If you have a touch of Spanish heritage, originally from South or Central America, Mexico, the Caribbean or Spain, and you now reside in southern Ontario and love the game of soccer, you may want to keep an eye on the most recent addition to the Canadian Soccer League.
Future Stars FC, also known as the Spanish Future Stars FC, will be worth the trip to Centennial Stadium at Toronto’s west-end where the CSL will kickoff its 2024 regular season around mid-May, playing through to September and followed by the CSL Championship Final late October.
While Future Stars FC is presently in the building stage after gaining approval following the various steps of its membership application to enter Canada’s oldest soccer league founded in 1925, it is clear that the team will be competitive and attractive with a driving force centred in Colombia but determined eventually to be a strong part of Canada’s growing soccer community.
The diversity of Canadian soccer was appealing to the organization’s president Oscar Caribali who resides in Cali, Colombia and vice president Juan Mina who emigrated to Canada from Cali in 2005 and lives minutes from Centennial Stadium. Caribali is presently selecting players in Colombia and Brazil and other parts of South America, while also assisting the selected players gain a visa and approval for temporary residence in Canada. Wellington Zuca De Sousa ls the club’s head coach and with Mina will be scouting local players. Super Stars FC will establish a soccer academy for younger players.
Cali is the largest city in southwest Colombia with a population of more than two million and where soccer (fútbol) is the only sport at the professional level and the passion for the game is high. Other sports, such as basketball, volleyball are in a secondary position at the amateur level. Future Stars will explore the viability of exhibition matches between a team from South America and its CSL side. A team from Sao Paulo, Brazil — the Anarqui Futebol & Amigos — toured North America in 2018 and played the CSL Veteran All Stars at Maple in York Region. The CSL Veteran All Stars took a 3-0 lead at half-time and went on to a 6-2 victory.
“ For our president Oscar Caribali and the entire organization I would like to say how pleased we are to be a team in the Canadian Soccer League. It is our vision to be very competitive and be a helpful proud member of Canada’s soccer community”, said Mina