A compact four teams will kick off a new season in the Canadian Soccer League on Sunday, June 8, to continue its place and status in Canada’s soccer community, now as a regional semi-professional loop playing in the province of Ontario.
The season will get underway with the Royal Cup competition, a tournament that pays tribute to CSL announcer Enio Perruzza who passed away unexpectedly on January 15, 2021 at the age of 54. Known as the voice of the CSL, Perruzza called more than 3,000 games in 20 years throughout Canadian soccer including international matches involving popular teams from other parts of the world.
Following the Royal Cup semi-final matches on June 8, the Royal Cup Final will be played on Sunday, June 15, to be followed by the start of the regular season on Sunday, June 22 through to September 13, The playoffs for the CSL Championship are scheduled to begin on September 21 with the CSL Championship Final on Saturday, September 27. Most games are scheduled to be played at Esther Shiner Stadium, Toronto.
Aeem Canada FC, Scarborough SC, Serbian White Eagles and Unity FC will vie for the three trophies in what will mark a 2025 season and 100 years since Toronto Ulster played Windsor Rovers in the first game of the original CSL forerunner league on June 19, 1926, The forerunner leagues continued during several rebranding changes, the latest being a change in the name in 2006 from the Canadian Professional Soccer League (CPSL) to the Canadian Soccer League (CSL) which followed with a more significant change when the CPSL merged with the semi-professional National Soccer League (NSL) in 1997.
Soccer historian Colin Jose wrote in his book ‘ON Side’ that the forerunner leagues of the CSL were borne out of turmoil in the tumultuous years of the 1920s, describing the league as having stood the test of time when other leagues have come and gone in Canada. While there has been more stability in recent years, the CSL, Canada’s top league at the time, was rocked when de-sanctioned by the governing body Canadian Soccer Association, a decision considered by many to be unnecessary and heavy handed. The decision was arrived at following the release of a study by the Rethink Management Group, a sports consultancy organization based in San Francisco commissioned by Canada Soccer to study and recommend a course of action that will lead to Canada being more competitive in world soccer. The report put emphasis on local player development by giving opportunities to players who are permanent residents in Canada. CSL clubs imported many foreign players but to de-sanction the CSL was wrong, said the Canadian government’s sport disputes resolution body following a hearing before Justice Hugh L. Fraser. The investigation and hearing, was highly critical and considered the Canadian Soccer Association decision unconstitutional and not within the governing body’s own by-laws.
Justice Fraser and the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada (SDRCC) cancelled the de-sanctioning for 12 months to allow the CSL time to decide its future governance, probably the Ontario Soccer Association. But the league decided to play as a private entity and having been independent for 12 years it has yet to seek reinstatement. The irony of this turn of events was a CSL decision in 2011 to request a change in the league’s governance from the Ontario Soccer Association to the Canadian Soccer Association during a period when the CSL was considering the prospect of a coast to coast CSL, which was long overdue. Serious discussions were taking place with interested parties in Alberta and British Columbia – two clubs in Quebec were already CSL members.
Serbian White Eagles has been a CSL member team since 2006 and is today led by Dragan Bakoc, who is also the president of the CSL. The Eagles has a reputation for importing high level players and coaches including the outstanding Dragoslav Sekularac of Serbia being appointed head coach during the early stages of the CSL competition. Sekularac was one of the top players in Europe and known world-wide. Serbian White Eagles have been in the CSL Championship final five times, winning the CSL Championship three times. The team has won the regular season title six times including the 2024 season. Bakoc was elected president of the CSL following the decision to de-sanction the league and his steadfast determination to overcome the earlier setbacks and rebilled the league is considered to have played a major part in the CSL’s continuing existence reaching the100 years centenary.
Scarborough SC was an expansion team in the CSL in 2014, and under the direction of owner/GM Kiril Dimitrov the east Toronto team has gone from a lowly position in the standings in its inaugural season to rise each and every year to be in the CSL Championship final game six times, winning the championship twice and has won the regular season title twice. Zoran Knezevic is the head coach this coming season, assistant coach as a player coach is Edmond Amadeo Badal and goalkeeper Vladimir Dragicevic will be sharing the coaching duties in the upcoming season as the club’s goalkeeper coach.
A club founded by president Cayo Braz, Unity FC enters its second season in the Canadian Soccer League to continue with Douglas Nassif as head coach and Leonardo Vital as assistant coach. Unity FC is of South American influence which originates from Brazil.
AEEM Canada FC is an expansion team in the CSL under the direction of Eli Manga who has appointed head coach Kebe Al Elinkine Wahid, also known as Cheikh Abdoul Khadre Kebe and ‘The Unique’ due to a successful strong background in soccer and success in other sports. A Senegal national, Kebe was appointed a Sports Director in 2020 following his certification by the Confederation of African Football in 2019. Sadio Mane, a Senegalese professional and one of the greatest African players of all time with Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr and the Senegal national team, is now a friend and team mate of Christiano Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia. Mane is expected to join AEEM Canada FC during the coming season.
In addition to president Dragan Bakoc, Peter Kovacs continues as the league’s chief administrator, , Les Anning is the operations manager at the games, Devor Kresic the chief referee and co-ordinator of the match officials and Stan Adamson is the corporate secretary and media official..
Opening Day – ROYAL CUP TOURNAMENT – Enio Perruzza Memorial Trophy
Sunday June 8 Esther Shiner Stadium Serbian White Eagles vs Aeem Canada 6 PM
Sunday June 8 Esther Shiner Stadium Scarborough SC vs Unity FC 8 PM
