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Montreal Supra

Montreal Supra FC was a Canadian professional soccer club based in Montreal, Quebec that played in the Canadian Soccer League from 1988 to 1992.

History
Montreal Supra joined the Canadian Soccer League as an expansion franchise for the league's second season in 1988. They were Montreal's first professional soccer team, since the NASL's Montreal Manic and CPSL's FC Inter-Montréal folded in 1983. It was created by an investment by O'Keefe Brewery, one of Canada's three largest breweries, as the main sponsor. The club was to be a community property as a non-profit corporation Supra had a difficult inaugural season, finishing last in the East Division with a record of 8–8–12 and failing to make the playoffs. The team also struggled in their second season winning only 3 of their 26 matches, once again failing to make the playoffs. The team struggled financially, with the players agreeing to play without pay in 1989, later being paid with Ultramar gas coupons. In 1990, they greatly improved to a record of 13–11–2, qualifying for the playoffs for the first time, but lost in the first round to Hamilton. In 1991, they finished 5th out of 8 teams, qualifying for the playoffs for the second year in a row, where they were once again defeated by Hamilton in the first round. The team underwent severe financial difficulty in the early 1990s, ultimately with a Florida-based Spanish businessman named Frank Aliaga, who had ties to Canada, purchased the club in 1990 to keep the club in operation, as the previous season the players had not received a salary. In addition, over the club's three seasons owned by Aliaga, the club went through six coaches. After the 1991 season, the team's main sponsors - Ultramar, Molson O'Keefe and Saputo - indicated that they were no longer interested in sponsoring the team. After the 1992 season the league was set to fold, and Aliaga approached Asaro to inquire into the possibility of the club joining the US-based American Professional Soccer League. as Supra's budget was only one-third of the APSL's minimum requirement. APSL commissioner Bill Sage inquired to Asaro if there was any interest from another party about operating a Montreal APSL team and Asaro immediately called Joey Saputo, who was able to arrange a meeting with Lino Saputo, owner of Saputo Inc., one of Supra's four main sponsors about taking over the team. and wanted the club to be the successor to Supra, maintaining much of the team's organizational staff and players for the new team. Supra was dissolved and a new club called the Montreal Impact formed as a new APSL club. Many of Montreal Supra's best players would join the expansion Impact, winning the league championship in 1994, during the team's second season. In 2025, a new Montreal-area club playing in Laval was founded in the Canadian Premier League, who selected the name FC Supra du Québec to pay homage to the former Montreal Supra. ==Seasons==
Head coaches
• Andy Onorato (1988–1989) • Pierre Mindru (1989–1990 and 1991–1992) • Roy Wiggemansen (1990–1991) • Eddie Firmani (1991) • Paolo Ferrante (1991) • Bobby Vosmaer (1992) • Pino Asaro (1992) ==See also==
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