When fans look back at the Canadian Premier League‘s (CPL) inaugural season, few would guess that Cristian Zaccardo nearly joined. The retired defender, who represented Italy in its 2006 World Cup triumph, was close to making a move to Canada.
Carmine Isacco, who served as York 9 FC’s (now Inter Toronto FC) assistant coach, revealed how close the club came to landing Zaccardo. The Italian defender was an accomplished player, having spent the majority of his career in Serie A.
From York 9’s perspective, signing Zaccardo, even at the tail end of his career, would have been significant. The Greater Toronto Area, particularly Vaughan, has a large Italian community and is in close proximity to York Lions Stadium.
For Zaccardo, joining the CPL was more than just concluding his playing career. He also had aspirations of becoming a Sporting Director after obtaining the necessary qualifications in Italy.
Carmine Isacco Reveals How Cristian Zaccardo Nearly Joined CPL Side York 9 FC
Carmine Isacco revealed that Cristian Zaccardo was not a player they targeted. On the contrary, Zaccardo was presented to York 9 FC as a potential signing.
Isacco served as the club’s first assistant coach under former CanMNT star Jimmy Brennan. Together, along with the club’s front office, they hosted Zaccardo and began negotiating a potential move to the CPL.
“The [York 9] owners at the time thought it would be a good idea to meet [Zaccardo], bring him down to see us. So, basically we hosted him for almost a week. He was a fantastic human being, his mentality was right, Isacco told The Game Plan. “Zaccardo wanted to grow the game, and he would have helped. Whether he would have been a center-back, [defensive midfielder], or he could have done a lot of stuff at York 9. But, in the end, [the owners] made a financial decision based on different things.”
Isacco pointed to Sebastian Giovinco signing with Toronto FC as an example of Toronto being an appealing market in which to play in. Giovinco became a beloved player and still lives in Canada.
The former York 9 assistant coach said that it was not a difficult sales pitch.
“[Zaccardo] was sold after the first day. The ownership and the front office did a great job. But again, they did a list of pros and cons, and came up with more cons than pros and that was it.”
Isacco Believes Zaccardo Would Have Had Major Impact on The CPL
Isacco also said he believes Zaccardo would have had a major impact on the CPL, particularly York 9.
The World Cup winner could have been an attraction not only for York 9 home matches at York Lions Stadium, but also away matches. Zaccardo playing in the CPL could have attracted more attention and shone a light on the young Canadian talent in the league.
“I would have been interested to see how much of a difference Zaccardo would have made for that York 9 community if he did come, because he’s a proper pro. And, I think he would have been very valuable to the growth of not only York 9, but also for the game itself,” Isacco told The Game Plan.
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