- The Northern Pitch
- Posts
- September 22nd Edition
September 22nd Edition
All Vancouver Can Champ Final, Champions League Promise and more!
The Canadian Championship final has been decided and it is perhaps the most intriguing in the competition’s history.
One of the best teams to ever play in this tournament—a Vancouver Whitecaps team who are going for a four-peat—take on a Vancouver FC team who are on track for the worst season in CPL history on October 1. Crazy.
Plus, another rise in the rankings for CanMNT, Promise David opens his Champions League account with a bang, and more in this week’s edition of The Northern Pitch.
In this week's edition:
Canadian Championship
🏆 Vancouver Can Champ Final Darby
Canada Soccer
It’s an all-Vancouver* 2025 Canadian Champion final.
On October 1, the Vancouver Whitecaps will host the Canadian Premier League’s Vancouver FC at BC Place in what is an unlikely but intriguing finale.
The Whitecaps were always expected to be here. Despite some close calls against Valour FC in the quarters, and going into Tuesday’s semi-final second leg tied on aggregate, they comprehensively beat Forge 4-0 to reach a fourth straight final.
On the other side of the story is an incredible Cinderella run. Vancouver FC sit at the bottom of the Canadian Premier League table and before this year hadn’t even won a round in CanChamp history. Now they have won three, including shocking Atlético Ottawa in the semis, holding on to win 3-2 on aggregate after an incredible defensive effort in the nation’s capital on Thursday.
The Eagles enter the final as HEAVY underdogs. But then again they have been underdogs on this whole run, this will be nothing new. It is the first time the two sides have played in their history, and with plenty of former Caps on VFC’s team, this is going to be a big day for soccer in BC.
CanMNT
🇧🇪 Champions League Promise
Union St. Gilloise
This was always going to be a special UEFA Champions League campaign with so many Canadian men’s national team players involved.
But it couldn’t have gotten off to a better start than when just nine minutes into the opening match of the league phase Promise David bagged the first goal of the competition from the penalty spot. It was also Union St-Gilloise’s first-ever goal, as they would go on to beat PSV by 3-1 for their first-ever Champions League W. Historic.
The rest of the round didn’t go quite as well for Canadians, however. Jonathan David was subbed out in the 60th minute of an INSANE 4-4 draw between Juventus and Borussia Dortmund in Turin. Villarreal, meanwhile, lost 1-0 to Tottenham on an own goal, with Tajon Buchanan starting, and Tani Oluwaseyi being an unused substitute.
Alphonso Davies remains injured, but his Bayern Munich did defeat Chelsea 3-1. All in all, pretty surreal to see this many Canadian ballers competing in the big club competition of ‘em all, and it’s only just getting started.
CanMNT
⬆️ CanMNT ranked 26th ahead of ‘26
Canada Soccer
The FIFA rankings dropped this week and the Canadian men’s national team are up to 26th, their highest ever ranking, after back-to-back wins in Europe against Romania and Wales. That is two spots higher than their previous ranking of 28.
For a country which was ranked 120th in the World in January 2017, it has been an incredible rise to relevance in World football.
Canada will have the opportunity to climb even higher in the rankings next month, when they take on 25th-ranked Australia on October 10 in Montréal. Then they have an even bigger test against 13th-ranked Colombia on October 14 in New Jersey.
What is sure is that Canada will enter the 2026 World Cup on home soil with one of their highest rankings ever. That’s the way it should be.
Advertisement
Fact-based news without bias awaits. Make 1440 your choice today.
Overwhelmed by biased news? Cut through the clutter and get straight facts with your daily 1440 digest. From politics to sports, join millions who start their day informed.
Canucks Abroad
🌍 Canucks Abroad
Utah Royals FC
👑 Cloé Lacasse goal. It was La-classe from Lacasse against Janine Sonis’ Louisville. The winger scored her first for the Royals with an absolute stinger in a 3-2 win. Canadians mastering the one-on-one finish, you love to see it.
🇧🇪 A good week for Promise David. PD added the opener in a 2-1 win over Genk, to go with the first goal of this season’s Champions League proper. His fourth of the season was a nice one-on-one finish. And, he even had time for a little siesta afterwards.
⚽️ Janine Sonis free-kick banger. Better yet, that wasn’t the only goal scored by a Canadian in Utah-Louisville. That’s because Janine Sonis said ‘anything you can do, I can do too’. The wall and keeper both had no chance as she picked out top bins.
🏴 Jamie Knight-Lebel equalizer. JKL scribbled out another milestone with his first goal in his first start for Swindon. A header that Daan Klomp would be proud of. Not too shabby for being compared to an After Eight mint earlier in the week.
🏴 Liam Fraser goal. Fraser has found his feet quickly with Reading this season. Adding to a productive campaign, the ex-Red poked home what would be a 79th-minute winner in a 2-1 finish over Leyton Orient.
🇪🇸 Tani Oluwaseyi assist. We were robbed of a Tani thunderstrike, but at least it was still an assist. Villarreal capped off a remontada at the Ceràmica thanks to the former Loon. It was a heavily-deflected strike from distance that came off teammate Papi Gueye.
🇫🇷 Florianne Jourde long-range stunner. Speaking of goals from distance, Florianne Jourde’s first for PSG was an absurd one. Powered in from outside the box, the keeper — Albertan shotstopper Emily Burns — had zero chance. It was a brilliant week for Canadians scoring goals.
🍼 A new addition for the Sheridans. Lastly, off the pitch, Kailen and partner Dominique welcome their daughter Skyler Rae this week. We’re sending our well wishes and congratulations to the whole family.
MLS
⚽️ MLS News & Recaps
Nashville SC
🔵 CF MTL want this season to be over. With no hopes for a playoff spot, CFM’s game against the New York Red Bulls at home was a matter of pride. The 2-0 loss demonstrated with what MTL struggled with all season: lack of finishing and defensive lapses. On the bright side, all of the young players have serious potential.
🔴 Richie and Oso linking up has us excited. TFC travelled to Ohio to face off against the Columbus Crew. Things did not start well for Toronto as they conceded the first goal in the 15th minute. Despite Columbus scoring first, the game remained relatively stalemate until TFC equalized in the 51st minute after Jonathan Osorio assisted Richie Laryea's goal. The OGs are giving us nostalgia. The game ended 1-1.
🌊 No Muller, No Blackmon? No Problem. The Vancouver Whitecaps visited Sporting Kansas City without key players Thomas Muller, Tristan Blackmon, Brian White and Ryan Gauld due to injury. Despite the omission of these big names, the Caps got the job done with a 2-0 win over Sporting KC.
🚒 Joel Waterman scored his first with Chicago. The former CF MTL defender has picked up his first goal for the Chicago Fire against Minnesota. Waterman scored the opening goal of the game in the 26th minute.
⚽️ Jacob Shaffelburg scored his third of the season. Nashville SC travelled south to Orlando with Shaff starting on the bench. Maritime Messi was later subbed in the 46th minute and scored the equalizer five minutes later. It was also a good week for Shaff and Nashville, as they qualified for the US Open Cup Final with a Sam Surridge hat-trick in a 3-1 win over Philadelphia.
This week’s MLS fixtures:
Wednesday, September 24
Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Portland Timbers (7:30 PM PT @ BC Place)
Saturday, September 27
Toronto FC vs. Inter Miami CF (7:30 PM ET @ BMO Field)
Charlotte FC vs. CF Montreal (7:30 PM ET)
Seattle Sounders vs. Vancouver Whitecaps (7:30 PM PT)
Canadian Premier League
🍁 CPL News & Recaps
CPL
⚓️ Turbulent week for Pacific FC. From the drama off the pitch and now a 3-0 loss in Halifax. This is a week that PFC would want to forget. For the Wanderers, the massive three points at home helped their push in confirming their playoff spot. That was official at full-time in the second match of the week where…
🐎 Cavalry also clinch playoffs. Valour travelled to Calgary in the hopes of just maybe sneaking into a playoff position. Cavalry gave a dose of reality to any optimist. The Cavs defeated Valour 3-0 and confirmed their spot in the playoffs. That left just one spot remaining with York holding an xx-point lead over Valour.
🔨 The battle of giants in Ottawa. Second placed Atletico Ottawa hosted league leaders Forge FC at TD Place Stadium. Ottleti opened the game in the 25th minute with a goal from Gabriel Antinoro. Ottawa imposed themselves and had Forge on the back heel as the home side enjoyed 60% of possession. But possession is not everything. Forge attacked with momentum in the second half and found the net in the 82nd minute with a goal from Hoce Messunda. The match ended 1-1.
🦅 Vancouver riding the CanChamp wave. Last placed VFC hosted fifth placed York United. Vancouver carried their winning ways from the CanChamp into this game. VFC opened with the first goal in the 31st with a goal from Ndiaye Pathé and later took the lead in the 44th from a goal from Paris Gee. The game ended 2-1 for the home side.
🔱 Pacific FC for sale. PFC ownership, SixFive Sports and Entertainment, has announced the potential sale of the club. PFC president Josh Simpson has made remarks implying that the city of Langford has been difficult to work with. The city of Langford replied in kind to PFC’s comments. It has also been reported that Pacific owes the city of Langford $90,000 in match-day related fees, unpaid office and stadium rent. Full details of the situation can be read here.
⚜️ Montréal will have a CPL team. Ligue 1 Québec have confirmed in an article that Montréal will be home to a CPL team in 2026. The next step is an official announcement of the club.
This week’s CPL fixtures:
Saturday, September 27
Atletico Ottawa vs. Cavalry FC (1 PM ET @ TD Place Stadium)
Forge FC vs. Pacific FC (4 PM ET @ Hamilton Stadium)
Sunday, September 28
York United vs. Valour FC (3 PM ET @ York Lions Stadium)
Vancouver FC vs. Halifax Wanderers (3 PM PT @ Willoughby Community Park)
Northern Super League
🌌 NSL News & Recaps
NSL
🪽 Ottawa capitalized in Calgary. The Rapid are fighting to confirm a playoff spot and earned themselves three points against the Calgary Wild. For the home club, it has been a difficult period for their defensive lineup. Ottawa exposed the Wild in counterattacks throughout the game. In the end, Rapid FC defeated the Wild 2-1.
🌹 Roses book a spot in the playoffs. MTL hosted Halifax Tides in a pivotal match that confirmed the Roses’ spot in the playoffs. The Montréal club defeated Halifax 2-0 at Stade Boréale.
🪽 Ottawa are on a roll — a dub in Calgary and now a dub in Vancouver. The Rapid have been enjoying their away form in the West. The Rise hosted the Ottawa Rapid and seemed to be still shaken up from their 7-0 defeat to AFC Toronto on the previous matchday. Ottawa continued its winning momentum and handed the Rise a 3-0 defeat.
🌆 Halifax hold Toronto to a draw. AFC hosted the Tides at York Lions Stadium which ended in a 1-1 draw. For AFC this was a disappointing as they dominated in attack but were unable to fully unlock the Haligonians defence in open play. For the Tides, there defence remained resilient against first placed AFC Toronto.
This week’s NSL fixtures:
Friday, September 26
Ottawa Rapid vs. AFC Toronto (7 PM ET @ TD Place Stadium)
Saturday, September 27
Montreal Roses vs. Calgary Wild (12 PM ET @ Stade Boréale)
Halifax Tides vs. Vancouver Rise (3 PM AT @ Wanderers Grounds)