The Story
FC Supra du Québec — 4th Place, 38 points
Record (W-D-L): 11-5-12
Goals For/Against: 47/50
Top Scorer: Loïc Kwemi (15)
Assists Leader: Sean Rea (6)
FC Supra's inaugural season in the Canadian Premier League can already be considered a success. They completed a miracle turnaround in the final stretch of the season to make the playoffs, making them the first CPL newcomers to make the postseason in their first year (excluding 2019, of course).
The club, based in the greater Montreal area, has made headlines around the world this year for their ambitious community-first identity. FC Supra have built a professional team with entirely Quebec-based players, and they're proving how much talent exists in their province.
It hasn't been the easiest maiden voyage. Supra won their first ever game in unforgettable fashion, when Alexandre Marcoux scored a 97th-minute winner to beat Pacific FC in Langford. Since then, they've had plenty of ups and downs, but everything turned around in late September with a coaching change.
The club parted ways with Nick Razzaghi and appointed ex-Forge FC assistant Kyt Selaidopoulos as head coach, and they haven't lost since.
The Stats
8 points out of the playoffs
It's been repeated ad nauseam in the last week, but it's such a crazy fact that it's worth saying again. One month before the end of the regular season, FC Supra were eight points out of a playoff spot. Prior to this year, no CPL team had ever been more than one point out with a month left and made it into the postseason.
Selaidopoulos took over after a 6-0 loss in Calgary, and from there Supra collected 13 points in their last five games (a 4-1-0 record) to leapfrog Vancouver FC into fourth place. For that reason, Supra go into the playoffs in better form than any other team
32 open-play goals
Who needs set-pieces?
FC Supra scored 32 times from open play this year — 68 per cent of their total goals — to lead the league in that category. Leading the way was Loïc Kwemi, who scored 11 of his 15 goals from open play. This team is excellent at striking in transition; Kwemi, combined with the likes of Sean Rea, David Choinière and Ibrahim Condé, can generally out-run opponents and find breaks in the line via quick forward passing.
3.45 total goals per game
FC Supra thrive in the chaos. This club has played 33 matches across all competitions, and those games have featured an average of 3.45 goals (from both teams combined). To compare, the average CPL match this season had 3.16 goals. Supra scored the third-most goals in the CPL with 47, but they also conceded the third-most (50, tied with Halifax).
All that's to say: expect goals in Supra's playoff games. They love a wide-open style of game, and there was no better example of it than their 4-3 win over the Halifax Wanderers to get them into the playoffs on the final matchday. Recently, they've become a little more disciplined as Selaidopoulos instills his philosophy, but it's still hard to imagine they'll play any boring games in the postseason.
The Stars
Loïc Kwemi, Attacker
The CPL's Golden Boot winner is one of the most dynamic and dangerous players in the league, and he enters the playoffs in superb form. Kwemi scored 15 goals in the regular season, collecting four (plus two assists) in the month of October. He accounted for 32 per cent of Supra's goals, and also led the CPL in shots (86), dribbles completed (73) and touches in the box (171).
He has already written his name in the history books by scoring the first ever goal in Supra's history, all the way back in April. Now, he'd certainly be the odds-on favourite to score their first in the postseason.
Sean Rea, Midfielder
Rea has had a tremendous season pulling the strings in Supra's attack. He typically occupies the number 10 position, which allows him to both create chances for others and score them himself. He finished with seven goals and six assists, and he led the entire CPL with 67 chances created.
The 24-year-old already has a few signature moments this season, including the winning goal in Halifax last Sunday that propelled Supra into the playoffs. He has played just one postseason game before — last year with the Wanderers — but he still has the energy of a big-game player. If he's at his best, Supra always have a chance.
David Choinière, Attacker
The captain has had a somewhat quiet year by his standards — it was the first goalless regular season of his eight years in the CPL — but he still finished with two goals and six assists in all competitions. The reason Choinière belongs on this list, though, is that he is indisputably one of the clutchest players in CPL history.
When he was at Forge, Choinière consistently showed up and scored in the biggest games: The 2019 and 2022 CPL Finals, the Concacaf League, Canadian Championship, and plenty of other knockout matches. He has four career goals in the playoffs, tied for the most all-time. Even with Supra, Choinière's goals have been in key CanChamp fixtures. He is a four-time CPL champion for a reason, and that experience will be invaluable to this new club.
The Soundbites
“Our home games, when fans show up, it’s a crazy atmosphere. Guys are going crazy in the stands, smoke bombs, and then the other teams are like, ‘What the hell did we get ourselves into over here?’, so I think it plays to our advantage being at home, and we’ve put some good performances here at home." – FC Supra midfielder Sean Rea
"Every guy here at least has talked to each other at least once. I think it’s a great feeling when you play with great players, too. You speak French with them, everyone knows our roots here in Quebec. We’re from Montreal, and we have pride." - FC Supra forward Loïc Kwemi
“I come from winning trophies, so I need to keep on winning trophies. It becomes an addiction. But it starts with a culture. It’s how you do it and how you build it to go get that trophy.” – FC Supra head coach Kyt Selaidopoulos
How They Win
By giving themselves a chance at home.
Perhaps more than any other club, it's absolutely imperative that FC Supra come away from Sunday's semifinal first leg with some kind of result. Stade Boréale will be absolutely fizzing with excitement for the first playoff game in club history, and Supra have to take advantage of both the energy and the pitch, which they seem to be more confident playing on than most visiting teams.
A win in Leg 1 would give Supra a fighting chance heading into Leg 2 in Calgary the week after; they certainly don't want to go in that game trailing, or even tied, because Cavalry have been dominant at home this year.
If Supra can rise to the occasion, and not let the bright lights of the postseason get the better of them, they have a chance; they can go blow-for-blow with any side in the CPL. The question will be whether they can stay disciplined enough at the back to keep an advantage, because scoring probably won't be a problem.
