'I get goosebumps': Placentino thrilled to lead Quebec's new era of pro soccer with FC Supra

“Every time I hear it, I get goosebumps.”

Rocco Placentino has been waiting a long time for a team called Supra to return to the pitch.

The president and co-founder of newest Canadian Premier League club FC Supra du Quebec has fond memories of watching Montreal Supra, the new team’s namesake, as a child in the late 1980s. The former Canadian Soccer League side played five seasons at Complexe Claude-Robillard from 1988-92, where a six-year-old Placentino went to watch the likes of Mauro Biello, Mark Watson and Alex Bunbury.

Now, more than 35 years later, Placentino has revived the Supra name, and he's at the forefront of the CPL’s first foray into his home province.

“This wasn’t a want, it was a need for our province,” Placentino said this week. “I’ve been involved with the amateur soccer world for the last 13 years, and the amount of talent that we have here in Quebec for young soccer players is tremendous. I didn’t give up, I fought all the way till now and it’s a bit surreal, but for us to announce a CPL team in our province is amazing.”

Placentino had himself a solid playing career both at home and in Italy including multiple seasons with the pre-MLS Montreal Impact; he was part of the Montreal side that won the 2010 Voyageurs Cup, and earned one cap for the Canadian men's national team in 2010. Since hanging up his boots, he has spent the last 13 years working in football as the sporting director for Ligue1 Quebec side CS Saint-Laurent.

In just over a decade he helped build the club into a development powerhouse in Quebec, having seen the likes of Canadian national team stars Ismaël Koné and Moïse Bombito come through its ranks. Since establishing a senior men’s team in Ligue1 just four years ago, St-Laurent won two championships and knocked CPL side Halifax Wanderers out in the 2024 Canadian Championship.

Now, Placentino is embarking on this new project, hoping to establish FC Supra as the pro outfit that helps lift up the many great youth organizations across the province of Quebec. He points out that having just one professional team in the province – MLS side CF Montreal – has not been sufficient to serve the vast pool of homegrown talent.

“All of Quebec needs this, because besides St-Laurent, there’s so many good clubs out here in Quebec,” Placentino says, naming the likes of FC Laval, AS Blainville, CS Longueuil and CS St-Hubert, among other local clubs.

“I want to take the wealth of experience that I have from St-Laurent and bring it to all these clubs across the province. I don’t get to serve only one club, but I get to serve the whole province.”

This official launch of FC Supra is the culmination of, by Placentino’s estimate, five years of work to bring a domestic pro team to Quebec. It was a project that faced plenty of challenges, and at times didn’t seem like it would ever get to this stage.

Today, though, the CPL has finally landed in Quebec. That’s largely down to the hard work of Placentino and the support of the club’s devoted group of investors. Plus, a strong relationship with recently-established Northern Super League side Montreal Roses helped set the table for Supra to kick off in Laval; their investment in building Stade Boréale means there’s a ready-made soccer-specific stadium for Supra to call home.

Now, the next phase begins for Placentino and co., who have about six months to put a team on the pitch.

In that respect, Placentino’s experience in the Quebecois footballing community has put him in a good position. Going back to his characterization of a CPL team in Quebec as a “need” for the province, he’s very clear on how this team will look.

“This is a team from us, for us,” Placentino says. “It’s a team for Quebec.”

He explains that local talent will be much more than just the backbone of his side. Inspired by the original Montreal Supra, whose rosters were made up of mostly local players, Placentino is dreaming of winning trophies with a team replete with Quebec-raised players.

“We believe we can be very competitive in the CPL with Quebec players,” he says, pointing out the wealth of talent across Ligue1 and amateur clubs in the province, as well as the litany of established professionals already playing in the CPL – perhaps a few of them may even be eager for a homecoming.

It’s been a long road for Placentino, from watching Supra games with his dad as a six-year-old, to spearheading a new professional club in the Montreal area.

“Supra is something that we’re going to bring back for a very long time,” he says.

“And continue the job that wasn’t finished.”