These 20 Canadian footballers won trophies in the 2022-23 season
As has almost become customary, it was another banner weekend for Canadians in Europe, as three crucial CanMNT and CanWNT players brought home silverware with their respective clubs in Alistair Johnston (Celtic), Julia Grosso (Juventus) and Stephen Eustáquio (FC Porto).
With it, they capped off a strong 2022-23 season for Canadians, of which there were several who will head into a crucial summer for both the Canadian Women’s and Men’s National Teams in their own hunt for international silverware.
For the CanWNT, this summer provides a chance to win another major tournament this decade and their first-ever FIFA World Cup, while the CanMNT will be looking for their first trophy since 2000 as they get set for Concacaf Nations League and Concacaf Gold Cup action.
Here's why both sets of players will be filled with confidence about their chances:
Alistair Johnston (3: Scottish Premiership, Scottish Cup, Scottish League Cup)
Johnston may have arrived in Scotland in only December of 2022, but he’s still done pretty well to amass an impressive array of silverware in just six months - with his recent trophy win, he helped Celtic complete a domestic treble, as they picked up everything on offer in Scotland this season.
Having never won a trophy as a professional before this campaign, it was a new sentiment for Johnston, but one he took to quickly, noting before their most recent triumph that he’d been in awe of the fact that “the extraordinary has become ordinary” at Celtic, with the ease of which they were able to get this treble proving to be a perfect example of that.
๐๐๐๐ 1966/67
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) June 3, 2023
๐๐๐ 1968/69
๐๐๐ 2000/01
๐๐๐ 2016/17
๐๐๐ 2017/18
๐๐๐ 2018/19
๐๐๐ 2019/20
๐๐๐ 2022/23
A world record EIGHT domestic Trebles for #CelticFC! ๐ฅ๐ pic.twitter.com/zTPhuj91Dr
Cloé Lacasse (3: Campeonato Nacional, Taça Da Liga, Supertaça)
It was a near-perfect season for Cloé Lacasse and Benfica, as they won a third straight league title, and regained the Taça Da Liga title for a second straight edition. Along with another Supertaça win, that’s not a bad haul, although a surprise elimination to Famalicão in the semi-finals of the Taça De Portugal surely sits as a regret given the fact that winning that tournament would’ve made it a domestic sweep of trophies.
Still, it’s not a bad way to cap off what looks to be Lacasse’s last season with the club, as she’d leave with eight trophies under her belt, which is no small feat.
๐ A ๐ง๐๐ฬง๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ É NOSSA!#TaçadaLigaFeminina #SLBenficaFem#LojasEspacoCasa #Medicare #Egor #AMatosCar @adidasfootball pic.twitter.com/X6mjcFGhqz
— SL Benfica (@SLBenfica) April 1, 2023
Stephen Eustáquio (3: Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira, Taça Da Liga, Taça De Portugal)
After winning two trophies in his first half-season with Porto at the end of 2021-2022, Eustáquio picked up an even better haul of three in his first full season, as Porto recently capped off a relatively successful campaign with the Taça De Portugal, pairing with their Supertaça from last July and Taça Da Liga from earlier this year (in which he scored in the final to help them win).
Overall, that’s not a bad year for Eustáquio with Porto, one that was almost even better as they also came just two points off winning a second league title, and probably could’ve done better in the UEFA Champions League but unluckily fell to eventual finalists Inter Milan in the Round of 16.
That feel when you win your 4th trophy in the past year, and score a game-winner in the final
— Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic (@AlexGangueRuzic) January 28, 2023
Great day to be Stephen Eustáquio, that's for sure#CanMNT pic.twitter.com/iOSk8pY7Pz
Vanessa Gilles (2: D1Arkema, Coupe de France)
In her return to France, Vanessa Gilles wasted no time in hitting the ground running for Lyon, helping the French giants nab a domestic double for the first time since 2019-2020.
Through that, she was able to earn an extension on her loan, meaning she’ll now look to make it a treble next year, as Lyon were left disappointed in the UEFA Champions League after a dramatic exit to Chelsea in the quarter-finals on penalties, something they’ll be eager to change given their pedigree in that competition.
๐ฅบโค๏ธ๐ pic.twitter.com/xzdbYjVIa1
— OL Féminin (@OLfeminin) May 13, 2023
Alphonso Davies (2: DFL Supercup, Bundesliga)
A quiet year for most players might mean battling relegation, or sitting midtable. For Alphonso Davies and Bayern Munich, it meant claiming two trophies to get him up to 13 on the career, as they won the Supercup early in the campaign, before claiming the Bundesliga title in dramatic fashion on the last day, their 11th straight triumph.
Not a bad haul at all from them, although they’ll look at the DFB Pokal and the UEFA Champions League and wonder “what-if?”, especially when seeing how they were trending in both of those competitions before Julian Nagelsmann was unexpectedly fired due to league form.
๐ ๐ดโช ๐ช๐๐ฅ ๐ฆ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ง๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ฅ ๐ ๐๐๐ฆ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฏ โช๐ด๐#MiaSanMeister #FCBayern #MiaSanMia pic.twitter.com/HIyGnLd46S
— FC Bayern München (@FCBayern) May 27, 2023
Jessie Fleming, Kadeisha Buchanan (2: FAWSL, FA Cup)
Two serial trophy winners at the club level over the last few seasons, one had to figure this pair would win some hardware as Kadeisha Buchanan joined Jessie Fleming at Chelsea last offseason.
Turns out, that’d quickly become a reality, as the pair then helped Chelsea claim a fourth straight FAWSL title, as well as a third straight FA Cup.
They did narrowly miss out on making it a domestic treble as they lost to Arsenal in the League’s Cup, and missed out on a continental treble as they fell in the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League, but it was still a very strong campaign from the pair.
CHELSEA. CH๐MPIONS
— (C)helsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) May 27, 2023
๐๐๐๐ pic.twitter.com/MnkDoOSq9N
Maxime Crépeau (2: MLS Supporters Shield, MLS Cup)
After a surprise trade from the Vancouver Whitecaps at the beginning of 2022, Crépeau proved to be a huge addition for LAFC, and proved that by helping them grab a double with the Supporters Shield and MLS Cup, the latter of which he literally put his body on the line for by fracturing his leg to make a crucial stop in extra time of that game.
Therefore, while they came up just short of making it a third trophy in less than a year last week, as they fell to Club Léon in the Concacaf Champions League (in a tie where they probably missed Crépeau), it’s important to remember the impressive nature of their 2022 exploits, which did *technically* come during the 2022-2023 European season.
(LAFC did also win the Western Conference trophy by virtue of qualifying for the MLS Cup final, but that’s not counted as an *official* trophy by most databases).
Great news to at least see Maxime Crépeau become an MLS Cup champion today, to go along with his Supporters Shield
— Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic (@AlexGangueRuzic) November 5, 2022
A silver lining in a tough day for the #CanMNT GK#LAFC
Milan Borjan (2: Serbian SuperLiga, Serbian Cup)
For a third straight season, Milan Borjan won a double for Red Star Belgrade, as he continued to rack up silverware for the club.
Having just finished his sixth season with the club, he’s won the league in every campaign that he’s played, and now has nine trophies, which is a pretty solid haul for the veteran goalkeeper.
Istorijska generacija! ๐
— FK Crvena zvezda (@crvenazvezdafk) May 25, 2023
๐ดโช๏ธ #fkcz pic.twitter.com/UoNAfyePI1
Sam Adekugbe (1: Süper Lig)
After being granted a special loan to Turkish leaders Galatasaray from Hatayspor after a tragic earthquake struck the Hatay region, ending their season early, Adekugbe helped his new club lift the Turkish Süper Lig this past week.
Following all of the difficulties he faced off the field in the aftermath of that tragedy, it was a nice way to cap an emotional season for him, reflected in Adekugbe’s powerful and understandably heartfelt celebrations after the fact.
Sam Adekugbe gözyaลlarฤฑnฤฑ tutamadฤฑ. pic.twitter.com/lJiwA6BC3b
— Le Marke Sports (@lemarkespors) June 4, 2023
Quinn, Jordyn Huitema (1: NWSL Supporters Shield)
2022 was a big year for Quinn and Jordyn Huitema with OL Reign, and they capped it off by winning the NWSL Supporters Shield in the fall, marking a solid regular season campaign for them.
Even if they then came up just short in the playoffs, it’s often tougher to win a regular season trophy like this, which is great to see given how influential both Quinn and Huitema were to the Reign’s efforts in that regard, helping Quinn win their first-ever club trophy, and Huitema her third.
NWSL SHIELD WINNER ๐
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) October 2, 2022
NWSL SHIELD WINNER ๐
NWSL SHIELD WINNER ๐
NWSL SHIELD WINNER ๐
NWSL SHIELD WINNER ๐@OLReign | @CarMax
Janine Beckie, Christine Sinclair (1: NWSL Championship)
On the other side of Cascadia, however, Janine Beckie and Christine Sinclair’s Portland Thorns then avenged their rivals' regular season victory by claiming the playoff crown in the NWSL Championship game.
Beckie’s first piece of hardware with the club, it was Sinclair’s seventh trophy and third overall NWSL Championship, as she added to an already loaded silverware cabinet with this triumph.
The 2022 NWSL Champions, the ๐ซ๐๐๐๐๐ถ๐๐น ๐ฏ๐ฝ๐๐๐๐๐น pic.twitter.com/LX0GFLtI2O
— Portland Thorns FC (@ThornsFC) October 30, 2022
Julia Grosso (1: Coppa Italia)
Despite a breakout first full season with Juventus, team success proved to be mostly elusive for Grosso this season, after nabbing a domestic treble despite only playing a half-season in 2021-2022 after she signed with the club fresh out of college.
That’s why Juventus’s Coppa Italia triumph this past weekend was so huge, as it allowed them to finish an otherwise disappointing 2022-2023 campaign with a bit of silverware, as they turn their attention towards getting back on track to their usual standard in that regard for 2023-2024.
FT |โฑ๏ธ| WE ARE THREE-TIME COPPA ITALIA CHAMPIONS! ๐๐ฎ๐น๐๐ฎ๐น๐๐ฎ๐น#JuveRoma pic.twitter.com/LJFuNhPDUA
— Juventus Women (@JuventusFCWomen) June 4, 2023
Sabrina D’Angelo (1: FA League Cup)
After a midseason transfer to Arsenal, Sabrina D’Angelo got to lift the League Cup in March, playing a big role in helping the club reach that stage before missing out on the final due to injury.
Her first trophy in five years, it was a nice way to kickstart her career at Arsenal, as she now looks to bring home more hardware with them next season.
2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2018…
— Arsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC) March 5, 2023
2023! WE’VE DONE IT AGAIN! ๐ pic.twitter.com/nL59ZyNFsq
Marie-Yasmine Alidou (1: Taça De Portugal)
In a country mostly dominated by a few big teams on the women’s side, Marie-Yasmine Alidou’s Famalicão made quite the splash when they won the Taça De Portugal, especially given that they beat Benfica along the way.
Through that, it capped off a very strong first season in Portugal for Alidou, after transferring over from Austria last summer, as she put herself in the conversation for a World Cup spot with her overall strong play.
๐ ๐๐-๐๐ ๐๐๐๐Ó๐๐๐! ๐ ๐๐Ç๐ É ๐๐๐๐๐! #PeloNossoSímbolo #amordeperdicao pic.twitter.com/tc5Jjh1osS
— FC Famalicão Feminino (@FCF_Feminino) May 27, 2023
Cyle Larin, Tajon Buchanan (1: Belgian Super Cup)
It’s easy to forget, but before everything went south at Club Brugge for Cyle Larin and he joined Real Valladolid, he did win a trophy on his debut for Brugge alongside Tajon Buchanan, as they won the Super Cup together after Buchanan had helped Brugge win the league the season prior.
Ultimately, the rest of their time together in Brugge didn't go as great, but it was a nice moment to see the two Canadians share some silverware like this, especially seeing how things have gone since for the club.
Number ๐๐. ๐ #Supercup pic.twitter.com/N2u7A1Mp0b
— Club Brugge KV (@ClubBrugge) July 17, 2022
Tesho Akindele (1: US Open Cup)
A bit of a special shout, Akindele’s Orlando City claimed their first-ever club trophy last September, as they beat Sacramento Republic to lift the US Open Cup.
Given that Akindele then retired at the end of last season, this was a special way for him to cap off a solid career, which is why it’s worth recognizing his exploits from this tournament here.
ORLANDO THIS CUP IS FOR YOU ๐ @opencup | #MagicOfTheCup pic.twitter.com/cAq4fd0sSy
— Orlando City SC (@OrlandoCitySC) September 8, 2022
