Master's FA

Master's Futbol Academy, commonly known as Master's FA, is a Canadian semi-professional soccer club based in Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario. The club was founded in 2009 as a soccer academy and added its team in the semi-professional League1 Ontario, the third tier in the Canadian soccer league system.

Master's Futbol
Full nameMaster's Futbol Academy
Nickname(s)Saints
Founded2009 (2009)
StadiumL'Amoreaux Park
Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario
OwnerJunior Groves
Head CoachGiuseppe Mattace-Raso
LeagueLeague1 Ontario
2021League1 Ontario, 19th
Playoffs: DNQ
WebsiteClub website

The club was one of the ten original founding men's teams in League1 Ontario, which was established in 2014. Their team initially competed under the name Master's FA Saints.[1]

History

In 2009, Master's Futbol Academy was founded by Junior Groves.[2][3] In 2014, the semi-professional club was established to play in the newly formed League1 Ontario as one of the founding members.[4][5] They were one of the three Ontario Soccer Association Recognized Non-Club Academies permitted to enter a team in the league, along with ANB Futbol and Sigma FC.[6] The club played their debut match on May 31, 2014 against the Cataraqui Clippers, winning 3–0.[7] In their inaugural season, they finished in seventh place.[8]

Their most successful season came in 2019, when they won the 2019 League1 Ontario playoffs, defeating FC London 4–1 in the finals.[9] This victory qualified the club for the Canadian Championship for the first time in 2020.[10][11] However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, their participation was shifted to the 2021 Canadian Championship.[12] In the match in 2021, they were defeated by Canadian Premier League club York United FC in the preliminary round by a score of 5-0.[13]

Squad
As of 16 April 2023[14]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— GK Canada CAN Spiridon Koskinas
— DF Canada CAN Tim Mahabir
— DF Canada CAN Tyler Miranda
— DF Canada CAN Terrell Spencer
— DF Canada CAN Anthony Wright
— MF Canada CAN Jason Alvarado
— MF Canada CAN Francis Ameyaw
— MF Canada CAN Marc-Anthoy Blackburn
— MF Canada CAN Timothy Cordova
— MF Guyana GUY Maleik de Freitas
— MF Canada CAN Julius Dominelli
— MF Canada CAN Triston Frankston
No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF Canada CAN Eric Romeo Mian
— MF Canada CAN Stefan Nikolic
— MF Canada CAN Zion Richards
— MF Canada CAN Gianpiero Sansonetti
— MF Canada CAN Yasin Shahwan
— FW Canada CAN Devonte Brown
— FW Canada CAN Justin Robertson
— FW Canada CAN Eric Savvas
— Canada CAN Carmine Anthony-Martino
— Canada CAN Ian Gutierrez
— Canada CAN D'Quan Smith

Seasons
Season League Teams Record Rank Playoffs League Cup Canadian Championship Ref
2014 League1 Ontario 9 5–2–9 7th – Group stage Not eligible [15]
2015 12 1–3–18 12th – Group stage Not eligible [15]
2016 16 3–2–17 8th, Eastern (16th overall) did not qualify Runner-up Not eligible [15]
2017 16 9–3–10 5th, Eastern (9th overall) did not qualify Quarter-finals Not eligible [15]
2018 17 4–7–5 10th did not qualify Quarter-finals did not qualify [15]
2019 16 9–3–3 4th Champions – did not qualify [15]
2020 Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic Moved to 2021 [16]
2021 15 6–3–3 2nd, East (5th overall) Semi-finals – Preliminary Round
2022 22 4–5–12 19th did not qualify – did not qualify
2023 21 4–2–14 19th did not qualify – did not qualify

Notable former players

The following players have either played at the professional or international level, either before or after playing for the League1 Ontario team:

Honours

References
  1. Meertins, Tyrrell (May 29, 2014). "Introducing Master's FA". League1 Ontario.
  2. "History of Master's Futbol Academy". Master's FA.
  3. Thompson, Marty (February 27, 2021). "'Nobody has built this before': The incredible story of Master's FA's 2019 title". League1 Ontario.
  4. "Ontario launches provincial semi-professional men's league". Canadian Soccer Association. April 8, 2014. Archived from the original on July 4, 2020.
  5. "OSA announces League1 Ontario teams". Ontario Soccer Association. April 8, 2014. Archived from the original on May 18, 2014.
  6. Hayakawa, Michael (April 10, 2014). "Vaughan to field 2 teams in inaugural soccer league". Vaughan Citizen.
  7. Meertins, Tyrrell (June 2, 2014). "Master's FA Saints 3 - Cataraqui Clippers 0". League1 Ontario.
  8. "A Bluffer's Guide to Master's FA". League1 Ontario. November 3, 2022.
  9. Vanderhoeven, Paul (September 28, 2019). "FC London battles to the finish in League1 championship loss to Scarborough Masters". The London Free Press.
  10. Jacques, John (September 28, 2019). "Master's Futbol Academy Wins League1 Ontario For The First Time". Northern Tribune.
  11. "12 teams from four leagues to contest 2020 Canadian Championship". Sportsnet. December 18, 2019.
  12. Thompson, Marty (June 16, 2020). "Masters FA moved from amended 2020 CanChamp, will play in 2021 edition". League1 Ontario.
  13. O'Connor-Clarke, Charlie (August 21, 2021). "RECAP: York United advance in CanChamp with dominant 5-0 win over Master's FA". Canadian Premier League.
  14. "Master's FA". League 1 Ontario.
  15. "League1 Ontario Historical Standings Men's Division". Canadian Soccer History Archives.
  16. "League1 Ontario cancels Fall season plans for 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions". Canadian Premier League. September 4, 2020.
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