Canadian Soccer League owners gather in Mississauga this weekend for an annual meeting prior to a season which promises to be one of the busiest on record.
The 12-team league will play more than 200 regular season and playoff games in two divisions over an almost six-month stretch from mid-May to late October or early November.
While it’s unlikely York Region Shooters will come up with a repeat of their unbeaten 2014 campaign – all 21 regular season and playoff games without a loss – the defending champions are expected to be once again a serious contender for top honours.
While some teams, including SC Waterloo and expansion club Atomic FC, are bringing in import players from Europe, others will be focussed on giving younger players an opportunity to play first entry professional soccer in the hope they will further develop to be included in an expanding list of players moving from the CSL to the higher levels in North America and overseas.
“Our reserve team is important to us on the development side, but we also expect to bring in three import players from Europe for our First Division team,” said GM Vojislav Brisevac of SC Waterloo, one of the more successful teams to join the CSL in recent years.
The meetings on Sunday will deal with the competition and also the business side of Canada’s leading league, both in the near term as well as the long term goals. Announcements will follow.