Ten teams will kickoff a new First Division season and launch a new era in the Canadian Soccer League mid-May, a six-month schedule supplemented by cross-border games against teams in the soon-to-be launched American Soccer League playing out of the northeastern United States.
It will be a historic venture for the semi-professional CSL, which was originally launched as the National Soccer League in 1926 and re-branded through the years to become the CSL as we know it today. Now operating as a private league – which the league has elected to do on more than one occasion in its history – the CSL will have a working relationship with its U.S. counterpart to also include youth player development and marketing.
The ten teams to kickoff the CSL top division in the new season are Brampton City Utd, Burlington SC, London City, Kingston FC, Niagara United, North York Astros, SC Waterloo, Serbian White Eagles, Toronto Croatia and York Region Shooters. Teams for the CSL Second Division will be announced March 31.
SC Waterloo, which provides a much-needed professional soccer presence in the densely-populated youth soccer region that exists in the twin cities of Kitchener-Waterloo and the regional soccer community that reaches out to out as far as Cambridge, Guelph and Stratford, are the current CSL champions following a 3-1 victory over Kingston FC in the Championship Final November 3. The southwestern Ontario club also captured the Second Division title when their second string defeated Toronto Croatia Reserves on the same day, the first time a CSL club has taken both titles in the same season.
“It certainly was a great season when all of the hard work paid off and we want to build on our success and do even more to provide attractive soccer and help in player development throughout the region, all while the Canadian Soccer League continues to grow as a strong member of the Canadian soccer community,” said Tony Kocis, president of SC Waterloo.
SC Waterloo are scheduled for their opening home game at Warrior Field in Waterloo on Sunday, May 25, a day set by several clubs for their home opener. Serbian White Eagles will have Lamport Stadium in Toronto’s west-end as their home ground in 2014 and have scheduled their home opener for Saturday, May 31.
The complete 2014 CSL schedule will be released early April.
