After winning three trophies in the last two seasons, Scrosoppi’s first teams head into the upcoming Ontario Premier League campaign with plenty of success to live up to, but this time under new management.

Patrice Gheisar has an impressive record in the Canadian game and will be the head coach for SFC’s men in the new-look OPL – rebranded from League1 Ontario during the offseason to bring closer alignment with the Canadian Premier League. 

He’ll also be providing guidance to the Scrosoppi women’s teams as they enter their first season in the OPL top flight following their promotion from the second tier last year. They will kick off SFC's 2026 schedule with an OPL Cup match against Burlington on April 11.

Success at this level is not unfamiliar to Gheisar, who secured the men’s league title with Vaughan Azzurri in 2022, before going on to coach Halifax Wanderers in the Canadian Premier League.

During his first few months in Milton, he has been building the foundations for further success at Scrosoppi, beginning with providing support for players, coaches, and staff across the club. 

“I’ve been coaching for 21 years, and the most important thing I’m going to lean on is making sure I’m here to support everyone and their vision,” he said. “I’m not here to change anything. 

“I’ve learned a lot about people skills. Every coach has a different pathway they want to take and I want to be able to support them with that. I also want to support our players' development and help them pursue scholarships and professional opportunities. 

“The most important thing for me is supporting our coaches, our players, and the community.”

Following a three-year absence from the Pro-Am level while he managed Halifax, Gheisar has been impressed by the quality of talent in Ontario upon his return.

“Sometimes you forget how many good players there are in this province, and when you go away and come back, it’s like your eyes are wiped clean and you’re reprogrammed.

“I’m blown away by the athleticism, the technical ability and the quality of the players. Our players have a great deal of hunger and determination, not only for the team, the club, or our programs, but also for themselves.”

Scrosoppi’s purpose is to develop young players and guide them onto a successful career path, and the new boss wants to build the OPL programs around bright young talents. 

“We want to take a little bit of a different direction by featuring some really good young players. That's something I'm really drawn to, helping with the development of young players in a senior men’s and women’s setting. 

“I’ll also be working with the youth teams on making sure that we have a consistent game model throughout the club for the boys and the girls. I’ll be supporting them and making sure that they understand the curriculum at each age group, while our House League program helps bring our youth players into more competitive teams.

“I would love to say, ‘We have a player in our OPL team that’s been at the club for eight or nine years’.”

Signings have been coming thick and fast in Milton as Gheisar builds squads that will challenge the best teams in the OPL. 

Several familiar faces have returned, as well as some eye-catching talents, including siblings Chimere and Chiamaka Omeze, and CANW20 stars Jadea Collin and Noelle Henning.

“My focus has been finding a selection of players who fit the way we want to play and who are hungry. 

“I want to leave the year better than where we started, on the field and off it. On the field, the men’s team has been extremely competitive, finishing in the top two in the past three years and winning last year’s cup competition. 

“I’m not here to say we’re going to go undefeated and score 200 goals, but we want to start the year as a seven, and finish as a ten.

“Alongside this, it's really important for me to culturally develop a very healthy off-field environment and establish a team in both men's and women's OPL that will be sustainable on its own for the next three to four years. 

“It’s fixing for now, and for the future. Part of that means having young players who will have a bigger role, and having a vision of building not just a team, but a club. 

“We want to provide a home for top talent.”