Sandro Grande
Encyclopedia
Alessandro "Sandro" Grande (born September 29, 1977 in Montreal, Quebec) is a former Canadian
soccer player.
and Frosinone
in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Grande became the first Quebec-born footballer to sign with an Serie A
club, signing a three-year deal with Brescia
in 2001. After appearing in just one match for the first team, in the Intertoto Cup in July 2001, Grande was loaned back to Serie C
side Frosinone
, and then later played in Serie D
with U.S.Frenter Larino and Potenza
and Albalonga
.
of the USL First Division
, where he played 30 games and was selected to the First All-Star Team for 2004.
In July 2005, he moved to Norway to play for Viking Stavanger in the Norwegian Premier League
, before moving on to Molde in March 2006. After his contract with Molde expired in 2007, the club chose not to renew it. After fully recovering from surgery on both knees, he returned to Montreal Impact
. Upon his return Grande scored one goal in six regular season games, which he scored on September 5 against the Minnesota Thunder
. He helped the Impact qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League
quarter finals, playing six games in the tournament.
On December 2, 2008 the Montreal Impact announced the re-signing of Grande to a three year contract. On July 20, 2009, the Montreal Impact released Grande after two altercations with his teammates.
.
and has earned a total of 12 caps, scoring 1 goal. He has represented Canada in 4 FIFA World Cup qualification
matches and was a member of Canada's squad at the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
soccer player.
Italy
Grande began his career in Italy, country of his parents, playing for four years with U.S.Frenter Larino and PotenzaA.S.C. Potenza
Potenza Sport Club is an Italian association football club, based in Potenza, Basilicata. The current club was founded in 2004 as A.S.C. Potenza, after the merger of the old A.S.C. Potenza and F.C. Potenza , and changed its name to Potenza S.C. in 2006...
and Frosinone
Frosinone Calcio
Frosinone Calcio is an Italian association football club, based in Frosinone, Lazio. The club was founded in 1928 and refounded in 1991, following cancellation by the Italian Football Federation.It in the season 2011-12 plays in Lega Pro Prima Divisione/B....
in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Grande became the first Quebec-born footballer to sign with an Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
club, signing a three-year deal with Brescia
Brescia Calcio
Brescia Calcio , known simply as Brescia, is the largest football club in the Lombard city of Brescia, where it was founded in 1911.In the 2009–10 season, in the return leg of the Serie B playoff final, they defeated Torino 2-1 at home , returning to Serie A after a 5-year absence...
in 2001. After appearing in just one match for the first team, in the Intertoto Cup in July 2001, Grande was loaned back to Serie C
Serie C
The Lega Italiana Calcio Professionistico , commonly known as Lega Pro , is the governing body that runs the third and fourth highest football divisions in Italy, the Prima Divisione and Seconda Divisione respectively. It also includes the sole professional club of San Marino...
side Frosinone
Frosinone Calcio
Frosinone Calcio is an Italian association football club, based in Frosinone, Lazio. The club was founded in 1928 and refounded in 1991, following cancellation by the Italian Football Federation.It in the season 2011-12 plays in Lega Pro Prima Divisione/B....
, and then later played in Serie D
Serie D
Serie D is the top level of the Italian non-professional football association called Lega Nazionale Dilettanti. The association represents over a million football players and thousands of football teams across Italy. Serie D ranks just below Lega Pro Seconda Divisione , and is thus considered the...
with U.S.Frenter Larino and Potenza
A.S.C. Potenza
Potenza Sport Club is an Italian association football club, based in Potenza, Basilicata. The current club was founded in 2004 as A.S.C. Potenza, after the merger of the old A.S.C. Potenza and F.C. Potenza , and changed its name to Potenza S.C. in 2006...
and Albalonga
Pol. Albalonga
Associazione Sportiva Dilettante Albalonga is an Italian association football club located in Albano Laziale, Latium. It currently plays in Serie D. Its colors are all-light blue.-External links:*...
.
Canada/Scandinavia
Grande returned to Canada in 2004 to play for the Montreal ImpactMontreal Impact
Montreal Impact was a Canadian professional soccer club based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1992, the team played in the North American Soccer League , the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid until the 2011 season. The owner Joey Saputo now operates the MLS team Montreal ImpactThe...
of the USL First Division
USL First Division
The United Soccer Leagues First Division was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico....
, where he played 30 games and was selected to the First All-Star Team for 2004.
In July 2005, he moved to Norway to play for Viking Stavanger in the Norwegian Premier League
Norwegian Premier League
Tippeligaen is a Norwegian professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Norwegian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. The league is also unofficially known under its neutral name Eliteserien , although the name has never been official...
, before moving on to Molde in March 2006. After his contract with Molde expired in 2007, the club chose not to renew it. After fully recovering from surgery on both knees, he returned to Montreal Impact
Montreal Impact
Montreal Impact was a Canadian professional soccer club based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1992, the team played in the North American Soccer League , the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid until the 2011 season. The owner Joey Saputo now operates the MLS team Montreal ImpactThe...
. Upon his return Grande scored one goal in six regular season games, which he scored on September 5 against the Minnesota Thunder
Minnesota Thunder
Minnesota Thunder was an American professional soccer team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Founded in 1990, the team played in the USL First Division , the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, until 2009. The team played its home games at the National Sports Center in nearby...
. He helped the Impact qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League
CONCACAF Champions League
The CONCACAF Champions League is the annual international club football championship for teams from the CONCACAF region ....
quarter finals, playing six games in the tournament.
On December 2, 2008 the Montreal Impact announced the re-signing of Grande to a three year contract. On July 20, 2009, the Montreal Impact released Grande after two altercations with his teammates.
Lithuania
On March 16, 2010 Sandro Grande signed a contract with Lithuanian club FK SuduvaFK Suduva
FK Sūduva is a football club from the city of Marijampolė, Lithuania.At the UEFA Cup 2002-03 tournament Sūduva twice defeated S.K. Brann of Norway 3–2. During the home game 21-year-old Tomas Radzinevičius scored a hat-trick. Their next opponent, Glasgow Celtic, of Scotland proved to be much...
.
International career
Grande made his debut for the Canadian national football team in a September 2004 World Cup qualification match against Costa RicaCosta Rica national football team
The Costa Rica national football team, nicknamed La Sele, is the national team of Costa Rica and is controlled by the Federación Costarricense de Fútbol. Costa Rica is the third most successful team in CONCACAF after Mexico and the United States...
and has earned a total of 12 caps, scoring 1 goal. He has represented Canada in 4 FIFA World Cup qualification
FIFA World Cup qualification
The FIFA World Cup qualification is the process that a national association football team goes through to qualify for the FIFA World Cup Finals. The FIFA World Cup is a global event, so qualification is required to reduce the large field of participants from about 200 to 32.Qualifying tournaments...
matches and was a member of Canada's squad at the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup
2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup
The 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the eighth edition of the Gold Cup, the football championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean . It was contested in the United States in July 2005. The United States emerged victorious in the final against an upstart Panama team led by tournament...
.
International goals
- Scores and results list Canada's goal tally first.
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1 3 September 2005 Estadio El Sardinero Estadio El SardineroCampos de Sport de El Sardinero , is a multi-purpose stadium in Santander, Spain. It is currently used mostly for football matches, holding 22,400 people....
, SantanderSantander, CantabriaThe port city of Santander is the capital of the autonomous community and historical region of Cantabria situated on the north coast of Spain. Located east of Gijón and west of Bilbao, the city has a population of 183,446 .-History:...
, SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
1–2 1–2 Friendly match
External links
- MontreaImpact.com with Grande's profile
- Sandro Grande – Facebook
- Career stats – National Football Teams