One of Canada’s best esports athletes is joining Toronto FC.

Growing up playing soccer and as a fan of the beautiful game, Nawid Noorzai, better known as ‘GoalMachine’, has been obsessed with the EA Sports FIFA video game franchise since he was five years old. Very quickly, playing FIFA went from being a hobby to a passion, so much so, that the now-22 year old decided to leave York University in 2018 after his first year and pursue a career as a professional FIFA player.

Backed by the support of his mom, Noorzai’s decision paid immediate dividends as he began to realize his true potential. Shortly after departing York University, he earned his first professional contract after navigating through a field of millions of other players en route to placing in the top 16 in the 2018 FIFA eWorld Cup in London, England.

One year later, Noorzai bettered his 2018 finish, placing in the top eight at the 2019 FIFA eWorld Cup, emerging as a top competitor on the global stage as he finished the year ranked the seventh best Xbox player in the world according to the FIFA Global Series rankings.

And now, the Etobicoke, Ont., native will be bringing his talents back home, as he’ll be representing his hometown club Toronto FC for the 2022 season.

“Nawid and I first met years ago at a Toronto FC game and I’ve been keeping up with his impressive results in FIFA’s Global Series ever since,” said Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Director of Esports Shane Talbot. “We’re excited for him to be representing his home city wearing TFC red in eMLS and Global Series this year.”

“I remember I always had hopes of signing with Toronto FC. This year, when Shane hit me up, I was like ‘no way, this is finally my chance,’” added Noorzai. “It means a lot to me. I’ll play my heart out because I’m not just playing for myself anymore. I’m playing for the city I grew up in, so I hope there’s some extra passion involved this year.”

Locally, Noorzai has dominated the competitive FIFA scene. On April 14, he breezed through the competition and was crowned champion of the 2021 eCPL Xbox Finals. One day later, he was one of two players named to the first-ever Canada Soccer eNational Team.

For Noorzai, representing Canada was a culmination of all of his hard work throughout the years and the two-time FIFA eWorld Cup Grand Finalist is especially grateful because very few get the opportunity he was awarded. And, with the direction that soccer as a whole is heading in Canada, it made representing the national team even more special.

“It’s a pretty big mental boost because a couple of years ago, people would say ‘Canada is not good at soccer,’” said Noorzai. “But now they can’t say that because I feel like the men’s team is probably the best in North America and the women’s just won the Olympic Gold.

“And finally, all of our real talent is playing to our full potential and we see how good we are as a country — and it’s the same with FIFA. If the Canadian players are confident, and they play their best game, I feel like they could compete with anyone.”

eMLS is the highest-level North American esports league, with players representing clubs from across MLS competing in the League Series One, League Series Two and eMLS Cup tournaments. And with three eMLS tournament titles up for grabs, Noorzai has high expectations for himself heading into his debut 2022 campaign.

“Especially in this year’s FIFA, I feel like I’m pretty good. Everyone that I’ve played, they say ‘you’re one of the best I’ve played this year’” explained Noorzai. “My ambition is to win all three eMLS events because I know I can, I’m confident, so I just have to believe in myself, and on those days, I just need to turn up and take my game to the next level.”

Noorzai will also be representing Toronto FC in the EA Sports FIFA Global Series competition. EA SPORTS FIFA Global Series (also known as FGS) is the official EA SPORTS FIFA tournament where the top FIFA players in the world compete against one another in regional tournaments to become the champion of the FIFA Global Series.

“I have high ambitions to make the FIFA eWorld Cup this year, and if I do, I think we’re all going to get to realize how crazy the hype is around the whole event,” said Noorzai. “And if I make it representing Toronto FC, I’m sure it will help TFC be regarded as one of the bigger clubs around the world in terms of FIFA.”

The schedule for the 2022 eMLS season will be announced at a later date. Be sure to keep it locked to Toronto FC on all social channels for the latest updates regarding the 2022 season.