Rafael Carbajal (; born September 30, 1960) is a Uruguayan former

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

and current

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

. His playing career was mostly spent in the

National Soccer League The National Soccer League (NSL) was the top-level soccer league in Australia, run by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL, the A-League's predecessor, spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977 until its d ...

, and concluded in the successor league the Canadian Professional Soccer League. After retiring from the game he made the transition to the managerial side, where he initially began managing in the NSL, and later in the CPSL. In 2002, he went abroad in order to gain additional experience with his involvement with several Italian clubs. He later returned to the Canadian Soccer League, and was recognized with the CSL Coach of the Year award in 2008. In 2010, he was part-owner of

Milltown FC Milltown Football Club is a soccer club based in Milton, Ontario, Canada, playing in Division 1 of the Peel Halton Soccer League. Milltown FC joined the Canadian Soccer League in the 2010 season as an expansion club but opted out of the league ...

, and also served as head coach in the club's inaugural run in the CSL. He would later serve as an assistant coach to the Canadian national team, U-23, U-20, and U-18 teams. In 2016, he managed in the Uruguayan Segunda División for Canadian S.C.. He was instrumental in the creation of League1 Ontario where he served as Technical Director in 2014.

Playing career

In 1981, Carbajal went to Canada to sign with Toronto Croatia of the

. During his tenure within the NSL he played with Bradford Marshlanders,

Toronto Italia 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 ...

, Nacional Latino, Panhellenic, First Portuguese. He won the NSL Goalkeeper of the Year award three times.

Coaching career

Carbajal went into coaching first as a player/coach with Nacional Latino in 1986, then as a goalkeeper coach for

Scarborough Astros The North York Astros were a Canadian soccer team that was founded in 1990. The team initially played in the National Soccer League. The team played their home games at Esther Shiner Stadium in North York, a district of the city of Toronto, C ...

in 1994. In 1999, he returned to competitive soccer to play and coach the

North York Astros The North York Astros were a Canadian soccer team that was founded in 1990. The team initially played in the National Soccer League. The team played their home games at Esther Shiner Stadium in North York, a district of the city of Toronto, Cana ...

in the Canadian Professional Soccer League. In 2003, he went to Italy to first coach the

Faenza Calcio Faenza Calcio is an Italian professional football team based in Faenza Faenza (, , ; rgn, Fènza or ; la, Faventia) is an Italian city and comune of 59,063 inhabitants in the province of Ravenna, Emilia-Romagna, situated southeast of Bologna. ...

U-15 team. Then he was promoted to assistant coach, and eventually head coach in 2005. In 2007, he returned to coach North York Astros, and completely transformed the team from a struggling team to a playoff contender. In his first year, he secured a postseason, and in his second season led the team to a second-place finish in the National Division. The league awarded Carbajal with the CSL Coach of the Year award in 2008. In 2009, he was appointed head coach for CSL giants

Serbian White Eagles Serbian White Eagles Football Club ( sr, Фудбалски клуб Српски бели орлови / ''Fudbalski klub Srpski beli orlovi'') is a Canadian soccer team. The team is a member of the Canadian Soccer League, an unsanctioned socce ...

. He secured the International Division title for the club, but was released by the club before the playoffs. In 2010,

announced the signing of Carbajal as head coach. In his first season with Milltown the club finished fourth in the overall standings with the second best defensive record. In 2010, he served as assistant coach for Canada men's national under-20 soccer team. In 2012, he served as assistant coach for Canada men's national under-23 soccer team, and in January 2014 he was appointed assistant coach to

Benito Floro Benito Floro Sanz (born 2 June 1952) is a Spanish football manager. Football career Floro was born in Gijón, Asturias. During his professional career he managed Albacete Balompié (two spells, starting off in 1989 in Segunda División B and le ...

for the

Canada men's national soccer team The Canada men's national soccer team (french: Équipe du Canada de soccer masculin) represents Canada in international soccer competitions since 1924. They are overseen by the Canadian Soccer Association, the governing body for soccer in Cana ...

. In 2013, he succeeded

Dino Lopez Dino Lopez (born 13 January 1969 in Kingston, Jamaica) is a Canadian retired soccer player who played in the National Soccer League, Canadian Soccer League, American Professional Soccer League, USISL A-League, National Professional Soccer ...

as the Interim Technical Director for Oakville Soccer Club. In 2016, he returned to his native country to manage Canadian S.C. of the Uruguayan Segunda División. In June 2021, he was named the head coach for Tacuary in Paraguay's Tercera División.

Honours

Manager

Club

Canadian Soccer League The Canadian Soccer League (CSL; french: Ligue canadienne de soccer — LCS) 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 (C ...

International Division:

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

Individual

Coach of the Year:

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Carbajal, Rafael 1960 births Living people Uruguayan footballers Uruguayan football managers Toronto Croatia players Toronto Italia players Toronto First Portuguese players North York Astros players Canadian National Soccer League players Canadian Soccer League (1998–present) players North York Astros coaches Serbian White Eagles FC managers Club Tacuary managers Canadian Soccer League (1998–present) managers Association football goalkeepers Association football goalkeeping coaches Uruguayan expatriate footballers Uruguayan expatriate football managers Uruguayan expatriate sportspeople in Canada Expatriate soccer players in Canada Expatriate soccer managers in Canada