CSL NEWS

ATTRACTIVE WEEKEND GAMES IN THE CSL

by
during Canadian Soccer League match between FC Ukraine United and FC Vorkuta at Centennial Park Stadium on May 13, 2018 in Etobicoke, Ontario Canada. Photo: Michael Fayehun/F10 Sports Photography

Following a third place finish in the 2018 CSL First Division standings and strengthened by the recent addition of five players from Europe, SC Waterloo kicked off a new campaign with a 4-0 victory over CSL Mississauga at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga Sunday night.

While the result was decisive enough, the pace and overall good performance of the recent arrivals also sent signals that the Eastern Ontario side will not be content with a third place finish in 2019. While it can be said that CSL champions FC Vorkuta and top-of-the-table and FC Ukraine United dominated the league’s top division last year, they can expect a strong challenge from more than one club during the coming season.

Waterloo will play its second game of the season at the Heritage Field in Hamilton on Saturday, one of four attractive games in the CSL over the weekend, while Vorkuta are at home at the Ontario Soccer Centre to expansion team Kingsman.

Hamilton City 1, under head coach Sasa Vukovic, will be also looking for an improvement in the team’s fifth place in the 2018 standings, highlighted by an impressive contribution by live wire striker Sani Dey who found the net 13 times in the regular season to lead the league’s First Division scoring.

Scarborough SC, at home to CSC Mississauga at Birchmount Stadium on Sunday, are expected to be prominent again after finishing the regular season in fourth position and were even closer to top honors in the post season, losing a heart-breaking penalty kicks decider following a 1-1 draw in in the championship final with Vorkuta. By contrast, their CSC Mississauga opposition this coming Sunday ended its inaugural 2018 CSL season with just one victory, although under new head coach Josip Raguz  Mississauga  appears to be an improved side despite the 4-0 opening game defeat.

Scarborough have retained goalscorers Aleksander Stojiljkovic and Kavin Bryan who accounted for 19 of the 34 goals scored during the regular season and prominent midfielder Zoran Knezevic for the upcoming campaign will also be in the line-up on Saturday.

Brantford Galaxy will be looking to improve their lowly eighth position in the 2018 standings when they kickoff the season at home to Serbian White Eagles on Saturday. Both sides have solid rosters to draw from and Galaxy head coach Milan Prpa will be counting on midfielder Sasa Vidovic, Miljan Milovic and Dragan Milovic to be prominent while bidding for honors during the regular season and in the playoffs.

Opposition Serbian White Eagles are in the same position as the Galaxy, searching for the former glory which brought the CSL championship in 2016 (Brantford were CSL champions in 2010), and Uros Stamatovic will be attempting to improve the low goal scoring record of 2018 which contributed to the White Eagles ending last season in an uncharacteristic sixth position in the First Division. Luka Bojic is one of several players expected to be prominent in the upcoming campaign.

The weekend games:

Saturday, May 25, The Ontario Soccer Centre 6 pm FC Vorkuta vs Kingsman A

Saturday, May 25, Heritage Field 6.30 pm Hamilton City vs SC Waterloo

Saturday, May 25, Heritage Field, 8.30 pm Brantford Galaxy vs Serbian White Eagles

Sunday, May 26, Birchmount Stadium, 8 pm Scarborough SC vs CSC Mississauga

An additional match, FC Ukraine United vs Real Mississauga SC originally scheduled for this Sunday, has been postponed.

 

 

 

 

WATERLOO VICTORY IN SEASON OPENER

by

Josip Raguz, the newly-appointed head coach for home team CSC Mississauga was gracious in defeat following a 4-0 victory by SC Waterloo in the season opener at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga, just west of Toronto Sunday night.

There were times after visiting Waterloo took an early 1-0 lead that Mississauga played well enough in the first half to get back on even terms in a contest that may go either way, but the visitors, gradually and methodically took charge following the interval to soon add three more and the game was a foregone conclusion with less than 30 minutes remaining to the final whistle.

“They were the better team,” said Raguz following the final whistle. “But we can and will do better as we move into the season,” he said, explaining that his side is not yet up to full strength and with new players it’s going to take a little while to get jt together.”

It was forward Petar Dordevic who opened the scoring for SC Waterloo at just three minutes, heading in off a corner kick by Aleksander Milovanovic for the 1-0 score at halftime. Dordevic struck again at 54 minutes, taking a pass from midfielder Miodrag Kovacevic to tap in from close range just inside the right post and well out of reach of Mississauga goalkeeper Artan Zatifi.

Milovanovic made it 3-0 for the visitors at 60 minutes, a drive from six yards, and five minutes later Ivan Cutura rounded the scoring to 4-0, driving from 25 yards into the corner of the net.

SC Waterloo played with five players that are new arrivals from Serbia, all with high level experience in Eastern and Central Europe.

There are three CSL First Division matches scheduled for the coming weekend:

Saturday, May 25, The Ontario Soccer Centre 6 pm FC Vorkuta vs Kingsman A

Saturday, May 25, Heritage Field 6.30 pm Hamilton City vs SC Waterloo

Saturday, May 25, Heritage Field, 8.30 pm Brantford Galaxy vs Serbian White Eagles

Sunday, May 26, Birchmount Stadium 8 pm, Scarborough SC vs CSC Mississauga

An additional match, FC Ukraine United vs Real Mississauga SC originally scheduled for Sunday, May 26 at Centennial Stadium, a 7.30 pm kickoff, has been postponed.

 

OPENING MATCH WILL START WATERLOO CHALLENGE

by

The season opener on Sunday will see CSC Mississauga, a team in its second year in the CSL after struggling to find its feet during their inaugural 2018 season, take on SC Waterloo, a team that has been consistent and successful since first entering the CSL Second Division as KW United FC in 2011.

Waterloo’s most outstanding season came in 2013 when the Southwestern Ontario club won both the CSL Championship and the CSL Second Division Championship, a double never previously won by a CSL club in the same season. In 2018 Waterloo finished an impressive third in the standings behind the runaway leaders FC Ukraine United and FC Vorkuta.

CSC Mississauga was taking its first step into professional soccer in the 2018 campaign, finishing the season with just one victory and an average scoring rate of less than one goal per game.

“But you will find our team a little different this season,” said CSC Mississauga’s Mile Milkovic, GM of Sunday’s home side playing out of the Hershey Centre in Mississauga. “We learned a lot last year, our fitness level will be improved this season and we now have new players that will make a difference”.

Kristian Puljic, 23, an attacking midfielder recently transferred from Hamilton City, who beforefore entering the CSL attracted the attention of several European clubs and made nine appearances for Hrvatski Dragovoljac in the Druga HNL league of Croatia, and Peter Vukadin, a central defender also from that country, have been signed.

CSC Mississauga continues its development of young players and has entered a reserve team in the CSL Second Division in support of the first team.  “And we have other options for strengthening our First Division side for the upcoming season,” said Milkovic.

SC Waterloo GM Vojo Brisevac is beaming with confidence while facing the five-month regular season campaign and the prospect of breaking what is developing into a dominance of the CSL First Division by current CSL champions FC Vorkuta and FC Ukraine United, both finishing nine points clear of third place Waterloo in 2018.

Brisevac is ready to challenge the dominant top two, explaining: “ I’m very pleased with our team for the upcoming season. We have retained very good players from last year and we now have the addition of several outstanding players arriving this week from Serbia. They are going to make a difference,” he said.

Brisevac was referring to the arrival of Alexandar Milovanovic who played for FC Loznica and FK Buducnost, Petar Djordjevic, played for FK Sloga 33 and First Division OFK Petrovac in Montenegro,  Dalibor Ivanovic, was with OFK Divci and FK Buducnost, Nikola Milinkovic, with FK Buducnost and FK Loznica, and Vladimir Dojcinovic for liptovski Mikulas in Slovakia and  Dubocica.

But the club’s immediate focus is this coming holiday weekend’s opening game on Sunday, May 19 between CSC Mississauga and SC Waterloo with a kick off at 9 pm.

There will be a full slate of five CSL First Division matches scheduled for the following weekend, May 25 and 26.

Canadian Soccer League Relocates

by

The Canadian Soccer League has moved offices from Mississauga, Ontario to 75 International Blvd near Toronto International Airport. The move is effective immediately, with a change of telephone number. The new location is considered more central to the Greater Toronto Area.

The complete address is:

Canadian Soccer League

75 International Blvd.

Suite 203

Toronto, Ontario

M9W 6L9

Tel: 416 675-6256

CSL OWNERS UPBEAT AT ANNUAL MEETING

by
Krum Bibishikov in UEFA Europa League play represented Real Mississauga at Annual General Meeting

PICTURE: In earlier years Krum Bibishikov made an appearance in UEFA Europa League play, represented Real Mississauga at the CSL’s AGM

It’s a new season in a new location for the Canadian Soccer League which kicked off 2019 business in earnest at the Annual General Meeting held on Sunday, two weeks before the opening match between CSC Mississauga and SC Waterloo, a First Division encounter at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga on May 19.

Team owners and representatives met at 75 International Blvd at Toronto May 5, a fitting address for a group with several members in attendance with high level soccer experience in many countries.  Krum Bibishikov, now 36, who drew the interest of Bayern Munich in his early playing days in Bulgaria and played top soccer in Portugal, Romania and Israel, represented Real Mississauga at the meeting, a team facing its second season in the CSL. An outstanding forward, Bibishikov also played in UEFA’s Europa League while in Romania.

The upbeat meeting confirmed 10 teams in the First Division this coming season, with the top eight advancing to the playoffs. Six reserve teams will make up the league’s Second Division, the top two teams in the Second Division gaining automatic entry into the playoff semifinals.

About 300 players will take part in the 16 teams this coming season, some of which will be experiencing a first step entry into professional soccer, while ten First Division sides will also include high level players signed from other countries, mostly from Europe.

First Division teams are: Brantford Galaxy, CSC Mississauga, Hamilton City, Kingsman SC, Real Mississauga SC, Scarborough SC, Serbian White Eagles, FC Ukraine United, FC Vorkuta and SC Waterloo.

Second Division: Brantford Galaxy B, CSC Mississauga B,  FC Vorkuta B, Hamilton City B, Kingsman B, Serbian White Eagles B, Vorkuta B.

CSC MISSISSAUGA vs SC WATERLOO IN OPENER

by

The Canadian Soccer League First Division will open its 2019 season earlier than previously scheduled and announced to now see CSC Mississauga at home to visiting SC Waterloo on Sunday, May 19, a 9 pm kickoff at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga. The earlier kickoff date will accommodate a five-month long regular season through to early October, to be followed by the post season playoffs and the CSL Championship Final later that month.

There will be five matches the following weekend when all 10 First Division teams will be in action, starting with the current CSL champions FC Vorkuta at home to expansion team Kingsman A SC, as previously announced. The opening games in the CSL First Division are:

Sun. May 19, Hershey Centre 9 pm CSC Mississauga vs SC Waterloo

Sat. May 25, Ontario Soccer Centre 6 pm FC Vorkuta vs Kingsman A SC

Sat. May 25, Heritage Field 6:30 pm Hamilton City  vs SC Waterloo

Sat. May 25, Heritage Field 8:30 pm Brantford Galaxy vs Serbian White Eagles

Sun. May 26, Centennial Stadium 7:30 pm FC Ukraine United  vs Real Mississauga SC

Sun. May 26, Birchmount Stadium 8 pm Scarborough SC vs CSC Mississauga

Six teams will kick off the  CSL Second Division mid- June, each playing a 15-game schedule through to September followed by the CSL Second Division championship playoffs leading to the championship final in October. The teams are: Brantford Galaxy B, CSC Mississauga B,  Hamilton City B, Kingsman B, Serbian White Eagles B and FC Vorkuta B.

 

FIVE-MONTH LONG CSL SEASON KICKS OFF MAY 19

by
Four games in opening May 24 wekend starting with CSC Mississauga vs Scarborough

SC Waterloo travels to CSC Mississauga for the CSL season opener May 19 to be followed by  five matches the following weekend  to kickoff  a new Canadian Soccer League five-month long regular season, a campaign stretching to early October, followed by the post-season playoffs leading to the CSL championship final later that month.

Defending CSL champions FC Vorkuta are at home to expansion team Kingsman SC at the OSA Soccer Centre in Vaughan and Hamilton City will begin its season against SC Waterloo at the Heritage Field in Hamilton followed by Brantford Galaxy vs Serbian White Eagles. FC Ukraine United kickoff their home season against Real Mississauga at Centennial Stadium.

Vorkuta enjoyed instant success on venturing into professional soccer after nine years of amateur competition in Toronto and just north of the city.  in 2017, the inaugural year in the CSL, the Richmond Hill-based club took the CSL First Division title and reached the semifinal of the championship playoffs. In 2018, Vorkuta won the CSL championship and there were also successes by the Vorkuta reserve team during both years, including the Second Division title in 2018.

FC Ukraine United has also been prominent in three years in the CSL following an impressive 10 years in the amateur Ontario Soccer League. Ukraine United entered local soccer in 2006, winning several competitions including promotion to the Central Premier Division in 2011. The Toronto-based club was accepted into the CSL in 2016, gaining a runner-up finish in the First Division, winning the Second Division in 2017 and taking the top division in 2018 by a superior goal differential over FC Vorkuta.

Scarborough SC team that came close to top honors following a very good 2018 regular season with just three defeats in the 16-game schedule for a fourth position finish. This was followed by a cliffhanger championship final that ended the season with Scarborough losing to Vorkuta on penalty kicks. It was a 1-1 draw following extra time. By contrast, CSC Mississauga ended its inaugural 2018 CSL season with just one victory and are expected to be stronger opponents in the upcoming campaign.

Opening games are:

Fri. May 19, Hershey Centre 9 pm CSC Mississauga vs SC Waterloo

Sat. May 25, Ontario Soccer Centre 6 pm FC Vorkuta vs Kingsman A  SC

Sat. May 25, Heritage Field 6:30 pm Hamilton City vs SC Waterloo

Sat May 25, Heritage Field 8:30 pm Brantford Galaxy vs Serbian White Eagles

Sun. May 26, Centennial Stadium 7:30 pm FC Ukraine United vs Real Mississauga SC

Sun. May 26, Birchmount Stadium  8 pm Scarborough SC vs CSC Mississauga

CSL KICKOFF HAS THE BIG PICTURE IN MIND

by
A stronger professional structure is considered key for player development leading to success of the Canadian men's team and access to the World Cup finals

In just four weeks, ten teams will kickoff a new Canadian Soccer League season in a year that’s considered to be the beginning of a new era in professional soccer in Canada.

The CSL has announced the 2019 First Division line-up as FC Vorkuta (current CSL champions), Scarborough SC (2018 CSL Championship finalist), Brantford Galaxy, CSC Mississauga, Hamilton City, Kingsman SC, Real Mississauga SC, Serbian White Eagles, FC Ukraine United, SC Waterloo.

Kingsman SC was the one successful  expansion team of five that applied for 2019 First Division entry.

It’s been 95 years – in 1924 – since Canada ventured on to the world soccer stage, but its men’s national team has made only one appearance in the World Cup finals since that time. That was in 1986 when the team failed to score a goal in the three games played in Mexico.

Much has been said about Canada’s failure to gain a place in the World Cup finals since 1986, while many countries with less player and economic resources have basked in the glory of at least making an appearance.

Canada is all about hockey after all, it has been said. But demographics reveal a vastly different story, showing that the soccer community has been rich in player population for 20 years now – more than any other team sport – with an abundance of technical expertise following a flood of post-war arrivals of immigrants from countries steeped in soccer tradition. Dozens of coaches and players have settled in Canada after experiencing high level soccer elsewhere.

The lack of sufficient professional soccer, which includes the semi-professional game, for promising players to step into is now believed to be a major reason for Canada’s failure to develop a sufficient number of high level players for its men’s national team, a team strong enough for an appearance in the World Cup finals. It’s not every special player who wants to go outside of Canada during those early stages of uncertainty.

More high level soccer in Canada, consisting of Major League Soccer, the Canadian Soccer League and the launch of the Canadian Premier League on April 27, is expected to start paying dividends that will show results in the years to come.

“We will play our part and  continue a longstanding CSL practice and tradition of encouraging special Canadian players to strive for excellence that may give them a chance of entry into one of the youth national teams and eventually the men’s national side,” said CSL president Doug Bakoc.

In 2026, Canada should also be given a chance to compete in a World Cup as co-host with Mexico and the United States.

The CSL First Division regular season will run from mid-May to September with the post season playoffs leading to the CSL Championship in October.

THE CSL SEES A NEW ERA IN CANADIAN PROFESSIONAL SOCCER

by
during Canadian Soccer League match between FC Ukraine United and FC Vorkuta at Centennial Park Stadium on May 13, 2018 in Etobicoke, Ontario Canada. Photo: Michael Fayehun/F10 Sports Photography

FC Ukraine United and FC Vorkuta clash at Centennial Park Stadium in 2018, two recent teams in a a new era of professional soccer  in  Canada .  PHOTO: Michael Fayehun/F10 Sports Photography

NEW  ERA OF PROFESSIONAL SOCCER IN CANADA

When the Canadian Soccer League kicks off its 2019 season mid-May there will be a special determination by its members that today’s league  – which first kicked off on June 19, 1926, a match between Toronto Ulster and Windsor Rovers — will not soon end up in the history books.  Instead, the league, described by former Toronto Star sports writer Bob Koep as being ‘one of a kind’, and author Colin Jose  ‘has stood the test of time’, will continue to play an important part in edging soccer ever closer to becoming a mainstream sport in Canada, to find its deserved place in the Canadian sports community.

The CSL, rebranded from time to time, is after all, the longest running soccer league in the country, to   survive where many have faded into obscurity.

When the CSL’s forerunner National Soccer League kicked off  in 1926, so did the Interprovincial League, and numerous major leagues through the ages to what now appears to be a new era of stability in North American professional soccer.

The Canadian Soccer League sees a new era in this country, with the success of top flight teams Montreal Impact, Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps in Major League Soccer, the introduction of the Canadian Premier League and a rejuvenated CSL. The tough CSL has a reputation for introducing promising young local players to a professional environment with almost 50 of them making their way to youth national teams following time in the CSL during the past 10 years. Several have advanced to high level clubs and the national squad, the most successful being Atiba Hutchinson, who made a brief appearance in the CSL before joining top clubs in Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and Turkey, while the most recent was Jonathan Osorio of Toronto FC and Canada who earned the Rookie of the Year Award in his debut CSL season.

The league has benefitted by the use in recent years of import players, with half of the CSL’s First Division clubs signing established pros from Europe. A few of the many outstanding imports have been Sasa Viciknez of Serbian White Eagles who played in the European Champions League, Nikola Budalic, also of Serbian Eagles and now GM of Orlando of Major League Soccer,  Vitaliy Sidirov from Russia with Kingston FC, Janer Guaza Lucumi with SC Toronto following his selection to the Colombian U-20 team, Krum Bibishkov, Scarborough SC and Real Mississauga who was prominent in Bulgaria and Portugal and stirred the interest of Bayern Munich, Aleksandar Stojiljkovic of  SC Waterloo and Scarborough SC following time with high level clubs in Serbia, and  Sergii Ivliev of Ukraine United, then FC Vorkuta, was prominent in Ukraine and Poland.

It’s perhaps no coincidence that the CSL’s new offices are located close to Toronto Airport where a procession of players from Europe arrive weekly to join teams strengthened and made more attractive by their presence.

 

ISAC CAMBAS BROUGHT SOCCER TO THE PORTUGUESE COMMUNITY

by

ISAC CAMBAS BROUGHT SOCCER TO THE PORTUGUESE COMMUNITY

Isac Cambas loved the game so much he once owned a team and called it after himself. But not to steal the spotlight, he reversed his first name to call the amateur soccer team Casi Soccer Club.

 Cambas learned all about football growing up supporting Porto, one of Portugal’s top sides and one of the leading teams of Europe. On arrival in Canada he soon became an established member of the soccer community, entering a stage called the Goan Soccer League, one of many amateur leagues playing attractive soccer and governed by the Toronto Soccer Association. It was humble football beginnings in Canada for sure, eventually leading to a life of soccer that kept the semi-professional and the professional game central to the Portuguese community in Southern Ontario following the demise of the First Portuguese team in the 1990s. 

 Isac Cambas died on March 1, following a battle with cancer diagnosed in the summer of 2018. He was 56.

 Cambas was instrumental in the formation of the Puma League, which launched in 1995 as an ethnically-based concept appealing to Toronto’s growing diverse community. His team, Portuguese United, moved to the professional Canadian National Soccer League in 1996 to be known as Toronto Supra. In 1997 the CNSL was renamed the Canadian Professional Soccer League (CPSL) and following a period in amateur soccer,  Cambas in 2001 entered Toronto Supra as an expansion franchise in the pro CPSL.  His team was later named Portuguese FC which in 2011 merged with SC Toronto which became the Portuguese entity in soccer until 2013. The club is now in amateur soccer with broad programs for player development and competition with various age groups.

Tony Camacho, who also followed a similar path from Portugal to Canada to become one of Canada’s top soccer referees, earning the coveted FIFA badge in 1992, has held various top level positions as a match official administrator and is presently leading a long-term developmental program to increase Canada’s high level match officials, spoke recently of  Cambas: “Isac loved the game and it showed in his willingness to discuss the laws of the game as well as controversial referee calls and he was interested in an  improved standard of officiating. Always pleasant and open to discussion”, he said.

Dragan Bakoc, president of the Canadian Soccer League in which Isac Cambas was an equity owner for 13 years, commented: “I am saddened by the loss of Isac, a colleague and friend for many years and a great member of the soccer community. He was generous in the game and signed up several players who turned out to be outstanding at higher levels. A nice man, and from the CSL our condolences go to his family and his many friends.”

Danny Amaral, one of the CSL’s top players over the years with several seasons at a high level in Portugal and Spain and now head coach of Portugal AC of Canada’s Premier Arena Soccer League, explained recently how Isac Cambas brought local soccer to the Portuguese community and kept the Portuguese teams in Southern Ontario in the spotlight. “Isac was a credit to soccer in Canada and the Portuguese community here, a hard worker and generous in many ways. He’ll be missed,” said Amaral.

KINGSMAN IN THE CSL –

by

AND KINGSMAN IN THE CSL

The Canadian Soccer League will kickoff mid-May with new teams in both divisions for a five-month long 2019 campaign stretching through to the championship final in October.

New team  expansion team Kingsman Soccer Club, based in King City just north of Toronto. Kingsman SC B, the club’s reserve squad, will be in the CSL Second Division.

Sergiy Shchavyelyev is president and part owner of new club Kingsman Soccer Club based in King City, just north of Toronto to be the first club from that community to venture into professional soccer.  Partners in the ownership are Sergiy Przhebelskyy, the club’s vice president and Oleg Kalyadin, director of marketing.

Kingsman will also be adding an academy to the club, focusing on older teens to develop skills with a view to early first step entry into the reserve team. The home ground location has yet to be announced.

FC Vorkuta are current CSL champions, having defeated Scarborough SC in the 2018 final, and the FC Vorkuta B reserve team captured the CSL Second Division championship, defeating Halton United B in the final. FC Ukraine United won the regular season CSL First Division and FC Vorkuta B won the regular season CSL Second Division.

 

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?       

by

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

        CSL players moving up……………Part 2

FROM THE CSL TO EUROPE

More CSL players ventured to Europe during the past decade, including Fidan Nika of St. Catharines Roma Wolves to German clubs FC Passau, SG Bogen II,  SV Poppenreuth and most recently SV Mitterteich, while Gil Hong and Christian Kusiewicz of Mississauga Eagles FC was transferred to Gyori ETO FC  Hungary and today is with Oakville Blue Devils of Ontario League 1. Marcus Godinho of Toronto FC II moved to Heart of Midlothian in the Scottish Premier League and in 2018 with Berwick Rangers, also of Scotland. David Monsalve of North York Astros was signed by FC Inter Turku of Finland, and returned to Canada recently to play for Ottawa Fury of the USL. Igor Pisanjuk of Mississauga Eagles FC and later Vasas Astros SC, both of the CSL, was with Hungarian clubs Ferencvarosi, Szolnoki MAV FC, Kecskemeti, Egri FC and Vasas FC.

THE EUROPEAN TOUCH

Jonathan Lao (above picture) an impressive Toronto area attacking midfielder over the years, played in the CSL for Toronto FC II, was signed by FC Rot-Weiss Erfurt of Germany and was later a standout for the York University side including winning the Joe Johnson Memorial Award as the most outstanding university player in 2016. Jonathan, 25, considers that talented young Canadian players should seek a spot in Europe to experience the difference in culture and mentality for the game if they desire to pursue professional football. Lao was in the Canadian youth program as early as 15 and represented Canada in the 2009 CONCACAF U-17 Championship in Mexico.

FROM THE CSL TO INTERNATIONAL DUTY

During the period following 2010, a procession of players were travelling extensively from CSL clubs to represent their country at the youth level, including Odaine Demar, Julien Edwards and Taylor Benjamin of the CSL’s  Capital City of  Ottawa. Demar was selected for the Jamaica U-20 national team in the CONCACAF championships, Edwards and Benjamin were selected for their native Guyana. Stephane Emard, playing for Kingston FC was selected for the St. Lucia national team for the Gold Cup qualifiers. Canadian Soccer Association coaches  also stepped in to identify the promising players under contract with CSL clubs and several players with Montreal Impact II playing in the CSL were selected They included midfielder Allesandro Riggi, striker Stephan Vukovic, (the CSL’s top scorer in 2011), midfielder Kevin Luarca and defender Kai Morton. Striker Reda Agourram, midfielder Pierre Rudolph Mayard, former Trois-Riviers Attak defender Karl Ouimette, and full back Aron Mkungilwa were also selected to Canada’s youth teams.

SKYLAR THOMAS FIRST WINNIPEG SIGNING

Skylar Thomas showed good natural ability when in 2012 he entered the CSL with the Toronto FC reserve squad while also playing at Syracuse where he captained the university team. The tall (6’ 3”) Scarborough-born defender was signed by Reading United in the U.S.-based USL League Two, where in 2014 he played before returning to the Toronto FC club to make 47 appearances in the reserve team.  He then signed for Charleston Battery of the USL in 2017 and played regularly through the 2018 season. Thomas, 25, is the first signing for Valour FC, the Winnipeg team in the newly-formed Premier Soccer League (PSL) which is scheduled to kickoff in 2019. Valour head coach and GM Ron Gale described Thomas on Global News radio as being “a strong centre-back, athletic and quick, and good in the air”. Thomas has made seven appearances for Canada’s U-23 squad.

SERGIO CAMARGO A CAVALRYMAN

The soccer career of Sergio Camargo kicked off in earnest when in 2009 when the Colombia-born midfielder turned out for Toronto FC II in the CSL during the 2009 season. In 2010 Camargo won both the CSL Reserve Division MVP and Rookie of the Year awards before playing college soccer with Coastal Carolina and in Syracuse with a string of achievements. In 2015 he was captain of the Waterloo, Ontario-based K-W United when the team won the USL Premier Division Championship and in 2017 was signed by Toronto FC. In 2018 Camargo, now 24, played for Calgary Foothills of USL League Two and has signed for Cavalry FC, the Calgary team to kickoff in the Canadian Premier League’s inaugural 2019 season. Camargo made his debut for Canada in the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup.

DRAGOSLAV SEKULARAC

Dragoslav Sekularac, the former Red Star Belgrade attacking midfielder considered to be one of the top legendary players in world soccer and who managed a successful re-launch of Serbian White Eagles of the CSL in 2006, died at age 81 last Saturday, January 5.  Sekularac was considered one of the most popular players to wear a Red Star shirt due to his exceptional ball skills that raised the stadium noise volume whenever he took possession. Sekularac made his debut for Red Star Belgrade in 1955, playing 470 games scoring 119 goals in 11 seasons. He played 41 times for the Yugoslavia national team. Sekularac was not new to Canada when appointed GM in 1966, having spent time with Serbian White Eagles of the CSL’s forerunner National Soccer League in 1975. His presence in 2006 attracted some of the largest crowds to watch a CSL game and there was considerable success on the field of play, winning the International Conference with both the best offensive and defensive record with 17 wins, 4 draws and 1 defeat.

 

THE 2018 CSL SEASON IN REVIEW

by

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

WHERE ARE THEY NOW …….CSL players moving up

by

The first of series.

We all know what former Canadian Soccer League player Jonathan Osorio is doing these days as one of the most visible members of the Toronto FC team with a club record of 171 appearances. Osorio, also now a Canadian national team regular with 22 appearances and now on a break from competition during the off season, first entered local professional soccer with CSL first division team SC Toronto in 2012. A prolific goal scorer, Osorio was awarded the Rookie of the Year Award in his debut CSL season.

But what about other players who have shone in the CSL and, like Osorio, have moved on to higher levels in Canada and elsewhere. Where are they now? This is the first of a series to detail the experiences in North America and overseas countries of players introduced to professional soccer in the Canadian Soccer League, or by its predecessor league, the Canadian Professional Soccer League (CPSL) the league’s name before re-branding in 2006.

Let’s start with Kitchener native David Edgar who started his soccer career with the CPSL’s London City, playing briefly in 2001 before trialing with Newcastle United in the English Premier League. The tall defender made his debut for Newcastle United reserve team in 2003 and made his debut for Canada’s U-20 team the same year. Edgar’s first team debut for Newcastle came on December 26, 2006 and a week later, on New Year’s Day January 1, 2007, he was in the spotlight in his home debut by scoring a goal against Manchester United, a game that ended in a 2-2 draw. Edgar was transferred to English team Burnley in 2009, making 99 appearances before moving to Swansea, Birmingham City, Huddersfield Town and Sheffield United, before returning to Canada to play for Vancouver Whitecaps. Edger, now 31, played at Nashville recently and is now under contract with Ottawa Fury in the US-based USL. He is Canadian men’s team regular with 42 caps.

Doneil Henry, a defender, was captain of the Toronto FC II side for two seasons in the CSL and was the first reserve team player to sign for the Toronto FC senior team in Major League Soccer. In 2014, Henry was transferred to Appollon Limassol of the Cypriot first division, returning on loan to Toronto FC before signing for West Ham United in England. Henry has been on loan to Blackburn Rovers of England and Horsens of Denmark before returning to Canada and playing for the Vancouver Whitecaps in 2018. The Whitecaps have picked up the option on Henry’s contract and he is presently on loan to Ottawa Fury. Now 25, the Brampton, Ontario, native has represented Canada at the senior level 24 times.

Nikola Budalic, a talented midfielder played for Glen Shields Sun Devils in the CPSL in 2001 before elevating his playing career in Canada with the Toronto Lynx of the US-based A-League before going overseas to play for Orebro of Sweden. Budalic then returned to Canada and the Impact, then signed for Haugesund of Norway before returning to the CSL in 2008 to join Serbian White Eagles. Budalic was then loaned to Toronto FC reserves before returning to Serbian Eagles to coach the CSL team. In 2016 Budalic was appointed assistant GM of Orlando City in MLS and was promoted to General Manager.

Atiba Hutchinson, who played briefly for York Region Shooters in the CPSL back in 2002, is a regular with the Canadian national team while near the end of a sparkling career in Europe. Hutchinson’s career took the midfielder from the CPSL to the Toronto Lynx before his European career started with top clubs Oster and Helsingborg (Sweden), then Copenhagen (Denmark) and PSV Eindoven (Netherlands). Now 35, Hutchinson is today with Besiktas, a top club in Turkey. The Brampton, Ontario native has won the Canadian Men’s Player of the Year award five times, and has indicated his wish to retire as a player in 2019.

Andre Manders, a talented Bermudian full back sometimes midfielder with the CSPL’s Capital City of Ottawa in 2002, who signed for York Region Shooters the following season, went on to play in Antigua and is presently with Whitechurch United in the Wessex League in England. At 32, Manders has 14 international caps with his native Bermuda, including World Cup qualifiers.

Nikola Paunic, who played in the CSL for Serbian White Eagles, was selected in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft by Vancouver Whitecaps but eventually signed for Orange County Blues, an affiliate of Los Angeles FC in MLS. Paunic, a defender, captained the Toronto SF Academy team and was selected for the Canada U-20 side.

Ashtone Morgan, an impressive young defender with Toronto FC in recent years, played in the CSL with Toronto FC II during the seasons 2009 and 2010 and has since made 118 appearances for the Reds’ senior team. Morgan, a regular with the Canadian men’s team, has contract options with his club and is expected to continue at the BMO Field in the upcoming 2019 season.

Karl Ouimette was standout defender in seasons 2009 and 2010 for Trois-Rivieres Attak, a team in the CSL affiliated with Montreal Impact. The Quebec native signed for the Impact in 2012 where he was picked up by New York Bulls of MLS, was then signed by Jacksonville Amada of the NPSL, followed by the San Francisco Deltas of the NASL and in 2018 played for Indy Eleven of the USL. Ouimette has played 18 times for the Canadian men’s team following games with Canada’s U-17 and U-23.

Paul Munster arrived at Kitchener, Ontario from Northern Ireland in 2004 and was put on a trial in the CPSL’s London City reserve side where he scored an impressive 12 goals in his first three matches, earning a quick place in City’s first team. The young striker then led the CPSL scoring with 25 goals to end the season with a record 10-goal lead. He was voted winner of the league’s Rookie of the Year Award. The Irishman became an immediate fan favourite at London City and attracted the attention of Slavia Prague of the Czech Republic to embark upon a European career which took him from Prague to Sweden, then back to the Czech Republic. Three seasons with Linfield in his native Northern Ireland followed, then a brief period playing in Germany. Munster was then appointed manager of Assyriska BK of the Swedish second division and was appointed to managerial and head coach responsibilities in three other clubs. Munster, 36, is today in India where in 2018 he was appointed technical director of Minerva Punjab in the Indian I-League.

Andrew Ornoch entered professional soccer briefly in 2002 with Mississauga Olympians of the CSL and following university soccer trialed successfully with Papai FC of Hungary, then Esbjerg of Denmark. Brief stints with Harecles Almelo, then Veendam of the Netherlands followed before the midfielder, sometimes forward, returned to the CSL playing three games with Mississauga Eagles. Ornoch then played for Telstar in the Netherlands, returned to Canada in 2014 at age 30 and signed for Vaughan Azzurri. He represented Canada three times.

Location

75 International Blvd.
Suite #203, Toronto ON
M9W 6L9

Contact

info@canadiansoccerleague.ca

416.675.6256

Copyright ©2024 | Canadian Soccer League | canadiansoccerleague.ca | All rights reserved