Trois-Rivières Attak was a Canadian

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

team that played three seasons 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 ...

. They formally served as a reserve and academy team for the

USL First Division The USL First Division (USL-1) was a professional men's soccer league in the second tier of the United States league system. It was organized by the United Soccer League as its premier league for men from 1996 to 2010, above the USL Second ...

side Montreal Impact. The club was an instant success within the league, winning titles in all three seasons when it competed in the CSL. In 2010, when the Montreal Impact founded their own

academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

the team ceased operating as a farm team, because of the ended cooperation with the Impact; they announced that they would take a one-year absence from the Canadian Soccer League in 2010 and return for the 2011 season. The team did not return for the 2011 season.

History

On November 15, 2006, the Montreal Impact, along with Laval Dynamites owner Tony Ianitto announced the creation of a

feeder team In sports, a farm team (also referred to as farm system, developmental system, feeder team, or nursery club) is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful pl ...

Trois-Rivières Trois-Rivières (, ; ) is a city in the Mauricie administrative region of Quebec, Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Saint-Maurice River, Saint-Maurice and Saint Lawrence River, Saint Lawrence rivers, on the north shore of the Sain ...

, and that the name would be chosen from the result of a contest. The club's home matches were played at the

Stade de l'UQTR {{Infobox Stadium , stadium_name = Stade de I'UQTR , image = , caption = UQTR stadium , opened = 1969 , owner = Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières , operator = Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières , surface = Natural Grass , ...

located at the University of Quebec at Trois-Rivieres campus. The name Trois-Rivières Attak FC and the logo were presented to the public on January 17, 2007, together with the first signings of CSL veterans Nicolas Lesage and Jean-Louis Bessé. In the same press conference the new expansion club unveiled their first head coach

Marc Dos Santos Marc Dos Santos (born May 26, 1977) is a Canadian soccer coach who is an assistant coach for Los Angeles FC in Major League Soccer. He was previously the head coach of Montreal Impact in D2 Pro League and the Vancouver Whitecaps FC, was North ...

, who coached previously in the

Ligue de Soccer Elite Quebec The Catholic League of France (), sometimes referred to by contemporary (and modern) Catholics as the Holy League (), was a major participant in the French Wars of Religion. The League, founded and led by Henry I, Duke of Guise, intended the eradi ...

. For their inaugural season Trois-Riveres received sponsorship from Carlsburg and Puma. While Le Nouvelliste, and

Énergie Énergie is a Canadian radio network of French-language mainstream rock outlets broadcasting throughout the province of Quebec and portions of eastern Ontario, in Eastern Canada. They offer a personality-driven mix of francophone and anglophon ...

provided media coverage for the team. Dos Santos mobilized a roster with players of CSL and

USL USL may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Underground Sound of Lisbon, a Portuguese dance music project * Urban Strawberry Lunch, a band from Liverpool Companies * United Spirits Limited, India * Former United States Lines shipping company C ...

experience acquiring the likes of

Darko Kolić Darko Kolić ( sr-Cyrl, Дарко Колић; born October 6, 1971) is a Serbian former footballer. Playing career Kolić began his professional career in his hometown of Belgrade (near the Fontana neighborhood where he grew up) in 1992 – f ...

Andrew Olivieri Andrew Olivieri (born March 27, 1981) is a Canadian professional football manager and former soccer player who is currently the head coach of the Canadian men's under-20 team. He played as a goalkeeper for several clubs in the United States and C ...

, Paul Moran,

Sita-Taty Matondo Sita-Taty Matondo (born December 28, 1984, in Kinshasa, Zaire) is a Congolese-born Canadian former soccer player who played the majority of his career in Quebec with clubs in the Ligue de Soccer Elite Quebec, USL A-League/First Division, and Ca ...

, and

Rachid Madkour Rachid Madkour' (born April 1, 1977) is a former Moroccan footballer who had stints in the Canadian Soccer League, and the USL First Division. Playing career Madkour began his professional in North America in the Canadian Professional Soccer Le ...

. The Attak kicked off their season with a 0–0 draw against the

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 ...

on May 13, 2007. A week after

Elkana Mayard Elkana Mayard (born May 17, 1982) is a Canadian former soccer player who played as a defender. Career Born in Montreal, Quebec, Mayard started his career in 2002 with Racing de Montréal-Nord, and SC Panellinios Montréal in the Ligue de Socce ...

scored the club's first goal in history in a 2–1 defeat to the

Serbian White Eagles Serbian White Eagles Football Club (/''Fudbalski klub Srpski beli orlovi'') is a Canadian semi-professional Association football, soccer team. The team is a member of the Canadian Soccer League, a Non-FIFA international football, non-FIFA sanct ...

Centennial Park Stadium Rob Ford Stadium (formerly Centennial Park Stadium) is a 2,200-seat stadium in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is primarily used for association football, soccer, track and field, Canadian football, football and occasionally for kabaddi. It is loca ...

. The club were a surprise in their inaugural season by being competitive in the CSL right from the beginning. In their first season they contributed significantly to the overall increase in attendance of league matches with Trois-Rivieres and Serbian White Eagles leading. The Attak performed outstandingly in the 2007 Open Canada Cup tournament claiming their first trophy in the club's history – defeating Columbus Clan F.C. in a 3–0 victory. The team concluded the season by finishing second in the National Division enabling them to secure a playoff berth. In the postseason the Attak faced the defending 2006 champions the

Italia Shooters York Region Shooters is a Canadian soccer team, that plays in the Canadian Soccer League. The Shooters played their home games at the St. Joan of Arc Turf Field in the City of Vaughan, Ontario. The team's colours were blue and white, mirroring t ...

in the quarterfinals and advanced to the next round by defeating Italia by a score of 3–0. Their playoff run came to an end in the semi-finals losing to a score of 2–1 to the Serbian White Eagles. At the CSL Awards Banquet, Attak forward Nicolas Lesage was awarded the Canadian Soccer League MVP Award, and the

CSL Golden Boot The Canadian Soccer League Golden Boot is an annual Canadian soccer award given to the top goalscorer for each season in the Canadian Soccer League. The Golden Boot was awarded in 1998 when the Canadian National Soccer League merged with the sti ...

becoming the first person in CSL history to win two individual awards in a season. Karl Ouimette2

In 2008, Dos Santos resumed his coaching duties and maintained the majority of his 2007 team roster, but signed young prospects like

Pierre-Rudolph Mayard Pierre-Rudolph Mayard (born February 21, 1988), commonly known as Papouche, is a Canadian soccer player who plays as a forward for AS Blainville in the Première Ligue de soccer du Québec. Club career Early career Mayard began his career in 2 ...

, Cristian Nuñez, and had at his disposal Montreal Impact reserve players. The Attak had a remarkable start to the season by recording a 13-game undefeated streak. The Attaks persistent performance led to their second piece of silverware the National Division title and finished with the best defense record allowing the fewest goals. The club had an outstanding postseason defeating St. Catharines Wolves in the quarterfinals and thrashing

Portugal FC 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 ...

7–0 in the semi-finals. In the finals they met the Serbian White Eagles, the club which ousted the Attak in the previous playoffs. The match was a 2–2 draw which led to a penalty shootout which resulted in a 2–1 victory in penalties for the White Eagles. At the conclusion of the season the Attak were awarded the Fair Play and Respect Award and Andrew Olivieri was awarded the CSL Goalkeeper of the Year. On March 12, 2009, Marc Dos Santos was appointed the assistant coach for the Montreal Impact and was replaced by

Philippe Eullaffroy Philippe Eullaffroy (born January 9, 1964) is a French association football, football manager and former Football player, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), forward. He is the technical director for AS Dakar Sacré-Cœur. ...

. Eullaffroy made major changes to the Attak roster replacing the majority of veterans with younger players – only four senior players from the previous season were given contracts. The Attak had another tremendous season defending their National Division title and for the second year in a row allowed the fewest goals throughout the season. In the postseason history would repeat itself again as the Attak would face once more the Serbian White Eagles in the finals. The Attak would end up winning their first CSL Championship by defeating the International Division and defending CSL champions the Serbian White Eagles by a score of 3–2 on penalty kicks. Head Coach Philippe Eullaffroy was awarded the CSL Coach of the Year, and Reda Agourram was awarded the CSL Rookie of the Year and the CSL Golden Boot. On March 23, 2010, the Trois-Rivières Attak announced a one-year sabbatical from competition, due to the end of cooperation between the Montreal Impact which acquired a new franchise in the CSL by the name of the

Montreal Impact Academy Montreal is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest in Canada, and the ninth-largest in North America. It was founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", and is now named after Mount Royal, the triple-pea ...

. Team owner Tony Iannitto waived his territorial and players' rights and relinquished the players' rights to the Montreal Impact.

Home stadium

The Attak played their home games at the

on the campus of the

Université du Québec The Université du Québec () is a system of ten provincially-run public universities in Quebec, Canada. Its headquarters are in Quebec City. The university coordinates 1400 programs for over 100,000 students. The government of Quebec founded ...

and sometimes indoor at Centre Sportif Alphonse-Desjardins in

Honours

**Winners (1): 2009 **Runners-up (1): 2008 *

Open Canada Cup The Open Canada Cup was an annual knock-out cup competition in Canadian Soccer. The competition was first held during the 1998 season as the CPSL League Cup. It was organized by the Canadian Soccer League (formerly the Canadian Professional ...

**Winners (1): 2007 *

National Division Champions **Winners (2): 2008, 2009

Year-by-year

Former coaches

All-time leaders

Most appearances

Most goals scored

Notable players

Canada * Reda Agourram *

Félix Brillant Félix Brillant (born September 9, 1980, in Brossard, Quebec) is a Canadian former soccer player who played as a midfielder and later became a soccer coach. Career Youth and amateur Brillant began his career in the youth system of French team A ...

* Kevin Cossette *

Massimo Di Ioia Massimo Di Ioia (born June 18, 1987 in Saint-Léonard, Quebec) is a Canadian former soccer player. Di Ioia was part of the Canadian National Under 20 team and Olympic Under 23 team. He played the majority of his career in the Canadian province o ...

* David Fronimadis *

Charles Gbeke Charles Gbeke (born March 15, 1978) is a former professional soccer player who played as a forward. Born in Ivory Coast, he made three appearances for the Canada national team. Gbeke began his career with brief stints with Seattle Sounders a ...

* Nicolas Lesage *

* Cristian Nuñez *

Karl Ouimette Karl William Ouimette (born June 18, 1992) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Celtix du Haut-Richelieu in Ligue1 Québec. Club career Early career Ouimette played in Quebec's top amateur circuit in 2008 ...

Jon Paul Piques Jon Paul Piques (born June 30, 1986), also known simply as Piques, is a Canadian actor, director, internet celebrity and former soccer player. He has over 3 billion views on YouTube and over 11 million combined followers. Career Socc ...

António Ribeiro '' Dom'' António II Ribeiro (21 May 1928 – 24 March 1998) was a Portuguese cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, and Patriarch of Lisbon from 1971 until his death in 1998. Born at São Clemente de Basto, Celorico de Basto, son of José ...

* Alex Surprenant * Maxim Tissot Antigua and Barbuda * Peter Byers Bolivia * Roland Vargas-Aguilera France *

Cédric Joqueviel Cédric Joqueviel (born July 21, 1982) is a French former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. Career Early career in France Joqueviel was a member of the youth academy at French Championnat de France amateur 2 side Castelnau ...

Ivory Coast * Jean-Louis Bessé Jamaica *

Fabian Dawkins Fabian Dawkins (born 7 February 1981) is a Jamaican former footballer. Club career Dawkins grew up in August Town, St. Andrew and attended Jamaica College. Nicknamed 'Renaldo', the attacking midfielder started his career at Village United F.C ...

Morocco *

Hicham Aâboubou Hicham Aâboubou (; born 19 May 1978) is a Moroccan former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. Career Africa Aâboubou started his soccer career with Khenifra playing with the junior team from 1992 to 1994. In 1994, he joined ...

Romania * Andrei Bădescu * Mircea Ilcu United States *

Tony Donatelli Anthony Donatelli (born June 7, 1984, in Glenside, Pennsylvania) is an American soccer player who plays as a midfielder for the Baltimore Blast of the Major Arena Soccer League. Career Youth and College Donatelli played for Hunter Soccer Club a ...

* Paul Moran * Andrew Weber

References

External links

* (archived 6 September 2009) {{DEFAULTSORT:Trois-Rivieres Attak Montreal Impact (1992–2011) Canadian Soccer League (1998–present) teams Reserve team soccer in Canada Soccer clubs in Quebec Sport in Trois-Rivières 2006 establishments in Quebec Association football clubs established in 2006