PICTURE: While Vorkuta has yet to drop a point, Serbian White Eagles are tough to score against and Saturday’s encounter may may be a challenge for the current champions.
It’s a full slate with all 10 teams in action this coming weekend, the halfway point of the season for a Canadian Soccer League First Division that continues to be led by a team that has earned its catch me if you can attitude with an 8-0-0 record while also posturing for a soon-to-be defence of the league championship.
FC Vorkuta has an 8 point margin at the top which is a formidable challenge for any opposition that still has design on winning the First Division title. Vorkuta B, the club’s reserve team, is developing a similar pattern, not yet conceding a point with its 4-0-0 record in the Second Division following a 5-2 victory over Kingsman B on July 17.
Not surprisingly, Vorkuta’s Mykola Temniuk, a Ukraine-born striker, leads the First Division goalscoring after finding the net 10 times so far in the campaign.
Vorkuta is at home Saturday at the Ontario Soccer Centre against Serbian White Eagles, a team that has won five of its six games played so far and has a reputation for being difficult to score against. Serbian Eagles has been conceding about one goal per game in recent times, which is often championship performance. The team conceded one goal per game during the regular season in 2017, 1.25 in 2018 and in the current campaign is running at 1.3 goals per game in the six matches played. The stout defence and top goalkeeping, mostly by Goran Skaric, may prove to be a challenge for Vorkuta.
Judging by the team’s performance since entering the CSL in 2016, Ukraine United are in a catch-up position having been defeated twice in the six games played so far. The Toronto-based team visits Hamilton City Sunday. CSC Mississauga, coming off a 5-2 defeat to Ukraine United, travels for a game with Brantford Galaxy Saturday, Waterloo will be at Esther Shiner Stadium on Sunday to meet Kingsman A and Scarborough, following a tough 1-0 loss to Vorkuta on July 14, is at home to Real Mississauga, also on Sunday.
THE WEEKEND:
First Division
Saturday, July 20, Ontario Soccer Centre 9 pm FC Vorkuta vs Serbian White Eagles
Sunday, July 21, Heritage Field 4.30 pm pm Hamilton City vs FC Ukraine United
Sunday, July 21, Heritage Field 6.30 pm Brantford Galaxy vs CSC Mississauga.
Sunday, July 21, Esther Shiner Stadium 6.30 pm Kingsman A vs SC Waterloo
Sunday, July 21, Birchmount Stadium 8 pm Scarborough SC vs Real Mississauga
NEXT WEEK
Second Division
Wednesday, July 24, Cardinal Newman Field 7 pm Hamilton City B vs Brantford Galaxy B
Wedneday, July 24, Ontario Soccer Centre 9 pm Kingsman B vs CSC Mississauga B
Wednesday, July 24, Iceland Field 9 pm Serbian White Eagles B vs FC Vorkuta B
