Northern Fútbol Podcast

Ben, Alex and Dunlop return to Northern Fútbol as Canadians find themselves in rocky European club situations. Tajon Buchanan and Ismäel Koné look set for moves, while some other players aren't getting significant minutes for their club sides. Is it time to worry yet? They then dive into potential friendly opponents with the FIFA World Cup 2026 just 500 days away, as well as how Jesse Marsch may a...

New Canadian Women's National Team Head Coach Casey Stoney enters the NFP stage and joins Ben, Alex and Dunlop in nerding out about the CanWNT heading into the next few years. They break down tactics, where different players fit, how her system will adapt to the player pool, and the up-and-coming young players she wants to see develop into prominent roles over the next several years. It's Casey St...

Ben, Alex and Dunlop dive into what was a busy week for Canadians in Europe, with goals from Jonathan David and Olivia Smith, leading the stories along with some big transfer news on both the men’s and women’s sides.  After breaking down Canadians Abroad, the guys dive into ranking the best Northern Super League club builds so far, and the major inter-league moves in the Canadian Premier Leag...

Ben, Alex and Dunlop return on NFP in a coaching-heavy week of Canadian Soccer.  They start the show with an in-depth discussion on Canada Soccer’s hiring of Casey Stoney for the CanWNT head coaching role and the organization's growth since appointing Kevin Blue as CEO in 2024. They look at how Stoney’s abilities can fit with the Canadian player pool and how having a coach with that experienc...

Ben, Dunlop and Alex are back in the Northern Futbol virtual studio on what was a quieter week for Canadian soccer.  They discuss what the recent opening of the transfer window means for Alphonso Davies and Jonathan David, discuss Premier League links or potential other destinations, and whether a lack of a January camp will hurt the CanMNT.  They also dive into some big transfer moves f...

It’s another Happy New Year at the Northern Fútbol Podcast as we kick off 2025 with Episode 208. Ben, Dunlop and Alex dive into the state of the CanMNT in the last year before the 2026 World Cup and where Jonathan David, Alphonso Davies, Tajon Buchanan and Stephen Eustaquio may find themselves by next summer.  After that, they dive into the CanWNT coaching search, the vacancies at Toronto FC...

Ben and Dunlop are joined by TSN’s Matthew Scianitti and The Athletic’s Joshua Kloke to look back on what 2024 was for the Canadian men’s national team and what the team learned through a formative year in the leadup to FIFA World Cup 2026.  From poolside chats in Suriname, spats with South American media members, shock from some of the world’s biggest players, and brushes with hockey royalty...

Ben, Alex and Dunlop are back for another week on NFP as the soccer year begins to slow down a little. They dive into where things might go for the CanMNT in 2025 and what the buildup to 2026 will need while also diving into a debate on how to best build Canada Soccer's physical infrastructure. After that, they chat Justin Smith, Ismael Koné and moves for Alphonso Davies and Jonathan David, as wel...

Rocking some timely kits, Ben, Alex and Dunlop are back together for the first Northern Fútbol Podcast episode of December, looking at John Herdman’s departure from Toronto FC and the legacy he leaves in Canadian soccer despite his downfall.  They also break down the Canadian Women’s National Team’s undefeated 2024 and where key players may move to in the North American offseason.  We wr...

Ben, Alex and Dunlop are back together for what initially looked like a quiet week in Canadian soccer but very much wasn’t. Off the top, they dive into The Globe and Mail’s report on the toxic culture through several decades at Canada Soccer before diving into everything surrounding Vanni Sartini’s departure from the Vancouver Whitecaps.  After discussing what’s next for the Whitecaps, and wh...

The Canadian Men’s National team is making their way to the Concacaf Nations League Finals after beating Suriname! Ben, Alex, and Dunlop discuss the Suriname series and what Canada learned from its domination over two legs before discussing how the team can continue to develop in the leadup to the 2025 Nations League Finals.  After that, the boys jump into some big picture takeaways and Jesse...

The Canadian Men's National Team went down south and got a 1-0 win over Suriname in the first leg of their Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal, and the Northern Fútbol boys dove right into it after the match. Dunlop takes on the instant reaction in the first half, and Steiner subs in with Alex for the second portion of the podcast as they break down your questions on the gritty victory. Hosted on...

Ben, Alex and Dunlop are back together for a massive week of Canadian soccer news. They start on the fallout of the Canada Soccer drone investigation and the firing of Bev Priestman from the women’s national team.  After that, it’s an in-depth preview on the Canadian men’s national team as they get set to take on Suriname in the quarterfinals of the Concacaf Nations League. With Davies and Co...

The boys are back with a Canadian Premier League Final extravaganza! Tommy Wheeldon Jr. and Bobby Smyrniotis join the show for a coach’s roundtable ahead of the 2024 CPL Final, with Cavalry FC and Forge FC set to battle in the 6th CPL Final in Calgary on Saturday.  Ben, Dunlop and Alex also dive into the Vancouver Whitecaps tremendous performance in Game 2 against LAFC and chat about Shola Ji...

It was a pleasure to be joined by Forge FC's Alessandro Hojabrpour for a special edition of Northern Fútbol Podcast. Hojabrpour was announced as a finalist for the for the 2024 Players' Player of the Year in the Canadian Premier League. That accomplishments comes after a fantastic season with Forge FC, who finished top of the CPL table in the regular season. In this episode, Ben and Alex talk to H...

Today's edition of the Northern Fútbol Podcast was an extremely special one with the show hitting the 200th episode mark. Your typical hosts, Ben, Brendan and Alex, were joined by the original hosts of the podcast, Peter and Thomas. The five of them chatted for 10 minutes off the top about the growth of the podcast and the memories made along the way. Once Peter and Thomas left the call, the guys...

Welcome back to episode 199.5 of the Northern Fútbol Podcast. The guys haven't made it to episode 200 yet because Ben Steiner was unfortunately unable to make the show, which means you'll only be listening Brendan Dunlop and Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic on today's edition of the program. With Brendan back in the mix, Alexandre and Brendan looked back at what happened in the MLS playoffs with Montreal an...

No Brendan Dunlop on the show today so Ben Steiner and Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic guided to ship for episode 199 of the Northern Fútbol Podcast. They went around the Canadian soccer world, for both men and women, starting with the news out of the newly formed Northern Super League. News broke early Monday morning that Jade Kovacevic had signed for AFC Toronto becoming the first player to sign for a NS...

Ben, Alex and Dunlop are back to break down Canada's 2-1 friendly win over Panama, the new CanWNT coaching staff and roster, and a dramatic weekend to come in MLS and CPL action. TOPICS INCLUDE: -Is this the best David and Larin have been? -Who is locked in for 2026? -Where do Ali Ahmed and Mathieu Choiniere fit in the long-term CanMNT? -Should Canada be scared of Suriname? -Is the CPL even essent...

Ben, Alex and Dunlop are back on NFP as a trio this week to break down all the latest in Canadian soccer, from how the Canadian Men's National Team is looking in Montreal to how some of the Northern Super League teams may build out their rosters. TOPICS INCLUDE -CanMNT hits Montreal; what does Marsch get out of this? -CanMNT players connect with communities and local clubs -NSL completes team bran...

Ben, Alex and Dunlop are back together for this one to break down the latest Canadian Men's National Team roster ahead of the October friendly against Panama, while also diving into the MLS Playoff race, NWSL, Christine Sinclair, and Canadians thriving abroad. Canadian Men's National Team talk begins at the 36-minute mark. TOPICS INCLUDE: -Where could Jessie Fleming end up if not Portland? -What's...

Ben and Alex are in The Nation Network Vancouver studio the day after the 2024 TELUS Canadian Championship Final, breaking down the Vancouver Whitecaps penalty kick win over Toronto FC to capture their third straight Voyageurs Cup. Dunlop was unable to join this week's show but will return for Episode 196! TOPICS INCLUDE -The Whitecaps won the Canadian Championship! -The crowd at the Canadian Cham...

Ben and Alex are in The Nation Network studio, with Dunlop joining from home as they break down the latest in Canadian soccer, including the CanWNT's new friendly booked against Spain, how the Canadian youth programs could improve, and what a CanMNT January camp could look like. TOPICS INCLUDE: -What other duel nationals could Jesse Marsch look at for October or November? -Does Canada Soccer need...

Ben and Alex kick off the show and are later joined by Dunlop as they dive into a late-night recording that breaks down the Canadian men's national team's 0-0 draw with Mexico and what the CanMNT learned from the September window. After 30 minutes of CanMNT breakdown, they jump into MLS and CPL discourse and the challenges of putting a toddler to sleep. TOPICS INCLUDE: -CanMNT draw Mexico! Did we...

Ben and Alex get together in the virtual studio to break down Canada's 2-1 win over the United States in Concacaf friendly action and also look ahead to Tuesday's CanMNT match against Mexico. TOPICS INCLUDE -Was that Jonathan David's best game in a Canada shirt? -Is Ben the reverse curse with Jonathan David scoring and Ssam Adekugbe called back in? -What formation works for Canada against top team...