| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Joseph Mattacchione | ||
| Date of birth | August 15, 1975 | ||
| Place of birth | Mississauga, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1994–1997 | UAB Blazers | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1999–2006 | Toronto Lynx | 165 | (8) |
| 2000–2001 | Toronto ThunderHawks (indoor) | 13 | (1) |
| 2002–2003 | Cleveland Force (indoor) | 31 | (2) |
| International career | |||
| 1994 | Canada U-20 | 1 | (0) |
| 2005 | Canada beach soccer team | 3 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2006 | Toronto Lynx (assistant coach) | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of July 01, 2015 | |||
Joseph Mattacchione (born August 15, 1975) is a Canadian former soccer player who played as a defender.
Mattacchione began playing at the youth level with Dixie Soccer Club. [1] He also played at the amateur level in the Toronto and District Soccer League with Mississauga United. [2] He continued playing soccer with his local high school, Father Michael Goetz Secondary School in Mississauga, Ontario, where he served as the team captain and was named the team MVP. [2] [3] In 1994, he received a scholarship to play college soccer for the University of Alabama at Birmingham. [3]
Throughout his tenure at Alabama, he was named to the First Team Rookie All-Conference in 1994 and was a 2-Time UAB Team MVP in 1996 and 1997. In 1997, he was also selected to the All-Conference team. [4] In the winter of 1997, he was drafted by the Montreal Impact's indoor team in the National Professional Soccer League amateur draft but wasn't offered a contract. [5]
After the completion of his college career, he was drafted by the Toronto Lynx of the USL A-League in 1998. [6] He officially began his professional career when he signed a contract with Toronto for the 1999 season. [7] He recorded his first professional goal on May 30, 1999, against the Jacksonville Cyclones in a 3-2 defeat. [8] The following season, he helped Toronto qualify for the postseason for the second time in the club's history. [9] He featured in the Conference finals against the Rochester Rhinos, where Toronto was eliminated from the playoffs by a score of 2-1 on aggregate goals [10]
Mattacchione re-signed with the Lynx for the 2001 and 2002 seasons. [11] [12] In his fourth season with the club, he received the Best Defensive Player award for his leadership. [13] In 2005, he returned to Toronto for his sixth consecutive season and was chosen the team captain under head coach Hubert Busby, Jr. [1] The following season, he began to transition to the managerial side as he served as an assistant coach under Duncan Wilde. [14] Throughout the 2006 campaign, he assisted Toronto in reaching the finals of the Open Canada Cup, where they were defeated by Ottawa St. Anthony Italia. [15] The 2006 season marked his final year with the Toronto Lynx, where he finished second in the rankings in the club's all-time match appearances. [16] [17]
After the conclusion of the 2000 A-League season, he signed with the Toronto ThunderHawks in the National Professional Soccer League. [18] In his debut season in the NPSL, he assisted Toronto in securing a postseason berth. [19] He returned to the indoor level in the 2002-03 season when he signed with the Cleveland Force. [20] He appeared in 31 matches and recorded two goals for Cleveland. [21]
In 1994, he made his debut for the Canada men's national under-20 soccer team on August 24, 1994, against Costa Rica. [22] He also appeared in three matches for the Canada national beach soccer team for the 2005 CONCACAF and CONMEBOL Beach Soccer Championship. [22]
In 2006, Mattacchione, along with Theo Zagar, was the assistant coach for the Toronto Lynx under Duncan Wilde. [14] In 2011, he was appointed head coach for the U-11 girls' team for the Oakville Soccer Club. [23]
After he retired from professional soccer, he became a teacher in the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board. [24]