It’s a new-look Canadian Soccer League for a new season about to kickoff with a special one-match remembrance event on Saturday, May 13. The regular season will get underway with four matches on Sunday, May 28 and continuing with most games to be played on weekends through to September 16. Playoff matches for the CSL Championship will start with the quarterfinals on September 23, the semifinals on September 30. The championship final will be one week later on Saturday, October 7.
Most of the games are scheduled for Churchill Meadows (also known as the Mattamy Sports Park) at Ninth Line in Mississauga, with a few games in the second half of the season at Paramount Centre -formerly known as the Hershey Centre – at Rose Cherry Place in Mississauga.
The remembrance match between Serbian White Eagles and Toronto Falcons for the Royal CSL Cup, to start the season this coming Saturday, May 13, is at the Churchill Meadows (Mattamy Sports Park) and is a tribute to CSL announcer Enio Perruzza who was a popular fixture with the league for more than 20 years and a favorite of many in the soccer community.
Perruzza’s booming voice announced close to 3,000 soccer matches during a period of more than two decades which included international matches involving top flight teams Benfica and Red Star Belgrade. The Mexican under 20 side and the Italian military team were also announced by Perruzza, who held a pride also in being invited to announce 18 Ontario Cup finals and the occasional appointment to provide the colour commentary on television. Enio Perruzza died on January 15, 2021 at the age of 54 following a period which included heart surgery.
In announcing the game to be played on May 13, CSL president Dragan Bakoc said Enio Perruzza was an important part of the Canadian Soccer League for many years. “Enio’s service to the game in Canada was considerable. He was very well liked both for his contribution to the game and his pleasant personality which did not change when challenged by health issues. He had a smile always,” said Bakoc.
The CSL lost two teams during the off season with FC Continentals taking a hiatus one-year absence and York Region Shooters moving to League1 under the governance of Ontario Soccer. Eight teams will kickoff on Sunday, May 28. They are Brantford Galaxy, Dynamo Toronto FC. Hamilton City 1, Ooty Black Pearl FC, Scarborough SC, Serbian White Eagles, Toronto Falcons and Weston United FC.
Admission to regular season games is $10.
