York9 FC

York 9 Football Club,[1] commonly known as York9 FC or simply York9,[2] is a Canadian professional soccer club based in York Region, Ontario. The club competes in the Canadian Premier League and plays its home games at York University's York Lions Stadium in Toronto.

York9
Full nameYork 9 Football Club
Nickname(s)The Nine Stripes
Short nameY9, Y9FC
FoundedMay 5, 2018 (2018-05-05)
StadiumYork Lions Stadium
Toronto, Ontario
Capacity8,000
OwnerGreenpark Group
ChairmanMike Baldassarra
PresidentAngus McNab
CoachJimmy Brennan
LeagueCanadian Premier League
2019Canadian Premier League, 3rd
WebsiteClub website

History
Diyaeddine Abzi with York9, during their final home game of the inaugural CPL season

In December 2017, former Canadian international Jimmy Brennan stepped down as executive director of Aurora FC and announced his intentions to take a role within the Canadian Premier League.[3] In March 2018, it was revealed that Brennan had been named executive vice-president of York Sports & Entertainment back in January.[4] The following day, it was revealed that the company's president Preben Ganzhorn also named himself as president of an unknown entity called York9 FC, believed to be a Canadian Premier League franchise.[5]

On May 5, 2018, York Region was one of four groups accepted by the Canadian Soccer Association for professional club membership.[6] Greenpark Group, headed by Carlo Baldassarra, was revealed as the owner of York9, with his son Mike as the chairman.[1][7][8] Both Brennan and Ganzhorn were pictured at the Annual Meeting of the Members when the group was announced.[9]

York9 FC was officially unveiled on May 10, 2018, as the first team to join the Canadian Premier League.[10] As well as confirming their place in the league for the 2019 launch season, the club also revealed their crest, colours and branding.[11] The club adopted the name York9 FC to represent the nine municipalities that make up York Region – Aurora, East Gwillimbury, Georgina, King, Markham, Newmarket, Richmond Hill, Vaughan, and Whitchurch-Stouffville.[12] On July 27, 2018, York9 announced executive vice president of soccer operations Jimmy Brennan as the club's first head coach.[13]

In August, York9 fielded a York Region Soccer Association Selects team to compete in the U17 International Soccer Cup held at York Lions Stadium. The team beat Juventus F.C. before losing to Toronto FC in the final.[14]

The team has been called "Y9" and "The Nine Stripes" by the media and the league.[15][16][17] York9's inaugural match was a 905 Derby away to Forge FC on April 27, 2019;[18] the match ended in a 1–1 draw, with Ryan Telfer scoring the first goal in Canadian Premier League history.[19]

To determine the Canadian Soccer Association's representative in the CONCACAF Champions League, York9 played in the 2019 Canadian Championship competing for the Voyageurs Cup. The team lost the quarterfinal to Montreal Impact after a 2–2 draw at home and a 1–0 loss at Montreal.[20]

York9 was expected to begin their second season in the Canadian Premier League in April 2020, but the season was delayed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.[21] During the postponement, the club sold young midfielder Emilio Estevez to Dutch Eredivisie side ADO Den Haag, the first CPL player to be sold to a European top flight.[22]

Stadium

York9 played the entirety of its inaugural season at York Lions Stadium located in York University's Keele Campus in North York.[23] Initially, the club had planned to use Alumni Field, on the same campus, while York Lions Stadium was being renovated for use at the end of the season.[24]

The club plans to build a modular, wooden, 15,000 seat stadium within the next three years.[25] The financing and location of the new stadium is yet to be determined.[26]

Crest and colours

The main feature of the crest's design is nine beams at the top of the crest, one for each municipality in York Region, a nod to the region's motto "Ontario's Rising Star". A white trillium at the base of the crest recognizes Ontario, having been the province's floral emblem since 1937.[27]

The official club colours are green, grey, and black (branded by the club as "electric green", "charcoal grey", and "black on black"). These colours symbolize the region's nature (in tandem with the club's environmental focus) and Black Creek.[11][27]

Club culture

Supporters

A supporters group called Generation IX was present at the club's launch event.[28][29] Prior to the team's second season in 2020, two new supporters groups formed: A student supporters group based out of York University called The Green Lions and a female-led supporters group called Dames of York.[30][31]

Rivalries
Main article: 905 Derby

York9 has a rivalry with Forge FC, the only other Ontario-based team during the CPL's inaugural season. On January 29, 2019, the Canadian Premier League announced that the inaugural match of the league was going to be a 905 Derby on April 27, 2019 in Hamilton.[18] The match ended in a 1–1 draw.[19]

Players and staff

Roster
As of August 10, 2020[32][33]
No. Position Player Nation
3 Defender Morey Doner  Canada
5 Midfielder Chris Mannella  Canada
6 Defender Roger Thompson  Canada
7 Forward Álvaro Rivero  Spain
8 Midfielder Joseph Di Chiara  Canada
10 Midfielder Manny Aparicio  Canada
12 Forward Jace Kotsopoulos  Canada
13 Defender Luca Gasparotto  Canada
14 Midfielder Ijah Halley  Canada
16 Midfielder Max Ferrari  Canada
17 Defender Matthew Arnone  Canada
18 Midfielder Ryan Telfer  Trinidad and Tobago
19 Midfielder Kyle Porter  Canada
20 Defender Diyaeddine Abzi  Canada
21 Midfielder Michael Petrasso  Canada
22 Midfielder Julian Altobelli  Canada
23 Midfielder Wataru Murofushi  Japan
26 Defender Fugo Segawa  Japan
29 Goalkeeper Nathan Ingham  Canada
37 Goalkeeper Ezequiel Carrasco  Canada
44 Midfielder Isaiah Johnston  Canada
80 Forward Lowell Wright  Canada
99 Forward Gabriel Vasconcelos  Brazil
— Forward Nicholas Hamilton[upper-alpha 1]  Jamaica
— Midfielder Brian López[upper-alpha 1]  Argentina

Staff

As of April 21, 2020[34]

Executive
Owner Mike Baldassarra
President, CEO and GM Angus McNab
Coaching staff
Head coach and technical director Jimmy Brennan
First assistant coach Paul Stalteri
Assistant coach, goalkeeping coach Camilo Benzi
Operations staff
Manager of soccer operations Ryan Brennan
Equipment manager Alex Bizzarri

Head coaches
As of November 2, 2019
Coach Nation Tenure Record
G W D L Win %
Jimmy Brennan  Canada July 27, 2018 – present 34 11 9 14 32.35

Statistics include regular season and Canadian Championship matches.


Club captains
Years Name Nation
2019–present Manny Aparicio  Canada

Records

Year-by-year
Year CPL Regular season Position CPL Finals Canadian Championship CONCACAF League League attendance Top scorer Ref
GP W D L GF GA Pts Name Gls
2019a 28 9 7 12 39 37 34 Spring: 6th
Fall: 3rd
Overall: 3rd		 Did not qualify Third qualifying round Ineligible 2,668 Rodrigo Gattas 9 [35]
2020b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 First stage: TBD Did not qualify N/A [36]

Note: Only league goals counted for top scorer

a: Split season format was used with 10 games in spring season and 18 games in fall season

b: Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the season was held exclusively in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, without fans formatted as a double round robin season with a single match final[37]

All-time top scorers

As of November 2, 2019

# Position Name Nation Career at club Goals Scored
CPL Cup Int'l Total
1 Forward Rodrigo Gattas  Chile 2019 9 2 0 11
2 Midfielder Ryan Telfer  Trinidad and Tobago 2019–present 8 2 0 10
3 Forward Simon Adjei  Sweden 2019 7 1 0 8
4 Midfielder Wataru Murofushi  Japan 2019–present 3 0 0 3
5 Midfielder Manny Aparicio  Canada 2019–present 2 0 0 2
Midfielder Joseph Di Chiara  Canada 2019–present 2 0 0 2
Defender Luca Gasparotto  Canada 2019–present 1 1 0 2
Midfielder Kyle Porter  Canada 2019–present 2 0 0 2

Note: Bold indicates active player

All-time most appearances

As of November 2, 2019

# Position Name Nation Career at club Games Played
CPL Cup Int'l Total
1 Defender Luca Gasparotto  Canada 2019–present 28 6 0 34
Forward Rodrigo Gattas  Chile 2019 28 6 0 34
3 Midfielder Ryan Telfer  Trinidad and Tobago 2019–present 26 6 0 32
Goalkeeper Nathan Ingham  Canada 2019–present 26 6 0 32
5 Midfielder Manny Aparicio  Canada 2019–present 25 6 0 31
Midfielder Kyle Porter  Canada 2019–present 25 6 0 31

Note: Bold indicates active player

Single-season records

As of November 2, 2019

Record Name Statistic Season
Goals (all competitions) Rodrigo Gattas 11 2019
Goals (league matches) Rodrigo Gattas 9 2019
Assists (all competitions) Kyle Porter 6 2019
Assists (league matches) Kyle Porter
Diyaeddine Abzi
Morey Doner		 4 2019
Clean sheets (all competitions) Nathan Ingham 8 2019
Clean sheets (league matches) Nathan Ingham 6 2019

Note: Bold indicates active player

Awards

Canadian Premier League Awards
Year Name Award Status
2019[38] Nathan Ingham Golden Glove Nominated
Diyaeddine Abzi Under 21 Canadian Player of the Year Nominated
Jimmy Brennan Coach of the Year Nominated

York9 FC Fan Voted Awards
Year Name Award
2019[39] Morey Doner Fan Voted Player of the Year

Canadian Premier League Fan Awards
Year Name Award
2019[40] Morey Doner Team of the Year

Notes
  1. Player is signed, but hasn't been added to the 2020 roster because of difficulties getting into Canada due to the COVID-19 pandemic
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gollark: Broken how?
gollark: SMH my head, just something something heroin.

References
  1. "York 9 Football Club Joins Canadian Premier League". canpl.ca. May 5, 2018.
  2. BEDAKIAN, ARMEN. "Kyle Porter yearns to 'be remembered' with historic York9 FC signing". York9 FC.
  3. Cudmore, John (December 30, 2017). "Former TFC captain Jimmy Brennan steps down as Aurora FC executive director". YorkRegion.com. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  4. Brennan, Jim. "Jim Brennan on LinkedIn". LinkedIn. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  5. "The CanPL Hub on Twitter". Twitter. March 4, 2018. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  6. "4 clubs get membership from Soccer Canada; expected to join CPL". Sportsnet. May 5, 2018. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  7. "Owners profile". york9fc.canpl.ca. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  8. "Front Office Directory". york9fc.canpl.ca. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  9. "Canada Soccer on Twitter". Twitter. May 5, 2018. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  10. McIsaac, Greg (May 10, 2018). "York 9 Football Club Joins Canadian Premier League". Canadian Premier League. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  11. Larson, Kurtis (May 5, 2018). "Canadian Premier League unveils York 9 FC in 'soccer hotbed' York Region". Toronto Sun. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  12. "York Region Cities & Towns". York Link. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  13. Benedetti, Micki (July 27, 2018). "Jimmy Brennan Announced as Head Coach of York 9 FC". york9fc.canpl.ca.
  14. "York Region Selects named runners-up of U17 International Soccer Cup". The CanPL Hub. August 21, 2018. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  15. "HFX Wanderers, Cavalry FC both victorious in home openers". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. May 4, 2019.
  16. "HFX edge Vaughan in 1st leg of Canadian championship qualifier". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. May 16, 2019.
  17. "CUP PREVIEW: Nine Stripes off to Quebec". york9fc.canpl.ca. May 15, 2019.
  18. Bedakian, Armen. "CPL inaugural match: Forge FC hosts York9 FC". canpl.ca. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  19. "Canadian Premier League kicks off, marking new era for soccer in Canada". sportsnet.ca. April 27, 2019.
  20. "York9 FC and AS Blainville battle to a scoreless draw". canadasoccer.com. May 16, 2019.
  21. "Canadian Premier League Commissioner Statement: Start of season postponed". Canadian Premier League. March 20, 2020. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  22. "York9 FC's Emilio Estevez sold to Dutch Eredivisie side ADO Den Haag". Canadian Premier League. May 12, 2020. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  23. "York9 FC to play 2019 inaugural Canadian Premier League season at York Lions Stadium". york9fc.canpl.ca. March 19, 2019. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  24. "York 9 FC unveils stadiums plans for 2019 and beyond". canpl.ca. October 25, 2018. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  25. "Stadium Profile". york9fc.canpl.ca. May 10, 2018. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  26. Armstrong, Laura (May 10, 2018). "Soccer's fledgling Canadian Premier League unveils its first team, the York9 Football Club". Toronto Star. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  27. "Emblem Inspiration". york9fc.canpl.ca. York 9 FC. May 10, 2018. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  28. "Canadian Premier League officially launches York 9 FC in Vaughan". Waking The Red. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  29. "Canadian Premier League". canpl.ca. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  30. "The Green Lions bridge student gap as Y9's youthful supporters group". York9 FC. January 9, 2020. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  31. "'Dames of York' help themselves as York9's 1st female supporters group". Canadian Premier League. March 7, 2020. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  32. "Roster". Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  33. "York9 Unveils Full Island Games Roster". York9 FC. August 10, 2020. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  34. "Club Directory". York9 FC. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
  35. "Canadian Premier League". Canadian Premier League. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  36. "Canadian Premier League". Canadian Premier League. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  37. "Canadian Premier League". Canadian Premier League. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  38. "RUNDOWN: Analyzing & comparing the 2019 CPL Awards nominees". Canadian Premier League. November 12, 2019. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
  39. FC, York9 (November 12, 2019). "Congratulations @moreydoner3! Thank you to all our fans who voted! #York9FCpic.twitter.com/FXL4HOuNFs". @York9FC. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  40. "Canadian Premier League Announces Fan Awards Winners". Canadian Premier League. December 16, 2019. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
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