 | |||
| Full name | FC Supra de Montreal | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Supra | ||
| Founded | 1988 | ||
| Dissolved | 1992 | ||
| Stadium | Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard | ||
| Capacity | 9,300 | ||
| League | Canadian Soccer League | ||
Montreal Supra was a Canadian professional soccer club based in Montreal, Quebec that played in the Canadian Soccer League from 1988 to 1992.
Montreal Supra joined the Canadian Soccer League as an expansion franchise for the league's second season in 1988. [1] They were Montreal's first professional soccer team, since the NASL's Montreal Manic and CPSL's FC Inter-Montréal folded in 1983. [2] It was created by an investment by O'Keefe Brewery, one of Canada's three largest breweries, as the main sponsor. [3] [4] The club was to be a community property as a non-profit corporation controlled by a board of directors made up of 12 voters: six founding companies (including O'Keefe) plus six representatives of small investors.[ citation needed ]
Supra had a difficult inaugural season, finishing last in the East Division with a record of 8-8-12 and failing to make the playoffs. [5] [6] The team also struggled in their second season winning only 3 of their 26 matches, once again failing to make the playoffs. [7] The team struggled financially, with the players agreeing to play without pay in 1989, later being paid with Ultramar gas coupons. [8] In 1990, they greatly improved to a record of 13–11–2, qualifying for the playoffs for the first time, but lost in the first round to Hamilton. [9] [7] Prior to the 1991 season, former Montreal Manic coach Eddie Firmani was hired as the named coach and general manager of the team. [10] In 1991, they finished 5th out of 8 teams, qualifying for the playoffs for the second year in a row, where they were once again defeated by Hamilton in the first round. [7] In their final season, they finished in 4th place out of 8 teams, qualifying for the playoffs for the third consecutive year, where they were once again eliminated in the first round, this time by the Vancouver 86ers. [7] In 1992, the club also competed in the Professional Cup, one of two invited CSL teams along with Vancouver, where they were eliminated in the first round by APSL club Tampa Bay Rowdies, losing 7–1 on aggregate (5-1 and 2–0). [11]
The team underwent severe financial difficulty in the early 1990s, ultimately with a Florida-based Spanish businessman named Frank Aliaga, who had ties to Canada, purchased the club in 1990 to keep the club in operation, as the previous season the players had not received a salary. [12] In addition, over the club's three seasons owned by Aliaga, the club went through six coaches. [13] After the 1991 season, the team's main sponsors - Ultramar, Molson O'Keefe and Saputo - indicated that they were no longer interested in sponsoring the team. [12] Aliaga hired Pino Asaro, who had been the manager of the Cosmos de LaSalle in the semi-professional Ligue nationale de soccer du Québec at the end of the 1980s, as general manager to help save the franchise. [12] He managed to convince the sponsors to remain with the club and also attracted Bell Long Distance as a new sponsor. [12] At the same time, the league was not doing well financially either, with the league commissioner, Dale Barnes, leaving and Supra owner Frank Aliaga being named the new league president. [12] [14]
After the 1992 season the league was set to fold, and Aliaga approached Asaro to inquire into the possibility of the club joining the US-based American Professional Soccer League. [14] Montreal had been approved by the APSL, [15] however, Aliaga was not able to meet the financial requirements to enter a club in the league, [12] [16] as Supra's budget was only one-third of the APSL's minimum requirement. [15] APSL commissioner Bill Sage inquired to Asaro if there was any interest from another party about operating a Montreal APSL team and Asaro immediately called Joey Saputo, who was able to arrange a meeting with Lino Saputo, owner of Saputo Inc., one of Supra's four main sponsors about taking over the team. [12] [14] [15]
The Saputos purchased the club from Aliaga, [17] and wanted the club to be the successor to Supra, maintaining much of the team's organizational staff and players for the new team. [18] Supra was dissolved and a new club called the Montreal Impact formed as a new APSL club. [19] [20] [21] Many of Montreal Supra's best players would join the expansion Impact, winning the league championship in 1994, during the team's second season. [22]
| Season | Tier | League | Record | Rank | Playoffs | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 1 | Canadian Soccer League | 8–8–12 | 5th, East | Did not qualify | [23] |
| 1989 | 3–9–14 | 5th, East | ||||
| 1990 | 13–11–2 | 2nd, East | Quarter-finals | |||
| 1991 | 11–7–10 | 5th | Quarter-finals | |||
| 1992 | 6–7–7 | 4th | Semi-finals |
Andy Onorato (1988–1989)
Pierre Mindru (1989–1990 and 1991–1992)
Roy Wiggemansen (1990–1991)
Eddie Firmani (1991) Paolo Ferrante (1991)
Bobby Vosmaer (1992) Pino Asaro (1992)
The Montreal Impact was a Canadian professional soccer club based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1993, the team played in various leagues in the second tier of the United States soccer league system, beginning with the American Professional Soccer League. They later played in the A-League/USL First Division, the USSF D2 Pro League, and the North American Soccer League. Following the 2011 season, the Impact were replaced by a team of the same name which joined Major League Soccer in 2012.
The Montreal Manic or the Manic de Montréal were a professional soccer team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, that played in the North American Soccer League.
Marco Rizi is a former Canadian professional soccer player. Rizi played in the American Professional Soccer League, professional indoor soccer, and briefly in Major League Soccer.
Mauro Biello is a Canadian professional soccer assistant coach and former player who has been the interim head coach of the Canada men's national team since September 20th, 2023. He played as a forward for several Canadian and American lower division clubs, namely Montreal Supra, Buffalo Blizzard, Rochester Raging Rhinos, and Toronto Thunderhawks. He also spent a total of 16 seasons with the second division Montreal Impact, for whom he is the all-time statistical leader in goals and appearances, with over 80 goals and over 300 games for the team. As a Canadian international, he was capped four times from 1995 until 2000.
The Canadian Soccer League was a Division 1 professional soccer league that operated for six seasons between 1987 and 1992. It was a nationwide league that had teams in six provinces over the course of its history. It was the last top-division league in Canada until the Canadian Premier League began play in 2019.
CF Montréal is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Montréal. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) in the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1993 as the Montreal Impact, they began playing in the MLS in 2012 as the league's nineteenth franchise and third Canadian club.
CF Montréal Academy is a soccer academy based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are the academy of Major League Soccer club CF Montréal. Founded in 2010, they operated a team in the Canadian Soccer League from 2010 to 2012. Their U-23 team played in the USL Premier Development League in 2014.
Mircea Ilcu is a soccer player. Born in Romania, he represented Canada at youth international level.
Petre Mândru, also known as Pierre Mindru, is a Romanian former football goalkeeper.
Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé is a Canadian professional soccer player who currently plays for HFX Wanderers.
The Canadian Classique, also known as the 401 Derby and the Two Solitudes Derby, is a soccer rivalry between Canadian clubs, Toronto FC and CF Montréal. The rivalry gets the "401" nickname from Ontario Highway 401, which forms most of the standard driving route between the two cities, as well as the Two Solitudes book and cultural phenomenon. It is a tense rivalry, stemming from other sporting rivalries between Toronto and Montreal.
Nicolas Lesage is a Gabonese retired footballer who played as a striker. He played at international level with the Quebec national soccer team.
Vladimir Edouard is a Canadian-born Haitian former footballer who played as a forward. He also played at the international level with the Haiti national team.
Victor Omar Antoine N’Diaye is a Canadian soccer player who played as a midfielder.
Kevin Luarca is a former soccer player. Born in Venezuela, he represented Canada internationally.
Zoran Jankovic is a Yugoslavian former football manager who managed most notably in the USL A-League.
The Professional Cup was an international soccer tournament that took place in 1992 and involved eight, professional clubs from three different leagues in North America; the American Professional Soccer League, the Canadian Soccer League, and the National Professional Soccer League. Although it was billed as "inaugural" this would be the only year that the tournament was played.
Jason Beaulieu is a Canadian former professional soccer player who played as a goalkeeper.
The 1992 Canadian Soccer League season was the sixth and final season of play for the Canadian Soccer League, a Division 1 men's soccer league in the Canadian soccer pyramid.
FC Inter-Montréal was a Canadian professional soccer team in Montreal, Quebec that competed in the original Canadian Professional Soccer League in 1983.
