Janine Beckie and Atiba Hutchinson have been named Canada
\u200bSoccer’s Players of the Month for November 2020. Beckie of Manchester City FC
\u200bbecame the first Canadian to feature and score for an FA Cup-winning side while
\u200bHutchinson captained his side Be\u015fikta\u015f JK back into contention in the Turkish
\u200bSüperLig including an important win over rivals Fenerbahçe SK.
Beckie, who featured as a substitute in Manchester City’s 3:1 victory over Everton FC on 1 November at Wembley Stadium, scored the last goal of the match in extra time. She was the second Canadian to feature in an FA Cup Final (after Desiree Scott in 2015) and the first to score. In league action, she also featured in two matches in November before the international break, scoring her first goal of the season in a big win over Bristol City and then also featuring in the 2:2 draw against rivals Manchester United.
Hutchinson played every minute for Be\u015fikta\u015f in November as the team won three of four matches including a big 4:3 away victory over Fenerbahçe, despite being reduced to 10 men. With the third-best record in the league over the last four matches, Be\u015fikta\u015f have jumped up into fourth place in the league standings, now just four points back of third-place Fenerbahçe. Along the run, Hutchinson also scored a goal and an assist in the 3:2 win over Ba\u015fak\u015fehir.
Hutchinson’s assist was on a goal scored by Cyle Larin, who
\u200bhas also been excellent for Be\u015fikta\u015f with three goals in the last four matches.
\u200bAlso of note from the month of November in Europe, Milan Borjan kept Red Star
\u200bBelgrade at the top of the Serbian table with four-straight wins while Jonathan
\u200bDavid became the first Canadian to score in France’s Ligue 1 with Lille OSC. In
\u200bScotland, Scott Arfield scored another two goals as Rangers FC continue their
\u200bunbeaten streak at the top of the Scottish Premiership table.
In the French Division 1 Féminine, Ashley Lawrence helped
\u200bParis Saint-Germain FC defeat Olympique Lyonnais on 20 November at the Parc des
\u200bPrinces, Lyon’s first loss in league play in nearly four years (since 17 December
\u200b2016). In action, Lawrence helped force the turnover that led to the winning
\u200b1:0 goal scored by Marie-Antoinette Katoto.
Looking ahead to December, both Paris Saint-Germain FC
\u200b(Lawrence and Jordyn Huitema) and Olympique Lyonnais (Kadeisha Buchanan) will
\u200bbegin their 2020-21 UEFA Women’s Champions League campaigns. Other Canadians in
\u200bthe round are Beckie, Jessie Fleming (Chelsea FC) and Cloé Lacasse (Benfica).
\u200bIn the Round of 32 that starts 9 December, Olympique Lyonnais will face
\u200bJuventus of Italy, Chelsea FC of England will face Benfica of Portugal,
\u200bManchester City FC will face IFK Göteborg of Sweden, and Paris Saint-Germain
\u200bwill face Górnik \u0141\u0119czn of Poland.
In North America, the MLS Cup Playoffs started in November
\u200band continue through December. In the East, both New England Revolution (Tajon
\u200bBuchanan) and Columbus Crew SC (Jordan Hamilton) have reached the Conference
\u200bFinal. In the West, Minnesota United FC (goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair) will face
\u200bSporting Kansas City in the Conference Semi-finals. Both Conference Finals will
\u200bbe played on Sunday 6 December after which the MLS Cup Final will be played on
\u200bSaturday 12 December.
In Concacaf League, Forge FC Hamilton continue their run
\u200bwith a Quarter-finals match against Arcahaie FC on Tuesday 1 December. The
\u200bwinner of the match will qualify to Concacaf Champions League while the loser
\u200bwill advance to a play-in match for a second chance to qualify for the
\u200bconfederation’s pinnacle championship.
Canada Soccer Players of the Month
\u200bNovember 2020 – Janine Beckie & Atiba Hutchinson
\u200bOctober 2020 – Scott Arfield & Christine Sinclair
\u200bSeptember 2020 – Richie Laryea & Christine Sinclair
\u200bAugust 2020 – Kadeisha Buchanan & Alphonso Davies
\u200bJuly 2020 – Alphonso Davies & Sophie Schmidt
\u200bFebruary 2020 – Kadeisha Buchanan, Jonathan David, Alphonso Davies
\u200bJanuary 2020 – Liam Fraser & Christine Sinclair