page_title: York Region Shooters
section_title: First championship and consistent playoff appearances (2006–2013)
hierarchical_section_title: York Region Shooters / History / First championship and consistent playoff appearances (2006–2013)
caption_attribution_description: English: Italia Shooters celebrating CSL Championship in 2006.
context_page_description: York Region Shooters were a Canadian soccer team, that played in the Canadian Soccer League from 2003 to 2017. The Shooters played their home games at the St. Joan of Arc Turf Field in the community of Maple, Ontario. The team's colours were blue and white, mirroring those of the Italian national football team and reflecting the cultural heritage of the club. The club had also competed under various different names as Vaughan Sun Devils, Vaughan Shooters, Italia Shooters, and finally as York Region Shooters.
  They were formed in 2003 as the merger of two rival clubs in York Region: the Glen Shields Sun Devils and the original York Region Shooters. Both clubs were inaugural members of the Canadian Professional Soccer League, having joined in 1998. The merger produced a string of success as the club became a powerhouse within the league. Notable achievements were going undefeated in an entire season, establishing a CSL record for most regular season titles, and winning the CSL Championship three times in 2006, 2014 and 2017.
context_section_description: On September 15, 2005 the league announced the creation of the International Division for the 2006 season with Vaughan joining the division as Italia Shooters in order to represent and to celebrate the club's strong Italian heritage. Further changes were made in the managerial office with team owner De Thomasis undertaking the coaching duties. Italia managed to acquire a postseason berth by finishing third in a highly competitive division. The club received some luck early on in the playoffs as they advanced to the next round by a forfeit from the Brampton Stallions. Their opponents in the semifinals were Toronto Croatia, and with a goal from Jason De Thomasis they reached the championship final for the fourth consecutive year. Their opposition were the International Division champions Serbian White Eagles FC  a team where the majority of players had European experience. During the match Italia performed the miracle needed at Esther Shiner Stadium from a lone goal from Anthony Adur to claim their first CSL Championship in a 1–0 victory. De Thomasis was recognized with the CSL Coach of the Year award.
  For the 2007 season Italia finished third in their division with the third best offensive record, and maintained the best defensive record. Unfortunately Italia failed to defend their championship after losing 3–0 to Trois-Rivières Attak in the first round of the playoffs. In preparations for the coming 2008 season the club hired Vito Colanglo as general manager and moved their home venue to Joan of Arc Turf Field. The organization also reached an agreement with the Toronto Lynx of the Premier Development League in order to develop and break players into the professional ranks. Isacco was brought back in to manage the squad and strengthened the roster with David Diplacido, Frank Jonke, Rick Titus, Marco Terminesi, Jamaal Smith, Murphy Wiredu, Jon Paul Piques, and Richard Asante. The additions paid off as Italia secured their second division title and had the best offensive record. In the quarterfinals the Shooters defeated Brampton Lions FC 1–0. Their playoff run came to a conclusion in the next round against Serbia, where the White Eagles defeated them 3–0.
  In 2009, Woodbridge S.C., and Unionville S.C. became associated with Italia and operated as the club's reserve teams in the CSL Reserve Division. In the regular season the Shooters had a mediocre season, but still managed to clinch a postseason berth by finishing third in their division. In the postseason Italia revived their team performance by defeating St. Catharines in a two-game series with 7–1 goals on aggregate. In the next round they faced the National Division champions Trois-Rivieres where in both games they tied the series 4–4 on aggregate with the Attak scoring the winning goal in overtime. The CSL administration restructured the league by combining both divisions to form the CSL First Division. As a result of the changes the club changed its name to York Region Shooters, reflecting the previous merger in 2003 and the larger area of York Region the club has played in and represents. Filipe Bento took over the reign of head coach and clinched the club's third regular season championship by finishing first in the standings. Their postseason journey came to an abrupt end after losing 3–1 on goals on aggregate to Toronto Croatia. At the conclusion of the season De Thomasis received the Harry Paul Gauss award, while Titus was awarded the CSL Defender of the Year award.
  During the 2011 and 2012 seasons York Region went through the services of Brian Bowes, and John Pacione as head coaches. Notable players around that period were Taylor Lord, Carlos Riva, Dino Gardner, Adrian Butters, Julian Uccello, and Taurean Manders. The Shooters qualified for the postseason for both seasons. In 2011, York defeated regular season champions SC Toronto in the quarterfinals, but were defeated in the second round by Toronto Croatia. While in 2012, York Region defeated Windsor Star in the first round only to be eliminated in the next round against Montreal Impact Academy. York Region 
caption: Italia Shooters celebrating CSL Championship in 2006.
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