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Gianfranco Facchineri, also known as Frankie Facchineri, (born April 27, 2002) is a Canadian soccer player who plays for Canadian Premier League club Valour FC.

Early life

Facchineri was born and raised in Windsor, Ontario to an Italian family. He played youth soccer with Windsor Ciociaro SC at age five. He later played with the Windsor FC Nationals and Migichan's Vardar SC. He played with the Ontario provincial team at U14 and U15 levels. In 2016, he was invited to join the Vancouver Whitecaps Academy, but declined the opportunity as he felt he was too young. Two years later in August 2018, he then joined the Vancouver Whitecaps Academy. He began playing with the Whitecaps U17 and U19 sides, before moving to their development side in 2019. In August 2019, he began training with the Whitecaps first team. In 2019, he was the Whitecaps FC BMO RESP Academy Male Player award recipient.

University career

In 2022, he began attending the University of Windsor, where he played for the Windsor Lancers men's soccer team. He scored his first goal on 18 September 2022 against the McMaster Marauders. (His father had previously played for the Lancers as well). 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. In 2023, he was named an OUA West First Team All-Star.

Club career

In January 2020, Facchineri signed a first-team Homegrown Player contract with the Whitecaps. In July 2020, he was loaned to Atlético Ottawa in the Canadian Premier League. He made his professional debut on August 19, 2020, against Valour FC. In August 2021, he was loaned to USL Championship side San Diego Loyal SC. In February 2022, he was released by the Whitecaps, with the club buying out the remainder of his contract.

In 2022, he played in the League1 Ontario Reserve Division with Tecumseh SC U21. In March 2023, he joined Windsor City FC in the League1 Ontario Premier Division. He was named the L1O Defender of the Year and a First Team All-Star in 2023.

In December 2023, he was selected in the second round (ninth overall) of the 2024 CPL–U Sports Draft by Valour FC. In April 2024, he signed a U Sports contract with the club, allowing him to maintain his university eligibility. On July 21, 2024, he scored his first professional goal in a match against Atlético Ottawa. In August 2024, he extended his U Sports contract through the remainder of the season, rather than to return to university. During the 2024 season, he was named to the CPL Team of the Week on two occasions. In December 2024, he signed a two-year professional contract with the club through 2026.

International career

He made his debut in the Canadian youth program in 2016, at the age of 13, attending a U15 identification camp. In 2019, he was named to the Canadian U17 team for the 2019 CONCACAF U-17 Championship, where he served as team captain. 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, for which he was also named to the squad for. Across, the two tournaments, he played every minute for the team in their seven matches.

Career statistics

As of October 19, 2024

References

1. "Frankie Facchineri Windsor profile". Windsor Lancers.
2. Longo, Jack (May 14, 2020). "Promising prospect Gianfranco Facchineri making most of learning opportunity". Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
3. Gianfranco Facchineri at the Canadian Soccer Association
4. Parker, Jim (January 27, 2020). "Windsor's Facchineri signs contract with MLS Vancouver Whitecaps". Windsor Star.
5. ^ "Gianfranco Facchineri VWFC profile". Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
6. Caton, Mary (July 10, 2018). "Vancouver Whitecaps invites 'natural defender' Facchineri to join soccer academy". Windsor Star.
7. "Whitecaps FC loan Gianfranco Facchineri to CPL club Atlético Ottawa". Vancouver Whitecaps FC. July 6, 2020.
8. Plante, Jean-François (July 6, 2020). "L'Atlético va accélérer ses embauches" [Atlético to speed up hiring]. Le Droit (in French).
9. Johal, Harjeet (October 4, 2019). "It's not Sunday League for Whitecaps FC prospect Gianfranco Facchineri!!". Har Journalist Sports Media.
10. "Getting to know, presented by GE Appliances: Gianfranco Facchineri". Vancouver Whitecaps FC. June 28, 2020.
11. Jacques, John (February 25, 2022). "Free Agent Facchineri Set For CPL?". Northern Tribune.
12. "Lancer Soccer Season Preview". Windsor Lancers. August 31, 2022.
13. "Windsor still looking for first win of season following loss to McMaster". Windsor Lancers. September 19, 2022.
14. Tait, Ed (March 13, 2024). "Frankie Facchineri: "I don't think it's any secret – we all have something to prove on this team."". Valour FC.
15. "Men's Soccer earns first win of the season". Windsor Lancers. September 26, 2022.
16. ^ "Facchineri drafted by CPL's Valour FC". Windsor Lancers. December 15, 2023.
17. "Whitecaps FC sign centre back Gianfranco Facchineri to MLS Homegrown contract". Vancouver Whitecaps FC. January 23, 2020.
18. McColl, Michael (January 23, 2020). ""A lot of work ahead" but standout centre back Gianfranco Facchineri's mentality and work ethic earns him a MLS homegrown deal with the Whitecaps". Away From The Numbers.
19. "Atlético Ottawa adds defender Gianfranco Facchineri on loan from Whitecaps". Atlético Ottawa. July 6, 2020.
20. "Vancouver Whitecaps loan Facchineri to Atlético Ottawa". Ottawa Sun. July 6, 2020.
21. O'Connor-Clarke, Charlie (August 19, 2020). "Second-half onslaught lifts Valour FC over 10-men Atlético Ottawa". Canadian Premier League.
22. "Homegrown centre back Gianfranco Facchineri loaned to San Diego Loyal SC". Vancouver Whitecaps FC. August 7, 2021.
23. "Gianfranco Facchineri Joins SD Loyal on Loan". San Diego Loyal SC. August 7, 2021. Archived from the original on December 4, 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
24. "Whitecaps FC exercise offseason buyout on centre back Gianfranco Facchineri". Vancouver Whitecaps FC. February 25, 2022.
25. "Vancouver Whitecaps FC buyout defender Gianfranco Facchineri". Major League Soccer. February 25, 2023.
26. "Gianfranco Facchineri 2022 L1O Reserve Stats". League1 Ontario.
27. @WinCityFC (March 12, 2023). "Windsor City FC is excited to welcome Gianfranco Facchineri & to re-sign Gianni Ferri" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
28. Jacques, John (March 13, 2023). "Windsor City FC Adds Hometown Defender Facchineri". Northern Tribune.
29. "Men's Premier Division 2023: Award Winners". League1 Ontario. November 20, 2023.
30. "MVP Tomasz Skublak leads line in star-studded XI". League1 Ontario. November 28, 2023.
31. "Valour FC Announces Signing of Canadian Gianfranco Facchineri". Valour FC. April 12, 2024.
32. "Match Analysis: Valiant Valour FC hold league-leaders Atlético Ottawa to a draw in the nation's capital". Canadian Premier League. July 21, 2024.
33. "Valour retains Facchineri on CPL-U SPORTS contract". Valour FC. August 15, 2024.
34. "Valour FC sign defender Gianfranco Facchineri to standard professional contract". Valour FC. December 11, 2024.
35. Healey, Josh (December 11, 2024). "Gianfranco Facchineri is the latest player to parlay a U-Sports contract into a pro deal, signing with Valour through 2026". Wanderers Notebook.
36. Jacques, John (December 11, 2024). "Facchineri Returns To Valour On Pro Deal". Northern Tribune.
37. Thompson, Marty (July 6, 2020). "Gianfranco Facchineri aims for growth in summer stint with Atlético Ottawa". Canadian Premier League.
38. "Gianfranco Facchineri Se Une A SD Loyal a Préstamo" [Gianfranco Facchineri Joins SD Loyal on Loan]. El Mexicano (in Spanish). August 7, 2021.
39. Jacques, John (July 17, 2020). "Facchineri Ready To Earn Minutes: 'Nothing In The Game Comes Free'". Northern Tribune.
40. "Windsor's Facchineri scores crucial shootout winner for Canada's U-17 soccer team". Windsor Star. May 12, 2019.
41. Tierney, Mitchell (December 2, 2024). "'It meant the world': Valour FC's Facchineri on getting a second chance at pro football through the CPL-U SPORTS Draft". Canadian Premier League.
42. Parker, Jim (October 23, 2019). "Windsor's Facchineri leads Canada into FIFA U-17 World Cup in Brazil". Windsor Star.
43. McColl, Michael (October 17, 2019). "Canadian captain Gianfranco Facchineri fired up for U17 World Cup in Brazil – "Our goal is to do better than any men's team has ever done at a World Cup"". Away from the Numbers.
44. Jacques, John (July 6, 2020). "Atletico Ottawa Loans Facchineri From The Vancouver Whitecaps". Northern Tribune.
45. Gianfranco Facchineri at Soccerway
46. "Gianfranco Facchineri 2023 L1O Stats". League1 Ontario.

External links

• Gianfranco Facchineri at the Canadian Soccer Association
• Gianfranco Facchineri at Soccerway

• 2002 births
• Living people
• Men's association football defenders
• Canadian men's soccer players
• Soccer people from Ontario
• Sportspeople from Windsor, Ontario
• Canadian sportspeople of Italian descent
• Canadian expatriate men's soccer players
• Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States
• Canadian expatriate sportspeople in the United States
• Vancouver Whitecaps FC players
• Atlético Ottawa players
• Canadian Premier League players
• Canada men's youth international soccer players
• Homegrown Players (MLS)
• San Diego Loyal SC players
• USL Championship players
• Windsor City FC players
• League1 Ontario players
• University of Windsor alumni
• Valour FC draft picks
• Valour FC players
• 21st-century Canadian sportsmen