AFC Toronto's Emma Regan continues to show growing importance to CanWNT under Casey Stoney
Five games into the Casey Stoney era with the CanWNT, and it’s hard to think of many bigger winners than Emma Regan, who once again highlighted her growing importance to this Canadian team in this April window.
First, she showed again what she brings to Canada’s midfield in their first of two friendlies they played against Argentina, putting in a top performance in a 3-0 win at BC Place last Friday.
Her first appearance in her hometown, having grown up in North Vancouver, the 25-year-old made the most of that opportunity, as she was excellent on both sides of the ball in the victory. Even though she was making just her eighth appearance for Canada, she showed why Stoney had quickly turned to her as a trusted face after her arrival, playing her in all four games up to that point.
Arguably the biggest standout so far in the Stoney era alongside Marie-Yasmine Alidou, it’s a sign that big things could be to come for Regan in a Canadian shirt, and for good reason.
Certainly, if that wasn’t clear after her first four appearances under Stoney, Canada’s second game of the window against Argentina at Starlight Stadium might’ve cemented that idea. There, Regan was given the night off, as Stoney decided to experiment with her midfield group.
Having already had a good look at what Regan can bring through her first four appearances, where she’s formed nice chemistry with both Jessie Fleming and Julia Grosso in separate games, it was almost seen as a sign of where she sits in Canada’s hierarchy to see her rested, given that they had also rested key players such as Fleming, Vanessa Gilles, Ashley Lawrence, Adriana Leon, Janine Sonis and Kailen Sheridan for this game.
NEW-LOOK #CANWNT ✨
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) February 19, 2025
What did @Amy13Walsh make of Canada's midfield duo of Julia Grosso and Emma Regan? 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/8uhLyXFGip
Unfortunately for Canada, they were unable to find success with their rotated squad, as they lost in regular time for the first time since October of 2023, snapping an undefeated streak that lasted 23 games, and it felt like Regan’s absence was one of the key reasons why that loss occurred.
Yet, that’s a sign of her growing importance to this team, especially as it pertains to the role she’s been asked to play under Stoney.
Given that Stoney plays with a double-pivot in midfield, she wanted some balance in the middle of the park, something that Canada struggled with in the past under Bev Priestman, who also used a double-pivot for a large chunk of her tenure as head coach.
In Regan, Stoney has found a piece that can bring that balance, as she’s proven to be quite strong defensively, but is even better on the ball, helping bring control to the middle of the park. In particular, she seems to set the tempo on the ball for her team whenever she plays, doing a great job of getting on the ball and keeping it circulating quickly.
Arguably, that was what was most missed against Argentina in their loss Tuesday night. There, it felt like Canada lacked the rhythm they had in their 3-0 win, with Argentina doing a great job of disrupting the game with their defensive play and constant fouling.
For a Canadian team that wants to play quickly and directly in possession under Stoney, this game felt like anything but that, as Canada just couldn’t find that rhythm in their play. To give an idea of how much so, consider this - they completed just 74% of their passes (including just 40% of their long balls) in this 1-0 loss despite keeping 70% of possession - by comparison, they completed 82% of their passes (including 56% long balls) and kept 65% of possession in their 3-0 win, where they were much more efficient with the ball despite having less of it.
"We lost a bit of midfield control in the first half," Stoney said of the 1-0 loss. "We got to the final third, but there was a lack of decision-making and execution."
A look at the midfield from this 1-0 loss shows why that was the case, however - having started with a pivot of Quinn and Carly Wickenheiser at Starlight Stadium, both midfielders struggled to get into the game as much as hoped - Quinn uncharacteristically finished with only 24 out of 35 passes (69%), while Wickenheiser completed just 13 out of 21 passes (62%).
By comparison, Regan completed 36 out of 44 passes (82%) in her performance at BC Place on Friday, while also completing two key passes (Quinn and Wickenheiser combined for just one key pass on Tuesday). 
Regan's heatmap from Canada's 3-0 win vs. Argentina, highlighting her involvement in midfield (SofaScore)
Part of that is circumstantial, no doubt - Wickenheiser was making just her third appearance for Canada, while Quinn is returning from an injury that kept them out of action for Canada since last summer’s Olympics, which perhaps showed why both were unable to get as much rhythm on the ball as hoped.
In particular, Quinn’s track record suggests that they’ll return to a much higher standard once they get games under their belt - when in midfield, they tend to bring a high level of control, offering the sort of things on both sides of the ball that Stoney demands.
With Regan, however, there is another name that can also bring that to the table for Canada, which makes things interesting going forward. Before, Quinn was arguably the only ‘destroy and progress’ midfielder Canada had available - other options like Fleming and Grosso were more offensive-minded, whereas Desiree Scott was more defensive-minded - showing why Regan has been so important to Stoney, especially with Quinn not available to play in Stoney’s first window in charge in February.
Yet, Regan’s emergence only offers more flexibility to Stoney, who could perhaps try a Regan-Quinn partnership, something she tried in the last 25 minutes of Canada’s Friday win. There, Quinn put in a more typical showing, completing 20 out of 22 passes (91%), bringing control to a game Canada was looking to close out, something they and Regan comfortably were able to do, showing that there could be potential for the two to work nicely together if they won’t be competing with each other for minutes.
Plus, this discussion doesn't even factor in 21-year-old Simi Awujo, who is another great 'destroy and progress' midfield option who has emerged over the past year - the Manchester United midfielder is yet to feature under Stoney as she returns from an injury, but she will push Regan and Quinn for minutes when healthy, which could open the door for some fun partnerships such as Awujo-Regan and Awujo-Quinn, too - in particular, the Awujo-Regan combination could offer a nice glimpse of what Canada's future midfield could look like.
From there, partnerships like that could free up Jessie Fleming to play more of an attacking role, something that always suits her more, even if she’s got the work rate to play deeper on the pitch.
Returning to Regan, however, one thing feels for sure, however - it feels like she is about to take a big step forward for Canada, at least based on her start to 2025. When Stoney talks about improving Canada’s depth, Regan’s the exact example of what that can look like, as she’s already creating discussions in midfield that didn’t exist months ago.
Once a position of weakness, her emergence is helping change that narrative, having done well to rise to the opportunity provided to her earlier this year with Stoney’s arrival and the absences of both Quinn and Awujo.
Now, however, a big challenge awaits, as Regan will now look to carry over her strong play for Canada to her new club team, AFC Toronto, who have made her one of their marquee signings ahead of their inaugural Northern Super League campaign.
Welcome to AFC Toronto, Emma! ✍️#AFCToronto | #RunItOurWay pic.twitter.com/mwz6uoKFno
— AFC Toronto (@AFC_Toronto) December 12, 2024
A move that already looked great when it was announced last December, it has aged incredibly over the past four months, given that Regan has now emerged as a Canadian regular, and looks to be one of the best players in the league.
That’ll be of huge benefit to Toronto, who will be able to dominate games in midfield, giving them a pillar to build around in year one, which is one of the many reasons why they look like early favourites to win the league in year one.
If anything, their big challenge over the next while might be to keep her - if her stock continues to rise for Canada, one wonders if some top teams might come calling for her services.
Until then, however, she’ll look to continue this strong run for her new club as the NSL season kicks off, further cementing her status as a player to watch for Canada going forward.
