What York 9 (and York United) Mean To Me Article by Namu Yoon

Back around 2015 or so, I had become fully immersed in the world of supporting local football, as I witnessed the birth of a new professional football club in the beautiful city of Ottawa under the nascent and ambitious reboot of the North American Soccer League (NASL), and then moved to Toronto to witness the excitement of the Bloody Big Deals.

It was exciting to be a part of the supporters groups, and watching it blossom, and it drew me into the fascinating online discussions on all things football pyramid/system related in North America, with NASL and USL fully jostling to be the force that would challenge MLS, across the US and Canada. It was within this context when whispers of a possible new entrant in Canada began to emerge. It took many of us soccer fans by surprise, and there were endless furious debates about the pros, the cons, the merits, the disadvantages, the obstacles, and I loved every single moment of it. But it felt surreal and insurmountable, a fully professional and fully Canadian soccer league, it seemed impossible, based on everything that we knew, read, and heard.

Thanks to all the backers, all the players, all the staff, and all the fans and everybody else, Y9 gave us six new rivals instantly, and a derby vs Hamilton where we could invade the city in about an hour or so, and a thrilling home and away David vs Goliath series vs Montreal. And a green inflatable robot/android/alien, and an unmistakably distinct trumpet, and a club that was counting on every single one of us fans to back them into relevance. And a league that needed every single of its fans to overcome all the obstacles you could think of.

Fast forward an exciting 2 years, and we found ourselves at Vaughan City Hall, welcoming the launch of the very 1st CPL club, right here in the GTA, and against all the odds, it felt. The excitement was palpable in the air, through the green smoke that greeted us in the parking lot, and the massive banner in the city hall. It was real, and it was ours, and it was right in front of us. The bastards had done it, they’d overcome all the odds and obstacles, and found the right people crazy enough to be willing to back soccer in Canada not just for the short run, but for the long term future.

To me, York 9, and York United, represents everything about Canadian soccer you can think of. It’s one of the greatest underdog stories you can think of. We have so many obstacles you could name off the top of your head without even thinking about it, but we’re here fighting tooth and nail for everything we got. How can you not respect that? We know we must remain humble in the face of every setbacks you can think of, but also confident and focused. That’s the mentality the CanMNT took to go through an incredible WCQ campaign, and that’s the mentality that the small but mighty Y9 and YU must undertake as well to achieve its goals. To me, York 9 means Cdn soccer, it means everything to me. I hope it stirs up those emotions in you as well. Come on you Nine Stripes.