PD
Full name | Forest City London Soccer Club | ||
---|---|---|---|
Nickname(s) | FC London | ||
Founded | 2008 | ||
Ground | German-Canadian Club of London Field London, Ontario, Canada | ||
Capacity | 1,000 | ||
Owner | Ian Campbell | ||
Head Coach | Martin Painter | ||
League | Premier Development League | ||
2015 | 3rd, Great Lakes Playoffs: Divisional Playoff | ||
Website | Club website | ||
| |||
Forest City London Soccer Club usually referred to as FC London, is a Canadian soccer team based in London, in the province of Ontario. The club was founded in 2008 and plays in USL Premier Development League, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Great Lakes Division of the Central Conference.
Since 2009, the team plays home games at German-Canadian Club of London Field, which seats 900 spectators. They won the 2012 PDL title, their first championship, and are the current defending champions.
History
Forest City London joined the USL Premier Development League in 2009,[1] and played their first ever game on May 29, 2009, against Cleveland Internationals.[2] London won the game 2–1, with the first goal in franchise history being scored by Kevin Zimmermann.[3] London's debut season was a generally positive one; they remained unbeaten over the course of their first ten games, and enjoyed seven wins, including a 3–1 victory on the road against the Cincinnati Kings, a 5–0 thrashing of Kalamazoo Outrage that featured a brace from midfielder Thomas Beattie, a 3–1 win on the road against traditional powerhouse Michigan Bucks in which Zimmermann added another two goals to his tally, and a comprehensive 4–1 victory in the return fixture against Cleveland at the end of June. London's first loss – their first defeat in franchise history – was a 3–1 drop to the Indiana Invaders at the beginning of July, and it initiated a complete reversal of fortune for the team, who did not win another game all season, and dropped down the divisional standings. They ultimately finished third in the Great Lakes Division, seven points behind divisional champions Kalamazoo, and faced off against Chicago Fire Premier in the first round of the playoffs; unfortunately for London their stay in the playoffs was brief, as they lost 1–0 to the Illinoisans on a goal by Andre Akpan. Kevin Zimmermann and Alan McGreal were London's top scorers in their debut season, with 9 and 7 goals respectively, while Anthony Di Biase contributed 4 assists.
In July of 2013 it was announced that FC London would become affiliated with MLS club Toronto FC.
Seasons
Season | Division | League | Regular Season | Playoffs |
---|---|---|---|---|
2009 | 4 | USL PDL | 3rd, Great Lakes | Divisional Semifinals |
2010 | 4 | USL PDL | 2nd, Great Lakes | Conference Semifinals |
2011 | 4 | USL PDL | 3rd, Great Lakes | Conference Quarterfinals |
2012 | 4 | USL PDL | 2nd, Great Lakes | Champions |
2013 | 4 | USL PDL | 1st, Great Lakes | Conference Final |
2014 | 4 | USL PDL | 4th, Great Lakes | Did not qualify |
2015 | 4 | USL PDL | 3rd, Great Lakes | Divisional Playoff |
Honors
- USL PDL Great Lakes Division Champions 2013
- USL PDL Champions 2012
- USL PDL Central Conference Champions 2012
Head coaches
Stadium History
- TD Waterhouse Stadium; London, Ontario (2009–2010)
- London Portuguese Club Field; London, Ontario 2 Games (2009–2010)
- London Marconi Soccer Club Field; London, Ontario 4 Games (2009–2011)
- German-Canadian Club of London Field; London, Ontario (2009–Present)
Average attendance
Attendance stats are calculated by averaging each team's self-reported home attendances from the historical match archive at http://www.uslsoccer.com/history/index_E.html.
- 2009: 1632
- 2010: 1246
- 2011: 841
- 2012: 507
- 2013: 1146
- 2014: 777
- 2015: 944
Rivalries
References
- ^ Press announcement
- ^ "FC London kicks off with high hopes". Thelondoner.ca. Retrieved 2012-01-20.
- ^ "United Soccer Leagues (USL)". Uslsoccer.com. 2009-05-29. Retrieved 2012-01-20.
External links
{{Canada Soccer player}} template missing ID and not present in Wikidata.