March 29, 2025...2025 Kit Reveal Party for York United FC (report by Rocket Robin)

Details of York United FC's 2025 Kit Reveal Party held Saturday March 29, 2025 between 12:00pm and 5:00pm held
at the New Age Experience Centre in North York.

The New Age Event Centre hosted the event.

Hey it looks like it's a patio furniture and garage workplace store.

There's a York United sign after walking through the storefront showroom so we know this is the right place.

The DJ has started playing the tunes already even before the place starts to crowd up.

Doors opened at Noon and eventually I estimate there were at least 400 people. This is the largest York United non-game event
I can remember. The weather was cold and rainy as had been predicted all week. I noticed that because the team had announced
that food trucks would be there in their first postings, this last week when they sent out reminders they emphasized that it
would be an indoor event. That held true as there was a door to the side where there was a driveway with at least three food
trucks plus vendors that had set up tables inside.

I knew there was a Toronto FC game downtown against Vancouver Whitecaps but I assumed it was tonight instead of at the same
time as this event. The game was not on cable. The weather will be worse tonight but even now, take the wind speed where we
are and triple it down by the lake and even now I'm sure it's miserable already.

With the DJ starting the music loud right from the get go, talking was tough with shouting a requirment. I was scouting
a quiet spot in the far corner of the store to talk ask for an interview with the Academy coach but co-owner Ricardo Pasquel
said Silviu Butnaru just had surgery yesterday and would not be here. I couldn't find a quiet place anyway. I just had my
League1 Ontario media pass delivered to my home yesterday but I'll wait some other time to officially use it.

There was a timetable of events and the first one wasn't until 1:00pm so I had time to decide to put my coat in my car
so I wouldn't end up melting in here and also show off my personalized kit from last season which has my own name. I don't get
to wear it on game day because the press box is to be more neutral. Being here early I was able to park very close so it was only
a 30 yard dash through the rain. I did repeat it once before I left because I left my drink/lucky draw tickets in my coat pocket.
I couldn't hear the guy's explanation if there was a difference.

Also I got an explanation of how to see my tickets from a club tech guy. It is not directly signing in through Ticketmaster
but through the team site under Account Manager which connects through to Ticketmaster. I never have sat in my front row seat
becausse I'm always in the press box to keep up with the stats and take part in the post game interviews but it's nice to know.

Sofia Juliet (left) and Lyubov Kay (right) who will divide up dates singing the national anthem this season started
and ended the afternoon.

Hey it's 1:00pm at last and the first event 'Live Performance' starts. Two singers from Toronto Singing Academy
are here to sing karoake but they have to be better than that as they've had to memorize all the words. Music is
provided by the DJ. Their first song is a duet of 'Blinding Lights'. Good choice to choose the first song to ever
be streamed 4 billion times and from a singer from our own city. Hurray to The Weeknd! After that they went solo
in mini sets of about three songs each. Modern artists I recognized Ed Sheeran, Sabrina Carpenter, Ariana Grande,
Miley Cyrus were a few of them.

Eduardo Pasquel and brother Ricardo Pasquel answer questions in their Q&A.

1:30pm...right on time and it's co-owners Eduardo and Ricardo Pasquel answering mostly pre submitted questions.

Here's the audio of that: Q&A Pasquel Brothers 6 min 13 sec
I missed the brief intro.
Q. How do you see the club evolving and growing in the coming year?
Q. What would you say to those people who are considering joining the York United community?
Q. How do you see youth development in our own community as a goal in the future?
Q. How excited are you guys since you first took over the team?
Q. Can you give us any hints on the kits' look?
Q. Any final words?

The first team coaching staff is made up of head coach Mauro Eustaquio, assistant coaches Jose Lima and Jose Petinga,
and goalkeeping coach Camilo Benzi

Introduction of the first team coaching staff and the 'green kit team'.
Audio of both: 6 min 30 sec

The coaches were introduced first then the players in this order: 1 gk Michael Williams...4 df Oswaldo Leon...16 mf Max Ferrari
...df 2 Alexander Bergman...23 df Riley Ferrazzo...8 mf Elijah Adekugbe...20 mf Gabriel Bitar...32 mf Luca Accetola
...31 mf Matthew Fischer...22 mf Marsel Bibishkov...10 fwd Adonijah Reid...17 mf Markiian Voytsekhovskyy*
...-- mf Anthony Umanzor

Here's the home kit.

I was thinking that can't be the entire team, weren't all the player's here today? Oh right. They need them to model the alternate kit!

Introduction of players wearing the alternate kit...5 min, 10 sec

Players wearing the alternate kit were introduced in this order: ?? gk Ivan Pavela...5 df Frank Sturing...52 df Nyal Higgins
...15 df Cameron DaSilva...3 df Luke Singh...30 df Christian Zeppieri...21 mf Kembo Kibato...22 mf Steffen Yeates
...19 fwd Shola Jimoh...11 fwd Massimo Ferrin...18 fwd Julian Altobelli...-- fwd Joshua Lopez

bold...players not listed on the roster on the team website

That accounts for the first team roster (and some extras) except for...6 fwd Orlando Botello...who I assume was not here.

Now people now know the kit numbers of the new players so they can get them personalized. The NSL (Canada's new women's
national league) website has dropped team kits over the last few weeks with no online option to personalize kits with their
favourite number so that's money left on the table! That was $35 extra dollars last season...even I get that done but use
my own name and number.

The alternate kit will be unzipped next.

Here is the white kit.

Stadium announcer and today's MC Joe Ferraro with head coach Mauro Eustaquio who answers questions during the Q&A with fans.

The questions asked to Mauro Eustaquio during the Q&A 13 min 9 sec

Q. It's your first full season leading the team, how do you repair for this moment and what can the fans expect from this young team?
Q. How would explain yourself as a coach in leadership style?
Q. What is the team identity that you are looking for?
Q. How does the mix of new vs experienced players mix together for you on the field?
Q. Did you ever think that one day you'd be coaching a professional soccer team?
Q. What message would you give to the fans..especially new fans?
now additional questions, many from children:
Q. What rating would you give yourself on FC25?
Q. What would be the #1 thing you would say to young players to get them to the next level?
Q. Would you make a place for your brother on the team?
Q. Who is more intense...you or your brother?
Q. Who is better..you or your brother?
Q. How does it feel from going from assistant to head coach?
Q. If you had to pick one, who would you say is your favourite player? (asked by Riley Ferrazzo)
Q. Do you get a heart attack when you see Max Ferrari running up that wing? (now that we know Ferrari is his favourite player)
Q. Are you jealous of your brother because he made the national team and you didn't?
Q. What will you consider success for the team this season?
Q. How do you deal with some of the players who are almost the same age as you?

Players from the new York United Academy team were introduced but not individually. Well it looks they have 22 players
whereas their news drops have only introduced 15. It also looks like they have two goalies which looks better than the first
team who brought Michael Williams onstage for the main team to make up the numbers even though he was announced on their site
as so far the only goalie signed for the main team. Same thing with Joshua Lopez the 16 year old announced earlier this month
as an Academy signing.

Introduction of the Academy team 3 min 45 sec

When that Avicii song came out in 2011, many of the team wouldn't be old enough to walk!

The York United Academy team which will play their inaugural season in the League1 Ontario Championship Division.

Here is Riley Ferrazzo with his father. I have watch Riley from his Vaughan Azzurri days and his father
still attends their games.

The players stayed to mingle and sign autographs. I was able to say hello to many players I'd watched in League1 Ontario
or Toronto FC II over the years. It turns out on Wikipedia, for eleven of these players I have taken their profile pictures!
(thanks to Wiki editor Soccer Dude). Since I subscribe to the OneSoccer channel, I was able to look up Steffen Yeates scoring
last week for Trinidad & Tobago to help them qualify for the Gold Cup this summer. Adonijah Reid was the youngest player to score
in League1 Ontario when he played for ANB Futbol and held the record for years until Kobe Franklin broke it playing for
Toronto FC III. Reid would always wave back when I'd see him depart the bus with Ottawa Fury when he was on loan from
MLS FC Dallas. Julian Altobelli actually returns to York after four years at Toronto FC II. Yes it was frustrating to lead
that team in scoring but the MLS team would keep signing some foreign player in his place for the main roster.

I also went up to some players who had numbers and names on their kits but weren't on the club website's list of players to ask
their full names. So #30 Christian Zeppieri, #32 Luca Accettola, and #31 Matthew Fischer are all U-Sport signings. If they don't
make the game day roster, one said he wasn't sure of the rules if they would find a game day spot on the Academy team. They will
be able to decide in early August if they will return to school.

The #2 with the "Kapitan" as his name is Alexander Bergman. His Wiki bio shows Kapitan is really part of his name
and not wishful thinking for what eventual status he wants to have with the team!

I was giving out cards for my web site so players could read about themselves. Almost as popular were the cards I gave out
for the YouTube channel I have for my cat!

What did I think of the new kits? Looking from a distance, they looked similar to last year's with the same basic colours
and sponsor. I couldn't see the "woven pattern of Toronto's old city hall" or whatever he was saying but I'll look when I'm
at home. On stage the players stood in front of the strobe light projecting the backdrop of the kit announcement and one
player had a huge letter K across his shorts and shirt. Super white on white looked cool until I figured out it was the
projection. Maybe this year I'll switch to white for a season.

It's about 4:00pm when I head home. The live music performers have started again with Sophia Juliet switching to singing Spanish
language songs.

Rocket Robin
robin.glover.1958@gmail.com

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