THEY MADE THE GRADE…. AND MORE

While continuing to recognize and pay tribute to the more than 40 players in the Canadian Soccer League who played for their country, mostly Canada – the most recent being TFC captain Jonathan Osorio – and also those players who were not capped internationally but moved on to play at a higher level, we think of Skylar Thomas, centre back, who was signed by Charleston Battery and made seven appearances for Canada’s U-23 team, full back Dino Gardner went to Edmonton FC, made appearances for both Canada U-18 and U-20.

We think of the well-travelled forward, the diminutive Allessandro Riggi who made 48 appearances for Montreal FC, with brief stints in Portugal, Spain and Italy and is now playing with AngkorTiger in the Cambodian Premier League, the top tier of Cambodian soccer.

Stefan Vukovic, the CSL leading scorer in 2011, was selected for Canada’s U-18 and U-20 teams and gained interest in Poland, followed by seven appearances for APS Zakynthos in Greece. His most recent club was the CSL’s Brantford Galaxy during the 2016 and 2017 seasons, scoring 11 goals. He was also an assistant coach for Hamilton City.

Ashton Morgan, an impressive defender in the CSL who retired from soccer July 2023, won the MLS Cup with Toronto FC in 2017 and made nine appearances for Real Salt Lake. Morgan was capped 18 times for Canada.

And we’ll bring you more…

Allessandro Riggi

IS THE CSL CHANGING WITH PLAYER DEVELOPMENT

The CSL is changing, is what we said almost a decade ago on November 20, 2014. That was two days after the CSL’s Rookie of the Year Jonathan Osorio entered the field for Canada at 62 minutes in an international friendly against Panama, a game that ended in a scoreless tie at the Rommel Fernandez Stadium in Panama City.

Osorio was impressive in that debut 2012 season with the CSL’s Toronto SC, scoring 11 goals in 17 appearances, the second highest in the league. He was then quickly invited by Toronto FC to join the MLS team’s Toronto FC Academy.

The Toronto-born midfielder of Colombian ancestry made his debut in the Toronto FC first team on March 9, 2013 and gained his first international cap on May 23, 2013. Osorio earned his first call up to the Canadian senior team for a friendly the following week against Costa Rica.

Osorio was one of 40 CSL players to play internationally, mostly in national youth teams during a period when developing players was a desire and an overriding feature of many CSL clubs. During the period up to 2015 Toronto Croatia, Kingston FC, York Region Shooters and SC Waterloo put the strongest emphasis on developing players. During that time York Region hired Bob De Klerk, a former player, manager and coach for 10 years with the Ajax youth system before moving to North America in 2011 when he joined Toronto FC as first assistant coach.

The player development attitude paid big dividends for the Shooters when the club won the CSL Championship in 2014 and 2017 and the Second Division title with the reserve team in 2016. The First Division side was undefeated in the 1914 season, only the third time the historic achievement has occurred in the CSL.

Developing local players has faded somewhat as CSL teams move to importing players mostly from Europe, a change that brought increasing pace with the greater skills and a more attractive game for the fans.

But is there change in the works yet again ? As more players arrive from elsewhere are we paying enough attention to the development of local players ? We’ll explore that for answers in the days ahead, a heads-up as we move toward a new season.

CSL PLAYERS ON TOP IN OFF-SEASON INDOOR TOURNAMENT

With approximately one million registered players, the game of soccer continues to be the most popular sport in Canada in terms of participation. There is also an increasing demand for the indoor game with more facilities accommodating soccer during the off season winter months for a year-round activity for many.

The Hanger, as it is known, is a longstanding spacious Toronto indoor soccer location known in earlier times a part of the Downsview air base for the Canadian Air Force and which was also for a period of time occupied by the military. its proximity to Pearson International brought an occasional commercial overseas flight mistakenly landing on the Downsview runway.

But today The Hanger is a sports centre to become newsworthy for other reasons, such as its recent soccer tournament which brought together 48 teams in a highly competitive, two-day 6 v 6 indoor competition of many high level professional players with a background of skills forged in other parts of the world and Canadian players having made the grade in North America. Many of the players are with Canada’s professional leagues during the regular season. There was one U.S.team, from Detroit.

The 48-team competition culminated with the final being played at the Hanger on December 27 when Salo United defeated Republic Athletic Elevate by a 1-0 score. The winning team was a roster of Ukrainian players from the Canadian Soccer League, while the Republic Athletic Elevate side fielded players from the Canadian Premier League and Ontario League 1.

First Touch Football Canada and Sports Leagues Canada are partners in this indoor soccer venture which is named The Classics. The success of this well attended tournament – together with a likelihood of increasingly lucrative prize money for the winners – provides much encouragement for staging it as a regular annual event. “We are also hoping to use this as momentum to further expand competitive money tournaments in the GTA,” said Josh Kohn manager of Sports Leagues Canada.

The concept of ‘money tournaments’ is more advanced over the border where TST (The Soccer Tournament) is presently launching two $1 million winner-take-all (men and women) soccer tournaments. “We are thrilled to add a third event to our portfolio and to have it be our highest stakes competition ever,” said Jon Mugar, founder and CEO of The Tournament on the company’s website. “This instantly becomes one of the highest stakes events in all of women’s sports, with the only thing standing between teams and one million dollars being four exceptional hours of soccer. This will attract some of the most talented players and clubs from around the world,” he said.

In the meantime, Yaroslav Malibo and his winning team of Ukrainian players from the CSL are on top of the world and the players will share in the modesty of $15,000, a winner’s prize that is bound to grow as similar indoor competitions take hold in Canada.

STEPPING UP TO THE PRO LEVEL

Danny Dichio made more than 300 appearances for several top flight clubs in England and Italy before moving to Canada to sign for Toronto FC. He took part in the opening debut match, scoring for the history book with Toronto’s first MLS goal against Chicago Fire on May 12, 2007.

Dichio ended his playing career in 2009, remaining with Toronto FC as a coach of the second squad and in 2021 he left Canada to take up coaching with Sacremento of the US-based United Soccer Leagues He was was then appointed to his first head coaching job with Detroit City, also of the USL. Lack of good coaching positions in Canada has been said to be a major reason for the goal scorer going south of the border. A form of brain drain.

To be more competitive on the world stage, Canada needs a stronger professional soccer structure. Countries high on the FIFA list of ratings all have a strong professional soccer base which ensures a robust player development environment to accommodate an abundance of technical positions including coaches. Also, it has been well established that not all of Canada’s soccer player talent wants to go out of the country in pursuit of a professional career.

The launch of the Canadian Premier League in 2017 was a step in the right direction. But it’s not enough and can be a long uneasy journey to maturity which includes sufficient coverage in the media, eventually leading to an increased fan base and a greater attraction for players and coaches.

The Canadian Soccer League, now a regional league in southern Ontario, encourages seasoned senior amateur clubs to step up and consider a place at the semi-pro level. The CSL accommodates many outstanding import players approved for temporary residence in Canada while playing. Such an accommodation raises the standard for greater attraction on the field of play and accelerates the further development of local players of the CSL teams..

The CSL, formed in 1925, has been the starting point for many high level players such as Atiba Hutchinson who ended his playing career in the 2022 World Cup after representing Canada more than 100 times and a sparkling career mostly in Europe. Today, Jonathan Osorio with Toronto FC is one of the most recent from a long list of former CSL players to shine at a higher level. Osario now has more than 70 caps for Canada.

Senior amateur teams in southern Ontario interested in taking a step up to semi-pro level for the 2024 season can obtain more information by sending an email to info@canadiansoccerleague.ca.

Stan Adamson

SCARBOROUGH WINS LEAGUE TITLE TO CLOSE CSL SEASON

A hat-trick by Scarborough substitute striker Gonzalo Matias led his team to a 6-4 victory to capture the regular season Canadian Soccer League title in the opening match of three at the Paramount Stadium Saturday September 16. The intense, highly attractive clash with Serbian White Eagles was followed by an 8-0 drubbing of a struggling Hamilton City side by Toronto Falcons and in another high-scoring encounter due mostly to the prolific Ivliev Sergii scoring four goals, Dynamo Toronto thrashed Ooty Black Pearl 7-1 in the late game.

Defender Marko Johansen’s header opened the scoring for Scarborough at the 7th minute mark and the Toronto east side team went up 2-0 two minutes later when Jordan Web collected a left wing cross to find the net from close in. Forward Devroy Decardova Grey scored the other goal for Scarborough. Matias scored his winning hat-trick after entering the field as a substitute at 60 minutes.

Two goals by Marko Stajic, and singles by Adrian Cann and Vladimir Strizovic allowed Serbian White Eagles to keep pace until the last few minutes, but the Scarborough side held a lead most of the game and near the end increased to a two goal margin at the final whistle.

Scarborough won the regular season league title in 2020 and has been prominent in the playoffs by reaching the last six CSL Championship finals, winning the CSL Championship in 2019 and 2021. Serbian White Eagles won the CSL Championship in 2016 and were regular season league title winners in 2015 and 2022.

A depleted Hamilton City, playing without several players selected for the starting line-up but held up in traffic en route, struggled against an improving Toronto Falcons most of the 90 minutes when the goals came with frequency and with ease. A drive from 15 yards by Artem Nazarenko opened the scoring for Toronto Falcons just five minutes into the game and the midfielder struck a second five minutes later.  Singles came from Kyrylo Antonenko and Yazoslav Nidzelskyi, while  Nemo Shelia and forward Sviatoslav  Dziadykevych each also scored twice.Toronto Falcons ended the season with an 8-3-1WLT for 25 points in third position in the table, while Hamilton City ended in fifth position with a 5-6-1 record for 16 points.

With four goals by Sergii, two by forward Mykola Temniuk and one by Mykyta Pishchulin, Dynamo Toronto dominated the late game 7-1 to lift the winning side into a clear fourth position in the standings. Dario found the net past Dynamo goalkeeper Mosbah Ezzalden for the loan Ooty Black Pearl goal scored at 14 minutes of the first half. Sergii ended the season the 2023 leading goal scorer with a total of 13 and his team registered 6-5-1 for 19 points.

The three games concludes the 2023 season following an announcement that the CSL Championship playoffs will not be played due to financial and venue considerations  and that the league will in the coming weeks begin its interviews with organizations considering membership application as expansion teams for 2024.

SCARBOROUGH WIN MEANS LEAGUE TITLE OPPORTUNITY

A first half scoring spree of four goals in six minutes at the Mattamy Sports Park Saturday, September 9, lifted Scarborough to an 8-1 trouncing of Ooty Black Pearl and moved the east Toronto side into a league title opportunity when it meets league-leading Serbian White Eagles in the regular season finale September 16. In two other games on Saturday, Toronto Falcons defeated Weston United 2-0 and Hamilton City scored a 2-1 victory over Dynamo Toronto.

Edmond Amadeo opened the scoring for Scarborough at 17 minutes, the goal coming from a rebound after Black Pearl goalkeeper Paramveer Singh made the save. Gonzalo Matias made it 2-0, scoring off the crossbar at 20 minutes, Petar Dordevic headed in for Scarborough at 21 minutes, scoring again with a drive outside the box at 23 minutes. Jair Cruz made it 5-0 at 39th minute mark and Matias found the net with his second goal at 42 minutes for a 6-0 score at the break.. Midfielder Dario Brezak scored for Ooty Black Pearl at 80 minutes for a 6-1 score and Scarborough truck twice in the late stages on goals by Devroy Decardova Grey and Jaime Grandona at 81 and 86 minutes respectively.

With just one game remaining for teams in the final week of the regular season (Weston United is an exception having played its last regular season match on September 9) Scarborough will meet Serbian White Eagles on September 16, a match that will decide the league title. Serbian White Eagles has a 9-2-0 WLT record for 27 points, while Scarborough has an 8-2-1 record for 25 points, which means win or draw will mean a repeat of the 2022 season’s league title victory for Serbian White Eagles.

Scarborough must win to add to its regular season league title victory of 2020 during a period when Kiril Dimitrov’s squad has also been prominent in the playoffs by reaching the last six championship finals, winning the CSL Championship in 2019 and 2021. Serbian White Eagles won the CSL Championship in 2016 and were regular season league title winners in 2015 and 2022.

Midfielder Nemo Shelia opened the scoring for Toronto Falcons in the opening game of three on Saturday, to be followed 10 minutes later by a strike from Andrii Sukhetskyi and the score held through a scoreless second half for a 2-0 result at the final whistle. Toronto Falcons has a 7-3-1 record for 22 points and retains third position in the table, while Weston United has completed its regular season with a 1-9-2 record for five points in sixth position.

Hamilton City midfielder Aleksander Bozovic scored 17 minutes into the game with Dynamo Toronto and forward Moussa Limane added a second with a drive from the edge of the box. The score held until the last minute when Dynamo Toronto midfielder Ivliev Sergii cut the lead to 2-1 at 90 minutes, a score in favour of Hamilton City at the final whistle. Hamilton City and Dynamo Toronto are tied on points for fourth position in the standings, both having a 5-5-1 record for 16 points.

SERBIAN WHITE EAGLES FIVE POINTS CLEAR…..Falcons, Hamilton win

Serbian White Eagles increased its lead at the top of the standings with a 4-0 victory over Dynamo Toronto, Hamilton City outplayed Weston United 5-2 and Toronto Falcons scored a narrow 1-0 win over Scarborough, three games in the Canadian Soccer League, August 19 triple header at the Mattamy Sports Park Saturday.

Midfielder Vitor de Jesus opened the scoring at 18 minutes for Weston United, beating Hamilton goalkeeper Aleksandar Nikolic from close range for the 1-0 lead and Dragor Zugelj equalized for Hamilton at 37 minutes, a 1-1 score at half-time.

Hamilton City went ahead 2-1 when Vladimir Dojcinovic found the net with a low drive inside the right post at 60 minutes, Luan Cortez tied the score 2-2 for Weston at 69 minutes and Zugelj scored a second goal for a 3-2 Hamilton lead at 70 minutes. Vukasin Kovacevic made it 4-2 two minutes later, just before Hamilton City was reduced to 10 men when midfielder Anton Sigul was shown the red card at the 77th minute mark following a second yellow.

Dojcinovic completed the scoring for Hamilton City with his second goal at 80 minutes, a 5-2 score at the final whistle. It was Hamilton City’s fourth win of the season, an improving 4-5-1 WLT record for 13 points and fifth in the standings, while Weston United remain in sixth position with a 1-7-2 record and five points.

It was a close, attractive encounter between Toronto Falcons and Scarborough that was in doubt through to the final whistle. Falcons’ midfielder Nemo Shelia struck the eventual winning goal close to the interval, a low drive from outside the box that found the net past Scarborough goalkeeper Vladimir Dragicevic.

While the pace picked up in the second half, Scarborough came close to tying the game which included a missed penalty kick following a Scarborough attack challenged by Falcons’ keeper Anatolii Starushchenko, which also brought out the yellow card and served to underscore that the Ukrainian goalkeeper was outstanding by the minute. Toronto Falcons and Starushchenko held on for the win following which Falcons’ official Zhane Gendunov was quick to say the important victory came “from a strong team effort in which Starushchenko was certainly outstanding.” Toronto Falcons now have a 5-3-1 record for 16 points to tie for third place with Dynamo Toronto.

Serbian White Eagles and the CSL’s leading goalscorer Marko Stajic pointed the way in the late game with a goal against Dynamo Toronto to be followed late in the match by two from midfielder Stefan Pejic at 70 and 80 minutes and a single by Vladimir Strizovic at the 85th minute mark. The decisive victory was the eighth of the season, giving last season’s league title winners a five-point margin (8-2-0) for 24 points at the top of the standings. Dynamo Toronto has a 5-3-1 record for 16 points.

Next week’s games move to the Paramount Field in Mississauga on Saturday, August 26 when Scarborough and Dynamo Toronto meet in the opening game at 2 pm, followed by Serbian White Eagles vs Weston United at 4 pm and Toronto Falcons vs Ooty Black Pearl at 6.

SCARBOROUGH AND DORDEVIC IMPRESS…..Falcons and Hamilton also win

Toronto Falcons defeated league leaders Serbian White Eagles by a 2-1 score, Hamilton City struck four in the first half to beat Ooty Black Pearl 4-2 and Scarborough striker Petar Dordevic scored a hat-trick in his side’s 5-0 victory over Weston United, three games in the Canadian Soccer League at the Mattamy Sports Park Saturday.

Toronto Falcons opened the scoring just four minutes after the kickoff when Nazar Slobodian drove a direct free kick inside the right post and out of reach of Serbian Eagles’ goalkeeper Nikola Postic, a 1-0 lead at the interval and Vasyl Matviishyn made it 2-0 for the Falcons at the 60th minute mark. Five minutes later, Serbian White Eagles midfielder Nikola Durkovic drove a distant long shot that found the net past Vasyl Shpuk in the Toronto Falcons goal to reduce the score to 2-1, a score that held in favour of the Falcons at the final whistle. Toronto Falcons improved to a 4-3-1 WLT for 13 points while holding on to fourth position in the standings. Serbian White Eagles are on top with a 7-2-0 record for 21 points.

Anton Sigul scored on a breakaway at the 9th minute mark for a 1-0 Hamilton City lead in the second match and Ooty Black Pearl defender Bahati Michael Rusage scored from outside the box to tie the game 1-1 at 16 minutes. Hamilton City then scored three goals before the break, the first by Vladimir Dojcinovic at 28 minutes, a goal by midfielder Janko Milosevic at 30 minutes and Marko Djukic made it 4-1 at the 37th minute mark. Mario Peche Morote found the net past Hamilton goalkeeper Aleksandar Nikolic for Black Pearl’s second goal at the 80th minute mark. Hamilton City remain in fifth position in the table with a 3-5-1 record for 10 points, while Ooty Black Pearl have an 0-7-2 record for two points and seventh in the standings.

Scarborough continues to impress having conceded just two goals in the club’s eight-game regular season campaign while the prolific Dordevic hat-trick for a 5-0 rout of Weston United in the late game moved the east Toronto side within two points of top of the table Serbian White Eagles.

Dordevic opened the scoring with a low drive at 15 minutes and found the net again at the 35th minute mark for a 2-0 Scarborough lead at the break. The Serbian striker completed his hat-trick at 77 minutes, with late goals also from Gonzalo Matias at 70 minutes and Shaqueil Bradford at the 79th minute mark. Scarborough now has a 6-1-1 record for 19 points, while Weston United have a 1-6-2 record for five points and sixth in the table.

FIRST VICTORY FOR WESTON UTD – SATURDAY WINS FOR DYNAMO AND SWE

Expansion team Weston United scored its first victory in the Canadian Soccer League with a 3-2 defeat of Ooty Black Pearl in the opening game of three at the Mattamy Sports Park Saturday. Dynamo Toronto also won a 3-2 squeaker in the second match and Serbian White Eagles triumphed with a 4-2 score over Hamilton City in the late game.

It was a physical opening game encounter with Black Pearl and Weston United attempting to come up with their first win of the season after playing seven regular season league games. There were many untidy challenges and referee Steve Senderovic had to point to the penalty spot twice. Ooty Black Pearl struck first from the spot after defender Steven Craig was tripped in the box at 14 minutes and Dario Brezak made no mistake in finding the net. Brezak scored a second goal immediately following the break and defender Luan Cortez struck for Weston United, a 2-1 Black Pearl lead in the second half. Goals by Joan at 73 minutes and midfielder Vitor de Jesus at 76 minutes won the game for Weston United.

A penalty also opened up the scoring in the second match when Dynamo striker Mykola Temniuk was fouled in the box and Ivliev Sergii scored for a1-0 Dynamo lead at the 25th minute mark. Temniuk made it 2-0 three minutes later and midfielder Pavlo Chornomaz increased the Dynamo lead to 3-0 at 38 minutes, the former Ukrainian First League player heading in a cross from the wing out of reach by Falcons’ goalkeeper Vasyl Shpuk. It was 3-0 at the break.

Toronto Falcons rallied to score two second half goals by Daniil Rodin at 71 minutes and Denys Diachenko at the 75th mark, which held for a 3-2 score in favour of DynamoToronto at the final whistle.

Serbian White Eagles goalkeeper Adrian Ibanez saved an early penalty in the late game, but this was followed by Hamilton City midfielder Vukasin Kovacevic cutting in from the wing to score for a 1-0 lead at 20 minutes . Danilo Bakoc tied 1-1 for Serbian White Eagles at 38 minutes and two minutes later Srjan Simovic put the Toronto-based team into a 2-1 lead. Hamilton City tied 2-2 with a picture goal from outside the box by Branco Gavric, the goal coming at the 49th minute mark. Serbian White Eagles was more prominent as the second half progressed, which paid dividends, goals by Nikola Timolijevic at 61 minutes and forward Vladimir Strizovic at the 70th minute mark, a 4-2 score at the final whistle.

Games in the Canadian Soccer Lead will resume at the Mattamy Sports Park on Saturday, August 12 with Toronto Falcons vs. Serbian White Eagles at 2pm, Hamilton City vs Ooty Black Pearl at 4 pm and Scarborough vs Weston United at 6pm.

SATURDAY VICTORIES FOR SCARBOROUGH, SERBIAN EAGLES AND DYNAMO

Scarborough maintained its strong bid for the CSL league title with a 5-0 victory over Hamilton City in the opener of three games at the Mattamy Sports Park Saturday, Serbian White Eagles maintained its good form with a 4-1 defeat of Ooty Black Pearl and Dynamo Toronto trounced Weston United 9-1 in the late game.

Scarborough striker Petar Dordevic found the net to beat Hamilton goalkeeper Obrad Bejatovic to open the scoring at the 40th minute mark, a 1-0 lead at the interval. Marvin Morgan made it 2-0 at 65 minutes, followed by goals by midfielder Jordan Webb at 75 minutes, Jaime Grandona at 80 minutes and Cesar Dorantes wrapped up the scoring at the 85th minute mark, a 5-0 result at the final whistle.

Hamilton City GM/coach Sasa Vukovic was ejected from the touch line during the first half following misconduct with a match official.

Scarborough lead the standings with a 6-0-1 record for 19 points and are unbeaten in the current campaign while conceding just two goals. Hamilton City is in fifth place with a 2-4-1 record for 7 points.

Matias Leonardo Coria opened the scoring at the 5th minute mark for Ooty Black Pearl in the second game and Marco Stajic struck the equalizer at 45 minutes for Serbian White Eagles. Two goals by forward Vladimir Strizovic and a fourth goal by Nikola Timotijovic at 81 minutes completed the 4-1 victory for Serbian White Eagles. Nikola Durkovic of Serbian White Eagles was shown the red card at the 70th minute mark for Violent Conduct.

Serbian White Eagles now have a 5-2-0 record for 15 points in second position in the standings, while Ooty Black Pearl has a 0-5-2 record for 2 points in sixth position in the table.

Two goals each by prolific goal scorers Ivliev Surgii and Mykola Temniuk during the first half and into the early stages following the interval, together with a goal by midfielder Mpala Aubrey, put the game out of reach for Weston United. Late goals by Dynamo Toronto midfielder Yarmosh Valerii at 78 minutes, Mykyta Pishchulin two minutes later, defender Ivan Kucherenko at 81minutes and Kezic Kristijan just before the final whistle, were interrupted only by a single strike when Weston United’s Vitor Nascimento beat Dynamo goalkeeper Ihor Vitiv to find the net at 60 minutes, a 9-1 result for Dynamo Toronto.

Dynamo Toronto take a clear third in the standings as a result of the win, a 4-2-1 record for 13 points, while Weston United is at 0-5-2 for 2 points in 7th place.

Games resume at the Mattamy Park on Saturday, July 29 with Ooty Black Pearl vs Weston United in the opening game at 2 pm, it’s Dynamo Toronto vs Toronto Falcons at 4 pm and Serbian White Eagles vs Hamilton City at 6.

SERBIAN WHITE EAGLES, TORONTO FALCONS WIN – Opening game abandoned

PHOTO: Renny Harlan

The opening match of three played in the Canadian Soccer League at the Mattamy Sports Park on Saturday was suspended by the referee at 57 minutes due to misconduct on the field of play. In the second game, Serbian White Eagles controlled the play to defeat Weston United 4-0 and in the late game, an early first half goal gave Toronto Falcons a 1-0 result over Ooty Black Pearl.

There were eight yellow cards and three players ejected in a rough and tumble affair that got out of hand with verbal abuse including threats, all of which was enough for referee Milodrag Akmadzic to end the Dynamo Toronto vs Scarborough opener in the second half. An additional red card was shown following the whistle that abandoned the encounter. Dynamo Toronto led 2-0 from goals by forward Mykola Temniuk at 24 minutes, and defender Vadym Gostiev’s strike at the 47th minute mark.

The league has indicated there will be an inquiry by its discipline panel to decide the disposition of the match and discipline considerations for a game which ended with more than 30 minutes remaining on the clock.

Serbian White Eagles’ prolific scorer Maro Stajic opened the scoring with a quick goal from inside the box just two minutes after the kickoff against Weston United. Forward Stefan Milosevic then found the net past Weston goalkeeper Vinicius Pinto de Carvalho at the 12th minute mark for a 2-0 lead at the break. Nikola Durkovic scored twice in a six minute period halfway through the second half when Serbian White Eagles controlled most of the play.

Weston United was reduced to 10 men when midfielder Joao Emmanuel Matos was shown the red card at 56 minutes. It was 4-0 in favour of Serbian White Eagles at the final whistle for the Toronto area team to lead the CSL standings.

There were three attempts including two rebounds before Denys Diachenko put the ball into the net at 14 minutes for Toronto Falcons, a goal almost saved by Oooty Black Pearl goalkeeper MacLean Hawkins-Olinskie in the late game. The goal held to the final whistle for a 1-0 result to give the Falcons its first victory in the campaign, while Ooty Black Pearl is without a win.

The Canadian Soccer League resumes its 2023 schedule on July 8 with three games at a new location Paramount Field 2 in Mississauga.
2PM Toronto Falcons vs Weston United FC
4PM Hamilton City 1 vs FC Dynamo
6PM Scarborough SC vs OOTY Black Pearl FC

SERBIAN EAGLES ON TOP FOLLOWING TIES AT MATTAMY

Hamilton City overcame a 2-0 first half deficit to score twice in the second half for a 2-2 draw with Weston United in the opening game of three in the Canadian Soccer League at the Mattawa Sports Park Saturday. Scarborough and Toronto Falcons played to a scoreless tie in the second game and in the late game Serbian White Eagles struck three times in the second half for a 3-0 victory over Dynamo Toronto.

Weston United midfielder Vitor de Jesus found the net past Hamilton goalkeeper Aleksandar Nikolic to open the scoring after 10 minutes and de Jesus scored a second goal at 31 minutes for a 2-0 Weston United lead at the break. Hamilton defender Gragor Zugelj scored three minutes into the second half to reduce the lead to 2-1 and forward Moussa Limane tied the game for Hamilton at 63 minutes, a 2-2 tie at the final whistle.

It was de Jesus’ third goal in two opening season games for Weston United after scoring his side’s lone goal in a 4-1 loss to Dynamo Toronto in the opener on May 27.

It was hard fought in the second encounter with Scarborough continuing its reputation for being difficult to defeat going back several seasons. The east Toronto side lost only one regular season result in 2022 and went down to Continentals FC in the CSL championship final, the fifth consecutive year Scarborough reached the championship final game while winning the title in 2019 and 2021. . Saturday’s match was the regular season opener for Toronto Falcons following its Royal CSL Cup victory on May 13.

Marko Stajic opened the scoring for Serbian White Eagles against Dynamo Toronto following a scoreless first half, the goal coming at 52 minutes. Marko Pavicevic made it 2-0 at the 70th minute mark and Stajic scored a second goal to complete the scoring at 86 minutes for a 3-0 result at the final whistle. The victory continues a Serbian Eagles winning way following an opening season win on May 27 and a CSL league title in 2022.

Serbian White Eagles will kickoff the first game of three at the Mattamy Sports Park on Saturday, June 10, a 2 pm kickoff against Toronto Falcons, the second match will see Ooty Black Pearl FC vs Hamilton City 1 at 4 pm and Weston United will meet Scarborough, a 6pm start

A DECADE OF PRIVACY FOR CANADIAN SOCCER LEAGUE

Canada’s attempts to strengthen its professional soccer structure suffered a set- back during November with the termination of membership of FC Edmonton in the Canadian Premier League. The club has been a high profile member of the CPL after competing in the North American Soccer League until 2017 and has been a CPL member since the league’s inaugural season in 2019. The Alberta club will no longer be in a position to play in the CPL in 2023 following a unanimous decision by the CPL board of governors to end the franchise.

Low attendances and low revenues were two of the of the reasons given for the surprise decision, which raises questions about the league’s overall attendances in an environment where a satisfactory fan presence at the games is necessary to develop media attention.  It is also one of the financial income generating components to maintain a viable business that includes considerable long distance travel for the teams, often a deterrent to coast to coast expansion in Canadian soccer.

FC Edmonton is owned by Tom and Dave Fath and was coached by Alan Koch, a former South African player including the South Africa U-23 youth national team  and who was head coach of FC Cincinnati of Major League Soccer before moving to FC Edmonton. Koch was disappointed by the league’s decision, expressing to the CBC that terminating Edmonton as “one of the few historic professional clubs in the country and with the club folding, that’s not a good day for Canadian soccer.”

The CPL’s average per match attendance during the 2022 season was just over 3,000 from each of the eight teams in membership. As a comparison, the National Soccer League, which played as a regional league in Ontario and Quebec during the period 1926 to 1998 reached a similar average attendance during its later years when all matches were played at Stanley Park in Toronto. In 1998 the NSL merged with the Canadian Professional Soccer League and the CPSL was rebranded in 2006 to be known as today’s Canadian Soccer League (CSL).  The Canadian Soccer League hit that attendance number on occasion, but only following the addition of Serbian White Eagles in 2006, a team with a reputation for success after reaching the final of the North American Championship in 1975.

The termination of  FC Edmonton and the attendance level of Canada’s coast to coast professional league following its fourth year of operation has again raised the question of what defines an ideal professional soccer structure to accommodate elite players in Canada and position Canada as a serious contender on the world stage.

It’s been a decade since the Rethink Management Group, based in the United States, was commissioned by the Canadian Soccer Association (now Canada Soccer) to study level 2 soccer in Canada. The study included recommendations for a restructuring with emphasis on player development in a pro league environment, which triggered a CSA decision that the Canadian Soccer League would cease to be sanctioned.  (The CSL first received the news from a media person following a CSA office leak and was then advised by the Canadian Soccer Association with a formal notice on February 13, 2013.)

The CSL was Canada’s top soccer league at the time with a history going back to 1925, was in good standing and had a clean sheet without any guilty discipline issues off the field of play. It was a direct member of the Canadian Soccer Association following an arrangement to separate from its previous direct governing body Ontario Soccer Association. The league, which also had aspirations to expand on a regional basis across Canada, was rocked by the decision.

The CSL sought the advice of a constitutional specialist who advised that in the decision to de-sanction there were numerous contradictions to the CSA Constitution and Bye-laws, including that it is the CSA’s duty to act fairly with the right to a fair hearing. There are specific rights afforded CSA members when their membership is in jeopardy, all of which were ignored. With just weeks away from exhibition games and  a new season close to kickoff, there  was no consideration given the league’s member clubs, their financial investments, their sponsorships, hundreds of player contracts and agreements, their livelihood.

The league appealed the decision to the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada (SDRCC), a branch of the federal government which released its findings on April 23, 2013. Justice Hugh L. Fraser considered the  decision to de-sanction the Canadian Soccer League heavy handed, that the Canadian Soccer League was denied fairness and natural justice. Justice Fraser ruled that the CSL be reinstated  immediately and that the league be given 12 months to February 13, 2014 to  minimize disruption to its operations, and to seek and be given the opportunity to be  accepted into membership with an alternative governing body.

The Canadian Soccer League did not accept new governance and has soldiered on to play attractive soccer as a private league in the Canadian soccer community with a large number of seasoned professionals with international experience, as well as local players who benefit in a player development environment.

The Canadian Soccer League was never consulted when the Rethink Management Group filed its recommendations for a future professional soccer structure in Canada late 2012. The recommendations were similar to the CSL’s beliefs that given Canada’s vast geography professional soccer be played  on a regional basis to avoid the high cost of travel. The CSL also favoured a player development environment and in the three years leading up to the Rethink Management Group study more than 40 CSL players were selected for various national teams – mostly youth teams. Bermuda-born Andre Manders, a 26 year old full back  with the CSL’s York Region Shooters commented at the time: “Playing for the Shooters definitely helped me get into the national team of Bermuda and probably helped me get into the starting 11”. Mississauga Eagles FC, the professional team with the Erin Mills Soccer Club, head coach Josef Komlodi had several players on trial in Europe and commented at the time: “Playing in the CSL has helped these players polish their skills to now play at international levels,” while Thomas Rongen, academy director for Toronto FC and former U.S. U-20 men’s national team head coach said he prefers the CSL to the highly touted United States  Soccer Development Academy where the competition is considered to be the top tier of youth soccer in the United States. Paul Beirne, Director of Business Operations for Toronto FC also said “When we needed to find a league that would test the mettle of the best players we wanted someone that would test then technically, physically and tactically.

While the CSL gained much sympathy, the match fixing scandal that plagued the league from 2009 to 2016 was certainly on the minds of the Canadian Soccer Association, but the CSA has been steadfast when questioned many times, explaining that the decision to de-sanction had nothing at all to do with manipulation of games. That being the case, however, does not mean the CSA believes the CSL is lilly white innocent.

The match fixing allegations all began when an accused in a German court commented that match fixing was everywhere, even in Canada. A Canadian Soccer League match at Trois-Rivieres, Quebec was fixed, it was said under oath. The match details and result – a win for the home team- were considered to be a reasonable reflection of where the two teams stood in the league standings. It was considered that the accused was attempting to give a perspective by playing down his small match fixing activity against what is  common practice world-wide.

The Daily Telegraph newspaper in England also reported that suspicious betting activity was evident in the CSL following a report by the International Centre for Sport Security. There were rumours abound.

The CSL management considered the allegations becoming unmanageable and sought help from the Canadian Soccer Association, but was turned down. Both CONCACAF and FIFA also refused to assist, with explanations that it was a local problem that needed help from within Canada. The Ontario Provincial Police carried out a brief investigation but handed the case over to the RCMP due to any fraud that may have developed is considered international activity. Bets were being placed overseas on the Canadian matches. The RCMP ceased its investigation with a conclusion that the manipulation of certain games by a small minority group may be taking place, but considered the league needed support to work through its difficult time to a satisfactory conclusion.

The Canadian Soccer Association had experienced match fixing after all when the men’s national team, eliminated from the 1986 World Cup in Mexico then played in the Merlion Cup competition in Singapore. Several players accepted a bribe to fix a match and  funds were distributed to certain players. The fix was confirmed and charges were laid but the Canadian court ruled that prosecution could not take place in its jurisdiction and should be dealt with in Singapore where the criminal offence took place.

The Canadian Soccer League sought help and ended up with a decade of privacy. It concluded that all members of the soccer community, including soccer governance, must do their part to believe in the beautiful game, that in doing so will make sure it stays beautiful.

UPCOMING –  Looking back, a CSL retrospective of highlights from 2022

Stan Adamson

 

ANATOLY (The Wall) STARUSHCHENKO APTLY NAMED

Goalkeeper Anatoly (The Wall) Starushchenko is well named and for those fortunate enough to see the cliff hanger championship final won 2-1 by Continentals FC  at Lamport Stadium in downtown Toronto on August 27, it became obvious as the match progressed that opposition Scarborough were facing a special challenge with its numerous second half rallies on the Continentals’ net.

Continentals took an early second half 2-1 lead in the final match of the 2022 season and as the 40 minutes remaining in regular time went by, Scarborough became relentless and desperate to score an equalizer, fighting for a chance at extra time and eventual victory in the fast-paced increasingly physical encounter. The two sides were the most successful during the past five years in the Canadian Soccer League and the match was one of the most attractive during the current season.

Starushchenko, 34,  would be a standout with any team is the impression from a stadium seat. The Ukrainian-born ‘keeper appears always to get in the way of a ball that might reach the net. Yet his journey in soccer while impressive, fails to reveal the rewards expected for an obvious special player during the 15 years he has toiled in the higher levels of the game on both sides of the Atlantic.

Starushchenko played most of his soccer in Ukraine and Tajikistan in Central Asia before signing for FC Vorkuta in 2019 where he featured prominently in first division league titles, championships and the ProSound Cup victory .

Continentals FC look for more of Anatoly Starushchenko in 2023.

A WELCOME WORLD CUP

With a November 20 Sunday morning kickoff of host Qatar against Ecuador, the World Cup gets underway and it’s always of special interest to CSL members — players, club officials and volunteers – many with their homeland teams taking part. We all have at least one team to cheer for in Canada, while some members have two with Serbia, Bulgaria, Croatia, England coming to mind.

A special thought for our Brantford Galaxy’s Bosko Borjan with son Milan Borjan in goal for Canada and let’s not forget that two players in this World Cup for Canada– Jonathan Osorio and Atiba Hutchinson = were players in the CSL.

The group matches are daily with Canada’s first game against Belgium (2nd in the FIFA rankings) this coming Wednesday, Nov. 23 at 2 pm. Quarterfinals start December 9 and 10, Semifinals December 13 and 14, the third place will be played on December 17. The World Cup Final is December 18.

Stan Adamson