FC Berlin is a Canadian and American soccer club based in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. The senior men's team competes in the United Premier Soccer League, and the senior women's team competes in the Major Arena Soccer League Women.
History
The Berlin Football Academy was founded in 2017 in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada as a youth development soccer academy aimed at preparing players for university and professional soccer opportunities. In the first years, the objective was to provide athletes aged 15–19 with a direct pathway to scholarship opportunities in Canada and the United States. The club's name FC Berlin (Football Club Berlin) pays tribute to the old name of the club's hometown, Kitchener, Ontario (and by extension to its large German community), which was previously known as Berlin, and changed its name during the First World War, following a 1916 referendum.
After joining the Ontario Soccer Association in 2018, the club successfully achieved its first U21 Regional Championship in the Ontario Soccer League, going 12–1–1 with a first-year program. From there, the club significantly invested in its professional development by launching FC Berlin in July 2020, to provide professional development opportunities for Canadian and American players, announcing the team would enter in the American-based United Premier Soccer League in 2021 and would operate out of Buffalo, New York. While the team operates out of the United States to play in the UPSL, they were able to play their first UPSL game in Canada on September 29, 2022, when they took on Chantilly Forever FC, another Canadian club that would operate out of the United States in the league. In January 2021, they announced their intention to join the Women's Premier Soccer League, where they would operate out of Buffalo like the men's team while fielding a roster of all-Canadian players. However, they ultimately joined United Women's Soccer for the 2022 season.
In 2023, FC Berlin's Canadian-based U17 Girls team won the MilkUP Ontario Cup, beating London Alliance by 4–2 in penalty kicks after a 2–2 tie and qualified to the National Championship.
After a challenging 2024 outdoor season marked by more setbacks than successes, FC Berlin chose to take a step back and did not field any teams in U.S. leagues during the Spring or Fall 2025 seasons. In late 2025, however, the club honoured its trailblazer reputation once again. It expanded its horizons even further by assembling a futsal team and joining the Major Arena Soccer League, becoming the first Canadian team to compete in this league.
The inaugural season in MASL-W was a resounding success for FC Berlin. They finished second in the Great Lakes North Division with an 8-0-2 record and qualified for the Nationals, which took place in Detroit, MI on March 20th-22nd, 2026. There, FC Berlin lost in the quarterfinals to eventual finalists RPFC (Dallas).
Current squad
Men As of 10 Mar 2026
The FC Berlin men's team is currently on hiatus and expected to return in the 2026 outdoor season.
Women As of 10 Mar 2026
Staff
As of 01 Mar 2026
PositionNamePresident Gabriel AlmadaTechnical Director Santiago AlmadaHead Coach Santiago AlmadaAssistant Coach Greg JespersenAssistant Coach Michael MarcocciaAthletic Trainer Evan DickVisual Media Director Juan Almada
Seasons
Men SeasonLeagueDivisionTeamsRankPlayoffsRef2021 FallUnited Premier Soccer LeagueMidwest East Division84–2–45thdid not qualify2022 SpringWestern NY Division106–1–33rdConference Semi-finals2022 FallMidwest East Division94–2–25thdid not qualify2023 SpringWestern NY Division126–1–46thConference Quarter-finals2023 FallMidwest East Division61–4–56thdid not qualify2024 SpringWestern NY Division103–2–56thConference Semi-finals
Women SeasonLeagueDivisionTeamsRankPlayoffsRef2022United Women's SoccerPenn-NY Division50–3–74thdid not qualify2022 SpringUnited Premier Soccer LeagueWestern NY Division42–0–43rddid not qualify2023United Women's SoccerEast Division170–0–617thdid not qualify2024United Women's SoccerEast Division181–0–715thdid not qualify2025Major Arena Soccer LeagueGreat Lakes North Division48-0-22ndNationals quarterfinals
Notable former players The following players have either played at the professional or international level, either before or after playing for the FC Berlin team: Men
Women
References