US EditionMontreal’s New Pro Soccer Team FC Supra Du Québec Built on Local Talent
The expansion club is betting on a homegrown model to give Quebec players a clearer route to the pros, with 300 tryout hopefuls turned away.
- Today, FC Supra du Québec opens its inaugural Canadian Premier League season in Victoria against Pacific FC, fielding a roster made entirely of Québécois players inspired by Athletic Bilbao's model.
- Preventing local talent from falling through the cracks, FC Supra president Rocco Placentino designed the club to provide a 'clearer path to pros' for players born, raised, or trained in Quebec's amateur system.
- Placentino rejected over 300 applicants from outside Quebec to maintain strict eligibility. Coach Nicholas Razzaghi noted squad members faced retirement two years ago, saying, "Their careers were pretty much hanging on a thread."
- Captain David Choinière left seven trophy-filled seasons with Forge FC to join the project, emphasizing shared French language and identity as the team's "biggest strength" across diverse backgrounds.
- Acknowledging the limited player pool brings inherent disadvantages, Placentino remains committed to the "early stages" of the experiment. Year 1 results will determine if the Athletic Bilbao-inspired model succeeds long-term.
11 Articles
11 Articles
FC Supra du Quebec set for CPL debut with a homegrown roster: 'Our biggest strength'
FC Supra opens its inaugural Canadian Premier League season Saturday in Victoria when the expansion club based in Laval, Que., faces Pacific FC with a squad made entirely of Quebecois players.
Winnipeg Free Press
FC Supra du Québec set for CPL debut with a homegrown roster: 'Our biggest strength'
Breaking News, Sports, Manitoba, Canada
Historically in professional sport in North America, the clubs that made their entry into a league were rarely easy in the first year. There were the Vegas Golden Knights who reached the Stanley Cup final in their inaugural campaign in the NHL in 2018, but that's the exception. When you know that, what should be expected from the start of the FC Supra of Quebec in the First Canadian League to soccer with a first game this Saturday in Victoria ag…
Le Supra du Québec, which relies on a 100% Quebec workforce, will make its debut in the First Canadian Soccer League on Saturday in Victoria.
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