS Sprint Season. The Bavarian is not done with Vancouver and is clear he wants a title with the Caps.

Tuesday, October 6
Chicago Fire vs. Vancouver Whitecaps (5:30 PM PT)

Saturday, October 10
Toronto FC vs. CF Montréal (1 PM ET @ BMO Field)
LAFC vs. Vancouver Whitecaps (7:30 PM PT)

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🦖 We love last-minute goals. Atlético Ottawa hosted Cavalry FC in a game that felt like a play-off game. The attacking intensity on both sides kept everyone on the edge of their seats, with two goals in stoppage time. It was a real back-and-forth affair with Ottawa’s Kamron Habibullah standing out with an exceptional performance. The game ended 3-2 for Ottawa.

🦝 Cavalry suffer a second straight loss. Cavalry travelled to York Lions Stadium to play against lowly Inter Toronto. What normally would have been a guaranteed win was flipped on its head. Inter Toronto went 3-0 up by the 69th minute and displayed incredible attacking skill. Most notably, Sebastian Gonzalez’s goal is chef’s kiss. Cavalry would register a goal, but the game would end in a 3-1 victory for Inter Toronto.

⚓️ Halifax clutch it out in Hamilton. This game was a doozy. Forge took complete control, going up 3-1 by the 90th minute, but Halifax had other ideas. The Wanderers were outmatched by Forge all game, but in stoppage time they willed their way to two more goals. With eight minutes of stoppage time, Liam MacKenzie and Tavio Ciccarelli would find the net for the Wanderers and bring the game to 3-3 at full time. Lucas Cavallini would score his first CPL goal, but this milestone would be dampened by the last-minute goals from Halifax.

⚜️ Kyt Selaidopoulos’ Supra off to a flier. The former Forge FC assistant coach took the reigns for the first time, and the new manager bounce might as well have been a cannon pointed directly into the sky. The new era in Laval started with a 5-0 win over Pacific, who were blown away as five different Supra players landed their names on the scoresheet.

This week’s CPL fixtures:

Wednesday, October 7
Inter Toronto vs. Supra du Québec (11 AM ET @ York Lions Stadium)
Forge FC vs. Pacific FC (7 PM ET @ Hamilton Stadium)

Saturday, October 10
Supra du Québec vs. Vancouver FC (4 PM ET @ Stade Boréale)

Saturday, October 11
Pacific FC vs. Atlético Ottawa (4 PM PT @ Royal Athletic Park)

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🌹 The Roses record their fourth straight draw. The Ottawa Rapid travelled to Stade Boréale for another 0-0 draw. It feels like both teams are starting to lose a little steam as they approach the post-season. Both clubs have maintained a high level of performance all season. Perhaps fatigue might be settling in. Nonetheless, both teams played well, yet, were unable to see out a win.

1️⃣ Halifax and Calgary also draw. Two draws, and you wouldn’t believe what followed in Toronto. Halifax could’ve done with a win to strengthen their playoff odds but were held to a 0-0 draw at home by Calgary. The Wild were bit twice by the injury bug as Meggie Dougherty Howard and Meikayla Moore both left the pitch, but still held out for a point.

🏆 AFC Toronto move on in the WCanChamp. It took extra time, but at long last, there was a victor in the NSL this week. A shame for Toronto though, as it only came in their WCanChamp tilt when Kaylee Hunter scored a header in the 100th minute. The NSL portion of this clash, unironically, ended 1-1 for the third draw of the week after Latifah Abdu offset Lena Silano’s opener.

The NSL is off on international break before the final two games of the regular season.

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