Northern Super League Preview: Get to know each team

Professional women’s soccer has arrived in Canada.

The first match of the new Northern Super League goes Wednesday in Vancouver, kicking off a busy inaugural season.

This spring is about making soccer history. It’s about a dream former Team Canada player and two-time Olympic bronze medallist Diana Matheson had just a few years ago. It’s about how so many joined her dream and jumped into action, wanting to make another professional women’s sports league a reality.

The new league will inspire young players and build on the success and resiliency of the national team by bringing soccer to more Canadians. And, for the first time ever, a professional women’s sports league is including more than just a few Canadian cities and more than a couple provinces — six cities across the country

From Nova Scotia and the Halifax Tides, through Quebec and the Montreal Roses, with two stops in Ontario for the Ottawa Rapid and AFC Toronto, then west to Alberta and the Calgary Wild, and lastly, British Columbia with the Vancouver Rise, the NSL has teams all over the map.

Three years ago, it was simply a dream; less than a year ago the final two teams were announced; in the last six months players joined rosters and schedules were unveiled; and now, on Wednesday, there will be a game between Calgary and Vancouver.

There’s a lot to get familiar with, considering the excitement of this moment.

Here's a look at the six teams:

Halifax Tides FC
Home field: Wanderers Grounds
Head coach: Lewis Page

Key players
Erin McLeod has two Olympic medals with Canada — gold and bronze — and multiple FIFA Women’s World Cup appearances. As one of the top goalkeepers in Canada, McLeod will bring a steadiness to the Tides' final line of defence.

Forward Christabel Oduro has international experience playing with clubs across Europe but has also been a key player while wearing the red and white. She represented Canada in 2012 on the U20 team at the Concacaf championship, helping to secure a second-place finish.

The X Factor: Jawslyn the shark
If the Tides have gotten one thing right, it’s their mascot. Jawslyn the shark has been everywhere from social media posts to, meet and greets, to sharing a couch with the NSL founder. Building hype and excitement is one of the most crucial elements for a new team, and Jawslyn is doing just that.

Beyond the pitch
The Tides are just the third professional sports team in Halifax and are helping to fill a hole in their home market. They join HFX Wanderers FC of the Canadian Premier League, the National Lacrosse League’s Halifax Thunderbirds, and are the first women’s pro sports team in the city.

Montreal Roses FC
Home field: Centre sportif Bois-de-Boulogne
Head coach: Robert Rositoiu

Key players
Winger Mégane Sauvé is coming home to Montreal, and with her comes experience overseas like winning the Supercup with Lisbon’s Sporting Clube de Portugal. While there, she was best known for her technical mastery and flexibility as both an attacker and defender.

Veteran midfielder Charlotte Bilbault was the first player named to the Roses. She has extensive experience with the French national team and will bring strong leadership to the new club.

The X factor: A hometown team
The Roses have leaned heavily on Quebec for team branding as well as talent. Many of the players on the roster come from Quebec teams as offering these players an opportunity to move up without having to play abroad was a key consideration when building the team. Come May 3, fans will be the last piece of the hometown puzzle when they attend the first match in Montreal.

Beyond the pitch
Actually, this one is specifically about the pitch. The Roses will play on the first stadium in Canada specifically designed to meet the needs of a professional women’s soccer team. Located in Laval, the new field is fitted with a newly renovated Roses training facility, and will serve as home for each of the team’s 12 games there this season. The field has capacity for 5,581 fans, and offers ample parking as well as shuttle buses on game day to help fill those seats.

Ottawa Rapid FC
Home field: TD Place Stadium
Head coach: Katrine Pedersen

Key players
Desiree Scott is a veteran defensive midfielder and one of the most decorated Canadian national players. She’s one of only three to win medals at three consecutive Olympic Games and has logged over 10,000 career minutes in the NWSL over 10 seasons.

Young goaltender Mollie Eriksson comes to the Rapid with a neuroscience degree and a history of dominating in League1. The 24-year-old was a keeper of the year finalist in the Ontario league during the last two seasons. She was also named a 2024 second team all-star in the Women’s Premier Division.

The big question: How will team chemistry set them apart?
The Rapid have been quick to build team connections with outings to PWHL games and fun skating adventures along the canal. With many of their players already in Ottawa during the winter months they were able to spend more time getting familiar with each other. So, how will their new friendships bolster on field performance?

Beyond the pitch:
The Rapid are picking up where the Ottawa Fury FC — the city’s former amateur women’s team — left off. Fury FC was home to top Canadian talent for 14 years before it was dissolved in 2014. Now, with the NSL, the top talent of this region can be both served and shown by the Rapid.

AFC Toronto
Home field: York Lions Stadium
Head coach: Marko Milanović

Key players
Midfielder Emma Regan was the first Canadian national team player to join Toronto. She has four caps with Canada and two starts, as well as experience playing on developmental teams in Vancouver, the University of Texas, and internationally in Denmark.

Victoria Pickett brings her leadership skills and experience from playing in the NWSL to AFC Toronto. The midfielder was a rookie of the year finalist in 2021 with the Kansas City Current and was critical in cementing that team when it joined the NWSL as the most recent expansion franchise.

The X factor: A strong foundation
Many of Toronto AFC’s technical staff come from working with the North Toronto Soccer Club. Given their previous experience working together, and the fact that this club mobilized quickly, they’ve had lots of time to shape the team culture and brand of soccer, while also having the luxury of travelling around the globe to scout talent.

Beyond the pitch
Just six days before the start of the season, Toronto unveiled its secondary kit — a white jersey with blue doodles depicting iconic aspects of the city. From Canadian geese, to streetcars and construction, and symbols of multiculturalism with a woman in a hijab and many cuisines represented, the kit is an outstanding representation of the city.

Calgary Wild FC
Home field: McMahon Stadium
Head coach: Lydia Bedford

Key players
Goalkeeper Sarah Keilty-Dilling brings a wealth of talent and experience to the Wild. She's played at the NCAA D1 level at the University of Texas where she became the team’s all-time leader in games started with 82, wins with 41, and shutouts with 20.

Jenaya Robertson is a skilled midfielder with previous experience playing for Trinity Western University. While there, she proved her excellence on the pitch and collected various honours including U Sports player of the year in 2019-20.

The X factor: Experience around the world
Calgary’s roster is star-studded, of course, but it is also punctuated by impressive global talent. From midfielder Farkhunda Muhtaj the captain of the Afghanistan national team, to defender Meikayla Moore, a three-time Olympian with New Zealand, and Mijke Roelfsema from the Netherlands, these players are sure to bring a style of play that extends beyond Canada’s borders.

Beyond the pitch
Bedford started her coaching career across the pond and became the first woman to hold a coaching position in the English Premier League. After moving on to help build something new with the Wild in Calgary, she’s moved from one historic role to another.

Vancouver Rise FC
Home field: Swangard Stadium
Head coach: Anja Heiner-Moller

Key players
Quinn joins the Rise as a veteran star and global trailblazer in sports. The midfielder has appeared in over 200 games at the national and professional level, and boasts two Olympic medals, a gold at Tokyo 2020 and a bronze at Rio 2016. Quinn was a critical force for the Seattle Reign FC during their time in the NWSL and is the highest-drafted Canadian in the history of the American league.

Nikki Stanton, another veteran midfielder from the NWSL, arrives in Vancouver with plenty of pro experience behind her. She’s a fearless attacker who will bring strong leadership to the new squad and who has three years of experience playing alongside Quinn with the Seattle Reign FC.

The big question: How will old mix with new?
The Rise enter the NSL with a unique blend of young and veteran talent. Their offensive units are laden with experience at the national and professional level with players who’ve appeared at the Olympics, World Cup, and in the NWSL. Meanwhile, this team has vibrant young talent starting in net. If the Rise can have their veteran leadership and experience rub off on young goaltenders Kirstin Tynan and Morgan McAslan, they’ll become a force.

Beyond the pitch
The Rise are responsible for kicking off the NSL at BC Place. The Wild will join them in the inaugural match where the circumstances feel so full circle. Vancouver is truly a soccer city, and with Christine Sinclair — the greatest Canadian player ever and Rise part-owner — having played her last national game in that stadium this past December, it just makes sense to have the league start this new chapter of the Canadian game on such a special field.