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.
 | |
| Full name | Master's Futbol Academy |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Saints |
| Founded | 2009 |
| Stadium | L'Amoreaux Park Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario |
| Owner | Junior Groves |
| Head Coach | Giuseppe Mattace-Raso |
| League | League1 Ontario |
| 2024 | L1O-C, 5th (men) L2O, 10th (women) |
| Website | http://www.mfasoccer.ca |
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
editIn 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]
Seasons
editMen
edit| Season | League | Teams | Record | Rank | Playoffs | League Cup | Canadian Championship | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | League1 Ontario | 9 | 5–2–9 | 7th | – | Group stage | Not eligible | [14] |
| 2015 | 12 | 1–3–18 | 12th | – | Group stage | Not eligible | [14] | |
| 2016 | 16 | 3–2–17 | 8th, Eastern (16th overall) | did not qualify | Runner-up | Not eligible | [14] | |
| 2017 | 16 | 9–3–10 | 5th, Eastern (9th overall) | did not qualify | Quarter-finals | Not eligible | [14] | |
| 2018 | 17 | 4–7–5 | 10th | did not qualify | Quarter-finals | did not qualify | [14] | |
| 2019 | 16 | 9–3–3 | 4th | Champions | – | did not qualify | [14] | |
| 2020 | Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | Moved to 2021 | [15] | |||||
| 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 | ||
| 2024 | League1 Ontario Championship | 10 | 5–4–9 | 5th | – | Quarter-Finals | did not qualify | |
Women
edit| Season | League | Teams | Record | Rank | Playoffs | League Cup | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | League2 Ontario Northeast | 10 | 0–2–12 | 10th | – | Round of 32 |
Notable former players
editThe following players have either played at the professional or international level, either before or after playing for the League1 Ontario team:
Honours
edit- League1 Ontario
- Championship (1): 2019
References
edit- ^ Meertins, Tyrrell (May 29, 2014). "Introducing Master's FA". League1 Ontario.
- ^ "History of Master's Futbol Academy". Master's FA.
- ^ Thompson, Marty (February 27, 2021). "'Nobody has built this before': The incredible story of Master's FA's 2019 title". League1 Ontario.
- ^ "Ontario launches provincial semi-professional men's league". Canadian Soccer Association. April 8, 2014. Archived from the original on July 4, 2020.
- ^ "OSA announces League1 Ontario teams". Ontario Soccer Association. April 8, 2014. Archived from the original on May 18, 2014.
- ^ Hayakawa, Michael (April 10, 2014). "Vaughan to field 2 teams in inaugural soccer league". Vaughan Citizen.
- ^ Meertins, Tyrrell (June 2, 2014). "Master's FA Saints 3 – Cataraqui Clippers 0". League1 Ontario.
- ^ "A Bluffer's Guide to Master's FA". League1 Ontario. November 3, 2022.
- ^ Vanderhoeven, Paul (September 28, 2019). "FC London battles to the finish in League1 championship loss to Scarborough Masters". The London Free Press.
- ^ Jacques, John (September 28, 2019). "Master's Futbol Academy Wins League1 Ontario For The First Time". Northern Tribune.
- ^ "12 teams from four leagues to contest 2020 Canadian Championship". Sportsnet. December 18, 2019.
- ^ Thompson, Marty (June 16, 2020). "Masters FA moved from amended 2020 CanChamp, will play in 2021 edition". League1 Ontario.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b c d e f "League1 Ontario Historical Standings Men's Division". Canadian Soccer History Archives.
- ^ "League1 Ontario cancels Fall season plans for 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions". Canadian Premier League. September 4, 2020.