Stan Adamson

The Canadian Soccer League has delayed the kickoff of the 2020 season for a further month beyond the earlier May 29 start announced at the beginning of April. A further delay to Monday, June 29, is the new target kickoff date following recent decisions of local municipalities which owns and operates the enclosed stadiums and following recommendations of senior health officials.

Should the kickoff take place on June 29, CSL administrator Pino Jazbec remains confident of scheduling a complete season including playoffs during the months of July, August, September and October. “The schedule will continue to be played on weekends, with a few midweek games to accommodate the entire season before November 1,” he said.

The Canadian Premier League has not ruled out playing some matches in the 2020 season behind closed doors. “But the reality is, without fans in the stands, there is no revenue.” CPL commissioner David Clanachan told Sportsnet 590 The Fan on April 16. Without a firm plan just yet, the league has said it is  constantly running different scenarios on what a 2020 season would look like to get it back to normal.

Announcements from the soccer communities elsewhere include Major League Soccer which has extended its resumption of the schedule to at least June 8. The league says it continues to explore scheduling options to accommodate a full season, including a delay of the MLS Cup into December or later.

Soccer in Spain is considering resuming play shortly, but without fans.  The soccer federation decided that if they don’t re-start the season soon it may be necessary to use the present standings to decide the four clubs to play in the Champions League, which would mean giving the spots to Barcelona, Real Madrid, Sevilla and Real Sociedad.

Meetings at the English Premier League suggest the clubs are still hopeful of resuming their campaign soon and latest reports suggest that clubs want the season finished by June 30.  May 18 is set as a day to resume training.

PICTURE: The Belarusian Premier League was going full tilt last week and will be at it again this coming weekend. All top flight leagues in Europe and most leagues world-wide are wisely at a standstill and Canada is no exception. The Canadian Soccer League is holding on to its tentative end of May kickoff. 

While providing an update to the Canadian Soccer League 2020 season with a tentative schedule to kickoff at the end of May, the league pays tribute to a Toronto area coach who died from coronavirus on April 2. 

Toni Alati, 49, was a popular coach with the Woodbridge Soccer Club and was a true Toronto FC fan. But more than that, he loved baseball, hockey and sports in general.

 Alati was heavily involved in local community affairs with the Ratepayers Association and often a voice for Woodbridge at Vaughan council meetings where he brought attention to the preservation of the natural environment in Woodbridge and insisted on careful consideration of condo development in the area.

  “Woodbridge Strikers is a great community soccer organization and it is that way due to the hard work and enormous dedication of people like Toni Alati, a very popular figure in the region just north of Toronto. We at the CSL send our heartfelt regrets to his family and his many friends. Toni is certainly going to be missed,” said Dragan Bakoc, president of the Canadian Soccer League.

 Toni, 49,  leaves his wife Agnese and daughter Arianna (a local soccer player), and an extended family.  

 Several others in the world soccer community have died after contracting the coronavirus, including the mother of English Premier League Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola. She sadly passed away at the age of 82. Dolors Sala Corrio died in Manresa, Barcelona. Former Real Madrid president Lorenzo Sanz died Saturday from the new coronavirus He was 76.

With suggestions of the coronavirus leveling off later in April, the CSL May 29 kickoff date, while tentative and with dependency on community decisions outside of the league’s control, is still considered realistic as long as the pandemic peaks and flattens out during the next 2 – 3 weeks. Games may have to be played without any public attendance.

 Several CSL teams with rosters that include players from abroad are affected by the travel restrictions now in place. Certain teams have players still in Canada on a temporary resident visa, while other players under contract with CSL clubs and expected to return to Canada for the new season, as well as new players, continue to experience uncertainty with travel plans. Most CSL teams do have strong rosters, however, that include domestic players available to step in if needed.

 Toronto FC president Bill Manning has expressed his optimism that there will be a Major League Soccer season despite being put on hold after teams played just two games of a schedule that has more games than ever before following the addition of expansion teams Inter Miami CF and Nashville FC. MLS now has 26 teams.

 The Canadian Premier League, which was scheduled to kick off its new season on April 11, is now on in a holding position for a decision to resume its games based on the progress necessary to reduce the spread of the virus.

 League 1 in Ontario and the Premiere Ligue de soccer du Quebec have both taken a position that kickoff for the 2020 season is suspended indefinitely following the suspension of all soccer matches in Canada under the governance of Canada Soccer.

 The English Premier League, Italy’s Serie A, the Budesliga in Germany and most top flight soccer leagues throughout the world have suspended schedules indefinitely. There is an exception with the Belarusian Premier League  which is playing and enjoying its global attention in doing so, broadcasting its matches to 10 countries and can be streamed live in Canada.

 

PICTURE: The CSL is encouraging its players to follow the government moratorium on gatherings and train on their own until it is announced as being safe to do otherwise.

With uncertainly the order of the day in Canada and world-wide due to the coronavirus epidemic it has not been possible to provide a meaningful kickoff date for the Canadian Soccer League 2020 season.

The league has, however, now announced a start to the season of late May with Friday, May 29 as a tentative opening day for regular season games.  The schedule will go to September, with playoffs and the Championship Day to the end of October.

CSL administrator Pino Jazbec has explained that a tentative schedule is under preparation for the late May kickoff. “We will have something to be guided by and will make any adjustments that may be necessary as dictated by the circumstances of the pandemic,” he explained over the March 28 weekend.

Canada Soccer has suspended all sanctioned soccer games in Canada until further notice, which at the professional level includes all matches except the CSL and Canada’s three teams in Major League Soccer which is governed by the U.S.-based league. MLS kicked off on February 29 and games have been postponed since March 7.

The CSL is encouraging its players to follow the government moratorium on gatherings and train on their own until it is announced as being safe to do otherwise. “The CSL considers the safety of its players, coaches and others involved in preparation for the new season of the utmost importance and urge its members to follow closely the requirements of the government and public health agencies at all times,” said Jazbec.

Further new season bulletins and updates will be issued from time to time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

PICTURE: Krum Bibishkov, now player coach and head coach of Real Mississauga of the Canadian Soccer League has played close to 350 professional games with distinction during a 20-year period, mostly in Europe where he is seen here.

When Krum Bibishkov recently questioned the fairness of a league rule for teams loaning players, it was characteristic of the mild-mannered player of friendly demeanor being the complete footballer, whether it be playing, coaching, or ensuring there is a level playing field while representing his club.

Now in the twilight of a sparkling playing career that rose to greater heights when signed at the age of 17 by Bayern Munich of the German Bundesliga (named to the reserve team), later selected to the Bulgarian U-21 national team, then named Footballer of the Year with Bulgarian club Litex Lovech while winning the Bulgarian Cup in 2008.  Some of the highlights of those earlier years included playing in the UEFA Cup competition and his team then qualified for the UEFA Europa League.

Bibishkov has played close to 350 professional games, earlier as a forward, sometimes a midfielder mostly in Bulgaria, then Germany, Portugal, Romania and Israel to be considered a player of some distinction for more than 20 years.  Today, he is with the CSL’s Real Mississauga where he often enters the field following a first half of coaching from the side line.

Bibishkov first entered Canada in 2016 to play in the Canadian Soccer League’s Brantford Galaxy, then signed as player-coach for Scarborough the following season before moving to expansion club Real Mississauga in 2018.

Coaching is important to the now 37 year old, both as a UEFA certified coach teaching the fundamentals to the U-11 players with Canada First Academy for Soccer Excellence in Toronto and being head coach of a team in the semi-professional CSL. With more than a million soccer players registered in Canada (760,000 with the Canadian Soccer Association and another close to 300,000 with organized, unaffiliated soccer) Bibishkov is doing his part passing on the much needed skills to Canadians while in Canada and while he has an opportunity to do so.

 

 

 

PICTURE: FC Vorkuta striker Fadi Salback has been a first year hit for FC Vorkuta and the Canadian university soccer community where he received the Rookie of the Year Award from the national governing body for university sports across Canada.

Canadian Soccer League teams have a long history of signing established professional players from abroad and a similar reputation for assisting in the development of young players for higher levels in Canada and other countries in many parts of the world.

A peak period for exceptional young players in the CSL came during the 2009 – 2012 three-season period when 40 CSL players of various nationalities were selected for several national teams, most in the under 21 and under 23 rosters.

Today, there are a number of promising young players scattered throughout the CSL and several have come to the forefront following outstanding play at university while also playing in the CSL during the 2019 season.

Fadi Salback, a striker with FC Vorkuta and standout with Ontario Tech University in Oshawa was honoured at a championship banquet at Montreal in November when he received the U- SPORTS Rookie of the Year Award. U-SPORTS is the national governing body for university sports across Canada.

Salback scored a record 16 goals for Ontario Tech in his first season and the all-Canadian Rookie of the Year was also named an east division first team all star. Six of Salback’s goals in 2019 were game winners.

The Israeli-born forward scored four goals in his 2019 CSL Second Division debut with FC Vorkuta reserves and was quickly moved to the first team scoring six goals in five appearances.

Salback, 22, was a young academy player with Maccabi Haifa, a top professional club in Israel known for its youth development programs before moving to Canada. His father, Nabil Salback was a professional footballer in Israel. Now a resident of Bowmanville, Ontario, Fadi was selected to the Ontario U-16 squad before entering Ontario Tech University to study software engineering. He was signed by FC Vorkuta in April, 2019 after being spotted by FC Vorkuta while playing in the Thornhill indoor league just north of Toronto during the winter months.

“Fadi was playing for our opposition at the time and he stood out. We were pleased to sign him and he’s now considered one of our top assets with real promise for the future,” said FC Vorkuta GM Samad Kadirov.

Salback explains that his one season in the CSL has advanced his game and he has signed for the upcoming 2020 season. “It’s more physical, with pace and is more competitive and I’ve benefitted from that. And by the way, I’ve appreciated the FC Vorkuta environment, the people as well as the players have been great,” he said.

The CSL regular season  kicks off mid-May through to September with playoffs and the CSL Championship final in October.

PICTURE: Announcer Enio Perruzza was once called upon to play for short-handed North York Astros in the CPSL

Backup goaltender David Ayres, a Zamboni driver and Canadian operations manager at the Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto, became an overnight sensation when he took to the ice for the Carolina Hurricanes during the second period of an NHL game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on February 22.

The 42 year old Whitby, Ontario native was called upon after both Carolina goalies were injured and the occasion stirred memories of a similar substitute in the Canadian Soccer League by soccer announcer Enio Perruzza who was called upon to help North York Astros when the team was short-handed during an important Canadian Professional Soccer League (now the CSL) match on September 5, 1999, a holiday weekend.

Perruzza’s booming voice has become familiar to soccer fans in Ontario for 33 years since August 3,1986 when he first announced the players, match officials and everything of consequence at a Toronto Blizzard game. He has been the regular announcer for the CSL and other key games ever since.

The Italian-born occasional soccer player has also kept the fans informed through the PA system at well-attended games involving Benfica, Red Star Belgrade and the Italian military team as well as the odd international match, such as the Mexican under-20 side. Perruzza has also been assigned to18 Ontario Cup finals. He’s also called indoor soccer and has been invited over the years to provide colour commentary on television.

But he did not play soccer at the CSL level until entering the field that Sunday afternoon 20 years ago. The match ended in a 7-0 victory for the opposition Glen Shields Sun Devils, a contrast to the David Ayres experience of being part of the Carolina Hurricanes 6-3 victory which resulted in Ayers being feted in Raleigh, North Carolina a few days later.

“They got me in on a 3-game temporary permit, but that was the only game I ever played in the CSL,” explained Perruzza when the Astros game two decades ago was remembered. “It was at Dufferin District Park in Thornhill and I remember Phil Ionadi scoring their last goal for the 7-0 win. It was a crazy experience for me but not the only time odd things have happened, I remember a game in 1988, the last game of the CSL season when 50,000 packages of La Molissana pasta were given away. It was a very late kickoff and was called ‘Midnight Madness’.”

PICTURE: Serbian White Eagles brought skilled players from Europe to launch an expansion team in the CSL in 2006, a side that played attractive football before large crowds, home and away. Dragoslav Sekularac (rear, third from right) one of Europe’s greats while playing for Red Star Belgrade 1955 – 1965 with 375 appearances and capped 41 times for Yugoslavia, was head coach.  

Photo by Djuradj Vujcic

It’s not often a 19 year old enters the tough Canadian Soccer League to score 21 goals in his first season, but that’s what Marko Stajic achieved while playing for Serbian White Eagles in 2019.

Most of the goals were scored for the White Eagles reserves in the CSL Second Division where the Serbian-born striker was top scorer with 13, a tally that played an important part in his team reaching the Second Division championship final at season end. Eight were added when Stajic was playing double duty in the club’s First Division side.

Stajic grew up in Novi Sad in the northern part of Serbia in real soccer country not far from the capital Belgrade and during a brief professional career before arriving in Canada was with FOB Biograd and FK Zemun in Serbia and listed in the league’s top 10 goal scorers.

While the CSL has a storied history with a long reputation for its players going the other way to higher levels in other countries, particularly during the period 2009 to 2012 when a total 27 moved to various clubs in Europe, the league also has a strong reputation for bringing successful players, known as import players, to Canada, mostly from Europe. Add to this during the time leading up to 2012, no less than 40 CSL players were selected for various, mostly youth, national teams.

Marko Stajik, recruited by Serbian White Eagles in 2019, continued a trend set by the club since entering the CSL in 2006. At that time the White Eagles attracted much attention in the soccer community by bringing in former Yugoslavian great Dragoslav Sekularac as head coach.  Seki, as he was affectionately known, was one of the top players in Europe while a star for Red Star Belgrade during the 1960s and had coached a number of high profile club teams in other countries as well as the Guatemala national team. He helped to launch the expansion team White Eagles in the CSL in front of large crowds, home and away.

The present White Eagles coach Uros Stamatovic, who made his mark in the Serbian First Division, was one of the import players to arrive in Toronto, and so was Branislav Vukomanovic from top clubs in Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia, Romania and Bosnia-Herzegovina, defender Mirko Medic, CSL defender of the year in 2009, goalkeeper Dusan Belic, defender Radenko Kamberovic, midfielders Marko Krasic and Marko Marovic, Bozo Milic, Goran Svonja and Milan Mijailovic, just a few of a long list that that now includes a much younger Stajic.

“Marko was very impressive last season and we expect he will get even better with time. And we will continue to bring good players to Canada, making our league even more attractive and which also helps the needed development here while some of these players pass on skills to young Canadians,” said Serbian White Eagles president Dragan (Doug) Bakoc.

Many fans will say that some goals were great goals worth the price of admission.  Last minute winners even more so. Some goal scorers score goals that are never foregotten. They are goals that win championships, important trophies. There are goals that are controversial while others are picture goals, goals we see just once in a while.

Some goal scorers find the net with great goals, but not in big numbers. CSL playmaker Sasa Viciknez who played for several clubs in Europe and had a brief stint in China before ending his career with Serbian White Eagles in the CSL during 2006 to 2012, scored 64 goals in the CSL. But he is best remembered for his picture goals, especially from a dead ball free kick from just outside the box which he would slot just inside the post with great precision. Just like he held a patent.

Strikers that gain most recognition are those scoring the most goals. And rightly so, it’s goals that count.

FC Vorkuta striker Mykola Temniuk, with 18 goals during the regular season, won the top CSL goal scorer award to be one of three players the charts show scored the most goals. They were the most outstanding strikers in the Canadian Soccer League in 2019. Temniuk, 27, Ukrainian-born, has a reputation of being a prolific striker in Europe. He was a significant addition to the Vorkuta line-up when signed early 2019 to play a big part in the north Toronto team while winning the CSL First Division title.

Marko Stajic, 20, of Serbian White Eagles B, was number one in the Second Division with 13 goals and attracted attention by adding eight more as a regular in the Serbian White Eagles First Division team for a total season tally of 21. One of the youngest to score so many in the tough CSL.

Vladimir Strizovic, 27, a native of Serbia who played for Polet Ljubicand a recent signing for Serbian White Eagles, was also doing double shift all season to enter the scoring picture with a combined total of 21 goals – ten in the First Division and an additional 11 playing for the club’s reserves.

Goals scored by Stajic and Strizovic accounted for more than 40 per cent of all goals scored by Serbian White Eagles First Division team and reserve team in 2019.

TWO DECADES OF TOP GOALSCORERS IN THE CSL

2000      Gus Kouzmanis   (Toronto Olympians)        12

2001      Kevin Nelson     (Ottawa Wizards)               23

2002      Darren Tilley (Mississauga Olympians)       20

2003      Carlo Arghittu     (St. Catharines Wolves)   18

2004      Paul Munster      (London City)                     25

2005      Aaron Byrd          (Windsor Border Stars)    17

2006      Gabriel Pop         (Serbian White Eagles)    27

2007      Nicolas Lesage   (Trois-Rivieres Attak)       20

2008      Daniel Nascimento (Brampton Lions)        18

2009      Reda Agourram  (Trois-Rivieres Attak)       13

2010      Tihomir Maletic (Toronto Croatia)             17

2011      Stefan Vukovic   (Toronto FC II)                   18

2012      Drazen Vukovic  (SC Waterloo)                    20

2013      Guillaume Surot (Kingston)                           28

2014      Marin Vucemilovic-Grgic (London City)     20

2015      Richard West (York Region Shooters)         23

2016      Sergiy Ivliev (FC Ukraine United)                 15

2017      Aleksandar Stojiljkovic     (Scarborough)     17

2018      Sani Dey (Hamilton City)                                13

2019      Mykola Temniuk (FC Vorkuta)                      18

 

 

 

 

 

 

PICTURE: This was Scarborough SC’s third attempt in the past three years at winning the CSL Championship following two narrow defeats in the 2017 and 2018 finals. Just being there yet again was a highlight in itself for 2019 and the perseverance paid off with victory.

  Some of the season’s highlights:

 The biggest home win of the 2019 season was the 7-0 result by Vorkuta against Real Mississauga on June 15 which followed a 7-2 score by the same team over CSC Mississauga a week earlier on June 8.

The biggest away win was an 8-1 victory by CSC Mississauga against local rivals Real Mississauga on August 3.

Quickest goal of the season was scored by Vorkuta on in the first minute of play from the penalty spot against Real Mississauga on September 21. A foul in the box by Real Mississauga defender Vadim Gozbunov was recorded as 35 seconds following kickoff. Vorkuta captain Liubomyr Halchuk scored from the spot.

The most rapid scoring in the season came on June 22 when Vorkuta blitzed SC Waterloo with five goals in the first 20 minutes of play at the Ontario Soccer Centre.  The match eased up afterwards for a 5-1 score at the final whistle.

The CSL season’s first hat-trick was scored by Taras Kryvyy of FC Ukraine United on May 31. Kryvyy struck all three goals in a 3-0 Ukraine United victory over CSC Mississauga. The midfielder found the net at 14, 78 and 84 minutes.

Vorkuta won the CSL First Division on September 21 as a result of the 7-1 victory over Real Mississauga. The north Toronto-based club finished the season on September 28, unbeaten in 18 games, winning 15 with three draws.

Gonzalo Matias Cabrera Celis scored three for Scarborough in a 5-1 victory over Real Mississauga on June 8.

Mykola Temniuk scored a hat-trick in the 7-0 Vorkuta victory over Real Mississauga on June 15 – then repeated for three goals in the Vorkuta 5-1 victory over SC Waterloo on June 22.

Matthias Garcia led CSC Mississauga with a hat-trick in a 4-0 victory over Kingsman SC at Esther Shiner Stadium on June 16 the goals coming at 10, 35 and 53 minutes.

Pavlo Lukianets scored a hat-trick in the Ukraine United 5-2 defeat of CSC Mississauga on July 14.

Sayid Belmokhtar scored a hat-trick for Kingsman in a 4-2 victory over Serbian White Eagles on August 3.

Aleksander Stojiljkovic, scored three in a 3-3 draw with Kingsman on August 10. He’s the Scarborough captain.

Vladimir Strizovic scored four goals for Serbian White Eagles in a 6-3 victory over Brantford Galaxy on July 26.

Molham Babouli scored four goals in his first game played September 8 after signing for Ukraine United. Ukraine United defeated Brantford Galaxy 5-0. Babouli also scored a hat-trick in Ukraine United’s last regular season game, a 5-2 defeat of Real Mississauga on Oct 1.

Scarborough SC won its first CSL Championship, defeating FC Ukraine United by a 2-0 score at Centennial Stadium on October 26. The championship win followed two seasons – 2017 and 2018 when the Toronto east-end side reached the final game only to be defeated in a penalty kick shootout following extra time.

LEAGUE SUMMARY

First Division Winner: FC Vorkuta

Second Division Winner: FC Vorkuta B

 PLAYOFFS SUMMARY

CSL CHAMPIONSHIP – QUARTERFINALS

FC Vorkuta 2, Kingsman A 2 (after extra time) Kingsman wins 4-2 on penalty kicks

Scarborough SC 2,  CSC Mississauga 1 (after extra time)

SC Waterloo 1, Serbian White Eagles 1 (after extra time) Waterloo wins 5-4 on penalty kicks

FC Ukraine United 1, Hamilton City 1 (after extra time) Ukraine United wins 4-3 on penalty kicks

CSL CHAMPIONSHIP – SEMIFINALS

SC Scarborough 4, Kingsman A 2

FC Ukraine United 5, SC Waterloo 3

CSL CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL

Scarborough SC 2, FC Ukraine United 0

CSL SECOND DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP – QUARTERFINALS

The two top teams in the regular season standings, FC Vorkuta B and Serbian White Eagles B, gained a bye to the semifinals

CSC Mississauga B 1, Brantford Galaxy B 0

Hamilton City B 3, Kingsman B 2

CSL SECOND DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP – SEMI FINALS

FC Vorkuta B 5, Hamilton City B 1

Serbian White Eagles B 2, CSC Mississauga B 0

CSL SECOND DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL

FC Vorkuta B 2, Serbian White Eagles B 0

 

 

 

 

 

 

PICTURE: It was on Saturday, October 12, 2019 at the Ontario Soccer Centre ground that 2018 CSL champions FC Vorkuta was the first team to be eliminated from the 2019 post-season playoffs. It was a shock defeat by Kingsman SC, an expansion team that squeaked into the playoffs after finishing eighth of ten in the First Division standings at the end of the regular season. It was a stunned Vorkuta’s first loss in league and post-season playoffs in more than 12 months.

The penalty kick victory by Kingsman SC to knockout FC Vorkuta from the CSL Championship playoffs in the opening quarterfinal game was the shock result of the 2019 season. The match, played at Vorkuta’s home ground, eliminated a side poised to successfully defend its 2018 CSL Championship triumph after winning the 2019 First Division and Second Division regular season titles with ease. The First Division title win was particularly impressive with an 18-game unbeaten streak from start to finish. To advance in the playoffs appeared to be routine, and would put Vorkuta in a position to win all four titles, a first ever in the CSL.

The shock result was Vorkuta’s first defeat in league and post-season competition since September 1, 2018.

By contrast, Kingsman, a promising expansion club in the 10-team First Division, ended the regular season a disappointing eighth in the standings, which was the last spot to qualify for the post-season championship series.  Prior to eliminating Vorkuta, Kingsman also lost its last four games of the regular season while conceding 17 goals in doing so. Any success in the playoffs appeared doubtful.

With two league titles, First and Second Divisions already won, Vorkuta GM Samad Kadirov was asked early October about the prospect of Vorkuta creating a new CSL record by winning the CSL Championship and CSL Second Division Championship to scoop up all four titles in one season ?

“Playoffs are completely different story. Of course, we are dreaming of winning both playoffs titles and winning 4 titles in the same season would be something unbelievable. We will try our best, we will fight from the first second of the game till the very last one.  We sincerely hope that we will lift both playoffs trophies on October 26,” he said.

The early elimination of Vorkuta opened the door for any one of several teams to win the championship title and Scarborough, which had just three defeats in its 18-game First Division schedule to secure the runner-up position by seven points over nearest rivals, stood out as the likely candidate. Scarborough also held a reputation of being consistent in both regular season and post-season playoffs. Scarborough was also a finalist in the championship in 2017 and 2018, suffering narrow penalty kick defeats in both games.

At about 8.30 pm on Saturday, October 12, 2019, Vorkuta was the first team to be knocked out of the playoffs, losing on penalty kicks following a 2-2 tie at the end of extra time. Kingsman advanced, and Scarborough moved on to the semifinals with a result over CSC Mississauga in overtime. Waterloo eliminated Serbian White Eagles on penalty kicks and the fourth game was played the following day when Ukraine United advanced with a penalty kicks victory over Hamilton City.

Scarborough (4-2 over Kingsman) and Ukraine United (5-3 over Waterloo) won their semifinals to then meet in the final at Centennial Stadium in Etobicoke on October 26  Scarborough were crowned champions following the 2-0 victory.

Upcoming – THE CSL SEASON IN RETROSPECT  – Part 4 – Times Worth Remembering.

 

 

 

PICTURE: Kingsman (red) earned the distinction of eliminating  the 2018  CSL champions FC Vorkuta from the 2019 playoffs, a penalty kicks shocker following a 2-2 tie at the end of extra time on October 12.

With a 100 per cent record from seven victories, Vorkuta faced a big test on July 14 against Scarborough and the match met expectations. It was a tough, attractive encounter at Birchmount Stadium with both sides playing strong defensively. The only goal of the game came at 22 minutes after Vorkuta’s Serhii Ursulenko was brought down in the box and captain Liubomyr Halchuk scored from the spot. Despite the defeat, Scarborough was in second position in the standings and appeared strong enough at mid-season to be one of three teams that could break the Vorkuta/FC Ukraine dominance of the First Division.

The victory against Scarborough was Vorkuta’s eighth before losing a 100 per cent record with points dropped in the tie against Serbian White Eagles on July 20.

Ukraine United were already slipping in the standings including a surprise 2-1 defeat by Kingsman on July 5 and just one victory during August. This was not entirely a surprise to GM Vladimir Koval who had struggled to assemble the team that won the First Division in 2018. Players were held up in Europe this time around and there were early season injuries. With five defeats up to the final month of the regular season in September, Ukraine United would not one of the dominant teams despite an important late signing.

Molham Babouli, an impressive local striker, joined Ukraine United to hit four goals in his first game. It was a 5-0 victory over Brantford Galaxy on September 9 and the win moved Ukraine United from mid-table up to fourth in the standings and the team eventually made third.

CSC Mississauga was living up to an early season forecast by GM Mile Milkovic that his side would be much improved following a bottom of the season finish after entering the league in 2018. The Mississauga side was playing well in the new season and qualified for the post-season playoffs following solid victories against Serbian White Eagles, Brantford Galaxy and Kingsman during September.

Brantford Galaxy, the CSL champions in 2010 while supported at home games and at times away games by Walter Gretsky, father of Wayne Gretsky, again missed the playoffs and generally struggled to make headway in the standings. The club is owned by president Bosko Borjan, father of Canadian national team goalkeeper Milan Borjan.

Real Mississauga also missed the 2019 playoffs while at times playing attractive soccer. Expansion team Kingsman played well in its 2019 inaugural season, but faltered late following impressive wins including victory against Ukraine United on July 5. Kingsman also earned the distinction of eliminating current champions FC Vorkuta from the playoffs, a penalty kicks shocker following a tie at the end of extra time on October 12.

Waterloo ended the regular season in a flurry, winning six of its last seven games to take fourth place in the standings, Hamilton City ended the regular season winning three of its last four to finish sixth, while Serbian White Eagles slumped late to win only one of its last five games to finish fifth.

The year-end review of the 2019 season, the playoffs and Vorkuta elimination shocker continues in Part 3.

 

 

PICTURE: Scarborough was a known quantity in the bid for 2019 honours, having finished third in the  2016 First Division standings and was a championship finalist in 2017 and 2018, losing by the narrowest of margins in a penalty kick shootout decider.

On May 31 at the beginning of the 2019 season FC Ukraine United scored a 3-0 victory over CSC Mississauga and on the following day FC Vorkuta, playing its second game of the new season, ran over Brantford Galaxy 6-0. It was looking like déjà vu for a new campaign being dominated by two relatively new teams that demonstrated an ability to step into the CSL First Division and scoop up most of the honours with ease. Vorkuta had opened its season with a 4-2 win over Kingsman a few days earlier.

Ukraine United midfielder Taras Kryvyy hit all three goals for a hat-trick that 3-0 win on Friday, May 31, all happening while memories were still tuned in to Ukraine United finishing on top in the 2018 season standings with both Ukraine United and Vorkuta having a nine-points clear margin over third place Waterloo.  Vorkuta were also the CSL champions, having won the title in 2018.

As the season progressed, Vorkuta became unbeatable, winning its first eight games and going two months before dropping points with a 1-1 draw against Serbian White Eagles on July 20. Ukraine United showed signs of slipping with a 2-1 loss to new club Kingsman on July 5.

In the meantime, SC Waterloo GM Vojo Brisevac had signed five new players from Europe and had some confidence that his side could improve its 2018 third place finish and that Vorkuta and Ukraine United would have to face a strong challenge from at least his club as the season progressed.

Scarborough was a known quantity and an obvious contender after demonstrating a season by season improvement since entering the CSL in 2015, finishing third in the 2016 First Division standings and was a championship finalist in 2017 and 2018 – losing both games in a penalty kick decider by the narrowest of margins.

Serbian White Eagles, CSL champions in 2008 and 2016, and always likely to succeed with league and championship honours, also posed a serious challenger to Vorkuta and Ukraine United while  strengthening the team with talent imported from Europe, rounded out the three teams most likely to be candidates to upset the top two during 2019.

The  year-end review of the 2019 season and its highlights continue in Part 2.

 

 

Nikola (Niki) Budalic, the former player and later coach of Serbian White Eagles in the Canadian Soccer League, is one of the busiest individuals in soccer these days after joining David Beckham in the launch of  new team Inter Miami CF.  Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami, which is referred to as Inter Miami CF or just Inter Miami, is set to kickoff in Major League Soccer (MLS) in the upcoming 2020 season.

Budalic first entered the CSL in 2001 with Glen Shields Sun Devils when the league was known as the Canadian Professional Soccer League (CPSL). Following stints with the Toronto Lynx of the U.S.-based A-League, Orebro of Sweden, Montreal Impact and Haugesund of Norway, the attacking midfielder signed for Serbian White Eagles in 2006 to win the league title and also reach the CSL championship final.

Budalic was named team captain for Serbian White Eagles in 2008 and was appointed head coach in 2009. While with Serbian White Eagles as a player, Budalic was on loan for a brief period in 2007 with Toronto FC II. He served in a managerial role for Serbian White Eagles and last played in Canada briefly while assuming the role of director of soccer operations for K-W United, a team in southwestern Ontario and member of the Premier Development League of the USL. He holds an MBA from Sir Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo.

In recent times, Budalic has been the assistant GM and later GM of Orlando City in MLS and worked also with Orlando Pride of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). He was appointed Director, Soccer Operations with Inter Miami early in 2019.

Inter Miami CF is formed from a partnership which includes Jorge Mas, a prominent Cuban American businessman and philanthropist and David Beckham, a former player in the English Premier League, also in Europe before moving to the U.S. to join LA Galaxy, then ending his playing career with Paris Saint Germain. Beckham has 115 caps for England.

Dragan (Doug) Bakoc, president of Serbian White Eagles, considers Kitchener-born Budelic has served his team and Canadian soccer well over the years and deserves the recognition he is now receiving in MLS and the United States.  “ Niki Budalic was a very good player who put his skills to good use while coaching in Canada. He is of pleasant disposition and also served us well in managerial positions and we wish him every success in this new, exciting venture with the new club in Miami,” he said.

Inter Miami CF will play out of Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale for two seasons until the team moves to its home ground in Miami Freedom Park.

PICTURE: Kiril Dimitrov (right) overcomes an FC Vorkuta challenge during the regular season. The Scarborough player-coach missed the semifinal and final championship games but was busy on the other side of the touch-line to assist in the Toronto east-end team’s first championship victory.

He’s been through the heavy going that is the Canadian Soccer League First Division and will undergo anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) knee surgery the week of November 18, but Kiril Dimitrov, player-coach and GM of new CSL champions Scarborough, considers the championship final 2-0 victory over FC Ukraine United was well worth the almost uninterrupted bouts of pain experienced late in the season.

Dimitrov missed playing in the semifinal and final following knee damage, but many consider his contribution from the other side of the touch-line as productive as his playing skills and lifting the championship trophy at Centennial Stadium was proof in the pudding.

Fact is, Dimitrov created and readied the Scarborough club for championship professional soccer from scratch. Following his transfer from Belasitsa Petrich of Bulgaria in 2009 to the Canadian Soccer League’s Serbian White Eagles, followed by a season with SC Waterloo, the midfielder/forward launched Scarborough as an expansion team in the CSL in 2013.

A Scarborough resident in what is some of the best soccer territory in Canada, the Bulgarian-born Dimitrov considered his community in Toronto’s east side deserved of professional soccer. Following a period playing out of Downsview Park in Toronto, the new club moved to Birchmount Stadium in Scarborough, the home of the popular Robbie Tournament and billed as the largest charity soccer tournament in the world and held annually for 52 years.

Following a modest beginning in the CSL First Division in its first season, Scarborough climbed up the standings to be second in the 2019 just ended. The team made the post season championship playoffs in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 to be finalists in 2017 and 2018 and champions on October 26, 2019.

Following a championship final defeat in a penalty shootout win by York Region Shooters in 2017, Dimitrov said “We will win this very soon,” a pronouncement held true with the 2019 2-0 defeat of FC Ukraine United.

Following knee surgery, Dimitrov, 34, will prepare during the winter months for Scarborough’s 2020 season kickoff, to again be active both sides of the touch-line, but this time around his club will be known as the CSL defending champions.