Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Date of birth | 20 September 1992 | ||
Place of birth | Scarborough, Ontario, Canada | ||
Position(s) | Defender | ||
College career | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2010–2014 | Queen's Golden Gaels | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2013–2014 | Kingston FC | ||
2015 | Durham United FC | ||
2016 | Devonport City | ||
2017 | Durham United FC | ||
2018 | Cairns | ||
2018–2019 | Hawke's Bay United | 7 | (1) |
2019 | Darby FC | 14 | (2) |
2020–2022 | FC Tigers Vancouver | ||
2022–2023 | Nautsa’mawt FC | 14 | (2) |
2024 | Burnaby FC | 2 | (1) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Joe Zupo (born September 20, 1992) is a Canadian soccer player who plays as a defender for Burnaby FC. He is currently an assistant coach for the University of British Columbia men's soccer program.[1]
Zupo would compete in the Ontario Cup youth tournament in 2009 with Wexford Soccer Club.[2] He also played at the high school level with Senator O'Connor College School where he helped their soccer team secure a bronze medal at the high school triple-A championship in 2009.[3]
In 2010, he transitioned to the college level by enrolling in the Queen's University men's soccer program.[3] The Golden Gaels would qualify for the playoffs where Zupo would contribute two goals against Laurentian Voyageurs which advanced the club to the next round.[4] Queen's playoff journey would conclude in the following round after a defeat by Toronto Varsity Blues where Zupo contributed the team's lone goal.[5] After the conclusion of the season, he was named to the Ontario University Athletics East second team.[6] He was also named the rookie of the year.[7]
He was named the team captain in his second season with the university squad.[8] Zupo was named to the division's first team in 2012.[9] The team would be eliminated in the semifinal round by McMaster Marauders.[10]
In the summer of 2013, he played in the Canadian Soccer League with Kingston FC.[11][12][13] Zupo would help the club secure the first-division title and a playoff berth.[14] Kingston would reach the championship final where they were ultimately defeated by SC Waterloo Region.[15] After a successful season in the Canadian circuit, he ventured abroad to England for a tryout session with Exeter City.[16]
Following his English trail, he returned to Kingston for the 2014 season.[17] He was named the co-captain along with teammate Cătălin Lichioiu.[18] In his second season with the club, he helped Kingston secure another playoff berth by finishing third in the division.[19] Kingston advanced to the semifinal round by defeating the Serbian White Eagles in the quarterfinals.[20] In the next round, Zupo would contribute a goal against Toronto Croatia but were still eliminated from the competition after a loss.[21]
In 2015, he played with Durham United in a local Ontario circuit, where he served as a co-captain and was named to the league's all-star team.[22]
Zupo played abroad in the Australian National Premier Leagues Tasmania with Devonport City.[23][24] In his debut season with the organization, he assisted the club in securing the divisional title.[23] Devonport would be eliminated in the first round of the national premier league final series by Perth.[25] Following his successful debut in the Australian second division, he was named to the state squad.[26]
He briefly returned to his former club Durham for the 2017 season.[27] Zupo returned to Australia for the 2018 season he played in the Queensland regional circuit with Cairns.[28][29][30] Throughout his stint with Cairns, he participated in the 2018 FFA Cup where he faced A-League side Sydney FC.[31][32]
After a season in Cairns, he secured a deal with Hawke's Bay United in the New Zealand top-tier league in late 2018.[33] He would record his first goal for the club on November 24, 2018, against Waitakere United.[34] His tenure with Hawke's Bay was short-lived as he left the club midway through the season.[35][36] In total, he played in 7 matches and scored 1 goal.[32]
He returned to the Ontario circuit to play with Darby FC.[37] In 2020, he went to the Vancouver area, to play with local side FC Tigers Vancouver.[38] For the 2022 season, he played in the regional British Columbia circuit with Varsity FC.[39] He re-signed with the club for the 2023 season.[40] After two seasons with Varsity, he joined league rivals Burnaby FC in 2024.[41]