FC Berlin (Canada/United States)

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FC Berlin
Short nameFCB
Founded2017; 7 years ago (2017)
StadiumCoyer Field, Buffalo State College
Capacity2,000
OwnersSantiago Almada
Gabriel Almada
Head CoachesFrancesco Cardillo (UPSL)
Greg Margolis (UWS)
LeagueUPSL (men)
United Women's Soccer (women)
2023UPSL Fall: 6th, Midwest East Division (men)
UWS: 17th, East Division (women)
WebsiteClub website

FC Berlin is a Canadian and American soccer club based in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada and Buffalo, New York, USA. The senior men's team competes in United Premier Soccer League and the senior women's team competes in United Women's Soccer.

History[edit]

Berlin Football Academy logo

The Berlin Football Academy was founded in 2017 in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada as a youth development soccer academy aimed at preparing players for university and professional soccer opportunities.[1][2] In the first years, the objective was to provide athletes aged 15–19 with a direct pathway to scholarship opportunities in Canada and the United States.[1] The club's name FC Berlin (Football Club Berlin) pays tribute to the old name of the club's hometown, Kitchener, Ontario (and by extension to its large German community), which was previously known as Berlin, and changed its name after the First World War, following a 1916 referendum.[3] FC Berlin aims to be a fully fan-owned club by 2024, with players receiving the ability to become part-owners of the same club they play for.[citation needed]

FC Berlin lines up against Detroit Union in their first-ever UPSL match on September 4, 2021.

After joining the Ontario Soccer Association in 2018, the club successfully achieved its first U21 Regional Championship in the Ontario Soccer League, going 12-1-1 with a first-year program.[citation needed] From there, the club significantly invested in its professional development by launching FC Berlin in July 2020, to provide professional development opportunities for Canadian and American players, announcing the team would enter in the American-based United Premier Soccer League in 2021 and would operate out of Buffalo, New York.[4][5] While the team operates out of the United States to play in the UPSL, they were able to play their first UPSL game in Canada on September 29, 2022, when they took on Chantilly Forever FC, another Canadian club that would operate out of the United States in the league.[6]

FC Berlin logo (2020-2023)

In January 2021, they announced their intention to join the Women's Premier Soccer League, where like the men's team they would operate out of Buffalo, while fielding a roster of all-Canadian players.[7][8] However, they ultimately joined United Women's Soccer for the 2022 season.[9]

In 2023, FC Berlin's Canadian-based U17 Girls team won the MilkUP Ontario Cup, beating London Alliance by 4-2 in penalty kicks after a 2-2 tieand qualified to the National Championship.[10][11]

In January 2024, it was announced that Greg Margolis would become the UWS squad Head Coach, along with Nate Holler and Victoria Colotti (Assistant Coaches) and Emily Kelly (Goalkeeping Coach). With these announcements, FC Berlin looks to build an even stronger presence in the Western NY area, as Margolis is currently the head coach of the Buffalo State Bengals Women's Soccer team.[12][13]

Current squad[edit]

Men[edit]

As of 28 Mar 2024 [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
1 GK United States USA Daniel Fiegel II
4 MF United Kingdom GBR Sean Burke
5 DF United States USA Calvin Kron
6 MF United States USA Luca Buscaglia
7 MF United States USA Lucas Fenton
8 MF United States USA Nemanja Simic
9 FW United States USA Pa Lu
10 MF United Kingdom GBR Charlie Stewart
11 MF United States USA Liam Mulderig
13 DF Scotland SCO Sonny Simpson
14 MF United States USA Malik Watson
17 FW United States USA Sajan Magar
No. Pos. Nation Player
18 MF United States USA August Finn
20 MF Argentina ARG Santiago Almada
21 FW United States USA Chase Eagan
22 DF United States USA Tyler Butler
24 MF Canada CAN Alex Babol
27 MF United States USA Ben Schmidt
30 MF Brazil BRA Gabriel Cavalcante
51 MF Kenya KEN Saleman Salim
70 MF United Kingdom GBR Ben Calkins
66 DF Wales WAL Finley Savage
77 FW Kenya KEN Abdullahi Hussein
MF United States USA Giovanni Meheshem

Women[edit]

As of 21 Mar 2024 [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
0 GK United States USA Nevaeh Franjoine
1 GK United States USA Hanna Johnson
2 DF United States USA Grace Parker
3 MF United States USA Olivia Geno
4 DF United States USA Baylin Tighe
5 DF United States USA Molly Tobin
6 MF United States USA Victoria Colotti
7 MF Canada CAN Lauren Cuisia
8 MF United States USA Eden Palkovic
9 MF United States USA Faye Panagopoulos
10 FW United States USA Tatiana Scalisi
11 MF United States USA Siena Wolf
12 FW United States USA Emalee Szablewski
13 MF United States USA Grace Zabawa
No. Pos. Nation Player
14 DF United States USA Baillie Colling
15 FW United States USA Marissa Birzon
16 DF United States USA Katelyn Dena
17 MF United States USA Lindsay Lenhard
18 MF United States USA Brooke Amato
19 DF United States USA Ava Thompson
20 MF United States USA Hannah Callaghan
21 MF United States USA Grace Stranahan
22 FW United States USA Lexi Aquilino
23 MF United States USA Julia Benham
24 MF United States USA Kristin Pickard
25 MF United States USA Sarah Brunskill
26 MF Canada CAN Florencia Almada
27 DF United States USA Mary Molloy

Staff[edit]

As of 25 March 2024 [14]

Position Name
Technical Director Argentina Santiago Almada
General Manager Argentina Gabriel Almada
UPSL Head Coach Canada Francesco Cardillo
UWS Head Coach United States Greg Margolis
UPSL Assistant Coach France Yohan Andraud
UPSL Assistant Coach United States August Finn
UWS Assistant Coach United States Nate Holler
UWS Assistant Coach United States Victoria Colotti
UWS Goalkeeping Coach United States Emily Kelly
Visual Media Director Argentina Juan Almada

Seasons[edit]

Men[edit]

Season League Division Teams Record Rank Playoffs Ref
2021 Fall United Premier Soccer League Midwest East Division 8 4–2–4 5th did not qualify [15]
2022 Spring Western NY Division 10 6–1–3 3rd Conference Semi-finals
2022 Fall Midwest East Division 9 4–2–2 5th did not qualify
2023 Spring Western NY Division 12 6–1–4 6th Conference Quarter-finals
2023 Fall Midwest East Division 6 1–4–5 6th did not qualify

Women[edit]

Season League Division Teams Record Rank Playoffs Ref
2022 United Women's Soccer Penn-NY Division 5 0–3–7 4th did not qualify [16]
2022 Spring United Premier Soccer League Western NY Division 4 2–0–4 3rd did not qualify [17]
2023 United Women's Soccer East Division 17 0–0–6 17th did not qualify [18]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "FC Berlin, Ontario, Canada (UPSL / WPSL)". Protagonist Soccer. March 8, 2021.
  2. ^ "An Interview with Berlin Football Academy". Footy Narrative. August 19, 2018.
  3. ^ English, John; McLaughlin, Kenneth (1983). Kitchener: An Illustrated History. Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier University Press. ISBN 0-88920-137-4.
  4. ^ "UPSL Announces Northeast Expansion with FC Berlin". United Premier Soccer League. July 20, 2020. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020.
  5. ^ Almada, Gabriel (August 3, 2020). "Introducting FC Berlin". FC Berlin.
  6. ^ Almada, Gabriel (September 29, 2022). "FC Berlin vs Chantilly Forever SC - The first Canadian Derby - Tonight!". FC Berlin.
  7. ^ Almada, Santiago (January 27, 2021). "FC Berlin joins the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL)". FC Berlin.
  8. ^ Bryson, Mark (February 5, 2021). "Kitchener-based FC Berlin shuffles into Buffalo". Waterloo Region Record.
  9. ^ "UWS welcomes FC Berlin". United Women's Soccer. May 6, 2022.
  10. ^ "FC Berlin makes comeback for MilkUP Ontario Cup Title in intense shootout". Ontario Soccer Association. September 10, 2023.
  11. ^ "Toyota National Championships - Girls U-17 Cup". Canadian Soccer Association. October 9, 2023.
  12. ^ "FC Berlin Announces New Women's Head Coach Greg Margolis". FC Berlin (Canada/United States). January 14, 2023.
  13. ^ "FC Berlin Announces New Women's Assistant Coaches - Victoria Colotti, Nate Holler, & Emily Kelly". FC Berlin (Canada/United States). January 14, 2023.
  14. ^ a b c "FC Berlin Official Site". FC Berlin.
  15. ^ "UPSL Standings". United Premier Soccer League.
  16. ^ "2022 UWS Standings". United Women's Soccer. Archived from the original on July 21, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  17. ^ "UPSL Women's Standings". United Premier Soccer League.
  18. ^ "2023 UWS Standings". United Women's Soccer. Archived from the original on July 26, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)