The Maple Footy Podcast

Just because there's no World Cup Football on today doesn't mean we can't talk about it, right? The round of 16 has concluded, so let's look at each game and how teams fared. Talking about players like Ronaldo, Haaland, Messi, Mbappé, Bellingham, their individual talents as well as their matches as a whole! Save The Caps: https://savethecaps.com Listen to just audio for Maple Footy here: https://l...

A tough one to take... but I can't help but feel proud of what these guys did for us on the biggest stage in sport. How could they played, how much fun I had cheering them on. Yes, we're sadly now out of the World Cup it was a truly great run for us. So many highs along the way and to go out on our sword against one of the best teams still in the competition in Morocco, that's not exactly an embar...

It may not have been the prettiest win, but it was our most historic. In a must-win game, our boys got the job done courtesy of a Stephen Eustáquio strike. Coming in the dying moments of the match step up our vice captain and one of the most influential players we've seen. What a moment it was, and it's a moment that can fundamentally change Canada Soccer for years to come! Let's talk about it. Sa...

A disappointing day for Canada Soccer, not only because our boys lost, but it was the manner in which we did, and that loss means we have no more games IN Canada during the duration of our run in this tournament. In this episode, we talk about Canada's highs and lows so far this tournament so far. Save The Caps: https://savethecaps.com Listen to just audio for Maple Footy here: https://linktr.ee/m...

A FIRST-EVER WORLD CUP WIN FOR OUR MEN AT THE WORLD CUP! Enough to make a grown man cry. What a top-class performance from our boys, this was a win in style. 6-0, our boys showed out in a packed BC Place with the country watching. Jonathan David SILENCED the doubters in style with a World Cup hat-trick. Larin, Shaff and Saliba also bagged themselves some goals. But the story coming out of this one...

Not every day you get to welcome the father of one of our boys at the World Cup. It was so cool to chat with Alan Millar, father of Liam Millar! Alan has been a supporter of the podcast for a little bit now, so it was unreal to have him on. Truly, such a great guy and a pleasure to have him on. He talks all about the journey, trials and tribulations, sacrifices made, his proudest moments, those am...

Today we take a look at some of the games that have been played at the World Cup from the first day of Mexico vs South Africa up until Sweden vs Tunisia. Lots of things to note, stories to cover, top performances and more! Save The Caps: https://savethecaps.com Listen to just audio for Maple Footy here: https://linktr.ee/maplefootypod?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAabc0hsby2lfMiXiY48TQ8pcDItbgGrFbjeCbT...

Oh, Canada, I have chills thinking of the atmosphere around Toronto Stadium. It was unreal. Our boys went out there and did us proud on the biggest stage in sport. What a day it was, and what a moment when Cyle Larin bagged his first-ever World Cup goal to help us come back and get our first World Cup point. While there are tons of positives, there were still some things to learn ahead of Qatar......

Not every day you get to welcome the reigning defender of the year to the podcast... It's great to have Forge FC's Dan Nimick on the pod today, as he chats about his unconventional journey to professional football, his time in the Leeds Academy, his time in Halifax as a Wanderer and his debut campaign with Forge FC. Listen to just audio for Maple Footy here: https://linktr.ee/maplefootypod?fbclid=...

It's great to welcome Elisa Paolucci to the podcast. She's a talented shot stopper who's played with the TMU Lions at the University level and, of course, now with International FC in the OPL. She talks about balancing being a student athlete and a busy lifestyle, her journey through the Canadian Soccer System, studying sports media and more. Listen to just audio for Maple Footy here: https://link...

And there it is... our two World Cup friendly matches have been played, and now we have to wait 6 LONGGGGG days until June 12th, when Canada kicks off our Tournament against Bosnia and Herzegovina. We had our send-off match against the Republic of Ireland in front of a sold-out Montreal crowd. There are a few takeaways from this match that we discuss at length. Save The Caps: https://savethecaps.c...

Canada has now played 1 of their 2 Pre-World Cup friendlies, this one being against Uzbekistan. It was definitely a tale of two halves. In the first half, we looked rusty and off the pace, due in large part to many of our guys not being fully match fit following some injuries. Then, once we made changes, I thought the second half squad looked pretty good. Still leaving some stuff to talk about as...

In just under two weeks, Canada will be hosting Bosnia in Toronto on June 12th to open our 3rd ever World Cup journey. So let's talk a little bit about the 26 men who will be repping us on the biggest stage there is. Save The Caps: https://savethecaps.com Listen to just audio for Maple Footy here: https://linktr.ee/maplefootypod?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAabc0hsby2lfMiXiY48TQ8pcDItbgGrFbjeCbTaDvOFS...

For the first time ever, we welcome an OPL player onto the podcast... International FC's Elizabeth Maione! It was great to chat with her about her navigation of the Canadian footballing system. Whether it be her time with Centennial College & their team, the Colts, or being a part of International FC's first women's team. She also chats about the student-athlete lifestyle and so much more! Lis...

The final games of the season were played over the weekend in Europe, and wow, were there some big results. Alphonso Davies wins the Pokal with Bayern while Alistair Johnston wins the Scottish Cup with Celtic. While at Wembley, Liam Millar & Hull City did the unthinkable and got themselves into the Premier League! The Liam Millar Hive was buzzing after Hull did what many people doubted they'd...

It's great to welcome one of the CPL's newest Goalkeepers, Matheus de Souza! Recently, he was drafted 5th overall in the CPL draft following a great season with UFV Cascades, where he did quite well, record for clean sheets, second team all Canadian, Canada West All Rookie Team and Canada West 1st Team All-Star. Now having made his Vancouver FC debut, he reflects on his journey to that moment and...

Loads of games this past week involving many of our Canadian boys! Most MLS clubs played 2 matches this season as they get ready for the World Cup break. All 8 teams in the CPL featured across 4 matches, including Forge's annual school day match. Then in Europe, Alistair Johnston's Celtic clinched the Scottish League Title in controversial fashion, the Play off final is set between Hull and Southa...

#canadasoccer #podcast #forgefc #forge #hamilton #canmnt #interview #cpl #canadianpremierleague #foreverfirst It's a true pleasure to welcome Daniël Krutzen to the podcast today. He's a player who's had himself many amazing moments in the Canadian Premier League. In 2023, he retired from the game, but now in 2026, he's back in the Orange, in Hamilton with Forge FC. We talk all about his career hig...

As the European season is winding down we have some of our boys playing in big games. Whether it be Larin & Millar in the playoffs or Alistair Johnston in the Old Firm Derby there are some huge match-ups. CanChamp is also well underway, and the MLS boys are trying their best to impress! Elsewhere, though... our captain and left back was dealt another injury blow putting his World Cup in jeopar...

Some huge midweek results that had me not wanting to wait until next week to talk about them. Atlético Ottawa pulled off a huge upset in the Canadian Championship against Toronto FC. Huge moment for a struggling Ottawa side... something that could turn their season around. Elsewhere, Davies and Bayern lost in the semi-finals of the UCL and LAFC lost in the Champions Cup... either way, there's a lo...

Another week passes as we near the end of the season, which means we get closer and closer to the World Cup! So there is still of course, a lot to talk about, whether it be Buchanan and Villarreal clinching UCL, a huge week for Davies, or the EFL Playoff Picture being confirmed. Elsewhere in the MLS our goalkeepers shined in some iconic, we do a CPL round and more! Save The Caps: https://savetheca...

It is now 42 days until Canada kicks off our World Cup against Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 12th at BMO Field. Come the end of May, Jesse Marsch will have to submit his squad for the tournament. So we're going to do our best to try and predict his squad, whilst sprinkling my own personal bias. So let's talk about it. Save The Caps: https://savethecaps.com Listen to just audio for Maple Footy her...

Another week in Canada Soccer has passed, and it was a big one. Whether it be injury news, like Alfie Jones, Tajon Buchanan & Richie Laryea being dealt injury blows... but Alistair Johnston returned for Celtic after being out since October! Elsewhere in Europe, Liam Millar kind of relegated Leicester City, and Cyle Larin continued his hot streak in front of goal. In the MLS our goalkeepers had...

Another special guest joins the podcast today... the Director of Soccer Operations at KS Soccer, George-Éric Painson. He joins the podcast to talk about his own personal journey, how his futsal career led him to where he is now. The importance of having fun in playing, accessibility of the game in Canada, and growing the game and so much more. Let's talk about it... KS Soccer website: https://ksso...

Another busy week in Canada Soccer! We've got a lot to talk about whether it be in the CPL or MLS some of our boys had really great weeks. Thomas Müller helped the Whitecaps to a win, TFC and Montreal also had interesting weekends. In Europe, the action didn't slow down, whether it was Alphonso Davies clinching another title for Bayern, Jonathan David grabbing a man of the match for Juventus or Cy...