Gianfranco Facchineri
Canadian soccer player
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gianfranco Facchineri (born April 27, 2002), also known as Frankie Facchineri,[1] is a Canadian soccer player who plays for League of Ireland Premier Division club Galway United.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | April 27, 2002 | ||
| Place of birth | Windsor, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position | Centre-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Galway United | ||
| Number | 12 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Windsor Ciociaro SC | |||
| Windsor FC Nationals | |||
| Vardar SC | |||
| 2018–2020 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | ||
| 2022 | Tecumseh SC | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022–2023 | Windsor Lancers | 21 | (7) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2020–2022 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 0 | (0) |
| 2020 | → Atlético Ottawa (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2021 | → San Diego Loyal (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 2023 | Windsor City FC | 15 | (2) |
| 2024–2025 | Valour FC | 47 | (2) |
| 2026– | Galway United | 16 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2019 | Canada U17 | 7 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of June 5, 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of August 19, 2020 | |||
Early life
Facchineri was born and raised in Windsor, Ontario to an Italian family.[2] He played youth soccer with Windsor Ciociaro SC at age five.[3][4] He later played with the Windsor FC Nationals and Vardar SC.[5] He played with the Ontario provincial team at U14 and U15 levels.[5] In 2016, he was invited to join the Vancouver Whitecaps Academy, but declined the opportunity as he felt he was too young.[6] Two years later in August 2018, he then joined the Vancouver Whitecaps Academy.[7] He began playing with the Whitecaps U17 and U19 sides, before moving to their development side in 2019.[8] In August 2019, he began training with the Whitecaps first team.[9] In 2019, he was the Whitecaps FC BMO RESP Academy Male Player award recipient.[10][11]
University career
In 2022, he began attending the University of Windsor, where he played for the Windsor Lancers men's soccer team.[12] He scored his first goal on 18 September 2022 against the McMaster Marauders.[13] (His father had previously played for the Lancers as well).[14] On 25 September 2022, he scored two goals in a 9-0 victory over the Algoma Thunderbirds to help Windsor win their first game of the season.[15] In 2023, he was named an OUA West First Team All-Star.[16]
Club career
In January 2020, Facchineri signed a first-team Homegrown Player contract with the Whitecaps.[17][18] In July 2020, he was loaned to Atlético Ottawa in the Canadian Premier League.[19][20] He made his professional debut on August 19, 2020, against Valour FC.[21] In August 2021, he was loaned to USL Championship side San Diego Loyal SC.[22][23] In February 2022, he was released by the Whitecaps, with the club buying out the remainder of his contract.[24][25]
In 2022, he played in the League1 Ontario Reserve Division with Tecumseh SC U21.[26] In March 2023, he joined Windsor City FC in the League1 Ontario Premier Division.[27][28] He was named the L1O Defender of the Year and a First Team All-Star in 2023.[29][30]
In December 2023, he was selected in the second round (ninth overall) of the 2024 CPL–U Sports Draft by Valour FC.[16] In April 2024, he signed a U Sports contract with the club, allowing him to maintain his university eligibility.[31] On July 21, 2024, he scored his first professional goal in a match against Atlético Ottawa.[32] In August 2024, he extended his U Sports contract through the remainder of the season, rather than to return to university.[33] During the 2024 season, he was named to the CPL Team of the Week on two occasions.[34] In December 2024, he signed a two-year professional contract with the club through 2026.[35][36]
In December 2025, he followed Valour teammate Kris Twardek in signing for League of Ireland Premier Division club Galway United ahead of the 2026 season.[37]
International career
He made his debut in the Canadian youth program in 2016, at the age of 13, attending a U15 identification camp.[38] In 2019, he was named to the Canadian U17 team for the 2019 CONCACAF U-17 Championship, where he served as team captain.[39][40] On 12 May, he scored the winning penalty kick in the shootout during the quarter-finals against Costa Rica U17, to earn Canada qualification for the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup,[41][42] for which he was also named to the squad for.[43][44] Across, the two tournaments, he played every minute for the team in their seven matches.[45]
Career statistics
- As of June 5, 2026[46]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup[a] | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 2020 | Major League Soccer | 0 | 0 | – | – | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2021 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Atlético Ottawa (loan) | 2020 | Canadian Premier League | 5 | 0 | – | – | 5 | 0 | ||
| San Diego Loyal SC (loan) | 2021 | USL Championship | 6 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
| Windsor City FC | 2023[47] | League1 Ontario | 15 | 2 | – | – | 15 | 2 | ||
| Valour FC | 2024 | Canadian Premier League | 26 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | 26 | 1 | |
| 2025 | 21 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – | 23 | 1 | |||
| Total | 47 | 2 | 2 | 0 | – | 49 | 2 | |||
| Galway United | 2026 | LOI Premier Division | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 16 | 0 | |
| Career total | 89 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 91 | 4 | ||
- Includes Canadian Championship, U.S. Open Cup & FAI Cup