NSL by Position: Goalkeepers
With the NSL just ten days away, we thought it would be a good time to introduce you to some of the players in the league you may not know yet. While stars like Quinn, McLeod, Scott, and Regan steal the show, there is plenty of talent waiting to be discovered. Here are 3-4 players I expect to make an instant impact in year one, by position, and a few U22 players to keep an eye on, too. The parameters include recent form, pro and international experience, and statistics.
Goalkeepers
Canada has always been a goalkeeping nation - Leblanc, McLeod, Labbe, and Sheridan, all world class goalkeepers in their time, have built a strong foundation of goalkeeping excellence on the National team. As seen by that picture of Sheridan styling her hair like Erin McLeod as a kid, there’s been a virtuous cycle of young talent hoping to imitate their idols. Speaking of McLeod, it’s incredible to see her come home to play in the NSL, not only because of the resilience and longevity she’s demonstrated, but also because at 42, she has seen where we came from as a nation and where we are now. She’ll get the headlines and publicity, as she should and as was designed, but most of all she gets a full circle moment, living close to her sister in Halifax with her wife and teammate Gunny Jónsdóttir and their newborn baby. While it’s difficult to leave her out of the discussion about the best goalkeeper, it may be her leadership that’s most beneficial to a young Halifax backline. She’s joined in Halifax by two talented young Canadians angling to be her successor: Anika Toth and Sophie Guilmette.
My pick for best goalkeeping duo is Anna Karpenko and Gabrielle Lambert in Montreal. Gabrielle Lambert became the Roses’ first player signed, along with French vet Bilbault, late last year. It was generally anticipated that she’ll be the starter for Montreal. It’s a great story - a local talent who thrived in Quebec’s development system both in her youth and Usports career. The UQTR alumni headed to France for most of her professional career, splitting her time between the First and Second Division for clubs like Saint Etienne and Montpellier before getting her big break in 2023. She transferred to SC Freiburg in the Bundesliga, where she benefited from an injury and became the starter in an epic run to the DFB Pokal Final. The 31-year-old returned to Quebec last fall, suiting up for one final season with the UQTR Patriotes and was voted 2nd-Team All-Star.
Gabrielle Lambert | Photo Credit: SC Freiburg
Karpenko joined the Roses last month and will bring stiff competition for the starting spot. The talented former CanYNT keeper graduates from Georgetown this Spring and should be familiar to CanWNT fans, as she’s been called into senior camp on three occasions, recently in April 2024. She’ll be aiming to get more looks from their new goalkeeper coach and a strong season in the NSL wouldn’t hurt. Only 22, she may also be angling for a move to another pro club.
Anna Karpenko | Photo Credit: Canada Soccer
Sofia Manner is my last GK to look out for in the inaugural season. Her stats are impressive at every level - youth, college, and the pros. The 27-yo keeper from Helsinki, Finland was a YNT standout and was recruited to play in the America East Conference for Stony Brook University. With a Rookie of the Year, back-to-back GKOTY awards, she led the team to two Championships and two NCAA College Cup berths. In 2020, she returned to Europe to play professionally in Iceland, and then her native Finland where she was crowned GKOTY once again, amassing 10 clean sheets and averaging a 7.9 average rating on Sofsacore in 2023. In 2024, she signed with the Orlando Pride, who notoriously have nailed their recruiting in recent years. Watching her highlights, her shot-stopping ability is clear and will come in handy in a Toronto team stacked with talented attacking players. Her feet will also be tested as AFCT is expected to keep possession in their half to break the first two defensive lines. Given her prime age, pro and collegiate experience, and excellence at every level, she is poised to have a breakout season for Toronto.
Sofia Manner | Photo Credit: Orlando Pride
Melissa Dagenais, who will likely be Ottawa’s starter and has experience with the CanWNT, is my honourable mention. In terms of young (born 2003 or later) talents to watch, my picks are Jessica Wulf, of the Vancouver Rise, who has as good a shot as any to earn the starting spot, and Sierra Cota-Yarde of AFC Toronto. Born in Kanagawa, Wulf is a Japanese U20 international with Canadian citizenship. Cota-Yarde was born in Toronto and passed through the North Toronto development system, before heading to Arkansas and SMU for college. Her performances earned her a spot on the Portuguese U19 and U23 national teams (she qualifies through her mother) and she even made a senior team appearance in February of 2024. While she’ll likely be the back-up, expect her to make at least a couple of appearances in the inaugural NSL season.
Melissa Dagenais | Photo Credit: Ottawa Rapid