ALL SET TO GO
Expansion teams CSC Mississauga and Real Mississauga joined Brantford Galaxy, Hamilton City , Scarborough SC, Serbian White Eagles, FC Ukraine United, FC Vorkuta and SC Waterloo to form the 2018 CSL First Division with a new season kickoff date of May 13.
Halton United B also entered the CSL, to start its campaign in the CSL Second Division with Brantford Galaxy B, Milton B, Scarborough B, Serbian White Eagles B and FC Vorkuta B to form the division two teams that completed the 2018 competition.
HOW IT ENDED
Without a serious challenge from any one of three or four teams in the CSL First Division, the regular season league title was expected to go to FC Vorkuta or FC Ukraine United. As the five-month long season unfolded, these two teams – both recent in Canada’s only professional soccer league – took over at the top, each ending with 38 points, nine points ahead of teams 3rd and 4th in the table. Ukraine United eventually won the First Division and Vorkuta won the Canadian Soccer League Championship. The following are events of interest in the five-month long campaign:
MAY KICKOFF
FC Vorkuta and FC Ukraine United, the two most successful teams in 2017, came together for the 2018 CSL First Division season opener on May 13, a 2-1 opening victory for Vorkuta at Centennial Stadium. The winner was scored from the penalty spot midway through the second half by Oleh Kerchu, the Vorkuta captain, who entered the CSL in 2016 with today’s opposition, FC Ukraine United, before being transferred to Vorkuta in 2017. The CSL Second Division kicked off two weeks later on May 25 when Vorkuta reserve team dominated Serbian White Eagles reserves, 12-1.
GREAT SCORING
Number 4 is a lucky number for Alexander Stojiljkovic of Scarborough SC who led his side with four goals to a 5-1 defeat of Hamilton City on May 27. It was not the first time Stojiljkovic scored four goals, the Serbian-born striker hit four against Milton in a 7-0 victory on September 2, 2017 and followed up with another four in a 5-0 win against Brantford Galaxy which assured him of the CSL 2017 scoring title with total 17 goals.
JUNE’S DOUBLE HAT-TRICK
It’s not often one team scores two hat-tricks in a match, but this occured on June 30 when forward Yevhen Falkovskyi and midfielder Pavlo Lukianets both scored a three goals for FC Ukraine United in a 9-0 First Division victory against SC Waterloo at RIM Park. Falkovskyi and Lukianets each had distinguished careers in Ukraine before arriving in Canada during the 2016-17 period to play for FC Ukraine United in the CSL.
FROM CENTENNIAL STADIUM TO RUSSIA IN JULY
Not many years ago, Joe Fletcher ran the line in Canadian Soccer League games at Centennial Stadium in Etobicoke and other grounds on the CSL circuit. In earlier times, Fletcher was known as a speedy player before a decision to become a match official in soccer, to be noticed eventually by CSL referee-in-chief Tony Camacho who offered the Niagara Falls teenager an opportunity to run the line in a nearby Roma Wolves home game at the Club Roma Stadium on Vansickle Road in St. Catharines.
The now 41 year old Chartered Accountant is still running the line, but to a different audience. Seen by billions of soccer fans around the world, the estimated TV audience watching the 1918 World Cup in Russia, Fletcher was Assistant Referee for the England vs Colombia World Cup match in Moscow on July 3. It was his second World Cup assignment after being selected to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Eight years in the CSL led to assignments in Major League Soccer, followed by key games in CONCACAF and other international matches. He was on the line for the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada and was assigned to matches at the Olympic Games in London in 2012.
SUCCESSFUL AUGUST RETURN
August 3 marked the return to the microphone at CSL matches of announcer Enio Peruzza for game number 3,527 since his pro soccer announcing debut 32 years ago on August 3, 1986. That was a Toronto Blizzard home game to be followed over the years with the announcing of Benfica from Portugal, Red Star Belgrade from Serbia, the Italian Military Team, the Mexico U-20 national team and others sprinkled from time to time between regular CSL games. Italian-born Peruzza, 52, returned to announce the Serbian White Eagles vs Hamilton City at Centennial Stadium that Friday night August 3 during in the season just ended, a return that followed successful by-pass surgery.
AUGUST MEMORIES OF A VISIT FROM SAO PAULO
It was on August 28 that Anarqui Futebol & Amigos, a Brazilian veterans team visited Toronto to play a CSL All Star veterans side at the St. Joan of Arc Stadium in Maple, just north of the city. The visit of the team based in Sao Paulo, Brazil, was the first of four exhibition matches in North America, with visits to Montreal, Quebec City and Orlando, Florida to follow. Anarqui Futebol & Amigos usually tour Europe, a routine followed for the past 11 years and there have also been visits to the African continent. This was the first visit to North America. Sao Paulo is well known as a place to see the best of football in South America including Santos, one of Brazil’s most successful clubs and the team Pele played for. The CSL Veteran All Stars won 6-2 on August 28, an entertaining encounter, and while the stature of the teams cannot be compared, the recent match brought back memories of the Santos (with Pele) visit to Toronto in 1973 which filled Varsity Stadium and the neighboring rooftops. Santos beat Italy’s Bologna, 2-1.
SEPTEMBER RARITY
Goalkeeper Senad Poracanin scored the opening goal for Real Mississauga on September 7, a rarity that helped his team to a 2-0 victory against Brantford Galaxy. It was a penalty kick decision and Poracanin was selected as the most likely player to find the net.
ALL SQUARE IN SEPTEMBER – EXCEPT THE GOALS
The First Division league title was undecided until the last regular season game when FC Ukraine United clinched the top position with a superior goal differential. Both Ukraine United and FC Vorkuta ended the regular season with 12 wins, 2 losses, 2 draws and 38 points. Both conceded 16 goals, but Ukraine United found the net 60 times compared to Vorkuta’s 55.
A GALLANT OCTOBER EFFORT
Halton United, a Mississauga-based expansion team playing its inaugural pro soccer season in the CSL Second Division, took an impressive step forward after finishing in the runner-up spot in the regular season standings. The team with a strong academy player development environment then advanced to the CSL Second Division Championship Final, losing narrowly 3-2 to Vorkuta B.
FC Vorkuta won the coveted championship trophy in October to be CSL overall champions and FC Vorkuta Reserves won the Second Division championship, a feat achieved only once in CSL history, by SC Waterloo which captured the double in 2013.
CSL CHAMPIONSHIP SUMMARY
Quarterfinals
SC Waterloo 2, Serbian White Eagles 1
Scarborough SC 4, Hamilton City 1
FC Ukraine United 0, Brantford Galaxy 0 (after extra time) FC Ukraine United won 8-7 on penalty kicks
FC Vorkuta 2, Real Mississauga 1
Semifinals
FC Vorkuta 2, SC Waterloo 2 (after extra time) Vorkuta won 4-3 on penalty kicks
Scarborough SC 2, Ukraine United 1
CSL Championship Final
FC Vorkuta 1, Scarborough SC 1 (after extra time) FC Vorkuta won 6-5 on penalty kicks
CSL SECOND DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP
Semifinals
FC Vorkuta B 3, Brantford Galaxy B 1
Halton United B 3, Scarborough SC B 1
CSL Second Division Championship
FC Vorkuta B 3, Halton United 2