Patrice Gheisar has a track record for developing young players and helping them to perform at the highest level in Canada, and understands the value that League1 Ontario brings as a platform to reach the professional game.

The 50-year-old recently joined Scrosoppi’s staff to oversee all soccer programs at the club – a new venture following his head coach roles at Vaughan Azzurri and Halifax Wanderers – and has set out some exciting plans for 2026.

For one, Gheisar plans to integrate the club’s younger players, who will make up SFC’s League2 Division teams, with the senior figures from the Premier Division sides. 

By combining players from across the club's League1 Ontario teams into one training group, Gheisar aims to bring the best out of every player at Scrosoppi, as well as allowing for rotation opportunities for young players across the Premier and League2 divisions.

“We see our entire League1 program as a pool of players who can develop on different timelines,” he said. “This mindset brings adaptability in our squads.

“If there's a Premier Division player who's not firing on all cylinders, then there’s an opportunity to give them League2 opportunities. But if there is a League2 player who is firing, can we move him or her up to play well in the first team?

“Training is a great place to integrate our young players, who are graduating from the academy or are looking for something different, into and around the first team.”

When it comes to young players performing in League1 Ontario’s top tier, Jacob Cabral was named the Men’s Premier Division’s Young Player of the Year for the 2025 season after a stellar breakout season. Meanwhile, Women’s Championship MVP Yasmin Castillo has earned minutes at both League2 and first-team level, and played a big part in SFC’s promotion to the Women’s Premier last summer.

With the standard of League1 Ontario rising each year, Gheisar feels that young players can learn a lot by being closely integrated with the senior squad. 

“There are certain standards of high-performance football, such as the speed of play, learning mentally how to deal with the game and the pressure of being excellent, and holding yourself accountable.

“When you’re at that development age, around 17, and you’re playing with 25-year-olds, they’re going to be demanding you to do things correctly. That will be a big part of your progress.

“We don't want players moving through a revolving door, coming in and out. We want our younger players to understand that while they may not be a key player today in the Premier Division, they will be next year or the year after.”

As well as improving pathways on the pitch, Gheisar also values the off-field benefits that come with integrated training for youth and senior players.

“We celebrate the integration culturally. The way we train after a loss and after a win, those are all really important.

“We are looking for players who are at that starting point in their careers with the ambition of growing. We want to have them around our players and see how they perform in our environment.”

Tryout opportunities

Please read on for upcoming tryout opportunities in our League1 Ontario squads.

Women's League2 Division tryouts

Focus: Primarily 2007, 2008, and 2009 players

Dates: Tuesday, February 3 | Thursday, February, 5 | both sessions start at 5pm
Location: Milton Sports Dome

Please click here to register your interest

Men's U20 Division tryouts 
Dates: Tuesday, January 27  | Wednesday, January 28 |  Thursday, January 29 | all sessions start at 5pm
Location: Milton Sports Dome
Please click here to register your interest