Year 2025 | Five stories to follow… in Soccer

At the start of a new year, while some are thinking about their resolutions and others are still debating the quality of the last Bye Bye, The Press offers you a series of articles highlighting five stories to follow in 2025 in different disciplines. Today, Soccer.

The flowering of roses

Canadian players were waiting for it, their professional women’s soccer league. For a long time almost without hope. But she’s finally here! The Northern Super League and its six teams will kick their first balls in April 2025. And the Montreal Roses intend to make their mark there quickly. Four players from its squad, which will number 25, have already been announced: goalkeeper Gabrielle Lambert, midfielder Charlotte Bilbault as well as attackers Latifah Abdu and Tanya Boychuk. The team should play its dozen home games in three stadiums, in shared custody, namely the CEPSUM, the Claude-Robillard Sports Complex, and the Saputo stadium for major events… like the first match, which should take place around the April 26.

Laurent Courtois and CF Montreal

At the start of January, we have more questions than answers about the year to come for CF Montreal. The Bleu-blanc-noir only has 19 players under contract out of the 30 places on its squad. And again: Matías Cóccaro seems to be leaving, he who is at the center of rumors sending him to Mexico and who himself published a story on Instagram in this sense. The next few weeks will therefore likely be made up of transfer announcements for the CFM. After a training camp mainly held in the southern United States, his 2025 season will begin on February 22, with seven consecutive games on the road. Which players will pace the momentum? The new sports management will undoubtedly give us the answers soon.

Jonathan David towards a big club

His name is Jonathan David, he is Canadian and he is one of the best strikers on the football planet. In 2025, expect him to join one of the big clubs in Europe. With Lille since 2020, David has scored goals with impressive regularity. He is having a superb 2024-2025 season, with 17 goals and 5 assists in 26 matches. Not to mention his five goals with Canada and his title of player of the year in the country. But now his contract with the Mastiffs is coming to an end at the end of this campaign. From the January transfer window, he can come to an agreement with his next team. We will closely follow the fate of this Canadian jewel… just over a year before the Men’s World Cup.

A first title in 25 years for Canada?

If all goes well, the growth experienced by the Canada Soccer men’s selection under Jesse Marsch in 2024… could be exponential in 2025. That’s because two major trophies are within Canada’s reach this year. Marsch and his gang will travel to Los Angeles to face Mexico on March 20 in the semi-final of the Nations League. The final would take place three days later, at the same venue. Why not ? There will also be the Gold Cup, from June 14 to July 6. The Reds have only won this continental competition twice, in 1985 and 2000. Could there be a better way to prepare for the 2026 World Cup than to get their hands on a first title in 25 years?

Manchester City and the “trial of the century”

Away from the field, Manchester City is waging a battle whose result, expected during the first quarter of 2025, could create shock waves in world soccer. We are talking here about the “trial of the century”, as the British media have dubbed it. The Mancunian club is accused by the Premier League of financial embezzlement that appeared since its takeover by the consortium led by Sheikh Mansour, in 2008, and until 2018. The legal confrontation has been taking place since September, behind closed doors. If found guilty, the Cityzens, six times English champions in the last seven years, could see points taken away from the standings, or even be relegated. Enough to shake the columns of the sports infrastructures of several major clubs.