Daniel Araujo Amaral (born January 4, 1973) is a Canadian former soccer player and current head coach for Portugal AC in the Arena Premier League. As a player he played with various Portuguese clubs, and in the

Canadian National Soccer League The National Soccer League was a soccer league in Canada that existed from 1926 to 1997. Teams were primarily based in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The league was renamed to Canadian National Soccer League in 1993 following the folding ...

until retiring in the Canadian Professional Soccer League. After his retirement from competitive soccer he managed his former club Portugal FC in 2009 in the Canadian Soccer League

Playing career

Amaral began his career in 1996 with

Toronto Supra SC Toronto is a Canadian soccer team, founded in 1994. The team was a member of the Canadian Soccer League, and played its final home games at Lamport Stadium in the city of Toronto, Ontario. The club found success early on since its inceptio ...

of the

. Midway through the season he was signed by

F.C. Famalicão Futebol Clube de Famalicão, commonly known as Famalicão, is a Portuguese professional association football, football club from Vila Nova de Famalicão. Founded on 21 August 1931, its senior team currently plays in the Primeira Liga, the top tie ...

of the Segunda Divisão de Honra. In 1998, he was loaned to

Real Jaén Real Jaén Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a List of football clubs in Spain, Spanish football team based in Jaén, Spain, Jaén, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1929 it plays in , holding home matches at ''Nuevo Estadio de La Vict ...

of the

Segunda División B Segunda División B (English: second division B) was the third tier of the Spanish football league system containing 102 teams divided into five groups, until it was replaced by the new structure in 2021. It was administered by the Royal Spanish ...

, where he appeared in 35 matches and scored ten goals. He would play for Famalicão for three seasons, and would appear in a total of 80 matches and recorded 34 goals. In 1999, he signed with Moreirense F.C. of the Segunda Liga, where he appeared in eight matches and scored two goals. After the relegation of Moreirense he signed with U.S.C. Paredes of the

Portuguese Second Division Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

. In 2001, Amaral signed with

F.C. Vizela Futebol Clube de Vizela is a Portuguese professional association football, football club that plays in Liga Portugal 2, the second tier of Portuguese football. They are based in the town of Vizela and play in the Estádio do Futebol Clube de Viz ...

, and appeared in 22 matches and scored nine goals. In 2003, he returned to Canada to sign with his old club the Toronto Supra competing in the Canadian Professional Soccer League. He made his return on May 29, 2003 in a match against Hamilton Thunder, where he recorded his first goal of the season. During the season, he was appointed the team captain, and helped Toronto finish second in the Eastern Conference and secured a playoff berth. In the first round of the postseason he contributed by scoring a goal in a 3-2 defeat to

Vaughan Sun Devils The Glen Shields Sun Devils were a soccer team which played in the Canadian Soccer League, Canadian Professional Soccer League from 1998 to 2002. They played their home matches in Thornhill, Ontario. The franchise was one of the original teams o ...

. In 2004, Amaral helped the Supra claim their first piece of silverware by clinching the Eastern Conference title, and finished as the league's second highest goalscorer with 15 goals. For his efforts he was awarded the Canadian Soccer League MVP Award. After failing to secure a postseason berth in 2005, Amaral took a sabbatical for two seasons and returned for the 2008 season. In 2006, he played in the

Ontario Soccer League The Ontario Soccer League (OSL) is a competitive amateur soccer league in Ontario, Canada. The OSL is affiliated with and governed by the Ontario Soccer Association Ontario Soccer is a Canadian soccer organization. Established in 1901, Ontario ...

with Brampton Boavista. In 2008, he helped Portugal FC (new franchise name for Toronto Supra) qualify for the postseason, and contributed by scoring a goal in a 2-1 victory over

Toronto Croatia C.N.S.C. Toronto Croatia (Croatian National Sports Club Toronto Croatia) is a Canadian soccer team based in Toronto, Ontario, that plays in the Supergroup Open Division in the Canadian Academy of Football. The team's colours are red, white and b ...

. Unfortunately their playoff run came to an end with a 7-0 defeat to

Trois-Rivières Attak Trois-Rivières Attak was a Canadian Association football, soccer team that played three seasons in the Canadian Soccer League. They formally served as a reserve and academy team for the USL First Division side Montreal Impact (1992–2011), Mont ...

Managerial career

In 2009, he announced his retirement and was appointed the new head coach for Portugal FC. Throughout the season he would occasionally play the dual role of player/coach for the club. He managed to clinch the final postseason berth for Portugal FC, but were defeated in the quarterfinals by Trois-Rivieres Attak by a score of 4-0 on goals on aggregate. In 2017, he began managing at the indoor level as a head coach for Portugal AC in the Arena Premier League.

Honours

Toronto Supra * Canadian Professional Soccer League Eastern Conference title:

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

Individual * Canadian Professional Soccer League Most Valuable Player: 2004

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Amaral, Danny 1973 births Living people Canadian men's soccer players Canadian expatriate men's soccer players Canadian people of Portuguese descent Sportspeople of Portuguese descent Canadian Soccer League (1998–present) players Canadian soccer coaches F.C. Famalicão players Moreirense F.C. players U.S.C. Paredes players F.C. Vizela players Real Jaén footballers Liga Portugal 2 players SC Toronto coaches SC Toronto players Soccer people from Ontario Canadian National Soccer League players Canadian Soccer League (1998–present) coaches Men's association football forwards