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Annabelle Chukwu broke Canada’s youth international goalscoring record when she scored her 28th career goal in just 34 matches from the U-15 to U-20 levels. In a big 9:0 win over Fiji at the FIFA U-20 World Cup Colombia 2024, Chukwu tied former record holder Christine Sinclair with her 27th goal in the 24th minute, broke the record with her second goal of the night in the 34th minute, and completed a hat trick with her 29th career goal in the 41st minute.
On the same night, teammate Olivia Smith scored her 25th and 26th career goals in just her 28th youth international match. Smith ranks third all time behind Chukwu and Sinclair.
Sinclair, who left international football in 2023, scored 27 goals in 19 youth international matches from the U-19 to U-21 levels from 2001 to 2002. She set a still-standing tournament record when scored 10 goals at the inaugural FIFA U-19 Women’s World Championship Canada 2002.
Chukwu was just 15 years old when she made her debut in the Canadian youth program in 2022. She scored twice in 2022, 17 times in 2023, and already 10 times in 2024. She has scored five goals at FIFA tournaments, 22 goals at Concacaf tournaments, and another two goals in friendly matches.
At the club level, Chukwu has played for Ottawa South United and Canada Soccer’s National Development Centre in Ontario. She has represented Canada at both the FIFA U-17 World Cup in India as well as the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia.
The Men’s National Team completed a successful window of friendly matches against 2026 FIFA World Cup co-hosts the United States and Mexico.
The window began with a match in Kansas City, KS that saw Canada end a 67-year winless streak against the Americans on U.S. soil. An aggressive start pinned the Americans back, leading to numerous early opportunities. Nova Scotia’s Jacob Shaffelburg would open the scoring with a low, left-footed strike that wrong-footed Patrick Schulte. Canada would remain on the front-foot through the first half, creating high quality chances around the U.S. goal.
Cyle Larin and Jonathan David would link up early in the second half, with the latter scoring the game’s second goal, lifting a shot in tight over Schulte’s shoulder. David’s goal marked his 29th in Canadian red, tying him with Larin for the Canadian Men’s National Team the all-time lead. The Americans would pull one back but Canada would hold on for a 2-1 victory.
The second match in the window saw Canada take on Mexico in Dallas, TX. A chippy affair ended in a 0-0 stalemate with Cyle Larin coming closest to breaking the deadlock and Dayne St. Clair standing tall in the Canadian goal.
In the window, three new players made their Senior National Team debuts. CF Montréal’s Nathan Saliba, Hajduk Split’s Niko Sigur, and Sporting Kansas City’s Stephen Afrifa each saw action for the first time across the two matches.
Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team (#CANWNT) will travel to Almendralejo, Spain, for an international “A” friendly against the defending FIFA Women’s World Cup Champions, Spain, during the October 2024 international window. The match is scheduled for Friday 25 October at 20.45 local time (14.45 ET / 11.45 PT), at Estadio Francisco de la Hera in Almendralejo (Extremadura).
This will mark the fourth meeting between the two nations, with their most recent encounter taking place at the Arnold Clark Cup in February 2022, where Canada fell 0:1 in Wolverhampton, England. Prior to that match, the two teams played to a 0:0 draw in May 2019 in Logroño, Spain, and Spain secured a 1:0 victory in March 2017 in São João da Venda, Portugal.
Canadian fans can follow all the action live on OneSoccer, available on the fuboTV Canada platform, as a linear channel on Telus’s Optik TV (Channel 980), as well as online at OneSoccer.ca and through the OneSoccer app.
The camp marks #CANWNT’s first gathering since their performance at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where Canada captured the hearts of Canadians reaching the Quarterfinals before being eliminated by Germany in a penalty shootout. That match was watched by 3.4 million nationally — making it the most-watched moment of Paris 2024 in Canada. Spain, meanwhile, finished fourth at the Olympic Games suffering a 0:1 loss to Germany in the Bronze Medal match.
In a thrilling match, Isaac Boehmer’s standout performance led Vancouver Whitecaps FC to a hard-fought victory over Toronto FC, clinching their third consecutive TELUS Canadian Championship title. This win also secures the Whitecaps a spot in the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup.
The match kicked off with intensity, as Boehmer made a diving save to deny Federico Bernardeschi’s powerful strike. Toronto’s Jonathan Osorio nearly scored off a corner, but Lorenzo Insigne missed the follow-up.
The Whitecaps countered with a chance from Fafa Picault, whose header was stopped by Sean Johnson. Picault later set up White for a potential goal, but a timely challenge thwarted the effort. A key moment came in the 37th minute when Boehmer saved a penalty from Bernardeschi after Richie Laryea went down in the box.
The second half continued with both teams pushing for a goal. Boehmer was once again vital, denying Laryea and claiming a number of dangerous balls in the box. In the 74th minute, a promising setup from Gauld to White was halted by a crucial Kevin Long tackle.
As the match ended goalless after 90 minutes, it proceeded to a shootout reminiscent of the 2022 final. Boehmer shone, saving a shot from Kosi Thompson and forcing a Matty Longstaff miss. The decisive moment came when Bjørn Inge Utvik scored the final penalty, sealing the championship for the Whitecaps.
Canada Soccer is proud to announce that 54 clubs across five provinces—British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Alberta, and Nova Scotia—have been selected to participate in Year 2 of the TELUS She CAN Coach program. This marks a significant expansion from the program’s first year which saw 20 clubs involved, reinforcing Canada Soccer’s commitment to increasing the representation of women coaches in grassroots soccer. Of these 54 clubs, 12 are returning participants, with 6 returning from Alberta and 6 from Nova Scotia.
TELUS She CAN Coach is a national coach recruitment, development, and training program designed for women to address the challenges they face regarding soccer participation. Specifically designed for new and entry-level women coaches, it focuses on those interested in starting or continuing Canada Soccer’s Grassroots Coach Education. By providing access to education, training, and tailored support, the initiative aims to break down barriers, encourage more women and girls to participate in soccer and promote gender equity at all levels of the sport.
“We are thrilled to welcome 54 clubs into the second year of the TELUS She CAN Coach program,” said Sara McConaghy, Director of Community & Fund Development at Canada Soccer. “This tremendous growth reflects the incredible dedication of the soccer community to support and empower women in coaching. As we expand the program, we remain committed to ensuring that women coaches have the tools and resources they need to thrive and create lasting change in Canadian soccer.”
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