 Austin Ricci in 2023 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1996-04-08)April 8, 1996 (age 29) | ||
| Place of birth | Richmond Hill,Ontario, Canada | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Richmond Hill SC | |||
| 2010–2013 | Ajax SC | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2014–2017 | Oakland Golden Grizzlies | 71 | (22) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2014–2015 | Vaughan Azzurri | ||
| 2016 | K-W United FC | 7 | (3) |
| 2017–2018 | Michigan Bucks | 28 | (17) |
| 2018 | Vaughan Azzurri | 8 | (5) |
| 2019 | York9 FC | 9 | (0) |
| 2020–2021 | Valour FC | 22 | (5) |
| 2022–2024 | York United FC | 45 | (7) |
| 2024 | Vancouver FC | 3 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of October 5, 2024 | |||
Austin Ricci (born April 8, 1996) is a Canadian professionalsoccer player who plays as aforward.
Ricci played youth soccer withRichmond Hill SC. In 2010, he joined Ajax SC.[1]
Ricci played high school soccer for theSt. Theresa of Lisieux Catholic High School Lions, winning gold atOFSAA in 2014,[2][3] and being named MVP of the team for three consecutive seasons.[4]
In February 2014, he committed toOakland University to play for themen's soccer team in the fall.[5] He scored his first goal on September 12, 2014 against theDenver Pioneers.[6] He won theHorizon League with the team in his freshman season in 2014.[7] In 2015, he was namedHorizon League Co-Offensive Player of the Year and a Horizon League First-Team All Star,[8] and was named to the NSCAA All-Great Lakes Regional Second Team.[9] In his junior season in 2016, he was named to the NSCAA All-Great Lakes Regional Third Team.[10] In his senior season in 2017, he was named a Horizon League First-Team All-Star.[11]
In 2014 and 2015, he appeared forVaughan Azzurri inLeague1 Ontario.[12]
In 2016, he played forK-W United FC in thePremier Development League.[13] He scored a hat trick in the season opener on May 17 againstToronto FC III.[14]
He played for theMichigan Bucks in thePremier Development League in 2017 and 2018.[15][16] In 2017, he won the Great Lakes Division with the team.[17] On July 10, 2018, he scored four goals and added four assists in a 14-1 victory over theDerby City Rovers,[18] a performance which earned him PDL Player of the Week honours.[19]
He later returned to Vaughan Azzurri in 2018, scoring six goals in twelve appearances, across the regular season and playoffs, as Vaughan won the league title.[20]
In December 2018, Ricci signed his first professional contract withCanadian Premier League sideYork 9 FC for the 2019 season.[21][22] He made 11 appearances for the club in 2019 across all competitions, tallying one assist.[23]
In February 2020, he went on trial withValour FC, also in the Canadian Premier League, and had been set to sign a contract in March, when theCOVID-19 pandemic hit, delaying the signing.[24][25] In July 2020, he officially signed with the club.[26][27] In his first season with the club, he made six appearances during the shortened season, drawing two earning two penalty kicks for the team.[28][29] In November 2020, he re-signed with the club.[30][31] On June 27, 2021, he scored his first professional goal in a match againstForge FC.[32] His second goal gave his team a 1-0 victory overForge FC on July 11.[33] On July 19, he scored a brace to help Valour to a 3-0 victory overYork United FC.[34] He was named to the CPL Team of the Week three times in 2021.[35] On August 22, 2021, he scored a brace againstAtlético Ottawa in aCanadian Championship match, to help lead Valour to their first ever victory in the competition.[36] He finished as the top goalscorer in the2021 Canadian Championship domestic cup competition, winning the Golden Boot, with three goals.[37] His season was cut short after he was injured in a collision withForge goalkeeperTriston Henry during a match in September.[38][39]
In March 2022, he went on trial with his former clubYork United FC (who had previously been York9 during his last stint).[40][41] In April 2022, he officially signed with the club for the 2022 season.[42][43] He joined on a one-year contract with club options through 2024.[44] On May 11, he re-aggravated his knee injury againstAtlético Ottawa in aCanadian Championship match,[45][46] forcing him to undergo surgery, causing him to miss the remainder of the season.[47][48] In October 2022, he re-signed with the club for the 2023 season.[49] Following a red card in a match in June 2024, his playing time began to dip, ultimately leading to the club pushing him to accept a transfer, a move Ricci characterized as "pretty disrespectful".[50]
In September 2024, Ricci was transferred toVancouver FC, signing a contract through 2024, in a player swap deal withKembo Kibato moving to York United.[51][52]
| Club | Season | League | Playoffs | Domestic cup | League cup | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| K-W United FC | 2016[13] | Premier Development League | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 3 | ||
| Michigan Bucks | 2017[15] | Premier Development League | 14 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 16 | 5 | |
| 2018[16] | 14 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 14 | 12 | |||
| Total | 28 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 30 | 17 | |||
| Vaughan Azzurri | 2018[54] | League1 Ontario | 8 | 5 | 4 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | 12 | 6 | |
| York9 FC | 2019 | Canadian Premier League | 9 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 11 | 0 | ||
| Valour FC | 2020 | Canadian Premier League | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | 6 | 0 | |||
| 2021 | 16 | 5 | — | 2 | 3 | — | 18 | 8 | ||||
| Total | 22 | 5 | — | 2 | 3 | — | 24 | 8 | ||||
| York United FC | 2022 | Canadian Premier League | 3 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2023 | 26 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 28 | 3 | |||
| 2024 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 17 | 4 | |||
| Total | 45 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 49 | 7 | |||
| Vancouver FC | 2024 | Canadian Premier League | 3 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 120 | 37 | 5 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 134 | 41 | ||