Yacine Ait-Slimane
{{Short description|Canadian soccer player}}
{{Infobox football biography
|name = Yacine Ait-Slimane
|image =
|image_size =
|caption =
|fullname =
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1995|5|30}}
|birth_place = Sainte-Thérèse, Quebec, Canada
|height = 1.72m
|position = Forward
|currentclub =
|clubnumber =
|youthyears1 = 2001–2004
|youthclubs1 = FC Ecublens
|youthyears2 = 2004–2007
|youthclubs2 = AS Saint-Lambert
|youthyears3 = 2007–2012
|youthclubs3 = Longueuil
|youthyears4 = 2012–2015
|youthclubs4 = Montreal Impact
|collegeyears1 = 2017–2022
|college1 = Concordia Stingers
|collegecaps1 =
|collegegoals1 =
|years1 = 2014
|clubs1 = Montreal Impact U23
|caps1 = 11
|goals1 = 1
|years2 = 2015–2016
|clubs2 = FC Montreal
|caps2 = 30
|goals2 = 1
|nationalyears1 =
|nationalteam1 = Canada U18
|nationalcaps1 =
|nationalgoals1 =
|medaltemplates =
|pcupdate =
|ntupdate =
}}
Yacine Ait-Slimane (born May 30, 1995) is a Canadian soccer player who played as a forward.
Club career
=Early career=
Ait-Slimane began playing football as a 5-year-old with FC Ecublenbs Vaud in Switzerland, before returning to Canada with AS Saint-Lambert for 3 years. He then played with Longueuil's academy in 2007. In 2009, while playing with Longueuil he was named the league's best player and top goal scorer.
He joined the Montreal Impact's academy team in the Canadian Soccer League's first division in 2012.{{Cite web |title=2012 Montreal Impact Academy roster |url=http://canadiansoccerleague.com/teams/montreal.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130126101239/http://canadiansoccerleague.com/teams/montreal.asp |archive-date=26 January 2013 |access-date=10 April 2024 |website=canadiansoccerleague.ca}} He would help Montreal secure another playoff berth by finishing second in the division.{{Cite news |last=Hickey |first=Pat |date=20 November 2012 |title=Impact committed to developing local talent |work=Montreal Gazette |pages=A23}} In the first round of the playoffs, they defeated Toronto FC's academy.{{Cite news |last=Hayakawa |first=Michael |date=15 October 2012 |title=York Shooters in CSL semifinals |work=Vaughan Citizen}} Ait-Slimane would contribute a goal in the semifinal round against the York Region Shooters and helped advance Montreal to the championship final.{{Cite news |last=Hayakawa |first=Michael |date=22 October 2012 |title=York Shooters eliminated from CSL playoffs |work=Vaughan Citizen}}{{Cite news |date=25 October 2012 |title=Impact still have something to play for |work=The Montreal Gazette}} In the championship title match, the team was defeated by Toronto Croatia.{{Cite news |date=27 October 2012 |title=Toronto Croatia wins CSL title with a 1-0 victory over Montreal Impact Academy |work=The Canadian Press}} After the conclusion of the season, he was nominated for the league's rookie of the year.{{Cite web |last= |date=28 October 2012 |title=Upcoming CSL Awards Night for the Winners........CSL releases list of individuals nominated |url=https://canadiansoccerleague.ca/upcoming-csl-awards-night-for-the-winners-csl-releases-list-of-individuals-nominated-2/ |access-date=12 April 2024 |website=Canadian Soccer League |language=en-US}}
In 2013, when Montreal left the CSL circuit he resumed playing with the academy side in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy.{{Cite web |title=2013 Montreal Impact Academy roster |url=http://ussda.demosphere.com/teams/47158256/47189140-47158344/TEAM.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130212074958/http://ussda.demosphere.com/teams/47158256/47189140-47158344/TEAM.html |archive-date=12 February 2013 |access-date=5 April 2024 |website=ussda.demosphere.com}} He would also feature with Montreal Impact's reserve team in the MLS Reserve League.{{Cite web |title=Yacine Ait-Slimane {{!}} SoccerStats.us |url=http://soccerstats.us/bios/yacine-ait-slimane/ |access-date=15 April 2024 |website=soccerstats.us}} His final run with the academy was during the 2014 season when the team competed in the American-based USL Premier Development League.{{cite web|title=2014 Montreal Impact U23 stats|url=http://www.uslpdl.com/teams/2014/66637418.html#STATS|website=USLPDL.com|publisher=Premier Development League|access-date=24 April 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402094331/http://www.uslpdl.com/teams/2014/66637418.html#STATS|archive-date=2 April 2015}}
=FC Montreal=
On March 13, 2015, it was announced that Ait-Slimane would join FC Montreal, a USL affiliate club of the Montreal Impact for their inaugural season.{{cite web|title=FC Montreal roster unveiled|url=http://www.impactmontreal.com/en/news/2015/03/fc-montreal-roster-unveiled|website=ImpactMontreal.com|publisher=Montreal Impact|access-date=24 April 2015|date=13 March 2015}}{{Cite web |date=13 March 2015 |title=L'Impact de Montréal a annoncé vendredi l'effectif de la toute première édition du FC Montréal |trans-title=FC Montreal unveils its squad |url=http://www.rds.ca/soccer/impact/le-devoilement-de-l-effectif-1.2162002 |access-date=15 April 2024 |website=RDS.ca |language=fr}}{{Cite web |date=11 October 2015 |title=Le Courrier du Sud {{!}} Deux Brossardois espèrent un jour passer avec le grand club |trans-title=Two Brossard residents hope to one day join the big club |url=https://www.lecourrierdusud.ca/deux-brossardois-esperent-un-jour-passer-avec-le-grand-club/ |access-date=15 April 2024 |website=Le Courrier du Sud |language=fr}} He made his professional debut for the club on March 28 in a 2–0 defeat to Toronto FC II.{{cite web|title=FC Montreal loses 2-0 against Toronto FC II|url=http://www.impactmontreal.com/en/news/2015/03/fc-montreal-loses-2-0-against-toronto-fc-ii|website=ImpactMontreal.com|publisher=Montreal Impact|access-date=24 April 2015|date=28 March 2015}} He would record his first goal for the club on August 9, 2015, against Saint Louis.{{Cite web |title=Canada - Y. Ait-Slimane - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway |url=https://int.soccerway.com/players/yacine-ait-slimane/300269/ |access-date=15 April 2024 |website=int.soccerway.com}} In his debut season, he played in 11 matches and scored 1 goal.
Ait-Slimane would re-sign with Montreal the following season.{{Cite web |date=1 March 2016 |title=Soccer : Le FC Montréal dévoile son effectif 2016 |trans-title=FC Montreal unveils its 2016 squad |url=http://www.rds.ca/soccer/impact/soccer-le-fc-montreal-devoile-son-effectif-2016-1.2898703 |access-date=15 April 2024 |website=RDS.ca |language=fr}} The club would fail to qualify for the postseason.{{Cite web |date=24 September 2016 |title=Le FC Montréal s'incline 3-1 contre Harrisburg à son dernier match de la saison |trans-title=FC Montreal loses its last match of the season |url=http://www.rds.ca/soccer/impact/le-fc-montreal-s-incline-3-1-contre-harrisburg-a-son-dernier-match-de-la-saison-1.3543257 |access-date=15 April 2024 |website=RDS.ca |language=fr}} In total, he played in 19 matches.
= Concordia =
After two seasons with Montreal, he began playing at the college level with the Concordia Stingers.{{Cite web |date=16 September 2018 |title=Stingers Soccer Falls Against League Leading Université de Montréal Carabins {{!}} Sports |url=https://thelinknewspaper.ca/article/stingers-soccer-falls-against-league-leading-universite-de-montreal-carabin |access-date=15 April 2024 |website=thelinknewspaper.ca |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Boisse |first=Meagan |date=10 August 2017 |title=Your Stingers season kickoff - Concordia University |url=https://www.concordia.ca/content/shared/en/news/main/stories/2017/08/10/stingers-season-kickoff-football.html |access-date=15 April 2024 |website=www.concordia.ca |language=en}} In his third season, he was named to the first all-star team.{{Cite web |date=23 March 2018 |title=Dominating soccer season leads to six all-star honours |url=https://stingers.ca/news.php?id=1529 |access-date=15 April 2024 |website=stingers.ca |language=en}} The following season, he was named the athlete of the week in September.{{Cite web |date=17 September 2019 |title=Brayton, Ait Slimane - Athletes of the Week |url=https://stingers.ca/news.php?id=1707 |access-date=15 April 2024 |website=stingers.ca |language=en}} His final season with Concordia was in the 2021-2022 season.{{Cite web |title=Stingers.ca {{!}} Yacine Ait Slimane |url=https://stingers.ca/msoccer/player.php?id=2452&year=2021 |access-date=15 April 2024 |website=stingers.ca}}
International career
Born in Canada, Ait-Slimane is of Algerian descent.{{Cite web |date=7 February 2010 |title=Ilyes et Yacine Aït Slimane, des jumeaux qui brillent au Canada ! |trans-title=Ilyes and Yacine Aït Slimane, twins who shine in Canada! |url=https://www.algerie360.com/ilyes-et-yacine-ait-slimane-des-jumeaux-qui-brillent-au-canada/ |access-date=16 April 2024 |website=www.algerie360.com |language=fr}} He was initially selected for the Canada under-18 national team camp in 2012.{{Cite web |date=15 November 2011 |title=Académie : 3 joueurs avec le Canada |trans-title=Academy: 3 players with Canada |url=http://www.rds.ca/soccer/academie-3-joueurs-avec-le-canada-1.444874 |access-date=15 April 2024 |website=RDS.ca |language=fr}} He was called up once again to the under-18 national team camp in 2012.{{Cite news |date=13 November 2012 |title=The Impact beats the Fiorentina reserve team by a score of 4-1 |work=The Canadian Press}}{{Cite news |date=14 November 2012 |title=Impact beat italian reserve squad |work=The Montreal Gazette}} He received his third invitation to the national youth team camp in 2013.{{Cite news |date=8 October 2013 |title=Three Impact academics at the national team training camp |work=The Canadian Press}}
Honors
Montreal Impact Academy
- CSL Championship Runners-up: 2012
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://academy.demosphere.com/teams/47158256/47189140-47158344/51646596.html USSF Development Academy bio]
- {{Canada Soccer|167}}
- {{Soccerway|yacine-ait-slimane/300269}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ait-Slimane, Yacine}}
Category:People from Sainte-Thérèse, Quebec
Category:Canadian men's soccer players
Category:Canada men's youth international soccer players
Category:Canadian people of Algerian descent
Category:Men's association football forwards
Category:Soccer people from Quebec
Category:CF Montréal U23 players
Category:Concordia Stingers men's soccer players
Category:Canadian Soccer League (1998–present) players
Category:USL League Two players
Category:USL Championship players
Category:21st-century Canadian sportsmen
Category:University and college men's soccer players in Canada