Jace Dayton Kotsopoulos (born December 1, 1997) is a Canadian soccer player.
.jpg) Kotsopoulos in 2021 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jace Dayton Kotsopoulos | ||
| Date of birth | December 1, 1997 | ||
| Place of birth | Burlington, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Burlington SC | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Oakville SC | |||
| Dixie SC | |||
| Burlington SC | |||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015–2019 | Guelph Gryphons | 61 | (58) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018 | Vaughan Azzurri | 1 | (3) |
| 2019 | Forge FC | 3 | (2) |
| 2020 | York9 FC | 1 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | Guelph United | 24 | (20) |
| 2022 | FC Berlin | 1 | (0) |
| 2023 | Burlington SC | 18 | (6) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of August 23, 2023 | |||
Early life
editKotsopoulos first played youth soccer with Oakville SC and Dixie SC.[1] He joined Burlington SC at U13 level, playing until 2015 at the U19 level.[2][3] When he was 16, he trained with the Spanish club Real Sociedad youth academy.[1]
University career
editKotsopoulous attended the University of Guelph playing for the men's soccer team for five years, where he set the school's all-time goal scoring record with 58 goals, beating the previous mark by nine goals.[4] In his first season, he led the team with 11 goals, being named an OUA Second Team All-Star.[5][6] In his second year, he led the OUA with 17 goals, being named to the OUA West Second Team All Star for the second year in a row, as Guelph won the OUA title and a national bronze medal.[5][7] During his third year, he missed part of the season due to a meniscus tear and missed most of his fifth and final season due to a sprained ankle.[4] In his third season, despite an injury, he was named an OUA West First Team All-Star and a U Sports Second Team All Canadian after scoring ten goals in nine games.[8][9] In his fourth year, he led the Ontario University Athletics with 15 goals in 17 games, being named the U Sports men’s soccer player of the year as well as the OUA male athlete of the year,[4] named OUA West MVP and an OUA First Team All-Star,[10] and he was also named the U Sports soccer player of the year,[11] and was nominated for the U Sports Male Athlete of the Year.[12][13][14][15] In his final season in 2019, he struggled with injuries, but returned in the quarter-finals to score two goals to help Guelph to the OUA Final Four.[16]
Club career
editIn 2018, Kotsopoulos played one league match for League1 Ontario side Vaughan Azzurri and scored a hat-trick.[17] He also played in three league cup matches, scoring three goals, including both of his team's goals in a 2-1 victory over Toronto FC III in the final.[18]
On November 12, 2018, Kotsopoulos was drafted 3rd overall by Forge FC in the 2018 CPL–U Sports Draft.[19] On May 16, 2019, he signed a developmental contract with Forge.[20] On June 12, 2019, Kotsopoulos made his debut as a substitute in the Canadian Championship against Cavalry FC.[21] He made his league debut as a substitute the following weekend, scoring the tying goal in a 2–1 come-from-behind win against Valour FC, which qualified Forge for the 2019 CONCACAF League, and made him one of the youngest goalscorers in league history.[22][23] In August 2019, Kotsopoulos opted to return to the University of Guelph to finish his final semester.[24] He finished the season with two goals in five substitute appearances, including an appearance in the CONCACAF League.[23][25]
On August 9, 2020, York9 announced the signing of Kotsopolous.[26][27] He made his debut on August 22 against Valour FC,[28] which was his only appearance in the short 2020 season.
On March 13, 2021, Kotsopoulos became the first ever player to sign with League1 Ontario expansion side Guelph United.[29] In his debut on July 30, he scored a hat trick against FC London.[30] He led the league in scoring in 2021 with 15 goals in the regular season,[31] and helped the team win the league championship, scoring twice in Guelph's 3-1 victory over Blue Devils FC in the championship final.[32] For the 2021 season, he was named West Division MVP, a West Division All-Star, and won the league Golden Boot.[33][34]
In October 2022, he signed with FC Berlin in the United Premier Soccer League.[35]
In January 2023, he joined Burlington SC, his former youth club, in League1 Ontario.[36]
Career statistics
edit- As of August 23, 2023[37]
| Club | Season | League | Playoffs | Domestic Cup | League Cup | Continental | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Vaughan Azzurri | 2018[38] | League1 Ontario | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | – | 3 | 3 | – | 4 | 6 | ||
| Forge FC | 2019 | Canadian Premier League | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | |
| York9 FC | 2020 | Canadian Premier League | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Guelph United FC | 2021[39] | League1 Ontario | 12 | 15 | 2 | 3 | – | – | – | 14 | 18 | |||
| 2022[40] | League1 Ontario | 12 | 5 | – | 1 | 0 | – | – | 13 | 5 | ||||
| FC Berlin | 2022[41] | United Premier Soccer League | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Burlington SC | 2023[42] | League1 Ontario | 18 | 6 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | 19 | 6 | |||
| Career total | 48 | 31 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 57 | 37 | ||
References
edit- ^ a b "Jace Kotsopoulos profile". Force Academy. Archived from the original on November 8, 2021.
- ^ "Player's Spotlight – Jace Kotsopoulos". Burlington SC. April 23, 2019.
- ^ "The Boys are Back" (PDF). Burlington SC. January 27, 2023.
- ^ a b c Massey, Rob (October 7, 2021). "Striking gold: Guelph United's Kotsopoulos filling the net". Guelph Today.
- ^ a b "Athlete Spotlight: Jace Kotsopolous, Men's Soccer". Guelph Gryphons.
- ^ "MSCR: Springer, Danielli & Kotsopoulos Named OUA West Division All-Stars". Guelph Gryphons. November 4, 2015.
- ^ "Burlington players help Guelph win first men's soccer title since 1990". Burlington Post. November 7, 2016.
- ^ "MSCR: OUA Announces Men's Soccer All-Stars". Guelph Gryphons. November 2, 2017.
- ^ "MSCR: Jace Kotsopoulos Named U SPORTS Second Team All-Canadian". Guelph Gryphons. November 9, 2017.
- ^ "MSCR: Jace Kotsopoulos Named OUA West MVP, Five Gryphons Named OUA All-Stars". Guelph Gryphons. November 1, 2018.
- ^ "Guelph's Kotsopoulos headlines U SPORTS men's soccer major award winners". U Sports. November 8, 2018.
- ^ "Gryphons men's soccer star Jace Kotsopoulos announced as finalist for 2018-19 U SPORTS Male Athlete of the Year". Guelph Gryphons. April 23, 2018.
- ^ Garbutt, Herb (May 1, 2019). "Honours continue to roll in for Burlington soccer star". Burlington Post.
- ^ Jacques, John (April 23, 2019). "CPL-U SPORTS Draft Pick Kotsopoulos Up For U SPORTS Award". Northern Tribune.
- ^ Carter Smith, Cecelia (May 10, 2019). "Gryphon soccer star OUA nominee for top prize in country". Hamilton Spectator.
- ^ "MSCR Recap: Kotsopoulos Returns; Leads Gryphons to OUA Final Four". Guelph Gryphons. October 27, 2019.
- ^ Ghaffaribarzi, Mahdi (July 16, 2018). "First Half Scoring Bonanza As Vaughan Beats Alliance 4-2". League1 Ontario.
- ^ Cheng, Jonathan (August 5, 2018). "Kotsopolous Brace Earns Vaughan L1 Cup 2018 Championship Over TFC III". League1 Ontario.
- ^ "Forge FC nabs U SPORTS star Jace Kotsopoulos in 1st round of inaugural CPL-U SPORTS Draft". Canadian Premier League. November 13, 2018. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
- ^ "Forge FC signs Jace Kotsopoulos to U SPORTS development contract". Canadian Premier League. May 16, 2019. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
- ^ "Nine Stripes snap up Jace Kotsopoulos". York9 FC. August 9, 2020.
- ^ Milton, Steve (June 19, 2019). "Burlington's Jace Kotsopoulos is making sudden impact on Forge FC fortunes". The Hamilton Spectator.
- ^ a b Jacques, John (August 17, 2019). "Jace Kotsopoulos Returns To Guelph University". Northern Tribune.
- ^ Bedakian, Armen (16 August 2019). "Forge's Jace Kotsopoulos returns to Guelph University". Canadian Premier League.
- ^ Jacques, John (August 6, 2020). "Jace Kotsopoulos Set To Make CPL Return". Northern Tribune.
- ^ "York9 replaces Nicholas Hamilton with Jace Kotsopoulos for The Island Games". Canadian Premier League. August 9, 2020.
- ^ Jacques, John (August 9, 2020). "Breaking: Jace Kotsopoulos Joins York9 FC". Northern Tribune.
- ^ Jacques, John (August 22, 2021). "York9 Battles Valour To Hotly Contested Draw". Northern Tribune.
- ^ Jacques, John (March 14, 2021). "Guelph United Makes Inaugural Signing In Jace Kotsopoulos". Northern Tribune.
- ^ Jacques, John (August 1, 2021). "Canadian Premier League Athletes To Watch In League1 Ontario". Northern Tribune.
- ^ Hodges, Mike (October 29, 2021). "Guelph United F.C. hosts first playoff game this weekend". Global News.
- ^ Cheng, Jonathan (November 7, 2021). "Guelph United downs Blue Devils 3-1 to win 2021 L1O Men's title, qualify for CanChamp". League1 Ontario.
- ^ Thompson, Marty (December 22, 2021). "2021 L1O Men's Premier Division Awards: Guelph sweeps West; Phillip & Kotsopoulos take MVP". League1 Ontario.
- ^ Jacques, John (December 23, 2021). "Six Former CPL Talents Named In League1 Ontario Awards". Northern Tribune.
- ^ Almada, Gabriel (14 October 2022). "FC Berlin announces its transfer deadline additions". FC Berlin.
- ^ Jacques, John (January 27, 2023). "Burlington SC Signs Hometown Striker Jace Kotsopoulos". Northern Tribune.
- ^ Jace Kotsopoulos at Soccerway
- ^ "Jace Dayton Kotsopoulos 2018 Stats". League1 Ontario.
- ^ "Jace Kotsopoulos 2021 Stats". League1 Ontario.
- ^ "Jace Kotsopoulos 2022 Stats". League1 Ontario.
- ^ "FC Berlin Stats 2022". United Premier Soccer League.
- ^ "Jace Kotsopoulos 2023 Stats". League1 Ontario.
External links
edit- Jace Kotsopoulos at Soccerway