Forest City London Soccer Club usually referred to as FC London, is a Canadian soccer team based in London, in the province of Ontario. The club was founded in 2008 and plays in USL Premier Development League, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Great Lakes Division of the Central Conference.
Since 2009, the team plays home games at German-Canadian Club of London Field, which seats 900 spectators. They won the 2012 PDL title, their first championship, and are the current defending champions.
History[edit]
Forest City London joined the USL Premier Development League in 2009,[1] and played their first ever game on May 29, 2009, against Cleveland Internationals.[2] London won the game 2–1, with the first goal in franchise history being scored by Kevin Zimmermann.[3] London's debut season was a generally positive one; they remained unbeaten over the course of their first ten games, and enjoyed seven wins, including a 3–1 victory on the road against the Cincinnati Kings, a 5–0 thrashing of Kalamazoo Outrage that featured a brace from midfielder Thomas Beattie, a 3–1 win on the road against traditional powerhouse Michigan Bucks in which Zimmermann added another two goals to his tally, and a comprehensive 4–1 victory in the return fixture against Cleveland at the end of June. London's first loss – their first defeat in franchise history – was a 3–1 drop to the Indiana Invaders at the beginning of July, and it initiated a complete reversal of fortune for the team, who did not win another game all season, and dropped down the divisional standings. They ultimately finished third in the Great Lakes Division, seven points behind divisional champions Kalamazoo, and faced off against Chicago Fire Premier in the first round of the playoffs; unfortunately for London their stay in the playoffs was brief, as they lost 1–0 to the Illinoisans on a goal by Andre Akpan. Kevin Zimmermann and Alan McGreal were London's top scorers in their debut season, with 9 and 7 goals respectively, while Anthony Di Biase contributed 4 assists.
Current squad[edit]
First team squad[edit]
As of July 23, 2012 [4]
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. |
|
Position |
Player |
| 1 |
 |
GK |
Mark Haynes |
| 2 |
 |
DF |
Joshua Hughes |
| 3 |
 |
DF |
Gary Ogilvie |
| 4 |
|
DF |
Rene DeZorzi |
| 5 |
|
DF |
Alex Lewis |
| 8 |
|
MF |
Thomas Owens |
| 9 |
 |
FW |
Lucas Almeida |
| 10 |
|
FW |
Bryan Da Cruz |
| 11 |
|
FW |
Jordan Ayris |
| 12 |
|
DF |
Geraldo Garza |
| 14 |
|
MF |
Robert Mboko |
| 15 |
|
DF |
Jovan Ivanovich |
| 16 |
|
MF |
Matthew Elias |
|
|
| No. |
|
Position |
Player |
| 17 |
|
MF |
Denver Spearman |
| 18 |
|
MF |
Connor McFall |
| 19 |
|
DF |
Dominic Szyszka |
| 20 |
 |
MF |
Nuno Gourgel |
| 22 |
|
GK |
Scott Shewfelt |
| 24 |
|
MF |
Tyler Hemming |
| 25 |
|
DF |
Matt Catalano |
| 28 |
|
DF |
Chris Dillon |
| 30 |
|
GK |
Reece Richardson |
| 45 |
 |
FW |
Martin Lange |
| -- |
 |
DF |
Aaron Schneebeli |
| -- |
|
MF |
Carl Haworth |
|
Notable former players[edit]
This list of notable former players comprises players who went on to play professional soccer after playing for the team in the Premier Development League, or those who previously played professionally before joining the team.
International Players[edit]
Seasons[edit]
| Season |
Division |
League |
Regular Season |
Playoffs |
| 2009 |
4 |
USL PDL |
3rd, Great Lakes |
Divisional Semifinals |
| 2010 |
4 |
USL PDL |
2nd, Great Lakes |
Conference Semifinals |
| 2011 |
4 |
USL PDL |
3rd, Great Lakes |
Conference Quarterfinals |
| 2012 |
4 |
USL PDL |
2nd, Great Lakes |
Champions |
Head coaches[edit]
- Martin Painter (2009–Present)
Stadium History[edit]
Average attendance[edit]
Attendance stats are calculated by averaging each team's self-reported home attendances from the historical match archive at http://www.uslsoccer.com/history/index_E.html.
- 2009: 1632
- 2010: 1246
- 2011: 841
- 2012: 507
The club colors are blue, yellow and white. Since 2009 the kit manufacturer is Umbro. The current home kit consists in blue shirt, shorts and socks. And the away kit consists in white shirt, shorts and socks.
Rivalries[edit]
References[edit]
External links[edit]
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Forest City London
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| The Club |
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| Stadium |
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| Development System |
- FC London U21
- FC London Academy
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| Rivalries |
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| Important Figures |
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| Retired Numbers |
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| Key Personnel |
- President: Ian Campbell
- Head Coach: Martin Painter
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Honors (1)
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| Great Lakes Division (1) |
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| Overview |
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| National teams |
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| Leagues |
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| CIS |
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| CCAA |
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| Cup Competitions |
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| Men's college soccer |
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| Defunct Leagues |
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