York United FC

Full name	York United Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Nine Stripes
Founded	May 5, 2018; 6 years ago (2018-05-05) (as York 9 Football Club)
Stadium	York Lions Stadium Toronto, Ontario
Capacity	4,000
Owner	Game Plan Sports Group
President	Ricardo Pasquel
Head coach	Vacant
League	Canadian Premier League
2024	Regular season, 4th Playoffs, quarterfinals
Website	https://yorkunitedfc.canpl.ca/
Home colours Away colours
Current season

Active teams of York United FC
CPL L1ON
v t e

York United Football Club (formerly known as York9 FC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto, Ontario.^[1][2] The club competes in the Canadian Premier League and plays its home games at York University's York Lions Stadium.

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 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 FC 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 first match was the inaugural CPL match at Forge FC on April 27, 2019,^[18] launching the 905 Derby with a 1–1 draw, as Ryan Telfer scored 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]

In early 2020 the team announced the departure of Preben Ganzhorn from the club.^[21] He was replaced by Angus McNab, initially as a management consultant and later as the team's President, GM, and CEO.^[22][23]

York9 was expected to begin their second season in the Canadian Premier League in April 2020 but the season was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.^[24] 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.^[25]

On December 11, 2020, the club was rebranded as York United FC, adopting a new crest and colour scheme along with the name change. While the original club name exclusively targeted York Region, the new branding also represents the City of Toronto.^[26] In their first season as York United FC, the club finished 4th in the 2021 Canadian Premier League season. They were eliminated from the playoffs after a 3–1 loss to Forge FC. Following the season, head coach Jim Brennan's tenure at the club ended after it was announced November 23, 2021, that his contract would not be extended.^[27] He was replaced by Martin Nash on December 21, 2021.^[28]

During the 2023 season, it was announced that the club was sold from the Baldassarra family to the Canadian Soccer Business with plans to transfer the club to new ownership.^[29] Angus McNab stepped down from his role as president, CEO, and general manager following the season on November 3, 2023.^[30] On November 30, 2023, the Canadian Premier League announced that Mexican-based Game Plan Sports Group had purchased York United with immediate effect.^[31][32] The ownership group is led by brothers Eduardo, Ricardo and Miguel Pasquel, who each took roles in the day-to-day operations of the club, respectively, as chief executive officer, president and general manager, and chief commercial officer.^[31][32][33]

On May 21, 2024, manager Martin Nash was relieved of his head coaching duties and replaced by Mauro Eustáquio on an interim basis.^[34] On June 4, 2024, York United FC announced Benjamín Mora as their new head coach.^[35] It was announced at the end of the 2024 season that Benjamin Mora and the club had mutually parted ways.^[36]

In November 2024, the club announced the formation of the York United FC Academy to play in the League1 Ontario Championship, featuring a U20 roster (along with up to 3 U23 players), as well as being able to send up to three first team players to the quad on short-term loans.^[37][38]

York plays its home matches at York Lions Stadium in York University's Keele Campus in York University Heights, a neighbourhood of North York, Toronto.^[39] 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.^[40] Before the start of the 2021 season, the stadium was renovated with a larger, artificial turf pitch and the removal of the athletic track which surrounded the playing surface.^[41]

In 2018, the club announced plans to build a modular, wooden, 15,000-seat stadium within the next three years.^[42] As of August 2021^[update], financing and location of the new stadium was yet to be determined.^[43]

In March 2022, Woodbine Racetrack announced plans to add an 8,000 seat soccer-specific stadium and adjoining training facilities in the northeast corner of their property in Rexdale, Etobicoke; this would be the presumed new home of York United and possibly house a future professional women's soccer club.^[44]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to York United FC kits.

The club's namesake and crest pays homage to The Queen's York Rangers, as well as Toronto and York Region's predecessors, York, Upper Canada and York County. The crest's shape is derived from that of The Queen's York Rangers, a Canadian Army regiment based in Toronto and York Region. A blue element on top of the shield symbolizes Lake Ontario, a body of water that rivers in York Region and Toronto flow into. The shield features a YU monogram and nine vertical stripes, a nod to the club's nickname "The Nine Stripes". A crown at the top of the shield represents Canada's monarchical history. A trillium and a maple leaf are incorporated into the crown's design, with the former representing Ontario.^[45]

Although the club does insinuate the crest used as inspiration is of the original Town of York, that then became the City of Toronto, the club's colours of dark green, dark blue, white, and gold, are taken from the coat of arms of the City of York, a former city that was later amalgamated into the new City of Toronto in 1998. Unlike the majority of clubs in the CPL, York typically uses home kits that are primarily white.^[46]

The club used its original branding while it was known as York9 FC, between 2018 and 2020. The main feature of the crest's design was nine beams at the top of the crest, one for each municipality in York Region. The upward angle of the bars is a nod to the region's motto "Ontario's Rising Star". A white trillium at the base of the crest recognized Ontario, the province's floral emblem since 1937.^[47]

The official club colours were light green, grey, and black (branded by the club as "electric green", "charcoal grey", and "black on black"). These colours symbolized the region's nature (in tandem with the club's environmental focus) and Black Creek.^[11][47]

Much more so than other CPL teams, York is a club which relies heavily on data and analytics to make decisions.^[48]

A supporters' group called Generation IX was present at the club's launch event;^[49][50] the group later ended its support following the club's 2020 rebrand.^[51] 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.^[52][53]

Three new supporters' groups, Centre of the Universe, The Northern Corridor, and Eastenders 416, were formed in 2021.^[54][55][56]

York United has a geographic rivalry with Forge FC in nearby Hamilton. As both towns use the 905 area code, it was used to name the derby between the league's closest teams. 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]

As of September 13, 2024^[57]

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

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  FRA Thomas Vincensini 4 DF  MEX Oswaldo León 5 DF  CAN Frank Sturing 6 DF  MEX Orlando Botello (on loan from Monterrey) 7 DF  CAN Juan Córdova 8 MF  ENG Elijah Adekugbe 9 FW  CAN Brian Wright 10 FW  SYR Molham Babouli (captain) 11 MF  LIE Dennis Salanović 12 MF  MEX Santiago Márquez (on loan from Necaxa) 14 FW  CAN Theo Afework 15 MF  MEX Josué Martínez (on loan from Monterrey) 16 MF  CAN Max Ferrari

No. Pos. Nation Player 17 MF  UKR Markiyan Voytsekhovskyy 18 GK  CAN Eleias Himaras 19 FW  CAN Shola Jimoh 20 FW  MEX Jorge Guzmán (on loan from Club Atlas) 21 MF  CAN Kembo Kibato 23 DF  CAN Noah Abatneh 24 MF  CAN Tomas Giraldo (on loan from HFX Wanderers) 27 MF  CAN Lukas Pareja 30 MF  CAN Kadin Martin-Pereux 33 MF  PHI Matthew Baldisimo 37 MF  CAN Trivine Esprit 62 DF  CAN Nyal Higgins

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

No. Pos. Nation Player 12 MF  CAN Clément Bayiha (on loan to HFX Wanderers FC)

As of June 4, 2024

As of October 27, 2024

Coach	Nation	Tenure	Record
			G	W	D	L	Win %
Jimmy Brennan	Canada	July 27, 2018 – November 23, 2021	72	22	25	25	030.56
Martin Nash	Canada	December 21, 2021 – May 21, 2024	67	25	13	29	037.31
Mauro Eustáquio (interim)	Canada	May 21, 2024 – June 4, 2024	2	1	0	1	050.00
Benjamín Mora	Mexico	June 4, 2024 – November 10, 2024	22	9	5	8	040.91

Statistics include regular season and Canadian Championship matches.

Years	Name	Nation
2019–2020	Manny Aparicio[59][60]	Canada
2021–2023	Roger Thompson[61]	Canada
2024–present	Molham Babouli	Syria

Season	League												Playoffs	CC	Continental / other	Average attendance[a]	Top goalscorer(s)[b]
	Div	League	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	PPG	Pos.					Name	Goals
2019[c]	1	CPL	28	9	7	12	39	37	+2	34	1.21	3rd	DNQ	R3	Ineligible	2,668	Rodrigo Gattas	11
2020[d]			7	2	4	1	8	7	+1	10	1.43	5th		DNQ	DNQ	N/A	Joseph Di Chiara	3
2021			28	8	12	8	35	39	-4	36	1.29	4th	SF	QF		1,118	3 players tied[e]	6
2022			28	9	7	12	31	37	-6	34	1.21	6th	DNQ	SF		1,234	Osaze De Rosario	13
2023			28	11	5	12	35	44	-9	38	1.36	5th	Play-in	QF		1,242	Molham Babouli	7
2024			28	11	6	11	35	36	-1	39	1.39	4th	QF	PR		1,499	Brian Wright	9

As of Oct 27, 2024^[63][64]

#	Name	Nation	Career at club	Goals scored
				CPL	Cup	Int'l	Total
1	Molham Babouli	Syria	2022–	18	1	0	19
	Osaze De Rosario	Guyana	2022–2023	18	1	0	19
3	Rodrigo Gattas	Chile	2019	9	2	0	11
	Brian Wright	Canada	2023–	11	0	0	11
5	Ryan Telfer	Trinidad and Tobago	2019–2020	8	2	0	10
6	Diyaeddine Abzi	Canada	2019–2021	7	1	0	8
	Simon Adjei	Sweden	2019	7	1	0	8
	Austin Ricci	Canada	2019, 2022–	7	1	0	8
9	Álvaro Rivero	Spain	2020–2021	7	0	0	7
	Lowell Wright	Canada	2020–2022	7	0	0	7

Note: Bold indicates active player

As of Oct 27, 2024^[63][64]

#	Name	Nation	Career at club	Assists
				CPL	Cup	Int'l	Total
1	Diyaeddine Abzi	Canada	2019–2021	8	1	0	9
2	Brian Wright	Canada	2023–	8	0	0	8
3	Max Ferrari	Canada	2020–	7	0	0	7
	Michael Petrasso	Canada	2020–2023	5	2	0	7
	Kyle Porter	Canada	2019–2020	5	2	0	7
6	Molham Babouli	Syria	2022–	6	0	0	6
7	Osaze De Rosario	Guyana	2022–2023	5	0	0	5
	Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé	Canada	2023	5	0	0	5
	Isaiah Johnston	Canada	2020–2022	5	0	0	5
	Jorge Guzman	Mexico	2024–	5	0	0	5
	Noah Verhoeven	Canada	2019	5	0	0	5
	Lowell Wright	Canada	2020–2022	3	2	0	5

Note: Bold indicates active player

As of Oct 27, 2024^[63][64]

#	Name	Nation	Career at club	Games played
				CPL	Cup	Int'l	Total
1	Max Ferrari	Canada	2020–	102	6	0	108
2	Diyaeddine Abzi	Canada	2019–2022	65	11	0	76
3	Nathan Ingham	Canada	2019–2021	54	8	0	62
4	Roger Thompson	Canada	2019–2023	56	4	0	60
	Austin Ricci	Canada	2019, 2022–2024	54	6	0	60
6	Chrisnovic N'sa	Canada	2021–2022	54	5	0	59
7	Dominick Zator	Canada	2021–2022	53	5	0	58
8	Osaze De Rosario	Guyana	2022–2023	52	5	0	57
	Jordan Wilson	Canada	2021–2022	52	5	0	57
10	Noah Verhoeven	Canada	2021–2022	51	5	0	56

Note: Bold indicates active player

As of Oct 27, 2024^[63][64]

Note: Bold indicates active player

Wikimedia Commons has media related to York United FC.

• Official website