Windsor City FC Adds Hometown Defender Facchineri

With Gianfranco Facchineri signing with hometown side Windsor City FC, the League1 Ontario side is getting a big defensive boost.

Facchineri, 20, had once captained Canada at the U-17 level and had been on a homegrown player contract with the Vancouver Whitecaps until the team exercised a buyout of his guaranteed contract last season and waved the young defender.

Before being released, the Windsor-born youngster was Vancouver’s Academy Player of the Year in 2019 and underwent loans to both Atletico Ottawa and the San Diego Loyal before going his separate ways with the ‘Caps.

Facchineri had actually played a handful of games in the League1 Ontario U-21 reserves division last season, suiting up for Tecumseh U-21 side five times, helping the team to four wins and one draw.

Flashback: Facchineri Ready To Earn Minutes: ‘Nothing In The Game Comes Free’

The club recently announced that it would be playing its home matches from St. Clair College Acumen Stadium, with Windsor City FC recently rebranding from Windsor TFC ahead of the 2023 League1 Ontario season.

Facchineri will be hoping to help the side rise up the rankings following its eighteenth-place finish last season. It’ll need to perform quite well if it’s to secure status in the Premier Division once promotion and relegation are introduced in 2024.

There’s plenty of football developing in Windsor, where former Canadian Premier League commissioner David Clanachan was also given rights to launch a professional soccer team.

Windsor City FC also brought in another hometown kid in Gianni Ferri, who plays for Michigan State University.