FC Berlin (Canada/United States)
Soccer club
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
FC Berlin is a Canadian and American soccer club based in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. The senior men's team competes in the United Premier Soccer League, and the senior women's team competes in the Major Arena Soccer League Women.
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| Short name | FCB | |||
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| Founded | 2017 | |||
| Stadium | Scarborough Soccer Arena | |||
| Capacity | N/A | |||
| Owners | Santiago Almada Gabriel Almada | |||
| Head Coach | Santiago Almada | |||
| League | MASL-W (women) | |||
| 2025-2026 | MASL-W: 2nd, Great Lakes North Division | |||
| Website | http://www.berlinfa.com/ | |||
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History
The Berlin Football Academy was founded in 2017 in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada as a youth development soccer academy aimed at preparing players for university and professional soccer opportunities.[1][2] In the first years, the objective was to provide athletes aged 15–19 with a direct pathway to scholarship opportunities in Canada and the United States.[1] The club's name FC Berlin (Football Club Berlin) pays tribute to the old name of the club's hometown, Kitchener, Ontario (and by extension to its large German community), which was previously known as Berlin, and changed its name during the First World War, following a 1916 referendum.[3]
After joining the Ontario Soccer Association in 2018, the club successfully achieved its first U21 Regional Championship in the Ontario Soccer League, going 12–1–1 with a first-year program.[citation needed] From there, the club significantly invested in its professional development by launching FC Berlin in July 2020, to provide professional development opportunities for Canadian and American players, announcing the team would enter in the American-based United Premier Soccer League in 2021 and would operate out of Buffalo, New York.[4][5] While the team operates out of the United States to play in the UPSL, they were able to play their first UPSL game in Canada on September 29, 2022, when they took on Chantilly Forever FC, another Canadian club that would operate out of the United States in the league.[6] In January 2021, they announced their intention to join the Women's Premier Soccer League, where they would operate out of Buffalo like the men's team while fielding a roster of all-Canadian players.[7][8] However, they ultimately joined United Women's Soccer for the 2022 season.[9]
In 2023, FC Berlin's Canadian-based U17 Girls team won the MilkUP Ontario Cup, beating London Alliance by 4–2 in penalty kicks after a 2–2 tie and qualified to the National Championship.[10][11]
After a challenging 2024 outdoor season marked by more setbacks than successes, FC Berlin chose to take a step back and did not field any teams in U.S. leagues during the Spring or Fall 2025 seasons. In late 2025, however, the club honoured its trailblazer reputation once again. It expanded its horizons even further by assembling a futsal team and joining the Major Arena Soccer League, becoming the first Canadian team to compete in this league.[12]
The inaugural season in MASL-W was a resounding success for FC Berlin. They finished second in the Great Lakes North Division with an 8-0-2 record and qualified for the Nationals, which took place in Detroit, MI on March 20th-22nd, 2026. There, FC Berlin lost in the quarterfinals to eventual finalists RPFC (Dallas).[13] [14]
Current squad
Men
As of 10 Mar 2026 [15]
The FC Berlin men's team is currently on hiatus and expected to return in the 2026 outdoor season.
Women
As of 10 Mar 2026 [15]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Staff
As of 01 Mar 2026 [15]
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| President |  Gabriel Almada |
| Technical Director | Santiago Almada |
| Head Coach | Santiago Almada |
| Assistant Coach |  Greg Jespersen |
| Assistant Coach | Michael Marcoccia |
| Athletic Trainer | Evan Dick |
| Visual Media Director | Juan Almada |
Seasons
Men
| Season | League | Division | Teams | Record | Rank | Playoffs | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 Fall | United Premier Soccer League | Midwest East Division | 8 | 4–2–4 | 5th | did not qualify | [16] |
| 2022 Spring | Western NY Division | 10 | 6–1–3 | 3rd | Conference Semi-finals | [17] | |
| 2022 Fall | Midwest East Division | 9 | 4–2–2 | 5th | did not qualify | [18] | |
| 2023 Spring | Western NY Division | 12 | 6–1–4 | 6th | Conference Quarter-finals | [19] | |
| 2023 Fall | Midwest East Division | 6 | 1–4–5 | 6th | did not qualify | [20] | |
| 2024 Spring | Western NY Division | 10 | 3–2–5 | 6th | Conference Semi-finals | [21] | |
Women
| Season | League | Division | Teams | Record | Rank | Playoffs | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | United Women's Soccer | Penn-NY Division | 5 | 0–3–7 | 4th | did not qualify | [22] |
| 2022 Spring | United Premier Soccer League | Western NY Division | 4 | 2–0–4 | 3rd | did not qualify | [23] |
| 2023 | United Women's Soccer | East Division | 17 | 0–0–6 | 17th | did not qualify | [24] |
| 2024 | United Women's Soccer | East Division | 18 | 1–0–7 | 15th | did not qualify | [25] |
| 2025 | Major Arena Soccer League | Great Lakes North Division | 4 | 8-0-2 | 2nd | Nationals quarterfinals | [26] |
Notable former players
The following players have either played at the professional or international level, either before or after playing for the FC Berlin team:
Men
Women