March 14, 2024...York United FC 2024 Kit Reveal Party (by Rocket Robin)

Details of the York United FC 2024 Kit Reveal Party held at the Springhill Suites by Marriott in Vaughan
on Thursday March 14, 2024.

The event was held at the same place as last year. Since the season ended for York United in October 2023, I have been to a press conference on December 7th at York Lions Stadium where the new owners of the team were introduced and a fan night on January 31st in downtown Toronto which I thought might be an 'instead of' this party tonight. Nope this was the official kit reveal. Earlier today the team released its 'Alternate Kit' for 2024 which is a green and blue checkered pattern. There was a video made at the Annex Chess Club in downtown Toronto and the shirt was exclusively revealed on Morning Footy on the CBS Sports Golazo Network the daily football show so their panel could discuss. I was disappointed that the team would reveal to an American network this news before their own fans. I could see that no major media outlet in Toronto would be interested (unlike the other Canadian CPL teams where their soccer teams are newsworthy). The newspaper (Toronto Star) I subscribe to earlier this week had a one paragraph wire story that MLS Toronto FC would play their Preliminary round Canadian Championship game against League1 Ontario team Simcoe Country (sic) Rovers. *yes their name is Simcoe County Rovers! Also no mention of the Men's National team roster against Trinidad & Tobago but three stories about preseason baseball.

Anyway it turns out that the fans tonight were presented with the official reveal of the 'Primary Kit' so the team kept their promise after all.

The presentation started at 7:50pm after the fans had a buffet dinner of burrito bowls, poutine, sliders, and hot dogs with fans getting a beer ticket and a raffle ticket. Maybe because I was early they hadn't unloaded any Carlsberg 0.0% (I drove here so that was what I was having but the server came to my table within five minutes with some kind of Mexican 0.0% beer. My friend had the regular Carlsberg 5.0%. Unlimited pop and coffee. All at the table enjoyed the meal.

I recorded the last 42 minutes of the 45 minute presentation. Mostly thank you's at the beginning that I missed.

Here's all the audio from the formal presentation tonight. I will post a time when each important announcement is said so you can zoom ahead and I inserted pictures where they appear in the action.

The sound file! 42 minutes, 7 seconds.

The MC is Eoin O'Callaghan, the VP of Content & Communication Strategy

start by encouraging fans to come out to the game and bring your friends!

1 min...Reveal of the Alternate kit by playing the chess playing video.

3 min...Reveal of the Primary kit. We haven't seen this one. (I thought a fan drawn rather plain white coloured one was that kit but the video with soccer playing kids showed a blue striped kit on a white background.

6 min...The goalkeeper kits with the cue for Thomas Vincensini and Eleias Himaras modeling and then a Q & A.

Eleias Himaras on left and Thomas Vincensini with Eoin O'Callaghan on the right.

9 min...Introduction of scoring stars Austin Ricci and Brem Soumaoro and then a Q & A.

Brem Soumaoro on left, with Austin Ricci in middle.

15 min...introduction of President and GM Ricardo Pasquel and head coach Martin Nash with questions about how the offseason went and how the preseason has gone so far.

Ricardo Pasquel with mic and Martin Nash

22 minutes and the teams that York will play while in Mexico are revealed. (didn't catch it team) and Monterrey. Since these games will take place while the league is stopped for a FIFA break, York United expects they will play these club's first teams so their CPL opener against Atletico Ottawa will seem easy!

I snap a picture of the Primary Kit with the blue stripes on white.

35 min...introduction of all the players who are here tonight introduced one by one from lowest to highest numbers. (Some players have changed numbers which I will explain later).
1 Thomas Vincensini
2? Frank Sturing
6 Orlando Bottelo
7 Juan Cordova
8 Elijah Adekugbe
9 Brian Wright
10 Mo Babouli (new number this year)
11 Dennis Salanovic
12 Clement Bayiha
15 Jose Martinez
16 Max Ferrari
17 Markiyan Voytsekhovskyy (new number this year)
22 Austin Ricci
23 Noah Abatneh
30 Kadin Martin-Pereux
32 Brem Saumaoro
33 Matthew Baldisimo
67 Eleais Himaras
xx U-Sport picks Christian Zeppieri and Jason Hartill

A picture once all the players are on stage.

The star of the Primary Kit video was invited onstage to draw the winning raffle ticket. First try and no one showed up so after a few minutes waiting to see if the person was in the bathroom, he picked another one and a woman won the Carlsberg beer fridge that was the prize.

So while some of the fans disperse and the rest wait around for the raffle draw, the players come off stage and mingle with the fans.

I've certainly noticed a player missing. Osaze De Rosario wasn't introduced. Eoin O'Callaghan says he's just not here tonight. There are rumours that he might go to Tacoma Defiance of MLSNext Pro (the farm team of Seatlle Sounders). He said until we hear different, DeRo is still with the team. It took me until I got home to realize Oswaldo Leon wasn't here either.

I also asked O'Callaghan about the CPL announcement that the league had changed the requirement that half a team's internationals must be U-23s and now they can be any age. Months ago York added two young players from Monterrey but one day after the rule change Forge FC adds a 24 year old player from Monterrey. Suspicious? Both he and head coach Martin Nash said the league had made them aware of the rule change back in November but it was only revealed to the public this week. Nash said their club actually made the league aware of that player Daniel Parra but they passed on him.

I was staring at the arms of Dennis Salanovic because of all the tatoos which matched the model of the slide in the kit reveal. I have to ask his name first. Yeah so we talk about Liechtenstein which I know is famous for postage stamps and tourism and he adds the castle. His English is quite good and he said they learn it at school plus time in the US. We agree it is better for a chance at international play to be in Liechtenstein rather than Brazil. Europe has got into a system of Nations Cup like Concacaf where countries play a country closer to their calibre like Latvia or Estonia rather than always getting thumped by England. We have games between Saint Martin and British Virgin Islands. I told him about a game I was at in Toronto where the Canadian Women's team beat Puerto Rico (who were a last minute substitute for Trinidad & Tobago) 21-0. (That was to qualify for the 1998 World Cup). I also remembered that the Canadian players took up a collection for the Puerto Rican goalie because she wanted to become a nurse so because of the exchange, that was at least a semester's tuition. Then I remembered to give him a card to my web page and, same pocket, if he liked cats so gave him one for my cat's YouTube page. Kitty is more popular than me as more people like cats than Canadian soccer!

It had taken me a few players to catch on that the players were being introduced from low to high numbers and some seemed to be out of order. OK Mo Babouli who wore #18 but 'always wanted to wear this' now got the #10. Markiyan Voytsekhovskyy who wore #70 has moved down to wear #17. Martin Nash looked it up the roster numbers on his phone. I had noticed Marky was autographing fan jerseys with what looked like a drawing of a butterfly and initials MV which was probably easier than writing his name out longhand.

While I was trying to find Marky himself, I talked to U-Sport draftee Jason Hartill (had to ask his name too). He went to Cape Breton University in Nova Scotia. So I said that probably means he comes from Ontario? Yep Ottawa! Has he got a number yet? No! What if he doesn't play, will he get games in League1 Ontario (Alliance United is the 'York United' club)? Maybe!

I talked to a fan wearing a personalized Mo Babouli #18 about his feelings about a new number. Bummed! There are so many new players each year and trades and free agents I was saying but then I remembered I got burned in the York 9 FC days when "Number 9 belongs to you fans, no player will ever wear Number 9". Well that lasted all of one year.

I asked before the presentation started about a preseason game scheduled for last night against L1O Simcoe County Rovers being cancelled. Yes because of injury fears the week before they are leaving for Mexico. York will go to Hamilton this weekend for a closed door game (not necessarily against Forge). A preseason game against Rovers was cancelled last year for the same reason. After hearing the presentation I don't think York is going to have time to play this game 'next month' with their Mexican trip and the season starting the second weekend of April.

There preseason so far has gone like this: (like trying to fit in a puzzle)
(so many distractions tonight I forgot to ask a player or coach for the missing scores). 
Fri Feb 23rd York beats CS Saint-Laurant (League1 Quebec) 4-0   Austin Ricci scores once for York.
date unknown York beats Vaughan Azzurri (League1 Ontario) ?-0   Austin Ricci scores once for York. 
Fri Mar 1st  York beats Toronto FC II (MLSNEXT Pro)       ?-0   Austin Ricci scores once for York.

The crowd kept building right up to the presentation with enough food for the late arrivals. Looked like 15 tables with 8 chairs...Full! and people standing along the walls and in front of the stage. I'll give them between 150 and 170.

It had rained on my way here and looked like it had stopped while we were inside then poured when it was time to leave. My friend said he enjoyed himself tonight. Last year he had a toothache and didn't have much fun.

The Springhill Suites by Marriott where the event was held. I took this photo before I went in so I'd have a picture before it got dark.

One month until the regular season starts!

Rocket Robin
robin.glover.1958@gmail.com
X @RocketRobin01

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