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Author: tomaspwharton

  • Canadians gone international

    Canadians gone international

    The past transfer window has seen lots of movement from Canadian footballers around the world. The big stage is not scared of Canadians, and as they continue to shine on the stage, more teams continue to be enveloped in the Canadian football show.

    Players like Promise David, Jonathan David, Stephen Eustaquio and Nathan Saliba all made their big moves to European teams this past window, showing just how much motion our country holds. After an impressive World Cup, the resume of these players clearly impressed, landing them moves to some of the top leagues in the world.

    Promise David’s move to Brighton, for me, takes the cake as the blockbuster move that Canada Soccer needed. One of our up and coming strikers that made it through grit and perseverance, now playing in the best league in the world. On camera, he’s a lovable guy who has shown to be a fan-favourite. I’m sure that many Canadians will choose to dawn Brighton kits following the move, which will be good for both the team, and Canada as it exposes new fans to the mid table team.

    Ottawa’s own Jonathan David made the move to Atletico Madrid, where he now takes the reign of one of football’s most historic clubs. A move that many believe will better his career, after a rough stint at Juventus. A player of his quality deserves the highest level, and has proven that he can compete there.

    Window after window, Canadians continue to make the jump to bigger and bigger clubs, and us fans continue to cheer and look forward to a positive future for Canadian footy.

  • Going National with PDP

    Going National with PDP

    The third annual PDP championships took place last weekend in Montreal. Teams from all around the country came together to make their mark on Canadian football as they battled it out to be crowned national champions. 

    If you were fortunate to catch some of the action, you would’ve seen how far the sport has come in Canada. The skills, the goals, the passion, it was all on display in Montreal.

    Despite hosting the tournament, Quebec seemed to fall short when it came to titles. Out of all eight teams in each of the finals, seven came from Ontario, and one from British Columbia. This certainly came as a shock to some, as although Ontario has always had a very strong backing, so has Quebec. Teams like AS Laval and CS-MRO couldn’t find the drive to rise to the occasion and beat out their Ontario opponents. But it’s important to not rely on this tournament as a direct viewing of Quebec soccer, as their provincial team battles regularly with Team Ontario.

    PDP put our nations future on display, and they showed out. The skill in our countries youth continues to increase, and every year just gets better and better. They don’t just play to play, but they live through the experience and let it run through the veins. The passion for the sport is well and truly alive, more so than ever. PDP shows a step in the right direction, and a step towards a true football nation.

  • Alexis Sanchez to Montreal

    Alexis Sanchez to Montreal

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    If you had told me that the man that won Chile two back to back Copa Americas against Argentina would be coming to CF Montreal, I simply wouldn’t have believed you.

    Growing up as a Chilean-Canadian, Alexis brought more joy to my life than most. As the spearhead of a successful seleccion, Alexis did everything a fan could ask for, and he’s been doing it ever since. He continues to play with the ferocity and quickness of his younger self, and continues to score and provide for whatever team he joins.

    Montreal currently sit 7 points off a playoff spot, and this signing might be just what they need. To bring in a goalscorer who has a proven track record of helping underdogs overachieve.

    As a Canadian, and as a Chilean, this move excites me. Regardless of the “retirement league” narrative, at the end of the day, good players can lead to good results, and that is what Montreal need. Will Alexis be enough? Only time will tell. But as all Chileans would agree with, if anyone were to do it, it would be him.

  • Post-World Cup Fever

    Post-World Cup Fever

    What does a post-World Cup Canada look like for the Canadian Premier League?

    The Canadian Premier League seems to be at a peak currently. After one of the most socially shared finals in the world, Canada was put under the spotlight again while the World Cup played on. 

    The question now is whether the CPL can continue to carry the momentum that FIFA’s tournament brought to the country. For people who have always watched the CPL, they would know it is a competitive and gritty league, with tough matches, wonder-goals and crazy results. 

    Multiple reports have claimed that CPL viewership is up, and with the quality increasing, one would hope that trend can continue. 

    While some of the teams have had successful spells in the CPL, it is hard to overlook the other side of the coin. Pacific FC hasn’t won a game in the CPL since August 10th, 2025. This stat sounds baffling, but in a small league with strong opponents, if you don’t get it right early, then it is easy to fall behind.

    Other teams such as Calvary FC and Forge FC have always been at the top, and continue to get better and better. Whether it is competing against MLS sides or dominating their own league, the bar continues to be raised. 

    The CPL’s growth goes hand in hand with the sport itself. If soccer in Canada can continue to grow, there is no reason why the league shouldn’t follow suit and do the same.

  • A first half battle

    A first half battle

    Although before the tournament, any Canadian fan would’ve taken a round of 16 exit, but the way it happened definitely felt bitter-sweet.

    Going into the game against Morocco, no one gave the Canadian Men’s National Team a chance. Getting written off by Europeans, Americans, Africans, and even Canadians. But that first half, really changed some of those thoughts.

    Canada played fast, aggressive and fierce in that first half. It was just the finishing that lacked. A constant theme for any fan of the Mens National Team.

    Last world cup, Canada started their World Cup campaign with a thrilling one-nil loss to Belgium. Normally “thrilling” and “one-nil” don’t go together but Canada spent that game attacking and showing their potential.

    The next steps for the Canadians is solidifying our spot in the football world. Continue to grow and get players involved in bigger leagues, with better teams. Get players pushing limits and continuing to show their ability.

    The sky is the limit, and we’re only in the first half.

  • The game continues to grow

    The game continues to grow

    In a country where hockey may always run the sports sphere, soccer has been quietly growing…until now.

    Footy is here, and it is here to stay. You can already see it. Some of our standout players weren’t even on radars in 2022. Players like Promise, Tani, and Nico didn’t have the same high-profile growth as others, but have shown that in this country, that doesn’t matter.

    Canada is a country built off of immigration, and it can really be seen in our football. Even I am Half-Canadian, Half-Chileno, and owe my love of the game to my South American side. Much of our national team has roots outside Canada, from Africa to Europe to South America, and it remains one of our strengths as a team. 

    The Spanish team may have 11 of 11 starters who grew up playing the same way, learning the same philosophy and doing the same things. The Canadian team offers an alternative world where players are raised, taught, and shown all kinds of things. A player with two parents from Colombia may see the game of football differently than a player with parents from Ghana. But what does this add? It adds new perspective, opportunity and pathways. Showing that the players can define their own success and can play how they see fit. Whether it means playing gritty ball or playing tiki-taka, the choice is theirs.

    The more the sport grows, the more this idea holds strength. Kids from all around Canada continue to get involved in football, and with their split lineages, it only offers more and more layers to create the next generation of ballers.

  • Did football win in Canada?

    Did football win in Canada?

    Canada’s World Cup lens varies, depending on the lens you choose to observe it with. 

    If someone had told me when I was a kid that Canada would host a World Cup and then go on to reach the round of sixteen, I do not quite know how I would have reacted. Lifelong football fans around the nation may be the only ones that really understand the gravity of the past two months. 

    One way I like to look at it is that although Canada may not have won at the football, football in Canada has definitely won. Fields are packed, jerseys are being worn, and games are being watched. This sport will only continue to grow and become a big part of this nation’s future. 

    Canada’s internal leagues continue to grow and shine as we see the CPL and NSL flourish. CPL teams have continued to perform against MLS clubs in the Canadian Championship, and the NSL continues to add quality players and grow itself.

    The real question still stands: how will the national team continue to progress? Players like Promise David and Tani Oluwaseyi have only come to light in recent years, so it begs the question: what will it be like at the next World Cup? Will the fact that Canada isn’t hosting change the football landscape? What will the Canadian team look like in four years’ time? Will Canadians still care when it’s not on home soil? Only time will tell, and we’ll have to wait until then.

    For now, focusing on the positives is of the utmost importance. For people who have watched the game before, the World Cup has fulfilled childhood dreams and shown why so many of us grew up following the sport. For people who watched for the first time, it created a bond and memories that will only strengthen and grow. But for everyone, they now know the true strength of football and how it can connect and bring people together. That is what matters, and that is what continues to grow the beautiful game.