Giuseppe Politi is unabashed in his enthusiasm when it comes to talking soccer.

That said, the long-time local coach and educator is not particularly prone to hyperbole when it comes to putting into context accomplishments of the teams he has coached over the years.

So what exactly to make of a 4-0 Sudbury Cyclones road victory on Wednesday night versus Guelph United, a triumph that will allow the nickel city League1 entry to climb another rung of the competitive ladder - for the second year in a row, no less.

“Simply put, this is historic,” said Politi.

It is also a step that has come much earlier than anticipated for all of those involved with charting a course for this new soccer initiative a few years ago.

“During the 2024 season, we just wanted to put Sudbury on the map, to show that we could put a decent product on the field,” Politi recalled. “Sure enough, we quickly saw that League2 was an entry point and that we could do better than we expected.”

Finishing second in the division last summer, edged out at the very end, the Cyclones earned the second entry into League1 Championship play this summer.

“This summer, we honestly just wanted to compete and not be relegated,” Politi said. “Progress is always moving forward and we felt we had enough to stay up in the L1C with the squad we had.”

In little to no time flat, the Cyclones were doing far more than simply keeping up with the opposition. Wins were piling on - and on those non-victorious afternoons and evenings, single points were often garnered, points that will soon add up.

In first place for most of the season, the team struggled a little in August, though Unionville-Milliken still needs to capture their final outing in order to pull even with the northern squad, with the tie-breaker going the way of UMSC.

Either way, the Sudbury Cyclones move on.

“I would like to dedicate this promotion to all the doubters - the doubters of this project, of this city, of this team - and even of this coaching staff that I lead”, said Politi. “The doubters were great motivators — and now we can enjoy the moment. Later in the fall, we plan to start assembling the 2026 premier squad.”

Before looking forward, there is a need to look back; to look back on much of went so well this summer and to highlight some of the individuals who made it all happen.

“We had built an identity based on 2024 and we had a lot of returning players,” said Politi. “We really just had a "deeper" team in terms of quality substitutes and options coming off the bench. I credit my assistant coach Evan Phillips for doing a remarkable job in recruiting quality players.”

To wit.

"The addition of Connor Vande Weghe and Isaiah Noel, coupled with returnees Jaden Timmis, Timi Aliu and Cedric DeVos were all key. Random additions that were unexpected (Sam Henriques and Phil Edmonds, for instance) were also critical. Every single player - mentioned above or not - made key contributions throughout the season.”

"It was really satisfying to see.”

If there is a downside to a deeper roster it is the limitation that comes with being able to pencil in no more than 11 individuals at a time to the starting roster.

“It is one of the hardest jobs, to manage all of these talented players, to try to produce results while spreading playing time,” said Politi. “The cure for it all is winning. Winning makes my job easier in terms of tactics and style of play. It may not have been the most attractive style, but it worked.”

The task above will be rendered no easier as Sudbury makes its way up to the top 11 teams in the province, set to compete for a League1 title beginning in 2026. Surely, the goal next summer is likely to be the same as the one the Cyclones espoused this past winter: let’s work on being competitive and avoiding relegation.

For fans of the Beautiful Game, the payoff will be obvious.

“We are expecting that access to League1 Premier will attract some top level talent to the city,” said Politi. “We are hoping that we have proved to everyone that Sudbury is a good place to train, work, and compete - and we have amazing community engagement as well.” The return of the Sudbury Cyclones has created a winning tradition. Maintaining that only becomes harder every step of the way - though doubters can be proven wrong.