Jace Kotsopoulos

Jace Dayton Kotsopoulos (born December 1, 1997) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays for Guelph United FC of League1 Ontario.

Jace Kotsopoulos
Personal information
Full name Jace Dayton Kotsopoulos
Date of birth (1997-12-01) December 1, 1997
Place of birth Burlington, Ontario, Canada
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Forward
Club information
Current team
 Guelph United
Number 10
Youth career
Oakville SC
Dixie SC
Burlington SC
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015–2019 Guelph Gryphons 61 (58)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018 Vaughan Azzurri 1 (3)
2019 Forge FC 3 (2)
2020 York9 FC 1 (0)
2021– Guelph United 14 (15)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of April 30, 2022

Early life

Kotsopoulos played youth soccer with Oakville SC, Dixie SC, and Burlington SC. When he was 16, he trained with the Spanish club Real Sociedad youth academy.[1]

University career

Kotsopoulous attended the University of Guelph playing for the men's soccer team for five years, where he set the school's all-time goal scoring record with 58 goals, beating the previous mark by nine goals.[2] During his third year, he missed part of the season due to a meniscus tear and missed most of his fifth and final season due to a sprained ankle.[2] In his fourth year, he led the Ontario University Athletics with 15 goals in 17 games, being named the U Sports men’s soccer player of the year as well as the OUA male athlete of the year.[2] Over his tenure, he was a 4-time OUA all-star and a 2-time Canadian all-star.[1]

Club career

Vaughan Azzurri

In 2018, Kotsopoulos played one league match for League1 Ontario side Vaughan Azzurri and scored a hat-trick.[3] He also played in three league cup matches, scoring three goals, including both of his team's goals in a 2-1 victory over Toronto FC III in the final.[4]

Forge FC

On November 12, 2018, Kotsopoulos was drafted 3rd overall by Forge FC in the 2018 CPL–U Sports Draft.[5] On May 16, 2019, he signed a developmental contract with Forge.[6] On June 12, 2019, Kotsopoulos made his debut as a substitute in the Canadian Championship against Cavalry FC.[7] He made his league debut as a substitute the following weekend, scoring the tying goal in a 2–1 come-from-behind win against Valour FC, which qualified Forge for the 2019 CONCACAF League, and made him one of the youngest goalscorers in league history.[8][9] In August 2019, Kotsopoulos opted to return to the University of Guelph to finish his final semester.[10] He finished the season with two goals in five substitute appearances, including an appearance in the CONCACAF League.[9]

York9

On August 9, 2020, York9 announced the signing of Kotsopolous.[11][12] He made his debut on August 22 against Valour FC, which was his only appearance in the short 2020 season.[13]

Guelph United

On March 13, 2021, Kotsopoulos signed with League1 Ontario side Guelph United.[14] He scored a hat trick on his debut against FC London.[15] He led the league in scoring in 2021 with 15 goals in the regular season.[16]

Career statistics
As of November 7, 2021[17]
Club Season League Playoffs Domestic Cup League Cup Continental Total
Division AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Vaughan Azzurri 2018[18] League1 Ontario 1300–33–46
Forge FC 2019 Canadian Premier League 320010–1052
York9 FC 2020 Canadian Premier League 10––––10
Guelph United FC 2021[19] League1 Ontario 121523–––1418
Career total 1720231033102426

References
  1. "Jace Kotsopoulos profile". Force Academy.
  2. Massey, Rob (October 7, 2021). "Striking gold: Guelph United's Kotsopoulos filling the net". Guelph Today.
  3. Ghaffaribarzi, Mahdi (July 16, 2018). "First Half Scoring Bonanza As Vaughan Beats Alliance 4-2". League1 Ontario.
  4. Cheng, Jonathan (August 5, 2018). "Kotsopolous Brace Earns Vaughan L1 Cup 2018 Championship Over TFC III". League1 Ontario.
  5. "Forge FC nabs U SPORTS star Jace Kotsopoulos in 1st round of inaugural CPL-U SPORTS Draft". Canadian Premier League. November 13, 2018. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
  6. "Forge FC signs Jace Kotsopoulos to U SPORTS development contract". Canadian Premier League. May 16, 2019. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
  7. "Cavalry FC Earns Spot in Qualifying Round 3 with 2:1 Victory over Forge FC". Canadian Soccer Association. June 11, 2019.
  8. Milton, Steve (June 19, 2019). "Burlington's Jace Kotsopoulos is making sudden impact on Forge FC fortunes". The Hamilton Spectator.
  9. Jacques, John (August 17, 2019). "Jace Kotsopoulos Returns To Guelph University". Northern Tribune.
  10. Bedakian, Armen. "Forge's Jace Kotsopoulos returns to Guelph University". Canadian Premier League.
  11. "Nine Stripes snap up Jace Kotsopoulos". York9 FC. August 9, 2020.
  12. Jacques, John (August 6, 2020). "Jace Kotsopoulos Set To Make CPL Return". Northern Tribune.
  13. Jacques, John (August 22, 2021). "York9 Battles Valour To Hotly Contested Draw". Northern Tribune.
  14. @guelphunitedfc (March 13, 2021). "We are excited to announce a big moment in the history of our club: our inaugural signing!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  15. Jacques, John (August 1, 2021). "Canadian Premier League Athletes To Watch In League1 Ontario". Northern Tribune.
  16. Hodges, Mike (October 29, 2021). "Guelph United F.C. hosts first playoff game this weekend". Global News.
  17. Jace Kotsopoulos at Soccerway
  18. "Jace Dayton Kotsopoulos 2018 Stats". League1 Ontario.
  19. "Jace Kotsopoulos 2021 Stats". League1 Ontario.
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