By Keiran Gorsky
There was an air of disbelief under the bright lights at Downsview Park following the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold men’s soccer team’s heartbreaking 1-0 defeat against the McMaster Marauders at the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Final on Nov. 2.
Even with the team knowing they’d be headed to nationals in a week’s time, a not-so-celebratory pizza box sat somberly outside the dressing room while celebratory Marauder-maroon smoke sat in the sky. Spirits were low—with one exception.
“If you watched the [McMaster] game, you wouldn’t even realize we were a man down,” said Bold forward Ameer Kinani. “But that’s football and sometimes, you’re not meant to win. That’s what I believe.”
It’s this sort of statement that has defined second-year Kinani’s young career—one that has seen him go from TMU all the way to the Canadian Premier League (CPL). It’s his open-armed acceptance of every down, knowing they’ll be coupled with a string of ups. During the playoffs, it was Kinani’s 90th-minute penalty kick goal that helped the Bold beat a Carleton Ravens team who had bested TMU 5-0 and 3-0 during the regular season.
“I’ve always said my favourite quality in any athlete is the passion they play with,” said Filip Prostran, head coach of TMU’s men’s soccer team. “Every practice, every exercise, every sprint is incredibly meaningful for [Kinani]. His passion is tangible. You can see it when he plays.”
Following their OUA final loss, the Bold took a trip to Thompson River, B.C. where the team competed at the U Sports National Championship, kicking off an eventful two months for Kinani. Broadcast to thousands by CBC Sports, the event is the most significant in a lot of these players’ lives.
“But that’s football and sometimes, you’re not meant to win”
“It’s very exciting,” Kinani said. “Some players get nervous but personally, I was very excited to perform in front of those coaches and everyone else there.”
When TMU lost its quarter-final match to the eventual finalists and 13-time national champions UBC, their tournament was technically over. Their following matches against St. Francis Xavier University and Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières were purely consolation—there was no trophy left to win.
“There was a lack of experience, maybe,” Kinani said. “We were even close to winning the first game. But it wasn’t meant for us.” And while the first loss was tough, he said he was glad the team was able to recover in their following matches. “I was very proud of this group and of everyone working behind the scenes.”
Soon after their nationals appearance, Kinani was called up to the Canadian National Futsal team. He was invited to attend the December camp in Montreal in preparation for qualifiers for the upcoming 2024 FIFA Futsal World Cup.
Futsal is a type of indoor soccer played on a much smaller surface with five players on the field per team rather than 11. Kinani hadn’t even played futsal since he was much younger but left enough of an impression on the youth coaches and skipper Kyt Selaidopoulos that he was extended the invitation.
“Futsal is a different game. It’s faster and there’s less space,” he said. “There’s nothing better than playing for your country. The program was very good and the players and coaching staff were very welcoming. I had to catch up in the sport.”
One can only imagine the surreal feeling of wearing red and white while Alphonso Davies was dawning that same kit in Qatar at the FIFA World Cup. Kinani—who spent the first seven years of his life in Iraq and has played for Iraqi youth teams—still has his sights firmly set on representing Canada should the opportunity arise.
But what transpired just two weeks later has given Kinani a tangible route to playing alongside the national team on TV screens.
The second-year forward was selected in the CPL U Sports Draft on Dec. 15 by expansion Vancouver Football Club (FC), the newest CPL member.
“I had no idea. I didn’t know if I was gonna get drafted,” said Kinani. “I saw on Twitter and Instagram, some mock drafts. Some people said I was gonna get drafted here, I’m getting drafted there.”
While Kinani had a quick virtual meeting with the Vancouver coaching staff prior to the draft, they kept their intentions quiet. They asked him some personal questions about his family and about TMU.
“Some people said I’m going to get drafted here, I’m getting drafted there”
Depending on the offer he gets from the club, TMU could very well be set to lose one of its most remarkable athletes. Former TMU midfielder, Jacob Carlos, was selected by Winnipeg Valour FC in the 2021 U Sports Draft and departed the university after just one season with the program.
But Kinani was quick to bring up the fact that a developmental U Sports contract could see him suit up for another season with the Bold.
“[I want to show them] that I work hard, I’m disciplined. I stay committed, I stay focused, I try to help the team, in friendly games or anywhere I get the opportunity,” he said. “I leave the rest on God who will open the doors for me if it’s meant for me.”
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