Wikipedia

SC Waterloo Region

SC Waterloo Region is a professional Canadian soccer team that plays in the Canadian Soccer League, a non-FIFA-sanctioned league. The club was formed in 2011 under the name KW United FC and competed in the Second Division of the CSL. The following year the organization's name was changed to SC Waterloo Region and was promoted to the First Division. Within a short time Waterloo enjoyed a string of success within the league. Their biggest achievement came in the 2013 season by winning the CSL Championship, and reaching the championship match finals once more in 2015 only to lose to Toronto Croatia. In 2016, the organization voluntarily relegated itself to the CSL Second Division.

SC Waterloo Region
Emblem of SC Waterloo
Full nameSoccer Club Waterloo Region
Founded2011 (as KW United FC)
StadiumRIM Park
Waterloo, Ontario
Capacity5,400
PresidentTony Kocis
Head coachRadivoj Panic
LeagueCanadian Soccer League
2019Regular season: 4th
Playoffs:Semifinal
Websitehttp://www.scwaterloo.ca/

History

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In 2011, professional soccer returned to the Kitchener-Waterloo region since 1991 when the Kitchener Kickers competed in the original Canadian Soccer League. The team owners Tony Kocis and Vojislav Brisevac served as the club president, team manager, and secured a deal with Jako to sponsor the club. The club was named Kitchener-Waterloo United FC and began play in the Canadian Soccer League Second Division.[1][2] The team's original venue was located at Budd Park. In their debut season, United finished fourth in their division and secured a postseason berth.[3] At the conclusion of the season Ryan Pumier received the Goalkeeper of the Year award.[4][5]

The following season the club was renamed SC Waterloo Region in order to strengthen ties with youth club Waterloo Minor Soccer Club, and was promoted to the CSL First Division.[6] Their home venue was moved to University Stadium, and part owner Lazo Džepina with coaching credentials from Europe and the CSL assumed head coach responsibilities.[7] Džepina's recruitment of players consisted primarily from the Yugoslavian countries players like Adis Hasecic, Nemanja Simeunovic, Vladimir Zelenbaba, Drazen Vukovic, Dado Hadrovic, and Haris Fazlagic was selected as team captain. Waterloo made their First Division debut on May 6, 2012 against Windsor Stars in a 2-0 victory with both goals coming from Hadrovic.[8][9] In their inaugural season, the club finished ninth in the overall standings, and missed the final postseason berth by two points. At the CSL awards banquet Vukovic received the CSL Golden Boot for finishing as the league's top goalscorer with 20 goals.[10][11]

 
SC Waterloo team celebrating CSL Championship in 2013.

In preparations for the 2013 season, Džepina acquired the services of Ranko Golijanin, and Predrag Papaz while retaining the majority of core veterans from the previous season.[12][13] Meanwhile, Waterloo transferred their home venue to Warrior Field, and Vukovic was awarded the team captaincy. The team performed well during the regular season even achieving an eight-game undefeated streak at home. SC Waterloo managed to secure a postseason berth by finishing fifth in the overall standings with the second highest goal scoring record, and fourth best defensive record.[14] In the first round of the postseason, their opponents were Brampton City United FC, where Waterloo advanced to the next round after thrashing Brampton 4-0 with goals coming from Fazlagic, Hasecic, Vukovic, and Zoran Kukic.[15] The club faced Toronto Croatia in the semi-finals where the match concluded in a 1-1 draw which resulted in a penalty shootout with Waterloo winning the shootout by a score of 5-4.[16][17] Their opponents in the CSL Championship final were regular season champions Kingston FC, where Waterloo claimed their first piece of silverware by defeating Kingston by a score of 3-1 with goals coming from Zelenbaba and Fazlagic.[18][19][20][21] At the same time, the club's reserve team SC Waterloo B won the CSL Second Division championship defeating Toronto Croatia B by a score of 2-0 with goals from Erwin Uzunovic, and Mohammed-Ali Heydarpour.[22]

For the 2014 season, Aleksandar Stojiljković, Ramon Bailey, and Kiril Dimitrov were brought in as reinforcements.[23] Throughout the season, Waterloo's performance paled in comparison from their previous season, but still managed to clinch a playoff berth by finishing seventh in the overall standings. Their opponents in the first round were Toronto Croatia, where unfortunately Waterloo failed to defend their championship after suffering a 4-2 loss.[24] In the Second Division, Waterloo reached the finals where they were defeated by Kingston FC. At the conclusion of the season, Stojiljkovic and Nikola Miokovic were awarded the Rookie of the Year award for the First & Second Divisions.[25][26]

Their performance in the 2015 season improved as they finished fourth in the overall standings, and recording the third best defensive record.[27] In the first round of the playoffs, Waterloo faced Toronto Atomic FC, and advanced to the next round by a score of 2-0 with goals coming from Hasecic and Slobodan Milanovic.[28] In the semi-finals, the opponents were regular season champions the Serbian White Eagles, whom they managed to upset by a score of 3-2 with goals from Mladen Zeljkovic, Ali Heydarpour, and Hasecic.[29] For the second time in the club's history, they reached the CSL Championship final where they faced Toronto Croatia. Unfortunately the match didn't end in their favor as Toronto managed to secure a goal in a 1-0 victory.[30][31] The reserve team managed to create a milestone by reaching the championship finals for third straight year. Their opponents were Milton SC, but came short as their senior squad after suffering a 3-1 loss. Despite Waterloo's infield success, the club was without controversy as there was one reported allegation of match-fixing in a match against Niagara United.[32] Waterloo officials responded by denying any involvement in trying to manipulate the outcome of the match against Niagara .[33]

In 2016, SC Waterloo voluntarily were relegated to the CSL Second Division.[34] Since their return to the Second Division, the Tri-City club secured the regular season title.[35] Their opponents in the postseason were the York Region Shooters B, where they were eliminated from the competition by a score of 1-0.[36] For the 2017 season, the club was promoted to the First Division.[37]

Notable players

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Honours

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Head coaches

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Years Name Nation
2011–2016 Lazo Džepina   Croatia
2017 Stefan Ristić   Serbia
2018– Radivoj Panic   Serbia

Seasons

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Season League Teams Record Rank Playoffs Ref
2011 Canadian Soccer League (Second Division) 14 6–7–6 4th Quarterfinals [38]
2012 Canadian Soccer League (First Division) 16 10–1–11 9th did not qualify [39]
2013 12 11–4–7 5th Champions [39]
2014 10 6–4–8 7th Quarterfinals [39]
2015 12 11–3–7 4th Finals [39]
2016 Canadian Soccer League (Second Division) 6 9–2–3 1st Semifinals
2017 Canadian Soccer League (First Division) 8 1–5–8 7th Quarterfinals [39]
2018 9 9–2–5 3rd Semifinals [39]
2019 10 10–1–7 4th Semifinals [39]

Former crest

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References

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  1. ^ Bryson, Mark (2012-02-04). "TheRecord - Kitchener-Waterloo United FC gets ready for debut". Archived from the original on 2012-02-04. Retrieved 2016-08-28.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  2. ^ "March 19, 2011 CSL--Kitchener In CSL Second Division-CSL clubs invite players to tryouts (from CSL web site)". www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com. Retrieved 2016-08-28.
  3. ^ "United FC on hot streak | Your online newspaper for Kitchener, Ontario". 2012-05-13. Archived from the original on 2012-05-13. Retrieved 2016-08-28.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. ^ "November 15, 2011--Toronto Croatia's Tihomir Maletic MVP For Second Year...Annual Award Winners Announced Sunday (from CSL website)". www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com. Retrieved 2016-08-28.
  5. ^ Glover, Robin. "November 14, 2011 CSL--CSL Awards 2011 (by Rocket Robin)". www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com. Retrieved 2016-08-28.
  6. ^ "December 20, 2011--It's A New-Look and Elevated Team From Waterloo For The Upcoming 2012 Campaign (from CSL website)". www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com. Retrieved 2016-08-28.
  7. ^ Record, The. "SC Waterloo Region joins Canadian Soccer League first division". www.therecord.com. Retrieved 2016-08-28.
  8. ^ "May 6, 2012--SC WATERLOO, YORK REGION REGISTER OPENING WINS SUNDAY (from CSL website)". www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com. Retrieved 2016-08-28.
  9. ^ Record, The. "SC Waterloo proves they belong". www.therecord.com. Retrieved 2016-08-28.
  10. ^ "November 25, 2012--2012 CSL Awards Dinner (from CSL website)". www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com. Retrieved 2016-08-28.
  11. ^ Glover, Robin. "November 25, 2012 CSL Awards Dinner (by Rocket Robin)". www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com. Retrieved 2016-08-28.
  12. ^ "Team | SC Waterloo". 2015-01-07. Archived from the original on 2015-01-07. Retrieved 2016-08-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  13. ^ "WATERLOO REGION FANS HOPE THEIR WINNING COACH WILL DO IT AGAIN - insoccer.ca". Retrieved 2016-09-04.
  14. ^ Bryson, Mark. "SC Waterloo shooting for double championship". www.therecord.com. Retrieved 2016-08-28.
  15. ^ Glover, Robin. "Result and details of the Monday October 14, 2013 CSL Quarterfinal game between Brampton City United and SC Waterloo played at Terry Fox Stadium in Brampton at 7:00pm".
  16. ^ Glover, Robin. "Result and details of the Saturday October 19, 2013 CSL Semi-Final game between Toronto Croatia and SC Waterloo played at Centennial Stadium in Etobicoke at 7:00pm".
  17. ^ Adamson, Stan. "October 19, 2013 CSL Semifinals--Toronto Croatia vs SC Waterloo (from CSL website)".
  18. ^ Record, The. "SC Waterloo wins CSL championship". www.therecord.com. Retrieved 2016-08-28.
  19. ^ Smith, Cory. "SC Waterloo wins both CSL titles". Niagara Falls Review. Retrieved 2016-08-28.
  20. ^ Glover, Robin. "Results and details of the Sunday November 3, 2013 CSL game between Kingston FC and SC Waterloo played at Kalar Sports Park in Niagara Falls at 2:30pm. This was the CSL Championship Final".
  21. ^ Adamson, Stan. "November 3, 2013 CSL--Result of Division 1 and 2 Finals (from CSL website)".
  22. ^ Glover, Robin. "Results and details of the Sunday November 3, 2013 CSL game between Toronto Croatia B and SC Waterloo B played at Kalar Sports Park in Niagara Falls at 12:00pm. This was the CSL 2nd Division Final".
  23. ^ Adamson, Stan. "CAN WATERLOO REPEAT? The best is yet to come: president Tony Kocis | Canadian Soccer League". canadiansoccerleague.ca. Retrieved 2016-08-31.
  24. ^ Chronicle, Waterloo. "SC Waterloo bounced from playoffs". www.waterloochronicle.ca. Retrieved 2016-08-30.
  25. ^ "2014 Second Division Awards | Canadian Soccer League". canadiansoccerleague.ca. Archived from the original on 2016-04-22. Retrieved 2016-08-30.
  26. ^ "Awards | Canadian Soccer League". canadiansoccerleague.ca. Retrieved 2016-08-30.
  27. ^ Steinman, Randy (October 5, 2015). "SC Waterloo ends CSL season with draw". CTV News Kitchener. Archived from the original on March 5, 2017. Retrieved 2016-08-31.
  28. ^ "TOP FOUR ADVANCE TO SEMIFINALS FOR CSL CHAMPIONSHIP…..2nd Division quarterfinals also decided | Canadian Soccer League". canadiansoccerleague.ca. Retrieved 2016-08-31.
  29. ^ Adamson, Stan. "WATERLOO IN CSL FINAL WITH 3-2 VICTORY…..First half deficit too much for Serbian White Eagles | Canadian Soccer League". canadiansoccerleague.ca. Retrieved 2016-08-31.
  30. ^ Adamson, Stan. "TORONTO CROATIA WIN A SQUEAKER FOR CSL CHAMPIONSHIP….Milton score Second Division victory | Canadian Soccer League". canadiansoccerleague.ca. Retrieved 2016-08-31.
  31. ^ Steinman, Randy (October 26, 2015). "SC Waterloo falls in CSL title games". CTV News Kitchener. Archived from the original on September 14, 2016. Retrieved 2016-08-31.
  32. ^ Bauman, Martin (2016-01-07). "SC Waterloo implicated in soccer match-fixing allegations". 570 NEWS. Retrieved 2016-08-31.
  33. ^ Bauman, Martin (2016-01-21). "SC Waterloo responds to soccer match-fixing allegations". 570 NEWS. Retrieved 2016-08-31.
  34. ^ Adamson, Stan. "CSL SET FOR MAY KICKOFF | Canadian Soccer League". canadiansoccerleague.ca. Retrieved 2016-08-31.
  35. ^ "2016 Second Division Standings | Canadian Soccer League". canadiansoccerleague.ca. Retrieved 2017-01-08.
  36. ^ Adamson, Stan. "YORK REGION AND HAMILTON ADVANCE TO SEMIFINALS……Shooters and Atomic will meet in Second Division final | Canadian Soccer League". canadiansoccerleague.ca. Retrieved 2017-01-08.
  37. ^ "CSL EXPANSION TEAMS VORKUTA AND ROYAL TORONTO GIVE NEW LOOK……End of May kickoff | Canadian Soccer League". canadiansoccerleague.ca. Retrieved 2017-07-02.
  38. ^ "Second Division West Standings - 2011". Archived from the original on 4 April 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
  39. ^ a b c d e f g "CSL First Division Standings". canadiansoccerleague.ca. Archived from the original on May 1, 2021. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
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