No. 1 seed AFC Toronto takes on No. 3 Vancouver Rise FC in first-ever NSL Final

The GIST: The first-ever Northern Super League (NSL) champion will be crowned when No. 1 seed AFC Toronto and No. 3 Vancouver Rise FC meet tomorrow at 2 p.m. ET. Ahead of kickoff, here’s what you need to know about the NSL’s historic inaugural season and, of course, the winner-take-all match.

🇨🇦 NSL already fostering CanWNT ambitions: Canada’s first pro women’s soccer league was founded, in part, to create a stronger pipeline for the national team — and one season in, they’re already seeing success.

• Seven NSL players received senior team callups this year, including six (!!!) who are competing in the Final: Toronto’s Emma Regan and Kaylee Hunter, and Vancouver’s Holly Ward, Quinn, Samantha Chang, and Latifah Abdu. So slay, eh?

👀 Tomorrow’s clash pits an offensive juggernaut vs. a defensive powerhouse: The highest-scoring team in the league, Toronto are the squad to beat. They haven’t dropped a match since August 17th, and their hunger for goals remains insatiable. Case in point? Forward Esther Okoronkwo scored a 26-minute hat trick to clinch Toronto’s spot in the final.

• But Vancouver can’t be counted out. Players to watch include aforementioned forward Ward, who played hero in Rise FC’s second semis game, and goalkeeper Morgan McAslan, who led the league in saves. Can you say “brick wall?”