'It's going to elevate her game': Marie-Yasmine Alidou's move to Portland Thorns a big boost to her rising CanWNT stock
Are we witnessing the start of Marie-Yasmine Alidou’s long-awaited breakout for Canada Soccer's Women's National Team?
The positive signs are plain to see, after all.
After scoring her first CanWNT goal in just her third appearance for the Canadian team last fall in a friendly against Spain, Alidou has found a way to build on that milestone quite nicely.
GOAL 🇨🇦
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) October 25, 2024
Marie-Yasmine Alidou opens the scoring for the #CanWNT vs. Spain, getting her 1st goal in just her 3rd cap as she finishes off a transition play started by Evelyne Viens forcing a turnover and driving toward goal 😎
🔴 Watch LIVE on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/pavXNG7m9i
Having made five straight appearances since that Spain match, she’s scored four more goals, finding a tally against South Korea last December before adding a hat trick against Chinese Taipei this past February.
After years of being included in Canadian squads but struggling to get regular minutes under Bev Priestman, she appears set to play a big role going forward under new head coach Casey Stoney, who started Alidou in two of her first three games in charge, coming at the Pinatar Cup last month, where she was immediately impressed.
“I continue to be confused as to why she’s not been involved a lot more prior to this,” Stoney said of Alidou after her first camp. “She’s very talented, bright. Just her ability on the ball, she can go 1v1. I think she’s really creative and has so much talent.”
GOAL 🇨🇦
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) February 25, 2025
Well that was quick! #CanWNT go up 1-0 over Chinese Taipei as Marie-Yasmine Alidou drives toward goal and finishes with the cheeky toe-poke finish 🎯
🔴 Watch LIVE on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/RiskuoRElr
It’s been a long time coming for Alidou, who has been patiently waiting for this opportunity, having put together some excellent stretches of play at the club level in Portugal.
First, she had a breakout season with FC Famalicão in 2022-2023, scoring 12 goals and adding four assists, helping the club win a surprise Taça de Portugal trophy. In particular, a goal against Portuguese giants Benfica in the semi-finals was a highlight, as she played a big role in Famalicão’s big upset.
Thanks to that, she earned a move to that same Benfica side, who were looking to fill the void left by the departure of fellow Canadian Cloé Lacasse to Arsenal. To their credit, Alidou was a perfect signing by them, as she marked her debut campaign with a 26-goal and three-assist effort, helping Benfica to a domestic quadruple.
There, highlights included a nine-goal UEFA Champions League campaign (featuring goals against clubs like Barcelona, Lyon and Frankfurt), a goal in the Taça de Portugal final, and a six-goal and two assist showing in league action.
Then, so far this year, she’d scored a solid seven goals and added four assists, making some wonder if she’d be on track to make a move similar to the one Lacasse made a few years back.
This week, that transfer came about - it was announced that the Portland Thorns had acquired her for an undisclosed transfer fee, signing her on a two-year deal with an option for a third.
Safe to say, this could prove to be a massive move for the Thorns and Alidou, one that could in turn benefit Canada quite nicely.
To begin, there’s the benefit for the Thorns, who get a key attacking piece that is very much in her prime at 29 years of age. Portland’s got a good attack on paper - their 38 goals in 2024 was fifth in the NWSL - but they’re reeling from the retirement of Christine Sinclair (who still scored seven goals in her last season), an injury to Morgan Weaver and the absence of Sophia Wilson (née Smith) on maternity leave, which has left their attack thin to begin 2025.
The arrival of Deyna Castellanos was supposed to help, but so far the team has scored just two goals in their first two games of the 2025 NWSL season, losing 3-1 to the KC Current on opening weekend before drawing Angel City 1-1.
They’ve generated 3.26 xG across those two games, which is a positive sign, because even if they also underperformed their xG by two goals in 2024, it’s a sign that they can still get a lot more out of their offensive group.
Alidou can help with that, as she’s proven that she can be someone who both scores and creates goals, doing a lot of both at Benfica. In particular, that can be quite helpful in Wilson’s absence - the Thorns attacker has made a habit of creating goals out of nothing for her team over the past few years, helping them win the NWSL Shield in 2021 and the NWSL Championship in 2022.
GOAL 🇨🇦🇨🇦
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) December 3, 2024
WHAT A HIT 😎
Marie-Yasmine Alidou makes it 2-0 for the #CanWNT vs. Korea Republic as she shoots from way out and finds her target 🎯
🔴 Watch LIVE on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/sTwOWOLMzt
Just look at her recent numbers from Stoney’s first camp with Canada, where Alidou scored her three goals from 1.5 xG and four shots, while also completing six passes into the penalty box, four out of six dribbles, nine touches in the box and attempting eight crosses across the 161 minutes she played.
In particular, her goals stood out - her first one came off a great run to get into the box and attack the ball, the second came from a well-taken penalty, and the third came off a trivela finish that can only be described as world-class - all signs of someone who can help the Thorns improve their xG conversion if given the opportunity. 
Speaking of Stoney, however, what she asked of Alidou in that Canadian camp could also be a template for success with the Thorns. There, she asked Alidou to play as a left midfielder in her 4-4-2, with Alidou given the freedom to drift inside and combine with her teammates, allowing her left back to overlap, while also pushing out wide and finding space there.
That’s seen in her heatmap from the Pinatar Cup, which has her getting touches both out wide and centrally, essentially operating in a free role in the attack. 
Given that the Thorns play with a 4-3-3, it’s easy to see Alidou playing a similar role as a left winger in their front line, giving them more flexibility in the attack, something that Stoney won’t mind seeing.
Yet, that’s surely to be one of the several reasons that Stoney will be pleased to see Alidou join Portland.
GOAL 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) February 25, 2025
It's a #CanWNT HAT-TRICK for Mimi Alidou as she applies the deft touch on the outside of the boot to make it 4-0 over Chinese Taipei 🎩
🔴 Watch LIVE on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/7FsiefkLOs
Not only will she be joining a team in a top league, but should play a key role, doing so in a similar position to the one that she’ll play for Canada. From there, she’ll also get to test herself against a better level of competition - while she will miss playing in the Champions League with Benfica, a lot of the teams in Portugal outside of Benfica and Sporting CP don’t come close to the teams in the NWSL, meaning that Alidou will be getting more regular reps at a higher level, instead of going long periods between high-level matches.
Because of that, don’t be surprised to see Alidou carve out a bigger role with Canada going forward. Similar to Lacasse, who went from role player to key piece for Canada after her move to Arsenal, Alidou seems primed to take a big step up with this Canadian team now.
That’s been a long time coming, however, and she’ll now look to reward the faith her new coach has shown in her, starting with her play at her new club and then continuing into the next batch of Canadian games.
“I was really happy when I found out that she was moving (to Portland),” Stoney said of Alidou. “I think that playing in one of the most competitive leagues in the world is important, being able to test herself week in and week out in a league that is very athletic, and she can bring her technical game to that.”
“I think it's a great addition for Portland. They've done some good business getting her in for this window, so I’m massively pleased for her. It’s only going to elevate her game, she’s already very good, but this can improve her even more. And with the help of Portland, now she's only going to continue to improve more.”
