TSS FC Rovers
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- USA USL PDL 28 USA USL League Two 14 Canada League 1 British Columbia 9 Canada Championships 3
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- TSS FC Rovers Women
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[1] Wikipedia - TSS FC Rovers
TSS FC Rovers, commonly referred to as TSS Rovers, are a Canadian soccer team based in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada that play in League1 British Columbia, the third tier of soccer in Canada. Established for the 2017 PDL season by general manager Will Cromack and head coach Colin Elmes, the Rovers are the under-23 team of the TSS Academy, one of the largest soccer schools in British Columbia's Lower Mainland.
History
Founding
TSS (Total Soccer Systems) Academy was founded in 1997, based in Richmond, British Columbia.
PDL and WPSL era
In late 2016, TSS purchased the rights to the Premier Development League franchise of the Washington Crossfire, and in the spring of 2017 fielded their first squad. The club has a supporters group called the "Swanguardians," alluding to the Rovers' new home, Swangard Stadium, which was previously the home stadium of the Vancouver Whitecaps before the Caps joined the MLS. The team has a stated policy of fostering Canadian talent, or players eligible for the Canadian men's national teams, stating every player must be "either a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or refugee or immigrant with an intent to one day wear the Maple Leaf."
In 2018 the women's team was founded to play in the WPSL. Notable signings included Canada WNT players Jordyn Huitema and Julia Grosso. In 2018, the men's team signed its first non-Canadian, Dutchman Nick Soolsma, a former Toronto FC midfielder, as player-coach.
The club competed with the Victoria Highlanders for the Juan de Fuca Plate, awarded annually to the best PDL/USL League Two club in British Columbia. The Rovers won it in 2018 and 2019.
In 2020, the club updated their logo to include a sword fern, a plant indigenous to coastal BC.
League1 BC era
On November 1, 2021, it was announced that the club would be playing in the inaugural season of League1 British Columbia. In addition, TSS decided to emulate those German clubs that were partly owned by their fans, giving the fans voting rights and a say in the direction of the team. Fans will own 49% of the team through this initiative. After finishing second in the league standings in their first season, the men's team went on to defeat Varsity FC on penalty kicks in the Championship Final, thereby qualifying for the national 2023 Canadian Championship.
TSS Rovers made their first appearance in the Canadian Championship on April 19, 2023, at Swangard Stadium, where they defeated Valour FC 3–1, becoming the first semi-pro team to knockout a professional team in Canadian Championship history. They were then defeated by another CPL club, Pacific FC, in the quarter-finals. TSS Rovers would finish the 2023 League1 BC season in second place before falling to the eventual playoff winners, Whitecaps FC Academy, in the semi-finals.
On April 19, 2024, it was announced that TSS Rovers would participate in the 2024 Canadian Championship to replace Victoria Highlanders FC, who had withdrawn from the competition. They were drawn against Pacific FC for the preliminary round, where they drew 1-1 in normal time, with Pacific scoring a game-tying goal in the eighth minute of extra time, before being defeated 5-4 in penalty kicks. In 2024, the Rovers won the League1 BC regular season title, which qualified them for the 2025 Canadian Championship. On August 4, 2024, TSS Rovers defeated Altitude FC 3-2 in the League1 BC playoff championship, making them the first team in League1 history to complete the league double.