There are several measures by which growth in the family of GSSC (Greater Sudbury Soccer Club) Impact competitive teams might be measured.

Certainly, the sheer number of squads being fielded, most notably in the i-Model stream and especially on the boys side of the equation is a quick and easy indicator of progress.

Increased competitiveness, the graduation of GSSC talent on to post-secondary ranks and the eye-test – the overall look and feel of the level of youth rep soccer being played in Sudbury only serves to support the narrative that the Impact trend is a positive one.

More anecdotally, teens making their way from across northern Ontario to suit up with the nickel city side is also encouraging – and turned out to be the theme of my Thursday night visits at a pair of different Impact practice sites.

Completely by happenstance, both highlighted teams in question would provide out-of-town interview guests. And to add to the irony, both happen to attend the same high-school.

Heading back to do a gap year at Chippewa Secondary School in North Bay, Nathan Beland connected with the Impact 2008 boys in the winter of 2024-2025 – and currently leads his team (and the league) in scoring with eight goals this year.

“There wasn’t as much of an opportunity in North Bay,” said Beland, reflecting back on his commitment to join the Sudbury crew nearly two years ago. “I was gauging interest from the club here and was happy to join them.”

And they were most definitely happy to add the gifted striker to their roster.

“I am very fast, very good at runs behind the line; never offside and lethal in front of the net,” said Beland.

For as much as the TOSL (Toronto Soccer League) i-Model U18 division does not defer to video reviews for their calls, having a solid understanding of how to remain on-side is clearly a valuable skill when you are situated at the very top of the formation, position nine, as its now often referred to.

“I will have a defender in front of me, just so I always have a starting point to know when to run,” said Beland. “And I always check behind me. I kind of just base my run off that.”

All of which fits in very nicely for a team with which Beland was able to integrate quite quickly. “We like to transition very quickly,” he said. “We’re very quick at going into the next phase. We don’t like to take our time and I kind of like that because it plays into my style, I would say.”

“I am made for running – and that’s harder when we are playing slower.”

Sitting in the middle of the pack with a record of 4-5-2, the U18 Impact boys will close out regular season play this Saturday with a 1:00 p.m. home game versus the Oshawa Kicks at Delki Dozzi. According to Beland, the Impact have a pretty good handle on exactly what is coming their way.

“They all seem to have a really similar play style, I would say. They all have the same identity and structure.”

As for the young man who still has hopes of playing at the next level, it’s a matter of putting his head down and focusing on those areas of his game that require a little extra work. “My link-up play needs to improve,” he said. “When I do need to adapt, my adaptability can be a bit of an issue – but I try and work on that outside of practice.”

“I would say that’s my weak link – but I am working on it.”

The remainder of the Impact U18 roster this summer consists of David Akero, Alfarouq Alzawi, Emmanuel Boamah, Juan Calderon Trujillo, Mauro Cusinato, Cesar Delgado Espino, Noah Duguay, Matias Gonzales Martinez, Owen Hicks, Zhenga Lu, Alessandro Moretta, Lukas Morin, Donald Munyua, Mishal Olanrewaju, Caleb Pearson, Mikkel Pharand, David Santos, Masimo Toffoli, coaches Dino Moretta, Mathiew Dykstra, Clayton Pearson and Cesar Delgado Fuentes and team manager Gerry Toffoli.

As noted in our season-opening Pascal on the Pitch column, it was a given that the summer of 2026 would be a different one for the Impact U18 girls. Beyond the graduation of some key team members came the realization that an i-Model option simply did not exist for this age bracket as the Sudbury squad veered off to tackle a tournament schedule only.

Still, this was a developmental pathway that North Bay native and fellow Chippewa senior Grace Robertson could buy into, having enjoyed some indoor experience previously with the likes of Isabel Renelli, Reece Fortier and Abbey Dagostino, all now teammates on a team that just captured the Eustace Collins Memorial Tournament in Georgetown.

“This year, there unfortunately wasn’t going to be a team in my age (in North Bay),” said Robertson, a 17 year old veteran of the rep soccer scene who patrols the field at central mid, either from an attacking or defending standpoint. “My coach reached out to Doug (Impact head coach Doug Rosener), so I came out to a couple of practices and stayed.”

“Everybody on this team is so nice.”

While that positive ambiance is never a bad thing, success on the field goes well beyond merely enjoying friendships with new teammates. “It was important just to find the chemistry with everybody,” said Robertson. “I have never played with most of these girls so I really wasn’t that familiar with how others play.”

“It can be very different from my past teams.”

Thankfully, coach Rosener has been around this block once or twice, knowing enough to enter an early season tournament (in Hamilton in May) and securing accommodations at a post-secondary residence that was limited to players and coaches only. “That really helped,” said Robertson.

“I really got to know everybody quickly.”

This past weekend, the Impact bested both Oakville (7-1) and Chatham (3-0), setting up a final round robin encounter against the same team (Georgetown) that they would face in the final. “I let some girls rest, did not put my stronger starters out together,” said Rosener. “I didn’t want to give them that look.”

After dropping a 2-0 decision to finish pool standings with a record of 2-1-0, the Sudbury girls picked up the win when it mattered the most as keeper Addison Gibbs backstopped the team to a 1-0 win, with Bryn Hobson netting the game-winning goal.

“It was really important to be physical, first to the ball and win all of the 50/50 battles,” said Robertson. “And we had to move the ball fast, don’t take too many touches. Get it, receive it and pass it off.”

The balance of the Impact U18 roster is constituted of Jeanne Abou’ou Meka; Joanna Ajueze; Lois Appiah-Hagan; Saint-Joann Arewa; Avery Brooks; Ryleigh Byberg; Leticia Correira Pereira da Silva; Misaki Diavolitsis; Eva Haraschuk; Gabriella Massimiliano; Chiana Rocca; Ariana Tonkovic; assistant coaches Caroline Kovacs and Max Massimiliano; team manager Sabrina Rocca and assistant team manager Peter Diavolitsis.