Who’s ready for some CanMNT action ON HOME SOIL this week?

The lads are back in Canada for an extended international window where they will play in Toronto, Montréal, and against the United States in Minnesota.

After making history this summer, they look to continue to take the program to new heights.

Speaking of that, a look back at an excellent U-20 Women’s World Cup run for Canada, the 2026 Canadian Championship final is confirmed and more ahead in this week’s edition of The Northern Pitch.

Canada’s 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup is over, but the future continues to be incredibly bright.

The young Reds fell 2-0 to defending U-20 World Cup winners North Korea in the quarter-finals on a pair of late stoppage-time goals.

The tournament itself was a huge step forward for the program. They reached the World Cup quarters for the first time since 2014, when the tournament was on home soil.

In the process, they picked up one of the most memorable results in recent youth national team history, a dominant 3-1 win over France complete with an unbelievable hat-trick from Kaylee Hunter.

Hunter is one of the exciting future stars to watch at this tournament for Canada, adding to a list which includes Annabelle Chukwu, Olivia Chisholm and Jeneva Hernandez Gray—who leads the tournament with four assists. Goalkeeper Noelle Henning, meanwhile, made seven saves against Korea and was class throughout the tournament.

These are players that could become household names on the senior national team program for years to come, and that is an exciting takeaway from any youth tournament, as Canada continues to show out at multiple levels on both the CanMNT and CanWNT side.

It’s CF Montréal-Forge again in the Canadian Championship. This time, it’s for the whole thing.

Their sixth straight meeting in the competition will come in the 2026 final on October 21 at Stade Saputo, with the Voyageurs Cup, and a spot in the Concacaf Champions Cup on the line.

Forge are looking to become the first CPL club to win the tournament, having lost to Toronto FC on penalties in the 2020 final. CF Montréal last won in 2021, and have five Canadian Championship titles in general.

CF Montréal, meanwhile, ended the Whitecaps’ bid for five straight Canadian Championship titles by defeating them 3-2 on aggregate in the semi-final. Forge, meanwhile, handled business against FC Supra despite an injury to their captain Kyle Bekker—ending hopes of an all-Québec CanChamp final.

Forge have eliminated Montréal from the competition the past two seasons, Montréal ended Forge’s hopes the three years before that, but no meeting between the two clubs has ever been bigger than this one.

The boys are back!

On Saturday, for the first time since a historic home World Cup, Canada step back onto home soil for a match with Chile at BMO Field. It begins a busy window, where they also face Peru in Montréal (Oct. 3) before a huge clash with the United States in Minnesota (Oct. 6).

This past week, Jesse Marsch named his squad for the window, an intriguing mix of players who have been a big part of this national team’s past and those who could factor in its future.

In the former category are Sam Piette and Junior Hoilett, returning to the group for perhaps one last opportunity to play in their respective home cities and receive the plaudits they deserve for their incredible careers with Canada.

The team also features some names who may be a big part of the next cycle, including Vancouver Whitecaps’ Jeevan Badwal, 18-year-old Toronto FC defender Richard Chuwku, and 21-year-old central defender Jovan Ivanisevic of FK Sarajevo.

Captain Alphonso Davies, meanwhile, who is just recovering from an injury but has been balling out for Bayern, is unavailable as he celebrates his honeymoon, while Maxime Crépeau was also unavailable for selection due to a personal matter.

After qualifying for the last 16 at this summer’s World Cup, Jesse Marsch said the next goal is to reach the top 24, which would make Canada a Pot 2 team at the 2030 World Cup. Canada is currently ranked 30th in the World.

🇪🇸 IT’S JONNY! 3 in 3. That’s right. Our favourite #15 scored once again, and it might be his biggest goal yet. Jonathan David scored the game-winner against Real Madrid, using his IQ to beat Denzel Dumfries and Thibault Courtois to make it 2-1. Take that, Luciano Spalletti.

🏔 A two-point week for Janine Sonis. If we don’t see Janine Sonis’ picture next to the definition of NWSL MVP come the end of the season, we’re throwing hands. Sonis scored her 11th and assisted her 5th of the season in back-to-back wins.

👑 Lacasse 2028. No, she’s not running for office — although we’re sure she’d do a good job at that too. The Utah Royals announced this week that Cloé Lacasse has signed a contract extension through the end of the 2028 season. Well earned.

🇩🇪 Vanessa Gilles scores again. Gilles? More like Goal-les. Okay, that one might be tenuous, but regardless of the pun, Vanessa Gilles is now on 3 goals this season (and she’s not even a striker) after scoring in a 3-2 win over Leverkusen.

🦢 Stephen Eustáquio’s first. Your first always means a bit more. For Steph, it meant Swansea would stay atop the Championship, as he scored his first for the Swans in a 2-1 win against Lincoln.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Liam Millar’s first. Staying on the topic, Liam Millar also scored his first for Birmingham City as his smoking hot run of form continues. The Blues would play on to a 2-2 draw against Middlesbrough.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Aribim Pepple keeps scoring. Jonathan David and Vanessa Gilles aren’t the only ones with 3 in 3. Bim wrapped up a 4-2 win for Plymouth with the final goal of the game against Blackpool.

🇮🇹 Maya Antoine scores. The Canadian defender gave Roma a 2-0 lead in the Serie A Women’s Cup over Juventus. The Bianconere, however, would fight back and take the trophy, 6-4 on penalties.

🇪🇸 Justin Smith scores. The former Canada U20 defensive midfielder opened his Eldense account on Saturday with a consolation goal in a 2-1 loss to Eibar.

🇩🇪 Alphonso Davies assist. The ‘A’ in Alphonso stands for assist. He helped Bayern score their first through Jamal Musiala, on the way to a 7-0 rout of Union Berlin. He also broke Paul Stalteri’s record for most Bundesliga apps with #171.

🇫🇷 Évelyne Viens assist. Év is also rounding into some form ahead of the international break coming up. She played a perfect hold-up role, nudging the ball over to a teammate in a 2-1 win over Strasbourg.

🇸🇪 Sadie Sider-Echenberg scores two. The Ottawa native subbed on and scored both of Kristianstad’s goals in a 2-2 comeback against Piteå on Sunday. KDFF was previously the home of Évelyne Viens and Carly Wickenheiser. Cushy company.

🇵🇹 Chandra Davidson with a brace. The 28-year-old also scored both goals for Benfica on Saturday on the way to a 2-0 win over Rio Ave. Perhaps unsurprisingly, she was named the game’s MVP as a result.

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Ⓜ️ It was an up-and-down week for MTL. CF Montréal hosted the Columbus Crew after an impressive showing against the Vancouver Whitecaps in the CanChamp semi-final. However, the same issue persisted with Philippe Eullaffroy’s squad, as they couldn't score at home. MTL would lose to the Crew 0-2, with Montrealer Mohamed Farsi scoring the first goal. CFM’s playoff hopes are fading quickly, and their only hope of a successful season lies with the CanChamp.

🔴 TFC continues to struggle away from home. This was Toronto’s second away game in a row and also their second defeat in a row, being handed a 3-1 defeat at St. Louis City. The usual defensive errors persist for the boys in red: poor man-marking and defensive lapses cost them the game. Nonetheless, Toronto’s attacking prowess was kept quiet by St. Louis. STL’s first goal, perfectly timed.

🌊 Vancouver has only one thing to think about. Having crashed out of the CanChamp semi-final, the Caps can now focus all their energy on MLS. This past weekend, VWFC travelled to Real Salt Lake and defeated the home club 0-3. Brian White scored his 16th goal of the season, and Thomas Muller scored a top-bins banger. Yadaly Diaby scored his first goal for the Caps, and it was a worldie.

Saturday, September 26
CF Montréal vs. FC Cincinnati (7:30PM ET @ Stade Saputo)
Nashville SC vs. Toronto FC (8:30PM ET)
Vancouver Whitecaps vs. DC United (7:30PM PT@ BC Place)

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🐴 Cavalry vs Forge should be considered a proper clasico. No matter the scoreline, when these two meet, it always feels like a cup final. The rivalry between both clubs is quickly becoming the best in Canadian football. This past weekend, the teams met at ATCO Field and left with a 1-1 draw. Lucas Cavallini made his debut and was shown a yellow card on his debut. Tobias Warschewski received a red card after two yellow cards.

🔱 Pacific FC record their eighth draw of the season. PFC hosted Vancouver FC in a BC Darby. The game started well for VFC as Luis Toomey opened the game with a calm finish in the box. In stoppage time at the end of the first half, Yann Toualy would find the equalizer for Pacific. The game ended 1-1 at Starlight Stadium.

⚜️ Supra playoff hopes still possible? Atlético Ottawa hosted FC Supra and were handed a 0-2 defeat. Sean Rea balled out once more, and Loïc Kwemi brought his season goal tally to eleven. Supra have six more league games left. If they are able to win their remaining matches, they’ll have a chance to qualify, but the odds seem unlikely. However, for their inaugural CPL season, qualifying for playoffs would be a major success.

⚓️ Isaiah Johnston is competing for top goal scorer. The Halifax Wanderers hosted Inter Toronto, where the away team was dispatched 4-1. The game started promisingly for Inter Toronto as Raul Lopez scored a top-bins curler in the 3rd minute. However, the Wanderers would respond with goals from Lorenzo Callegari, Jason Bahamboula and a brace from Isaiah Johnston. With the two goals, Johnston’s season tally has been brought to 11 and equal with Supra’s Loïc Kwemi.

🔨 Lucas Cavallini is back in Ontario. Talk about surprise moves. The 40-capped CanMNT striker has joined Forge FC. The Toronto-born striker returns to Canada after a stint with Puebla in Liga MX, with 37 league goals under his belt.

⚜️ Jack McInerney joins Supra. The former Montréal Impact forward has signed with Supra until the end of 2026. The 34-year-old striker brings a wealth of experience, with an extensive MLS resume; he won the CanChamp in 2014 and reached the Concacaf Champions League final with the Impact. In recent games, Supra have lacked the finishing finesse McInerney may provide.

🐴 Owen Graham-Roache loaned to Cavalry. The CF Montréal striker has been loaned out to the Cavs for the remainder of the 2026 campaign. The 18-year-old forward has impressed at the Concacaf U20 Championship, but he has had minimal game time with CFM. This is a good move for the youth.

⚓️ Jabu Deng signs with the Wanderers. Halifax have added Haligonian defender Jabu Deng until 2027 with an option for 2028. The defender has signed from the Halifax Wanderers’ development team.

🇨🇦 Three CPL ballers called up to Canada U17. Canada has been invited to the UEFA Friendship Cup starting September 23rd. Canada has been drawn into the same group as Brazil, Côte d’Ivoire and Spain. Three CPL players have been called up: Halifax Wanderers’ Ilan Ahmed, Supra’s Alexander Makarova, and Cavalry’s Daniel Pribytov.

This week’s CPL fixtures:

Wednesday, September 23
Vancouver FC vs. Inter Toronto (7PM PT @ Willoughby Community Park)

Friday, September 25
Cavalry FC vs. Supra du Québec (7PM MT @ ATCO Field)

Saturday, September 26
Halifax Wanderers vs. Atlético Ottawa (5PM AT @ Wanderers Grounds)
Vancouver FC vs. Forge FC (4PM PT @ Willoughby Community Park)

Sunday, September 27
Inter Toronto vs. Pacific FC (2PM ET @ York Lions Stadium)

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🌊 The Tides hold AFC to a draw. Toronto took the lead at the Wanderers Ground with an unfortunate own goal from Tides’ keeper Anika Toth in the opening minute. Despite the rough start, Halifax responded with effective attacking play that led to a thumping header from Julianne Vallerand in the 59th minute. The Tides would end the game with a 1-1 draw.

🏔️ Jessica de Filippo is having a nice season. Nice is an understatement, as the Vancouver baller has registered 11 goals and four assists. This time, de Filippo would contribute a goal in the Rises 2-2 draw against play-off-clinched Montréal Roses. Vancouver almost got away with a win as Tori Tumeth found the net in the 90+2nd minute. However, the Roses would dampen the mood as Evelyn Badu scored a minute later. Two clutch goals in quick succession.

🪽 Ottawa finally get a dub. Prior to this match-up, the Rapid had been winless in their last six games. For some, seven is a lucky number, and for Ottawa this was their moment. The Rapid hosted the Calgary Wild and handed the away team a 3-1 defeat. Unfortunate for the Wild, their six-game undefeated streak came to an end. Ngozi Okobi-Oke, we see you, especially that second goal—absolute screamer.

Saturday, September 26
AFC Toronto vs. Ottawa Rapid (2PM ET @ York Lions Stadium)

Sunday, September 27
Halifax Tides vs. Montréal Roses (1PM AT @ Wanderers Grounds)
Calgary Wild vs. Vancouver Rise (2PM MT @ McMahon Stadium)

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