The name Canadian Soccer League has been used by two different professional sports leagues.
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Original Canadian Soccer League (1987-1992)
The original Canadian Soccer League was a professional soccer league in Canada that existed between 1987 and 1992 and included teams from all parts of the country. Three of its teams, Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver, went on to join the APSL in 1993. The CSL was formed after Canada was a surprise qualifier for the 1986 FIFA World Cup with a squad featuring players brought together from a variety of leagues all over the globe. Even though the Canadian national team had very little opportunity to play together prior to qualifying through the 1985 CONCACAF qualifying rounds, they advanced to the World Cup in November of 1985 with a win over Honduras on a rainy day in St. John's, Newfoundland. The goal was scored by a Victoria-based plumber named George Pakos who played semi-pro soccer in British Columbia. Given the desire to "bring our players home", as the founding CSL commissioner Dale Barnes was quoted, the CSL was established in the summer of 1986 after the World Cup. The CSL gained a big leap in credibility with a television agreement with The Sports Network (TSN) to broadcast a "CSL Game of the Week" on Sunday nights nationwide on the then fledgling cable network. The broadcasts featured Vic Rauter on play-by-play and Graham Leggat as analyst. The league also secured sponsorship packages with Air Canada, Foster's Lager, Gatorade and Hyundai. Teams were stocked with players throughout their local regions and free agents who decided to ply their trade in other Canadian cities. Many teams featured former NASLers. The Canadian Soccer League kicked off its inaugural season when the Ottawa National Capital Pioneers hosted the CSL's first game on May 26, 1987. The game was played in Aylmer, Quebec in a steady drizzle in front of 2,500 fans. The Pioneers played to a 0-0 draw with the visiting Hamilton Steelers. The league folded after the 1992 season and three surviving teams, the Vancouver 86ers, the Toronto Blizzard, and the Montreal Impact joined the American Professional Soccer League for the 1993 season.
CSL teams
- Calgary Kickers/Strikers (1987-1988), (1989)
- Edmonton Brickmen (1987-1990) (formerly of the Western Soccer Alliance)
- Hamilton Steelers (1987-1991)
- Kitchener Spirit/Kickers (1990), (1991)
- London Lasers (1990 & 1992)
- Montreal Supra (1988-1992)
- North York Rockets (1987-1992)
- Nova Scotia Clippers (1991)
- Ottawa Pioneers/Intrepid (1987-1990)
- Toronto Blizzard (1987-1992) (formerly of the National Soccer League)
- Winnipeg Fury (1987-1992)
- Vancouver 86ers (1987-1992)
- Victoria Vistas (1989-1990)
Championships
| Season | Champions | Score | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Calgary Kickers | 2-1 | Hamilton Steelers |
| 1988 | Vancouver 86ers | 4-1 | Hamilton Steelers |
| 1989 | Vancouver 86ers | 3-2 | Hamilton Steelers |
| 1990 | Vancouver 86ers | 6-1 | Hamilton Steelers |
| 1991 | Vancouver 86ers | 5-3 | Toronto Blizzard |
| 19921 | Winnipeg Fury | 3-1 | Vancouver 86ers |
1 1992 was a two-game series. All others were a single game.
Current CSL
| Canadian Soccer League |
|---|
 Canadian Soccer League 2007 season |
 |
| Founded |
| 2006 |
| Nation |
 Canada |
| Number of Teams |
| 13 |
| Cups |
| Open Canada Cup |
| Current Champions (2007) |
| Toronto Croatia |
| Website |
| [1] |
The current Canadian Soccer League (CSL) is Canada's top professional soccer league, featuring teams based in Ontario and Quebec. It replaced the Canadian Professional Soccer League (CPSL), and was officially re-branded on May 17, 2006. The CSL's first season was in 2006, with 12 active franchises, with the most notable change being the emergence of an international division as a complement to the more traditional national division The forerunner of the CSL, The CPSL itself played its first season in 1998 by amalgamating four (4) teams from the Canadian National Soccer League namely St. Catharines Wolves, North York Astros, London City, and Toronto Croatia with four (4) expansion franchises (Mississauga, York Region Shooters, Glen Shields and Toronto Olympians). The (CSL) has a history going back to 1926 as the National Soccer League (NSL). In 2006, the change to the CSL was more than merely a cosmetic alteration. An international division was added, a new set of rules, regulations and a new constitution were established, the schedule format was changed, and the relationship with the OSA and QSF was upgraded.
- 1926-1993 National Soccer League
- 1993-1997 Canadian National Soccer League
- 1998-2005 Canadian Professional Soccer League
- 2006-Current Canadian Soccer League
The CSL season runs from May through to October with seven teams in the National Division and six teams in the International Division, which debuted in 2006. The climax of the season is the CSL Championship Final, which takes place in October after an 8-team playoffs competition. The league also operates the Open Canada Cup, a knockout competition starting with preliminary rounds in May and concluding with a final in September. 2006 saw the creation of an international division, to complement the national division, while recognizing the unique nature of Toronto demographics. The CSL is the top level soccer league within Canada, however three Canadian clubs play in higher leagues based in the United States – Toronto FC in Major League Soccer, Montreal Impact and Vancouver Whitecaps in the USL First Division. The league is currently managed by former Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL) president, Cary Kaplan (CSL Commissioner), and veteran soccer executive Stan Adamson (Executive Director). 2007 will see the debut of the Trois-Rivières Attak, replacing the existing Laval Dynamites franchise. The new team will be a junior/reserve side for the Montreal Impact USL First Division team. 2008 will also see the debut of both the FC Quebec City franchise and an additional club in the international division: The African Icons. As well, the Brampton FC franchise is scheduled to resume play in 2008.
2008 teams
National Division
| Team | Founded | Ground |
|---|---|---|
| Brampton FC (returns from hiatus) | 2001 | Victoria Park Stadium |
| FC Quebec (expansion) | 2008 | TBA |
| London City | 1973 | Cove Road Stadium |
| North York Astros | 1996 | Esther Shiner Stadium |
| St. Catharines Wolves | 1996 | Club Roma |
| Trois-Rivières Attak | 2006 | Stade de l'UQTR |
| Windsor Border Stars | 2004 | Windsor Stadium |
International Division
| Team | Founded | Ground |
|---|---|---|
| African Icons (expansion) | 2008 | TBA |
| Canadian Lions | 2002 | Birchmount Stadium |
| Italia Shooters | 1998 | OSA Centre |
| Portuguese Supra | 2001 | Centennial Park Stadium |
| Serbian White Eagles | 2006 | Centennial Park Stadium |
| Toronto Croatia | 1956 | Hershey Centre |
CSL Playoffs Championships
| Season | Champions | Score | Runners-up | Regular Season Champions | Regular Season Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | St. Catharines Wolves | 2-2 (pk 4-2) | Toronto Olympians | Toronto Olympians | St. Catharines Wolves |
| 1999 | Toronto Olympians | 2-0 | Toronto Croatia | Toronto Olympians | Toronto Croatia |
| 2000 | Toronto Croatia | 2-1 | Toronto Olympians | Toronto Olympians | St. Catharines Wolves |
| 2001 | St. Catharines Wolves | 1-0 | Toronto Supra | Ottawa Wizards | Toronto Olympians |
| 2002 | Ottawa Wizards | 2-0 | North York Astros | Ottawa Wizards | Montreal Dynamites |
| 2003 | Brampton Hitmen | 1-0 | Vaughan Sun Devils | Ottawa Wizards | Hamilton Thunder |
| 2004 | Toronto Croatia | 4-0 | Vaughan Shooters | Toronto Supra | Metro Lions |
| 2005 | Oakville Blue Devils | 2-1 | Vaughan Shooters | Vaughan Shooters | Toronto Croatia |
| 2006 | Italia Shooters | 1-0 | Serbian White Eagles | Serbian White Eagles | Toronto Croatia |
| 2007 | Toronto Croatia | 4-1, 0-0 | Serbian White Eagles | Serbian White Eagles | Toronto Croatia |
All Time (1998-2006) CSL Regular Season Records By Clubs
| Rank (by Points) |
Club [1] |
Seasons | Games | Wins | Draws | Losses | For | Against | GD | Points | PPG | Rank (by PPG) |
Champions | Runners-Up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toronto Croatia | 10 (1998-) | 187 | 94 | 43 | 50 | 368 | 257 | +111 | 325 | 1.738 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 2 | Italia Shooters | 10 (1998-) | 187 | 85 | 45 | 57 | 354 | 265 | +89 | 300 | 1.604 | 7 | 1 | 3 |
| 3 | St. Catharines Wolves | 10 (1998-) | 187 | 77 | 43 | 67 | 296 | 297 | -1 | 274 | 1.465 | 11 | 2 | |
| 4 | Durham Storm | 8 (1998-2005) | 143 | 69 | 15 | 59 | 319 | 266 | +53 | 222 | 1.552 | 9 | 1 | 2 |
| 5 | Portuguese Supra | 7 (2001-) | 145 | 58 | 39 | 52 | 279 | 226 | +53 | 213 | 1.469 | 10 | 1 | |
| 6 | Canadian Lions | 6 (2002-) | 123 | 54 | 33 | 36 | 240 | 172 | +68 | 193 | 1.569 | 8 | 1 | |
| 7 | North York Astros | 10 (1998-) | 187 | 45 | 39 | 103 | 252 | 409 | -157 | 174 | 0.930 | 15 | 1 | |
| 8 | Laval Dynamites | 5 (2001-2003, 2005-2006) | 103 | 50 | 19 | 34 | 196 | 160 | +36 | 169 | 1.641 | 6 | ||
| 9 | Brampton FC | 6 (2001-2006, 2008-) | 123 | 43 | 31 | 49 | 191 | 205 | -14 | 160 | 1.301 | 12 | 1 | |
| 10 | London City | 10 (1998-) | 197 | 37 | 38 | 112 | 239 | 491 | -252 | 149 | 0.798 | 17 | ||
| 11 | Ottawa Wizards | 3 (2001-2003) | 59 | 44 | 10 | 5 | 159 | 39 | +120 | 142 | 2.407 | 1 | 1 | |
| 12 | Hamilton Thunder | 4 (2002-2005) | 79 | 38 | 22 | 19 | 147 | 88 | +59 | 136 | 1.722 | 5 | ||
| 13 | Windsor Border Stars | 4 (2004-) | 86 | 30 | 18 | 38 | 141 | 146 | -5 | 108 | 1.256 | 13 | ||
| 14 | Serbian White Eagles | 2 (2006-) | 44 | 31 | 7 | 6 | 121 | 44 | +77 | 100 | 2.273 | 2 | 2 | |
| 15 | York Region Shooters | 5 (1998-2002) | 83 | 24 | 14 | 45 | 125 | 199 | -74 | 86 | 1.036 | 14 | ||
| 16 | Durham Flames | 5 (1999-2003) | 87 | 20 | 14 | 53 | 136 | 231 | -95 | 74 | 0.850 | 16 | ||
| 17 | Trois-Rivières Attak | 1 (2007-) | 22 | 10 | 8 | 4 | 48 | 29 | +19 | 38 | 1.727 | 4 | ||
| 18 | Mississauga Eagles P.S.C. | 1 (1998) | 14 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 29 | 44 | -15 | 10 | 0.714 | 18 | ||
| 19 | Caribbean Selects | 1 (2006) | 22 | 1 | 3 | 18 | 15 | 87 | -72 | 4 | 0.182 | 19 | ||
| 20 | African Icons | 0 (2008-) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | N/A | ||
| 21 | FC Quebec | 0 (2008-) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | N/A |
All Time (1998-2006) CSL Playoff Records By Clubs
| Rank (by Points) |
Club [2] |
Playoffs Reached vs Seasons Played |
Games | Wins | Draws | Losses | For | Against | GD | Points | PPG | Rank (by Champions, Runners-Up, PPG) |
Champions | Runners-Up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toronto Croatia | 8/10 | 19 | 13 | 1 | 5 | 38 | 20 | +18 | 40 | 2.105 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 2 | Italia Shooters | 7/10 | 17 | 9 | 1 | 7 | 30 | 29 | +1 | 28 | 1.647 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| 3 | Durham Storm | 5/9 | 11 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 27 | 16 | +11 | 22 | 2.000 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| 4 | St. Catharines Wolves | 4/9 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 14 | 11 | +3 | 14 | 1.556 | 2 | 2 | |
| 5 | Canadian Lions | 5/6 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 14 | 12 | +2 | 13 | 1.625 | 5 | 1 | |
| 6 | Serbian White Eagles | 2/2 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 8 | +6 | 13 | 1.857 | 8 | 2 | |
| 7 | Brampton FC | 3/6 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 7 | -2 | 7 | 1.400 | 7 | 1 | |
| 8 | Ottawa Wizards | 3/3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 6 | -1 | 6 | 1.500 | 6 | 1 | |
| 9 | North York Astros | 4/10 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 14 | -7 | 6 | 0.857 | 9 | 1 | |
| 10 | Trois-Rivières Attak | 1/1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 3 | 1.500 | 11 | ||
| 11 | Portuguese Supra | 4/7 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 14 | -7 | 3 | 0.600 | 10 | 1 | |
| 12 | Windsor Border Stars | 4/4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 17 | -11 | 3 | 0.600 | 12 | ||
| 13 | London City | 2/10 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | -3 | 2 | 0.667 | 13 | ||
| 14 | Hamilton Thunder | 4/4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 7 | -5 | 0 | 0.000 | 14 | ||
| 15 | Laval Dynamites | 4/5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 9 | -7 | 0 | 0.000 | 15 |
Complete Team List
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Canadian Soccer League
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External links
References
- ^ The latest names are used for clubs who had name changes, e.g. Italia Shooters was formerly known as Vaughan Shooters.
- ^ The latest names are used for clubs who had name changes, e.g. Italia Shooters was formerly known as Vaughan Shooters.
