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Coaches from North Toronto and Alliance United look ahead to this showpiece match between two teams steeped in recent League1 history.

The Women’s L1 Cup is taking place on Wednesday, July 30, between a team challenging for the Women’s Premier title and one battling to avoid relegation to the Championship.

Please click here to head straight to the ticketing page, or read on for exclusive interviews with coaches from North Toronto and Alliance United ahead of a highly anticipated fixture in the League1 calendar.

North Toronto: Firing on all cylinders

North Toronto have been one of the top teams in League1 Ontario in recent seasons. They finished third in the Women’s Premier last year and reached the final of the Women’s L1 Cup, and now sit second in the divisional standings just two points behind NDC Ontario.

Despite prolific forward Jade Kovacevic signing professionally for AFC Toronto in the offseason, North Toronto have not been found wanting in the final third. Ashley Campbell and Elise Bell have more than 20 goals between them in 2025, adding to the seven from Lauren Rowe before she also stepped up to the Northern Super League.

“Reaching the 50-goal mark was huge, as was winning on penalties to make it through to the L1 Cup Final,” said North Toronto assistant coach Nadine Powell. “I expect Alliance to be tough opponents; they will come out and compete as they always do.

“It has been a season full of hard work, learning, positivity, grit, and great soccer, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the opportunity to work with so many fabulous players and people as a highlight of the season.

“Knowing that we have such a depth of talented players really gives us confidence. Regardless of who is in the squad week-to-week due to absences, we know we can compete in every game, and having very intelligent players who have fully embraced the game model that [head coach] Marc Maunder has implemented is a strength of our team.”

North Toronto came up agonizingly short against FC London in the 2024 Women’s L1 Cup Final, losing 2-1, but now they have the opportunity to go one step further and win their first League1 Ontario trophy.

“Winning this competition would be the icing on the cake and would mean that we had successfully achieved one of our stated goals for the year, which would be incredibly rewarding.

“It would validate that we are doing the right things with our game model and our players in terms of development, and would give all our players something they should be so proud of.”

Alliance United: Up for the cup

Alliance United are no strangers to high-stakes matches, having competed in the Women’s Premier Division Final and the League1 Canada Women’s Inter-Provincial Championship in 2022 and 2023.

But it’s not been a smooth-sailing 2025 campaign as this year they have managed just one win in the regular season and occupy the automatic relegation spot. They have, however, shown resilience in the L1 Cup, defeating two of the top four teams in the current Women’s Premier standings as well as defending holders FC London.

“It has been a challenging season with injuries to key players in preseason and some very difficult results late in matches that have cost key points,” said Alliance United head coach Angelo Cavalluzzo. “The group has been really resilient and continued to compete every day in training and in matches.

“Our previous match against North Toronto was a great performance [a 1-1 tie earlier in July], and we have shown we can be very strong defensively when needed. I expect North Toronto to be very aggressive out of possession to try and make us uncomfortable and create as much uncertainty for our backline as possible.

“Given the challenges we have had during the regular season, winning the L1 Cup would be massive for the players and club to give them something to celebrate after all of the hours and commitment they have put into this summer.

“We have an exciting young group of players that are going to battle with everything they have on Wednesday night.”

Pathway opportunities

With the way the women’s game is growing in Canada and around the world, both coaches understand that it’s not just silverware on the line for their players, who could catch the eye of a professional club with a solid performance.

“These competitions allow our players to showcase themselves as capable to operate at the next level, whether that be at home in the Northern Super League, or abroad in other professional leagues,” said Cavalluzzo.

“It is also great preparation for those younger players as they head back to their respective universities for the fall season in the NCAA and USPORTS.”

“People should come support these teams in the final,” added Powell. “It is an opportunity to see the amateur game at its finest, being played by incredibly strong and inspirational women.

“They are fantastic role models to younger players and such ambassadors of the game and our club. It’s also a great way for players within clubs to see where the development pathway can lead.”