The previous 12 months proved to be a wild trip for Canadian soccer.
The ladies’s workforce grew to become embroiled in a drone-spying scandal on the Paris Olympics, and overcame a six-point deduction within the group stage earlier than bowing out within the quarterfinals, failing to achieve the medal podium for the primary time since 2008.
The lads’s aspect fared a lot better underneath new coach Jesse Marsch by reaching the semifinals and ending in fourth place in its event debut on the Copa América, the place it twice pushed Lionel Messi and World Cup champions Argentina to the brink.
Internationally, Actual Madrid loved a banner 12 months by breezing to the La Liga title, profitable the Spanish Tremendous Cup and claiming its document fifteenth UEFA Champions League crown by defeating Borussia Dortmund within the closing at London’s Wembley Stadium.
What’s going to subsequent 12 months convey? Listed here are 4 daring predictions for 2025:
Jonathan David strikes to Paris Saint-Germain
Jonathan David is without doubt one of the hottest gamers in world soccer proper now. The Canadian ahead has plundered 101 objectives in 209 appearances for French membership LOSC Lille since his switch from Belgian aspect Gent in 2020.
David, a 24-year-old from Ottawa, at the moment ranks as the highest scorer in France’s prime division with 11 objectives, and general, he’s scored 17 instances whereas tallying 5 assists in 26 appearances for Lille throughout all competitions throughout the 2024-25 season. 4 of his objectives have come within the UEFA Champions League, together with strikes in opposition to European heavyweights Actual Madrid and Juventus, and a brace in opposition to Atlético Madrid.
“He’s perhaps one of many hottest strikers in Europe proper now, he appears to attain each match. He’s harmful each match, units up objectives, he’s a whole participant,” Canadian males’s workforce coach Jesse Marsch stated.
David is out of contract at Lille on the finish of this season, and it’s a provided that he’s going to depart the French workforce for greener pastures. A few of the prime golf equipment throughout Europe are already lining as much as attempt to safe the Canadian as a free agent this summer time, together with Manchester Metropolis, FC Barcelona, Inter Milan and Bayern Munich.
However reasonably than enterprise out, David will keep in Ligue 1 and signal with Paris Saint-Germain, who by no means changed Kylian Mbappé when he moved to Actual Madrid on a free switch this summer time. PSG has gained three consecutive French league titles (and eight within the final 10 years), however continues to be making an attempt to take the subsequent step in its evolution by profitable the Champions League for the primary time. Search for the Parisian membership to throw a bundle of cash at David and persuade him to proceed his membership profession in France.
Carmelina Moscato named new coach of Canadian ladies’s workforce
The Canadian ladies’s workforce has been with out a full-time coach since turning into embroiled within the drone controversy at this summer time’s Paris Olympics. Former head coach Bev Priestman was despatched house for her position within the spying scandal and was subsequently slapped with a one-year ban by FIFA earlier than Canada Soccer confirmed in November she wouldn’t be again as soon as she served her suspension.
Interim coaches have overseen the Canadian ladies’s workforce for the reason that Olympics, however now could be the time for Canada Soccer to rent a full-time alternative for Priestman, who famously guided Les Rouges to a gold medal on the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
It’s been practically 30 years since a Canadian-born coach has taken cost of the ladies’s workforce. Since Sylvie Béliveau’s run resulted in 1995, the Canadian ladies’s aspect has had six totally different coaches, and none of them have been born in Canada.
However that streak will finish in 2025 with the appointment of Carmelina Moscato, a 40-year-old from Mississauga, Ont. The previous defender earned 94 caps for Canada from 2002 to 2015, turning into one of many workforce’s most trusted gamers whereas competing at three FIFA World Cups, and profitable a bronze medal on the 2012 London Olympics.
Since retiring as a participant, Moscato served as coach and assistant with Canada’s under-15 and under-20 groups. She was additionally employed by Danish outfit FC Nordsjælland (her first head teaching gig at membership degree) and have become the technical director and head coach of Tigres UANL, one of many greatest groups in Mexico’s prime division. Moscato is at the moment an assistant coach with Racing Louisville FC of the NWSL, and can strive her hand within the worldwide recreation in 2025 when she is employed as the brand new coach of the Canadian ladies’s workforce.
Canadian males’s workforce wins Concacaf Nations League and Gold Cup
2024 was a banner 12 months for the Canadian males’s workforce. New coach Jesse Marsch hit the bottom operating by guiding them to a fourth-place end on the Copa América, the place the workforce held its personal in opposition to the perfect nations in South America, together with World Cup champions Argentina and Uruguay.
The Canadians saved the momentum going after the Copa. They went unbeaten in 5 video games (4 wins) in all competitions, earned their first victory over america on American soil since 195, and completed the 12 months at No. 38 within the FIFA world rankings. A two-legged combination win over Suriname in November allowed Canada to advance to the finals of the Concacaf Nations League in March and to qualify for subsequent summer time’s Gold Cup.
The Canadian males’s workforce has solely gained one main event in its historical past. In 2000, Les Rouges surprised the Concacaf area when it got here out on prime by defeating Colombia within the Gold Cup closing. Twenty-five years later, the Canadians will come good once more.
Driving the tidal wave of momentum it’s on proper now, Canada will cement its rising popularity as the perfect nationwide workforce within the Concacaf area by profitable each the Nations League and Gold Cup in 2025.
Manchester Metropolis fails to qualify for Champions League
These are very attention-grabbing instances for Manchester Metropolis. The four-time defending Premier League champions have only one win of their final 12 video games in all competitions, a run of futility that’s completely unprecedented throughout the Pep Guardiola period.
With simply 5 factors from their earlier 9 Premier League matches, the Residents discover themselves in seventh place within the English desk, with such modest golf equipment as Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest trying down upon them. Losses to metropolis rivals Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham have them preventing to climb up the desk and get their season again on observe after going unbeaten of their first 9 contests of the marketing campaign.
Guardiola’s aspect is 14 factors adrift of table-toppers Liverpool on the midway level of the season, so it appears to be like nearly sure that their reign atop the heap within the Premier League will come to an finish this season.
The dangerous instances will proceed for Manchester Metropolis in 2025 as their freefall underneath Guardiola will proceed on unabated. Not solely will they not win a fifth straight Premier League title, however they’ll end outdoors of the highest 5 and fail to qualify for subsequent season’s UEFA Champions League for the primary time for the reason that 2010-11 marketing campaign.
Editor’s be aware
John Molinaro is without doubt one of the main soccer journalists in Canada, having coated the sport for over 25 years for a number of media shops, together with Sportsnet, CBC Sports activities and Solar Media. He’s at the moment the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, an internet site devoted to in-depth protection of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer.
