Raphaël Garcia

Raphaël Garcia (born 6 May 1999) is a Canadian soccer player who last played for the Carleton Ravens as a right-back. Garcia also played for Valour FC in the Canadian Premier League.

Club career

Early career

Garcia started playing soccer at the age of 4. By the age of 8, Garcia started playing competitively with the Gloucester Hornets. After playing many years in Ottawa, Garcia decided to attend the open trials of the Montreal Impact Academy. Impressing the selectors, he secured a spot on the team, joining forces with Canadian International Ballou Tabla and Mathieu Choinière.

At 13 years of age, Garcia left his family to be the first ever Gloucester Hornets player to join the Montreal Impact Academy. During his time in the academy of Major League Soccer side Montreal Impact, Garcia made 79 appearances in USSDA, scoring 11 goals.

On 7 September 2018, Garcia played in the Cap City Cup with USL Championship side Ottawa Fury in a 1–0 loss to Montreal Impact.

Valour FC

On 10 January 2019, Garcia signed a multi-year deal as his first professional contract with Canadian Premier League side Valour FC. He made his senior debut on 11 May 2019 as a starter in a 1–0 win over HFX Wanderers FC. Garcia made 17 appearances, assisting 2 goals.

Carleton Ravens

Garcia, an Ottawa native, returned to the Carleton Ravens ahead of the 2021–22 season after playing two seasons in the Canadian Premier League with Winnipeg's Valour FC. Garcia was one of the first ever players to leave the CPL for U SPORTS. Garcia was outspoken about his reasons for the switch, particularly criticizing the league's minimum salary. In his first season with Carleton, Garcia quickly established himself as one of the country's best defenders. His defensive efforts were pivotal in leading the team to a U SPORTS silver medal, earning him recognition as a First Team OUA All-Star and a First Team All-Canadian. After contributing two goals and four assists in nine regular season games, Carleton's Garcia was also named Ottawa's best soccer player at the 2021 Ottawa Sports Awards.

In his second year, Garcia's success extended beyond the soccer field into his academic pursuits. As a Law student, he achieved an impressive 11.11 GPA (out of 12), earning Academic All-Canadian and Dean's Honours List awards. His dedication to both his sport and studies has been widely recognized. Kwesi Loney, Ravens Manager of Soccer Programs, praised Garcia's work ethic and commitment, noting that his recognition is well-deserved and indicative of his potential. Garcia's accolades include being the third Raven and the first soccer player to earn the U SPORTS Top 8 Academic All-Canadian Award, joining the ranks of Rob Smart (2002–2003) and Tyson Hinz (2013–2014) from the men's basketball team. He is also the first OUA men's soccer player from any school to win the award since Darragh McGee of Toronto in 2011–2012. Governor-General Mary Simon presented the Top 8 Academic All-Canadian awards during a Rideau Hall ceremony to Garcia.

In 2023, Garcia was appointed captain of the Ravens for his third and final season. While leading a young team, Garcia scored three goals and led the country in assists with a total of eight, as a defender. Garcia, with help from childhood friend Luca Piccioli, led the Carleton Ravens to a 10-1-1 record along with their first OUA Championship since 2019, and qualified for the U SPORTS National Championship. Following a heart-breaking exit in penalties to the Montreal Carabins, Garcia announced his retirement from football on social media. Garcia was recognized at the Annual Varsity Banquet with the Jack Vogan Award as the Graduating Male Athlete of the Year.

In his three-year career with Carleton, Garcia earned numerous accolades, including a U SPORTS silver medal, an OUA Championship, two OUA First-team all-star honours, U SPORTS First Team and Second Team All-Canadian honors, and three-time Academic All-Canadian recognition. He also received the Ottawa Sports Award as the city's top soccer player in 2022 and the Jack Vogan Award. Garcia's journey at Carleton makes him one of the best defenders to ever play for the Ravens along as one of the most distinguished student-athletes.

International career

Garcia was 14 years old when he made his debut in the Canadian youth program in November 2013 as part of an U15 identification camp in Vaughan.

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Garcia, Raphael
1999 births
Living people
Men's association football defenders
Canadian people of Spanish descent
Canadian men's soccer players
Soccer players from Ottawa
Valour FC players
Canadian Premier League players
21st-century Canadian sportsmen
University and college men's soccer players in Canada