The Kitchener Spirit were a professional soccer team in

Kitchener, Ontario Kitchener is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario, about west of Toronto. It is one of three cities that make up the Regional Municipality of Waterloo and is the regional Administrative centre, seat. Kitchener was known as Berlin until a ...

that played in the

Canadian Soccer League The Canadian Soccer League (CSL; ) is a semi-professional league for Canadian soccer clubs primarily located in the province of Ontario, and claims the history of the Canadian National Soccer League (CNSL). It is a non-FIFA league previously ...

. The team debuted in the 1990 season as the Kitchener Spirit and were renamed the Kitchener Kickers in 1991. The club folded following the 1991 season.

History

In 1990, the team joined the semi-professional

as the Kitchener Spirit. During their debut season, they set a league record for goals scored in a game with an 8–1 victory over the

London Lasers The London Lasers were a professional soccer team in London, Ontario, Canada that played in the original Canadian Soccer League (1987–1992), Canadian Soccer League in 1990 and 1992. History The London Lasers were founded in 1990 as an expans ...

. They finished fourth in their division, advancing to the playoffs, where they defeated the

Toronto Blizzard Toronto Blizzard may refer to: *Toronto Blizzard (1971–1984), the original soccer club, a franchise of the North American Soccer League *Toronto Blizzard (1986–1993), the later club and franchise of the Canadian Soccer League *Toronto Azzurri B ...

in the first round in penalty kicks before falling in the semi-finals against the Hamilton Steelers. They were coached by

John McGrane John McGrane (born October 12, 1952) is a Scottish-Canadian former soccer player who played as a defender. Starting his career at Hamilton City, he went on to spend nine years playing in the North American Soccer League for the Los Angeles Azt ...

in 1990, but he departed after the season. After the 1990 season, the team changed owners and became known as the Kitchener Kickers with player Drew Ferguson becoming the team's head coach. The club failed to make the playoffs, winning only four matches amid rumours of financial instability. Just three weeks before the start of the 1992 league season, the club folded. The Kitchener–Waterloo region was without a professional team since the Kickers departed in 1991, until

SC Waterloo Region SC Waterloo Region was a Canadian soccer team based in Waterloo, Ontario. The club competed in various divisions in the Canadian Soccer League. The club was formed in 2011 under KW United FC and initially competed in the league's second division. ...

joined the later

in 2011, while K–W United FC played in the pre-professional

Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States, forming part of the United States soccer league system. The league will featu ...

from 2013 until 2017.

Seasons

Coaches

(1990) * Drew Ferguson (1991)

Notable players

References

{{Canadian Soccer League (1986–1992) teams Canadian Soccer League (1987–1992) teams Defunct soccer clubs in Canada Soccer clubs in Ontario Sport in Kitchener, Ontario