Abraham François
Abraham François (born 7 June 1977) is a Canadian retired footballer. He competed in the 1997 Canada Games with Quebec, winning the competition. He was then selected to represent Canada at the Francophonie Games in Madagascar, also winning the competition. His career spanned from 1998 to 2016. Career Early career François joined his first club at the age of 7. After competing at the Canada Games and the Francophine Games in 1997, François was signed by St. Louis Ambush for an indoor football season, also playing in 15 games in the 1997/98 NPSLi season. François also scored 2 goals in 8 games for Detroit Rockers in the 1997/98 NPLSi season. Montreal Impact In 1999, François was subsequently recruited by his native hometown club, Montreal Impact of the USL A-League for football and indoor football seasons, beginning his professional career. Sol de América (loan) Whilst under contract with Montreal Impact, François was loaned to Primera División Paraguaya team Sol de América for six months. With François in the squad at Sol de América was Dante Lopez, 1998 FIFA World Cup player Aristides Rojas and 2010 FIFA World Cup player Enrique Vera. Tien Giang After playing in Paraguay, François went to Asia to sign with Tien Giang FC in the V-League. Ottawa Wizards In 2002, he returned home to sign with league giants the Ottawa Wizards of the Canadian Professional Soccer League. During his tenure with Ottawa he had a tremendous season recording a 17-game undefeated streak, which marked a milestone in CPSL history by becoming the second club to achieve a treble the first being the Toronto Olympians. The Wizards clinched the Eastern Conference and finished first in the overall standings. They repeated their success in the Open Canada Cup tournament by defending their title once more in a 1–0 victory over Toronto Croatia. In the post season he appeared in all the playoff matches and reached the finals where the club faced the North York Astros, the Wizards ended up winning the playoff title in a 2–0 victory. Return to Montreal Impact François returned Montreal in 2003 helping the Impact finish second in the league behind the Milwaukee Wave United with a 16–6–6 record. In the playoffs the Impact fell to the Rochester Raging Rhinos in the first round of the playoffs by an aggregate score of 2–1. He managed to win a piece of silverware with the club the Voyageurs Cup. In 2004, François was part of the Montreal Impact team which claimed the championship. He did not fully participate that season due to an injury, tearing his ligament in his right knee in a pre-season match against McGill University. Prior to the 2004 season, François played 45 minutes of a 2–1 pre-season friendly defeat against Italian team Reggina. The team finished 17–6–5 record for 56 points in 28 games, and the team started with a record 12-game undefeated streak, which led to a USL A-League Championship against the Seattle Sounders in a 2–0 victory claiming their first Championship