Alliance United FC#Markham FC

{{Infobox football club

| clubname = Alliance United

| image = File:Alliance United logo.jpg

| upright = 0.7

| fullname = Alliance United Futbol Club

| nickname =

| founded = 2017

| stadium = Mount Joy Turf Field / Turf Sports Field

| capacity =

| chrtitle =

| chairman =

| mgrtitle = Head Coach

| manager = Nikola Stakic (men)
Angelo Cavalluzzo (women)

| league = League1 Ontario

| season = 2024

| position = L1O-P, 6th (men)
L1O-P, 8th (women)

| current = 2024 League1 Ontario season

| website = https://allianceunited.club/

}}

Alliance United Futbol Club is a Canadian semi-professional soccer club based in Markham and Scarborough, Ontario. The club was founded in 2017 to compete in League1 Ontario. The club was formed as a partnership between two youth clubs - Markham FC and Wexford SC. It fields teams in both the men's and women's divisions of League1 Ontario.

Founders

The club was founded in 2017 as a joint partnership between clubs Markham FC and Wexford SC with the team playing out of Centennial College.{{cite web|url=https://www.league1ontario.com/news_article/show/883482|title=East-GTA Partnership Driving New League1 Club Alliance United FC Has Orlov In The Manager's Seat|date=February 9, 2018|work=League1 Ontario}}{{cite web|url=https://www.wakingthered.com/2018/6/20/17477658/l1o-game-of-the-week-late-equalizer-seals-alliance-united-draw-league-1-ontario-toronto-fc-academy|title=L1O Game of the Week: Late equalizer seals Alliance United draw|first=Robin|last=Glover|date=June 20, 2018|work=Waking The Red}} The name Alliance United was initially meant to be a temporary with a 'name the team' initiative planned, but it ultimately remained the official name.{{Cite web|url=https://www.yorkregion.com/community-story/8019502-league1-expansion-focus-zooms-in-on-unionville-markham-entries/|title=League1 expansion focus zooms in on Unionville, Markham entries|date=December 21, 2017|first=John|last=Cudmore|work=Markham Economist & Sun}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.league1ontario.com/news_article/show/1227109|title=A Bluffer’s Guide to Alliance United|first=Matt|last=Bates|date=May 26, 2022|work=League1 Ontario}}

=Markham FC=

File:Alliance_Utd_clubs.png

Markham FC is a youth soccer club in Markham, Ontario. It was founded in 1971 as the Markham Minor Soccer Club, before changing its name to the Markham Youth Soccer Club.{{cite web|url=https://www.markhamsoccer.org/about-markham-soccer/|title=About Markham Soccer|work=Markham Soccer Club}}

=Wexford SC=

Wexford SC is a youth soccer club in Scarborough in Toronto. It was founded in 1967 as the Buchanan Soccer Club and is the longest running club in Scarborough.{{cite web|url=http://wexfordsoccer.ca/page.php?page_id=85348|title=Wexford History|work=Wexford SC}}

History

Alliance United joined the men's division of League1 Ontario for the 2018 season.{{cite web|url=https://www.ontariosoccer.net/news_article/show/868516|title=Significant Expansion Planned for League1 Ontario|date=December 20, 2017|work=Ontario Soccer Association}} They played their inaugural match on April 29, 2018 against North Mississauga SC at home, which they lost by a score of 1–0.{{cite web|url=https://nmsc.net/new-season-new-kits-new-ambitions/|title=New season, New Kits & New Ambitions|first=Yacine|last=Anchour|date=April 27, 2018|work=NMSC}} They finished in 7th place in their debut season.{{cite web|url=https://www.league1ontario.com/news_article/show/952733|title=Alliance Books Spot In The Playoffs With 1-0 Victory Over Sanjaxx|date=September 24, 2018|first=Johnny|last=Stancati|work=League1 Ontario}} They improved to a 3rd-place finish in the 2019 season, but had a very poor showing in the playoffs where they lost 15–0 to FC London on aggregate in the semi-finals over the two-game series, due to being unable to field many of their best players, who missed the series due to college and university commitments,{{cite web|url=https://www.league1ontario.com/news_article/show/1129985|title=Ilya Orlov on Alliance's COVID-19 training, 'biggest worry' from L1O stoppage|first=Marty|last=Thompson|date=October 30, 2020|work=League1 Ontario}} thereby having to rely on many youth players instead.{{cite web|url=https://lfpress.com/sports/local-sports/fc-london-men-looking-to-follow-womens-lead|title=FC London men looking to follow women's lead|first=Paul|last=Vanderhoeven|date=September 24, 2019|work=The London Free Press}}

In 2019, the club added a team in the League1 Ontario women's division.{{cite web|url=https://www.durhamregion.com/community-story/9153660-fc-oshawa-set-to-make-soccer-debut-in-league1-ontario-loop/|title=FC Oshawa set to make soccer debut in League1 Ontario loop|date=February 1, 2019|work=Oshawa This Week}} In their debut season, they finished in a three-way tie for fifth, but did not play in 2020 or 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In their return in 2022, they finished 6th in the regular season, but advanced to the Championship Final in the playoffs, where they were defeated by NDC Ontario.{{Cite web|url=https://www.league1ontario.com/news_article/show/1235008|title=NDC Ontario cap off dream season with victory in Women's Premier Division Final|first=Jonathan|last=Cheng|date=August 7, 2022|work=League1 Ontario}} In addition, they advanced to the League1 Canada Women's Interprovincial Championship for 2022, as NDC Ontario was unable to compete due to player unavailability, where they finished in 3rd place, following a defeat to PLSQ side AS Laval in a penalty shootout in the semi-finals,{{Cite web|url=https://plsq.ca/actualites/las-laval-lemporte-contre-alliance-united-aux-tirs-au-but|title=L'AS Laval l'emporte contre Alliance United aux tirs au but|language=fr|trans-title=AS Laval wins against Alliance United on penalties|date=August 13, 2022|work=Première ligue de soccer du Québec}}{{cite web|url=https://league1canada.ca/article/as-laval-defeat-alliance-united-on-penalties|title=AS Laval defeat Alliance United on penalties|date=August 13, 2022|work=League1 Canada}} before defeating League1 British Columbia side Varsity FC in the third-place match in another penalty shootout.{{Cite web|url=https://league1canada.ca/article/alliance-united-finish-third-after-beating-varsity-on-penalties|title=Alliance United finish third after beating Varsity on penalties|date=August 15, 2022|work=League1 Canada}} In 2023, after finishing 4th in the regular season, they won the women's league championship defeating NDC Ontario in the playoff final.{{Cite web|url=https://www.league1ontario.com/news_article/show/1280885|title=Alliance United win Women's Premier Division title in extra-time|date=August 6, 2023|work=League1 Ontario|first=Jonathan|last=Cheng}}{{cite web|url=https://northerntribune.ca/league1-ontario-alliance-united-win-womens/|title=Alliance United Claims League1 Ontario Women’s Crown|date=August 8, 2023|work=Northern Tribune|first=David|last=Parkes}}

In 2023, they formed an affiliation with Canadian Premier League club York United FC, which enables York United to send players to Alliance on short-term loans.{{Cite web|url=https://yorkunitedfc.canpl.ca/article/york-united-fc-announces-key-partnership-with-league1-ontario-side-alliance-united|title=York United FC announces key partnership with League1 Ontario side Alliance United|date=April 16, 2023|work=York United FC}} On July 29, 2023, they recorded their largest victory, defeating Unionville Milliken SC by a score of 13-1.{{Cite web|url=https://northerntribune.ca/league1-ontario-alliance-united-record-win/|title=Misery For Unionville Milliken As Alliance Asserts Itself In Fourteen-Goal Match|date=July 30, 2023|work=Northern Tribune|first=John|last=Jacques}} In 2024, the men's second team won the inaugural third tier League2 Ontario title, earning promotion to the second tier League1 Ontario Championship.{{cite web|url=https://league1ontario.com/article/alliance-united-b-win-mens-league2/|title=Alliance United B win Men’s League2|date=August 18, 2024|work=League1 Ontario}} However, they chose to decline the promotion to remain in League2 Ontario for 2025.{{cite web|url=https://league1ontario.com/article/sudbury-cyclones-and-the-borough-join-the-mens-championship/|title=Sudbury Cyclones and The Borough join the Men’s Championship|date=December 30, 2024|work=League1 Ontario}}

Squad

2024 Season

{{Football squad player2|nat=CAN|pos=GK|name=Liam Janicki-Zeballos}}

{{Football squad player2|nat=CAN|pos=DF|name=Jacob Maurutto-Robinson}}

{{Football squad player2|nat=TTO|pos=MF|name=Kai Maurice-Danieal Garvey}}

{{Football squad player2|nat=CAN|pos=MF|name=Pablo Hemelmann Perez}}

{{Football squad player2|nat=UKR|pos=MF|name=Volodymyr Kharyton}}

Seasons

Men

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"

!Season

!League

!Teams

!{{tooltip|Record|Wins, draws, losses}}

!Rank

!Playoffs

!League Cup

!Ref

2018

|rowspan="2"|League1 Ontario

|17

|7–3–6

|7th

|Group Stage

|Preliminary Round

|{{cite web|url=http://cansha.coffeecup.com/l1omen.html|title=League1 Ontario Historical Standings Men's Division|work=Canadian Soccer History Archives}}

2019

|16

|11–3–1

|3rd

|Semi-finals

|–

2020

|colspan="7"|Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic{{cite web |title=League1 Ontario cancels Fall season plans for 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions |url=https://canpl.ca/article/league1-ontario-cancels-fall-season-plans-for-2020-due-to-covid-19-restrictions |website=Canadian Premier League |date=September 4, 2020}}

2021

|League1 Ontario Summer Championship

|11

|3–2–2

|3rd

|–

2022

|rowspan=2|League1 Ontario

|22

|13–6–2

|3rd

|Semi-Finals

|–

2023

|22

|9–6–5

|8th

|did not qualify

|–

2024

|League1 Ontario Premier

|12

|8–6–8

|6th

|–

|Round of 16

Women

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"

!Season

!League

!Teams

!{{tooltip|Record|Wins, draws, losses}}

!Rank

!Playoffs

!League Cup

!Interprovinical Championship

!Ref

2019

|League1 Ontario

|14

|6–2–5

|7th

|Quarter-finals

|–

|{{cite web|url=http://cansha.coffeecup.com/l1owomen.html|title=League1 Ontario Historical Standings Women's Division|work=Canadian Soccer History Archives}}

2020

|colspan="8"|Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic

2021

|colspan="8"|Did not enter due to COVID-19 pandemic

2022

|rowspan=2|League1 Ontario

|20

|11–4–4

|6th

|Finalists

|–

|3rd