FORM GUIDE 📈 Choinière bags brace, Canadians see red in NWSL openers

It was a rollercoaster week for Canadian internationals across both the men’s and women’s national teams. 

There were trophies lifted, goals scored and, unfortunately, a pair of red cards shown as the NWSL season got underway with an impressive group of Canadians involved.  

Here is a look at the biggest stories and performances for Canadian national team players this past week:

Kadeisha Buchanan's back, with trophy in hand  

Fifteen months after suffering a brutal ACL injury, Kadeisha Buchanan is all the way back, making her first start for Chelsea since being sidelined in Sunday’s Women’s League Cup final against Manchester United. 

She finished the match with a trophy in hand, playing 62 minutes in a 2-0 win. For Buchanan, it was a deserved reward for a long road back from injury, as she joins this Chelsea team at a critical juncture in the season. Over the next few weeks, they have both Champions League and FA Cup quarter-final matches, while also looking to close a 10-point gap on Manchester City in the WSL. 

Buchanan’s return is, evidently, outstanding news for the Canadian women’s national team as well, as they continue preparations for this year’s Concacaf W Championship with the FIFA Women’s Series in Brazil in mid-April.

Mathieu Choinière scores a stunning brace 

It was a dream Saturday for Mathieu Choinière. 

Playing against St. Louis FC, at home, he started and then scored a late brace, both incredible efforts from outside the box, in a 2-0 victory. They were his first two goals of the season for a LA side who are 4-0-0 to start the season without a single goal conceded. They are back in action on Tuesday night in Costa Rica against L.D. Alajeulense (9 p.m. ET on OneSoccer). They are currently tied 1-1 on aggregate, with Alajeulense scoring an away goal. 

It was the perfect performance for the midfielder ahead of an important national team camp coming up at the end of the month, where he will continue to fight for a spot in an increasingly deep area of the pitch for the national team.  

Another one! That's a brace for Choinière! pic.twitter.com/x7WjnQsmwB

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 15, 2026

Canadians see red in the NWSL 

The NWSL kicked off this past weekend with a fantastic slate of matches on OneSoccer. 

There were mixed results for Canadian players, none more so than Janine Sonis. The 31-year-old, playing in the inaugural match for Denver Summit FC in her home state, assisted on the team’s inaugural goal. 

Sonis, however, wasn’t the only Canadian who received their marching orders during the matchweek. Bianca St. Georges saw two yellows and was dismissed in the 79th minute against Gotham FC. 

A difficult start to the year for these two players in particular, but it was an exciting weekend overall, with several players debuting for their new clubs and earning significant minutes. 

In other news… 

CanMNT

Ali Ahmed scored his fourth Championship goal of the season as Norwich City defeated Daniel Jebbison’s Preston North End 2-0 on Saturday. The Canaries are now up into 12th in the table. 

Cyle Larin scored a late equalizer against West Brom on Wednesday for Southampton, his third goal since joining the club. He also started and played 68 minutes in a 2-1 win over Coventry on Saturday. 

Adonija Ouanda remains a player worth keeping an eye on in the Canadian national team pool. The 20-year-old scored his second goal of the season for Slovacko in the Czech top flight, with whom he is on loan from Sparta Prague. 

Joel Waterman was subbed into the match in the 66th minute as Chicago Fire lost 2-1 to D.C. United on Saturday 

Niko Sigur returned from suspension to play 90 minutes in a 2-1 win over NK Lokomotiva on Sunday from Hajduk Split. 

Ralph Priso went the full 90 for the Whitecaps’ 6-0 win over Minnesota United in MLS action. He was subbed in early in the second half in a 3-0 loss to the Seattle Sounders in the Concacaf Champions Cup. 

Richie Laryea went the full 90 in Toronto FC’s 1-1 draw with the New York Red Bulls in the club’s home opener. Jonathan Osorio also went the full 90 in midfield. 

Marcelo Flores started and went 59 minutes on Sunday in Tigres’ 0-0 draw with Querétaro. 

Tajon Buchanan started and played 60 minutes in a 1-1 draw against Alavés for Villarreal. Tani Oluwaseyi was an 85th-minute substitute. 

Nathan Saliba started and went the full 90 for 10-man Anderlecht as they lost 1-0 to Mechelen in the Belgian Pro League. 

Jayden Nelson started and went 60 minutes for Austin FC in a 2-1 loss to Real Salt Lake on Saturday. 

Liam Millar started for Hull City but was taken off for tactical reasons in the 40th minute following a red card to a teammate in a 3-0 loss to West Brom. 

Jonathan David was a stoppage-time substitute in Juventus’ 1-0 win over Udinese. Rumours continue to swirl around his exit from Italy, including a potential move back to France with Marseille. 

CanWNT 

Ashley Lawrence went the full 90 as OL Lyonnes defeated PSG 1-0 in the Coupe de la Ligue final. 

Olivia Smith scored her fifth league goal of the season for Arsenal in a 2-0 win over London City. She played 72 minutes in the match. 

Cloé Lacasse played the full 90 and picked up an assist as the Utah Royals were defeated 2-1 by KC Current. 

Kailen Sheridan made four saves in their North Carolina Courage debut during a 2-1 win over Louisville. 

Jade Rose played the full 90 in a 0-0 draw with Aston Villa. 

Vanessa Gilles was an 81st minute substitute for Bayern Munich in their 3-0 win over FC Koln. She also played the full 90 in a 3-0 win over Hamburger SV.  

Jayde Riviere started and played 59 minutes, while Simi Awujo was a late substitute, during United’s League Cup final loss to Chelsea. 

Sydney Collins and Brooklyn Courtnall both went the full 90 in Bay City’s 2-1 win over Denver Summit. 

Julia Grosso went the full 90, while Jordyn Huitema did also in her Chicago Stars debut, which unfortunately came in a tough 4-0 loss to Angel City. 

Emma Regan started, and played the first 45 minutes in Denver’s 2-1 loss to Bay City FC. 

Jessie Fleming and Marie-Yasmine Alidou both started for Portland in their 1-0 win over the Washington Spirit. Gabrielle Carle started and went 84 minutes in the loss for Washington Spirit. 

Evelyne Viens played the full 90 in a 1-1 draw with Roma against Fiorentina. She also went 77 minutes and picked up an assist against Inter Milan on Thursday. 

Nichelle Prince went the full 90 for Boston Legacy in a 1-0 loss to Gotham FC in their inaugural match.