CSL TO SELECT TWO ALL STAR TEAMS FOR UPCOMING SEASON

The CSL intends to resurrect its All Star team and will be seeking opposition from visiting foreign teams for the upcoming 2012 season. The league is considering fielding two teams and if suitable opposition can be arranged, there will be a senior team of the CSL’s best and also a team of  U-19s, with the annual  Dallas Cup under consideration.

The CSL All Stars has a history of taking on the big boys in world club soccer and while the team has been short on results, the games have been competitive and exciting over the years. Here, we recap several games played during the last decade, or so.

Opposition in recent years include Glasgow Rangers and Clyde FC from Scotland, Munich 1860 of the German Bundesliga, Maritimo and Boavista FC of Portugal and a strong Moroccan U-23 side.

Let’s go back to 2001 when a CPSL Selects side took on the Moroccan U-23 team in Ottawa, a game played on July 6, 2001, just three years after Morocco took part in the World Cup Finals and their U-23 team was considered the ‘cream of the crop’ in that North African country.

The game ended in a 1-1 tie. Tony La Ferrara (North York Astros, now with the Pickering Soccer Club) was the head coach with a squad that looked like this:

 Dino Perri (St. Catharines Roma Wolves), Richard Goddard (Ottawa Wizards); Bayette Smith and Danny Sanna (Toronto Olympians), Kurt Ramsey (North York Astros), Kwame Telamaque, Russell Shaw, Andrew Waring (Ottawa Wizards); Gary Hughes (St. Catharines Roma Wolves). Lucio Ianiero (St. Catharines Roma) – Captain, Dejan Gluscevic (North York Astros), Goran Zankovic (Ottawa Wizards), Leo Incollingo (Montreal Dynamites), Orlando Rizzo (York Region Shooters), Dave McDonald (Glen Shields Sun Devils), Jerry Pean (Montreal Dynamites), John Matas and Willy Giummarra (Toronto Olympians), Jim Kuzmanoski (Durham Flames), Mario Andrijanic and Marc Enguene (Ottawa Wizards).

Just three weeks later, on July 25, 2001, the CPSL All Stars gave Maritimo of Portugal a rough time at Cove Road in London, despite the 4-0 result in favour of the visitors.

“They scored the goals and that’s what counts,” said CPSL coach Tony La Ferrara, “But we put up a real fight and gave them a rough ride.”

On May 15, 2002, the CPSL All Stars were no match for a strong Munich 1860 side, a game played before a well-attended crowd at Budd Stadium in Kitchener. The game ended 6-0 in favour of the German Bundesliga club for the highest score on record against a CPSL All Star team.

The CPSL All Stars were:

 Pieter Meuleman, Jason Faria,  Danny Sanna,  Peyvand Mossavat,  Bayete Smith
 Gentian Dervishi, Miles O’Conner,  Abraham Osman, Phil Ionadi,  Carlo Arghittu,  Jimmy Kuzmanovski Subs: Luciano Miranda (gk),  Orlando Rizzo,  Tyler Hemming,  Lucio Ianiero,  David Mancini, Dejan Gluscevic, Denny Dragonic.Technical Director/General Manager Jim Douglas…coaches Jurek Gebczynski, David Benning, Victor Cameria and Steve Nijjar.

Moving forward to 2004, the CPSL Selects played another Portuguese First Division side, Boavista FC,

  at Cove Road on May 28 and Boavista, which  won the Portuguese First Division in the 2000-2001 season, 

were too strong for the CPSL team, winning 3-0. Harry Gauss of London City was the CPSL coach, 

a team known as the CPSL Locust Selects: 

 George Azcurra (Toronto Croatia),Haidar Al Shairbani (London City),Peter Zorba (North York Astros),Mason Greene (Mississauga Olympians), 

Bayete Smith (Brampton Hitmen), Marko Peeters (London City),Sasha Kosanovic (Metro Lions),Kosta Stojkovic (Metro Lions),                                               

Justin Medeiros (London City), Kareem Reynolds (Metro Lions), Phil Ionadi (Brampton Hitmen), Billy Ninopoulos (Metro Lions), 

Marko Janjicek (Metro Lions),Darryl Gomez (Metro Lions),Paul Munster (London City).      

A year later, Glasgow Rangers, the 51-time Scottish champions, which won the Scottish Premier Division the year before, played the CPSL All Stars on the Varsity Stadium original surface but without the recently demolished stands.

The visitors, here for a nine-day training camp before kicking off their Premier Division season in Scotland at the end of July, fielded a mix of first team probables and several possibles in a 27-man roster.

The game was played on July 9, 2005 and following a scoreless first half, Rangers eventually won 4-1. Many believed the score would have been closer had team manager Bruno Ierullo kept the first-half lineup on the field, but he was applauded for playing his full roster, giving all players selected the experience.of playing against one of the best club sides in world soccer. The squad

 Carlo Arghittu and Danny Gallacher (St. Catharines Wolves), Dennis Peeters and Eris Tafaj (London City), Marcus Chorvat (Border Stars), Michael Silva (Toronto Supra), Fitzroy Powell and Craig Williams (Durham Storm), Fuseini Dauda, Ricardo Marquez, Daniel Milojevic, Zelko Dukic, Johnny Annisi, Roberto Ferrari (Hamilton Thunder), Hugo Herrara (Brampton Stallions), Gabriel Pop, Darren Baxter, Aaron Steele, Igor Prostran, Sergio De Luca (Oakville Blue Devils), Justin Phillips (Vaughan Shooters) and Joseph Feifoo (North York Astros).
Head Coach: Jorge Armua, General Manager: Bruno Ierullo, Team Manager: Hector Marinaro Sr., Team Doctor: Scott Howitt, Physiotherapist: Dean Grima and the Equipment Manager: Elio Scarcello.

On May 7, 2006, Clyde FC of Scotland scored a 2-1 victory over the CPSL All Stars at Esther Shiner Stadium in North York. The game was decided on a penalty kick awarded to Clyde FC in the second half by referee Steve De Piero following a shirt tugging incident by CPSL defender Antonijo Zupan of Toronto Croatia.

The CPSL All Stars had opened the scoring for an early 1-0 lead after just six minutes when Sasa Viciknez took a pass from Peter Curic to find the net, but that was cancelled out by Clyde forward Douglas Imrie who, at the 18 minute mark headed the ball out of reach of All Star goalkeeper George Azcurra to tie the score 1-1.

CPSL All Stars: Dusan Belic (Serbian White Eagles), Haidar Al Shaibani (London City), George Azcurra (Toronto Croatia), Deny Velastegui (Oakville Blue Devils), Orlin Chalmers (Oakville Blue Devils), Fitzroy Christey (Italia Shooters), Domagoj Sain (Toronto Croatia), Antonijo Zupan (Toronto Croatia) (CAPT.), Mirko Medic (Serbian White Eagles), Mario Ostojic (Serbian White Eagles), Zeljko Dukic (St.Catharines Wolves), Danny Draganic (Toronto Croatia), Selmir Sehic (Toronto Supra Portuguese), Desi Humphrey (Italia Shooters), Gentjan Dervishi (London City), Eris Tafaj (London City), Geoffrey Attard (St.Catharines Wolves), Caswain Mason (Toronto Croatia), Hayden Fitzwilliams (Toronto Croatia), Judah Hernandez (Oakville Blue Devils), Alex Braletic (Serbian White Eagles), Sasa Viciknez (Serbian White Eagles), Peter Curic (Toronto Croatia), Jean Tshimpaka (North York Astros). Velemir Crjlen (Head Coach, Toronto Croatia) Milodrag Akmadiz (Assist. Coach, Brampton Stallions) Nedo Radman (Equip. Manager, Toronto Croatia), Nino Sonsini (Sports Therapist, Brampton Stallions), Hector Marinaro (CPSL Chief Scout), Tony De Thomasis (Assistant Manager, Italia Shooters), Bruno Ierullo (General Manager, North York Astros).