FC Continentals explained

Stadium:Centennial Park Stadium
Toronto, Ontario
Season:2022
Upright:0.95
Fullname:FC Continentals
Founded: as FC Vorkuta
Owntitle:Owner(s)
Owner:Igor Demitchev
Chairman:Igor Demitchev
Manager:Denys Yanchuk
Coach:Andrei Malychenkov
League:Canadian Soccer League
Position:Regular season: 4th
Playoffs: Champions
Website:https://continentalsfc.com/

FC Continentals is a Canadian soccer club founded in 2008. The team is currently a member of the Canadian Soccer League, a non-FIFA sanctioned league. The club originally played under the name FC Vorkuta and was renamed FC Continentals in 2022. Their home venue is Centennial Park Stadium in Toronto, Ontario.

History

The club was formed by Russian immigrants Igor Demitchev and Samad Kadirov in Toronto in 2008.[1] [2] The club derived its name from the main financier Demitchev's hometown Vorkuta in Russia.[3] [4] Initially the club operated at the amateur level in the Downtown Polson Pier Soccer League. In their debut season, Vorkuta achieved instant success after clinching both the regular and postseason titles. Within a year, the club transferred to the Thornhill Soccer Club League, and continued its uphill climb to success by winning the playoff title.

In 2010, the team remained in the York Region territory by joining the Richmond Hill Soccer League, and the Downsview Hangar Indoor Soccer League. In 2016, the organization decided to make the transition to the professional ranks by applying for membership in the Canadian Soccer League.[5] [6] After presenting a successful strategic business plan, the club received the necessary votes in order to be approved by the league ownership.[7] [8] In preparation for the 2017 CSL season, the team hired the services of Serhiy Zayets as head coach.[9] Zayets assembled a roster with several key CSL veterans acquired primarily from FC Ukraine United. The acquisitions included Sergiy Ivliev, Oleg Shutov, Mykhailo Bulkin, Vitaliy Dnistryan, Danylo Lazar, Vadym Gostiev, and Oleh Kerchu was assigned the team captain.[10] [11] In addition to the CSL veterans, several imports were brought in from Ukraine and Russia to further strengthen the roster.[12] [13]

Vorkuta made their professional debut on May 27, 2017 against Milton SC with a 7–0 victory with goals coming from Kerchu, Lazar, Shutov, Gostiev, and Yaroslav Svorak.[14] In the club's inaugural season at the professional level, Vorkuta managed to produce a significant result. By clinching the regular season title, and establishing the best offensive record with the second best defensive record.[15] [16] In the preliminary round of the postseason, they defeated Royal Toronto FC by a score of 6–3.[17] [18] Their 2017 campaign came to a conclusion in the following round after a 1–0 defeat to Scarborough SC.[19]

In 2018, the club produced a notable season by securing the CSL Championship, and found further success in the Second Division as its reserve squad secured the double (division title and DII Championship).[20] [21] In 2022, the club was renamed FC Continentals.[22] [23]

Crest

The club's first crest was in the shape of a circle with a soccer ball placed in the center along with the name of the club beneath it. The colors of the crest were blue, red, and white which represented the colors of the Canadian and the city of Toronto flags. On top of the crest was a barbed wire which symbolized the owner's birthplace Vorkuta in Siberia, Russia where a former Gulag labor camp was located.[24]

In 2022, the name of the club was changed to FC Continentals which also resulted in a rebranding of the club's logo.[25]

Players

Current squad

Head coaches

Honours

2018, 2020, 2022

2018, 2019

Seasons

SeasonLeagueTeamsRankPlayoffsRef
2017Canadian Soccer League (First Division) 810–2–21stSemifinals[27]
2018912–2–22ndChampions
20191015–3–01stQuarterfinals
202054–3–12ndChampions
202186–1–01stFinals[28]
202264–4–24thChampions [29]

References

  1. Web site: FC Vorkuta » About FC Vorkuta. www.fcvorkuta.com. en-US. October 28, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171027231815/http://www.fcvorkuta.com/about-fc-vorkuta. October 27, 2017. dead.
  2. Web site: January 13, 2021. Клуб мигрантов из России и Украины стал чемпионом Канады. ФК «Воркута» из Торонто, на эмблеме — колючая проволока - 13 января 2021 - Sport24. 2021-02-08. sport24.ru. ru.
  3. News: Воркута в Канаде Моя Воркута. Kazantsev. Mikhail. June 26, 2017. Моя Воркута. October 28, 2017. ru-RU.
  4. News: "Нас постоянно просили снять "колючку" с логотипа". Жизнь русскоязычного клуба в Канаде. Kovalev. Alexey. 2018-06-06. ru-RU.
  5. Web site: FC Vorkuta » 2017! Here we come!!!. www.fcvorkuta.com. en-US. October 28, 2017. October 27, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171027232010/http://www.fcvorkuta.com/news/4730. dead.
  6. News: FC Vorkuta to Join the CSL in 2017?. December 5, 2016. TOTAL90 Canada. October 28, 2017. en-CA. May 28, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170528140001/https://www.total90.ca/2016/12/05/fc-vorkuta-to-join-the-csl-in-2017/. dead.
  7. News: ФК "Воркута" – победитель регулярного чемпионата Канады по футб... Cтоп, кто?. October 1, 2017. Sports.ru. October 28, 2017. ru.
  8. Web site: CSL EXPANSION TEAMS VORKUTA AND ROYAL TORONTO GIVE NEW LOOK……End of May kickoff Canadian Soccer League. Adamson. Stan. canadiansoccerleague.ca. April 29, 2017 . en-US. October 28, 2017.
  9. News: Керчу стал игроком канадского клуба. источники. Внешние. October 28, 2017. uk.
  10. Web site: Pre-Carpathian footballer switched to Russian-Canadian club "Vorkuta". October 28, 2017. January 24, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170124150442/http://pravda.if.ua/news-114909.html. dead.
  11. News: Досвідчений буковинський футболіст Керчу грає за "Воркуту". October 28, 2017. uk.
  12. Web site: ФК "Воркута" Торонто: футболисты, тренеры, история, статистика, трансферы, протоколы. footballfacts.ru. en. October 28, 2017.
  13. News: Волчков: "Воркута" настроена на высокие задачи. 2017-10-28. Sports.ru. 2017-11-27. ru.
  14. Web site: EXPANSION TEAM VORKUTA SHINES IN CSL OPENER………the weekend wrap-up Canadian Soccer League. Adamson. Stan. canadiansoccerleague.ca. May 29, 2017 . en-US. October 28, 2017.
  15. News: Чернівці Спорт — "Воркута" з буковинцями перемогла у Канадській лізі. October 28, 2017. uk-ua.
  16. Web site: FC Vorkuta » 2017 SUCCESS. www.fcvorkuta.com. en-US. October 28, 2017. October 28, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171028132357/http://www.fcvorkuta.com/news/4787. dead.
  17. Web site: SERBIAN EAGLES, VORKUTA, SCARBOROUGH AND YORK REGION ADVANCE ……..weekend games in the CSL playoffs Canadian Soccer League. Adamson. Stan. canadiansoccerleague.ca. September 18, 2017 . en-US. October 28, 2017.
  18. News: "Воркута" выиграла "регулярку" чемпионата Канады и вылетела в полуфинале. 2017-10-01. 2017-11-27.
  19. News: Побългареният "Скарбъро" на исторически финал за титлата. Вестник СТРУМА. October 28, 2017. bg-BG.
  20. Web site: December 21, 2018. Денис Янчук: "Спортивні цілі у "Воркути" найвищі" — Чернівці Спорт. 2020-03-07. chernivtsisport.com. uk-ua.
  21. Web site: Stanchev. Stancho. October 18, 2018. Прокобата на дузпите отново провали К. Димитров в Канада. 2020-01-26. Вестник СТРУМА. bg-BG.
  22. Web site: Adamson . Stan . May 9, 2022 . New Name, New Teams for a New-Look CSL . May 9, 2022 . Canadian Soccer League . en-US.
  23. Web site: April 14, 2022 . У Канаді зникла футбольна "Воркута" — Чернівці Спорт . Vorkuta Football Disappears in Canada . 2022-05-09 . chernivtsisport.com.
  24. Web site: January 13, 2021 . Клуб мигрантов из России и Украины стал чемпионом Канады. ФК «Воркута» из Торонто, на эмблеме — колючая проволока - 13 января 2021 - Sport24 . The club of migrants from Russia and Ukraine became the champion of Canada. FC "Vorkuta" from Toronto, on the emblem - barbed wire . 2022-05-11 . sport24.ru . ru.
  25. Web site: Fitz-Gerald . Sean . 28 June 2022 . In Toronto, a semi-pro soccer team of Ukrainians lifts each other up . 3 July 2022 . The Athletic . en.
  26. Web site: Adamson. Stan. October 14, 2018. Vorkuta, Vorkuta, Vorkuta Spells Three CSL Titles. 2018-12-07. en-US.
  27. Web site: CSL First Division Standings. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20210501223704/https://canadiansoccerleague.ca/csl-first-division-standings/. May 1, 2021. November 21, 2021. canadiansoccerleague.ca.
  28. Web site: ProSound Cup Standings. 2021-11-21. Canadian Soccer League. en-US.
  29. Web site: Standings . 2022-08-27 . Canadian Soccer League . en-US.

External links