The Canadian Soccer League will kickoff the new season with eight teams on Saturday, August 28 following the postponement of the opening day schedule of August 14 due to an insurance issue at the city-owned Centennial Stadium at Etobicoke in Toronto’s west end.

The CSL teams taking part are the defending CSL champions FC Vorkuta, the 2020 finalist Scarborough SC, Serbian White Eagles and BGHC, a team representing southern Ontario neighbours Brantford Galaxy and Hamilton City which have completed an arrangement to merge. The four teams invited to take part in a league format competition for the newly-introduced  ProSound Cup are Atletico Sporting Toronto,  Euru Futbol Academy, which is based in Hamilton, Ontario, St. Catharines Hrvat and Toronto Tigers.

The  3-game opener will kickoff the ProSound Cup invitational competition consisting of the 4 CSL teams and 4 invited teams  in a 32-game league  format and this will be followed by the CSL Championship playoffs moving the four CSL teams to the semi finals and final to conclude the season.

The opener on Saturday will remain the same schedule arranged for August 14, with Scarborough SC hosting Toronto Tigers in the first game at 3 pm, BGHC will be at home to FC Vorkuta at 5 pm and Serbian White Eagles will host Atletico Sporting Toronto at 7. All games will be played at Centennial Stadium in Etobicoke.

The Canadian Soccer league has also announced that the normal league rules and regulations will apply to the ProSound Cup competition.

In the event of a tie on points following completion of the 32-game schedule the Section 2009 tie-breaker rule applies:

1.  Total wins during the 32-game competition
2. Head-to-head record based on total points
3. Goal difference
4. Goals scored

The league discipline rules will apply including Rule 97005 that in all circumstances a player receiving a red card will automatically be suspended for the next game and the player is subject to additional game suspensions depending on the severity of the offence.

STADIUM REQUIREMENTS

On kickoff day, Saturday, August 28, a limited number of spectators are allowed into the stadium from 2.30 pm until  the final whistle of the third game at approx, 9 pm. An opening day pass for all three games is available at the gate for $10. Spectators are required to wear a mask or face covering in a manner that covers their mouth, nose and chin, unless they are entitled to an exemption. Physical distancing is required.

Stan Adamson

The Canadian Soccer League has announced the postponement of the opening day August 14 three–game schedule due to a delay in obtaining the necessary insurance at the city-owned Centennial Stadium in Toronto’s west-end.

The postponed games are expected to be rescheduled the week of August 16 and played at the same ground on August 28.

“It is with regret and we thank you for your understanding,” explained the CSL’s  Peter Kovacs on releasing the decision to the teams on Friday afternoon.

The Canadian Soccer League, launched in 1926 as the forerunner National Soccer League and re-branded several times until adopting its present name in 2006, is entering a new era.

It will all begin on June 1 with the appointment of Primetime Sports Marketing Inc., a Canadian sports management company, to administer and market the longstanding semi-professional CSL with its reputation for attractive football and its ongoing contribution to the Canadian game while Canada attempts to be competitive on the world stage.

It’s worth repeating that Canada’s soccer historian Colin Jose described in his book ON-SIDE published in 2001, that the league was born out of turmoil in the tumultuous 1920s to survive following triumph and failure, while others folded with monotonous regularity across Canada. Since those early times, the CSL has continued to survive as mentioned by various media from time to time, including former Toronto Star soccer writer Bob Koep when he described in the June 2011 issue of Inside Soccer that the CSL was looking ‘better than ever’ following  a three-year period when 40 players from the CSL first division were selected for various national teams. At that time Canada’s top flight professional teams in Edmonton, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver were competing in two U.S. leagues and the CSL was Canada’s only domestic pro league.

The addition of the Canadian Premier League, which kicked off its inaugural season with seven teams in 2019 and which added an expansion team the following year, is a welcome addition to provide more professional soccer based in Canada. It is generally accepted that a healthy pro game in qualitative and quantitative terms is necessary for a country to have a competitive edge on the world stage.

The Canadian Soccer League is poised and determined to increase its presence in the Canadian soccer community and the engaging of Primetime Sports Marketing with principals Phil Ionadi, Peter Kovacs, Jordan Kotsopoulos and Berenice Urban, a team strong in sports administration and marketing is expected to meet the objectives necessary for a successful CSL future, a future that will include a 100 years anniversary in 2026, which coincidentally is World Cup year, the finals to be staged in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

Phil Ionadi, the president and founder of Primetime Sports Marketing Inc., has a considerable and popular presence in the Canadian soccer community as a former Canadian national team player, professional player in Ontario and Quebec, followed by 15 years’ experience in sports management, marketing and  business expansion from academy management through to the professional level, while the highly regarded Peter Kovacs is similarly well-known following several decades promoting amateur and professional soccer events, guiding the business interests of professional and community organizations in soccer and holding several management and executive positions in the soccer community. Kovacs is the founder and president of Go Enterprises, a successful sports marketing agency which partners with Primetime Sports Marketing Inc.

Jordan Kotsopoulos holds an MBA Sports Management degree from Spain and an Economics and Finance degree from Wilfred Laurier University and has international sports marketing experience in the United States, Ghana, Spain, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, while Berenice Urban, who is one of the founding members of Primetime Sports Marketing, majored in International Relations at Mexico City and has 10 years of International Relations experience after holding a Business Development Director position in Mexico and Latin America.

In announcing the engagement of Primetime Sports Marketing, CSL president Dragan Bakoc explains that while CSL teams have many Canadian players, some of which attract the attention of overseas clubs, the league is unique in its diversity with many temporary high level import players signed each year from Europe and this results in a high level of attractive soccer. “We are pleased to welcome the Primetime Sports Marketing group to the CSL to build on our present structure, to develop and increase our fan base, to assist the league and its teams make an even greater contribution to Canadian soccer”, he said.

The CSL is seeking clarification from the Ontario government and the City of Toronto while preparing another abbreviated four-month long season to be played on a single site stadium in Toronto. Further details will be released shortly.

Stan Adamson

Soccer in Canada is better and bigger than most people realize. Despite player registrations in organized soccer exceeding hockey and many more than baseball, football and basketball, the beautiful game in Canada is overshadowed by the greater popularity of the mainstream sports. Canadian soccer needs help, more exposure to unveil the many young players across the country showing promise of having the skills and talent to be on the edges of a high level game anywhere in the world.

That’s the opinion of Igor Demitchev after attending hundreds of matches in southern Ontario following his arrival as an immigrant from his native Russia. Demitchev, a Toronto lawyer and principal sponsor of the highly successful FC Vorkuta, will air his views nationally in a documentary on the beIN SPORTS channel to be released soon.    .

Demitchev with Samad Kadirov, another Russian immigrant, launched the FC Vorkuta team in a Toronto area indoor league in 2008, a venture that led to the outdoor amateur game in the Thornhill Soccer League in 2009 and several seasons in the Richmond Hill Soccer League to win league and championship titles along the way. Then came the big leap into the professional Canadian Soccer League as an expansion team in 2017.

Professional players from Europe were signed to strengthen the club (with major assistance of head coach Denys Yanchuk ) for entry into Canada’s top league of the day and the Vorkuta team, named after a community on the edge of the Arctic Circle in northern Russia, was an immediate hit. They won the first division league title in the inaugural season, followed by a  CSL championship victory in 2018 to continue unabated a winning way and winning attitude that attracted wide attention in the Canadian soccer community.

The flow of players arriving from mostly eastern and central Europe to Vorkuta and other teams in the CSL, all requiring work permits or visas, is subject to reciprocal provisions under the Refugee, Citizenship and Immigration Canada guidelines and is intended to result in a neutral labour market impact with Canadian players having similar reciprocal opportunities abroad.  The clause is intended to maintain a reasonable balance between foreign players entering Canada to play for Canadian teams and the number of Canadian players being received by other countries.

While some considered the federal government’s recent close scrutiny of the reciprocity requirement a threat to the ease with which overseas players can be transferred to Canadian clubs, Demitchev considered it an opportunity. The government emphasis means more young promising Canadian players will be accepted abroad for trials with high level clubs, he reasoned. Vorkuta became the first team in the CSL to initiate an exchange program with overseas clubs. The encouragement of team visits and even programs to fight racism in soccer, were included in the deal with multiple clubs in Europe.

Such partnerships are encouraged by the ministry and there has been some early success with the transfer of Fadi Salback, the university student from Bowmanville Ontario, spotted in 2019 by an always searching FC Vorkuta. Salback is now playing for FC Podillya Khmelnytskyi in the Ukrainian Second Division and the Israeli-born goal scorer was described in local media recently as a fan favourite.

“And there are many more on the way as we develop relationships with clubs overseas,” said Demitchev, who grew up in the remote Vorkuta community and who in recent times while in Canada has identified these exchanges as one opportunity to accelerate and do more for the development of Canada’s promising young players, a prerequisite if Canada is to be more competitive on the world stage.

 Today, FC Vorkuta is a diverse club of many nationalities with a dozen Canadian league titles and championships since being formed in 2008. Date for release of the FC Vorkuta documentary, which is produced by Alex Bastyovanszky, will be announced soon to be shown on the beIN SPORTS Canada network. BeIn SPORTS is known for its comprehensive sports coverage including gaining the rights to many of the high level soccer events including UEFA club tournaments, top European leagues and South American competitions.

Stan Adamson

PICTURE: Fadi Salback now recognized by town’s residents as a celebrity. IM PR INC EIN PRESSWIRE

Fadi Salback, the university student from Bowmanville Ontario, spotted in 2019 by FC Vorkuta during a winter off-season indoor soccer game and signed for a trial in the Canadian Soccer League team’s reserve squad to score four goals in his opening game, has caught the eye of the European media and the fans while playing for FC Podillava Khmelnytskyi in the Ukrainian Second Division.

Salback, 22, with promising credentials prior to that indoor match, was promptly moved to the Vorkuta first division squad where more goals followed in quick succession.

Salback’s earlier signs of talent came when the Israeli-born striker was selected for Ontario’s Provincial U-16 team before entering Ontario Tech University at Oshawa, Ont. to study software engineering. Selected also for the university team, he scored a record 16 goals in his first season, was named the all-Canadian Rookie of the Year and named an east division first team all-star.

Salback was signed by the Ukrainian club following a two-week trial late summer and has now caught the eye of the European media after scoring five goals in his first six games since Ukraine kicked off a new season in October. One news report explains that when Salback walks through Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine, he’s recognized by the town’s residents as a celebrity.

Vorkuta GM Samad Kadirov considered Salback to be an exceptional player when he was first seen by Kadirov, Vorkuta FC owner Igor Demitchev, and Steve Kokkoros of the Thornhill Soccer Club just north of Toronto during that indoor winter season match. “ We are pleased to sign him and he’s now considered one of our top assets with real promise for the future,” said Kadirov at the time.

Demitchev takes it a step further and believes the local youth talent has contributed greatly to the success of his club since its launch at the amateur level in Toronto in 2008. The team, formed by Demitchev and Kadirov, both immigrants from Russia, stormed into professional soccer as an expansion team in the Canadian Soccer League in 2017. With high level players from Eastern Europe and local players with promise, FC Vorkuta has attracted a lot of attention while winning two Canadian Soccer League championships and three league titles in just four seasons. FC Vorkuta is today one of the top teams in Canadian soccer.

Demitchev, a Toronto lawyer, considers his club has been successful while partnering the Thornhill Soccer Club to select local youth for competition in the tough CSL, then continuing with a process that provides every opportunity for further development and eventually the all-important recognition of a player destined for an even higher game elsewhere. “Fadi Salback is living proof of what can happen,” he says.

Soccer in Canada has grown in leaps and bounds during the past 30 years with now more player registrations than hockey and more than baseball, football and basketball combined and there are signs that more high level players are emerging. Demitchev considers that aligning his club with youth soccer helps to make young special players more visible, and they are surrounded by coaching skills from abroad, all of which contributes to furthering the Canadian game.

Fadi Salback’s new-found success follows a number of CSL players that have made the grade at a higher level, including Jonathan Osorio from SC Toronto to Toronto FC, Paul Munster from London City to Slavia Prague and a number of others stretching back to Atiba Hutchinson who played briefly for York Region Shooters before moving on to play for the Toronto Lynx and five teams in Europe before joining his present club, Besiktas of Turkey.

Igor Demitchev and FC Vorkuta also believe the increased popularity of the game in Canada is about to pay dividends as more players surface for the highest level professional ranks in Europe and other parts of the world. Transfer fees are expected to exceed the recent Canadian record $46.5 million paid by French club Lille for Jonathan David of Ottawa. That fee was quick to eclipse the earlier fee of more than $20 million, which included bonuses yet to be earned, for the transfer to Bayern Munich of Alphonso Davies from the Vancouver Whitecaps of Major League Soccer.

In the meantime, the progress of Fadi Salback is of interest from a number of points of view, not the least of which is the rarity of a Canadian being signed in a country with limited opportunities for the abundance of local soccer talent attempting to enter a relatively small professional football structure.

PICTURE: Mirko Medic (right), an outstanding defender in Europe before joining Serbian White Eagles to be part of the memorable Dragoslav Sekularac team of 2006, is the new head coach announced by Scarborough SC GM Kiril Dimitrov.

When Scarborough SC lost its third championship final in four years following a 2-1 defeat at Racco Park in Vaughan just north of Toronto on October  17 at the end of last season, a loss that came after the Toronto east side team were on top of opposition Vorkuta and led 1-0 into the second half, it became clear that changes would come to continue the club’s incremental improvements strategy that started shortly after  professional soccer returned to Scarborough as an expansion team in the Canadian Soccer League  in 2015.

GM Kiril Dimitrov, given complete control to develop a championship-winning side by owner Angel Belchev during those early days, had a strong professional career in Europe and knew the CSL well following a period with Serbian White Eagles and SC Waterloo. The year-by-year strengthening of the Scarborough franchise has since paid big dividends with a First Division championship in 2020, a CSL Championship title in 2019 and CSL Championship finalists in 2017, 2018 and 2020.

Dimitrov has now announced one of the club’s more significant additions with the signing of the impressive Mirko Medic of Serbian White Eagles as Scarborough’s head coach.

Medic is a seasoned professional following several years as a player in the former Yugoslavia with Buducnost Valjevo and FK Zeleznicar before signing in 2001 with First Division side FK Miadost Lucani of Serbia. A standout defender, Medic arrived in Canada in 2006 to sign for a CSL expansion Serbian White Eagles team to be coached by one of Europe’s earlier greats Dragoslav Sekularic. Medic was an immediate success and was selected during that year to the CSL All Star team for a match against visiting Clyde FC of the Scottish First Division. Medic was a member of a successful Serbian White Eagles side that won the International Division of the CSL and the championship winning Serbian White Eagles team of 2008. In 2009 he was named the Canadian Soccer League’s Defender of the Year and the following year was in the Toronto FC side at the BMO Field against visiting Bolton Wanderers of England.

Medic was transferred to the CSL’s Brampton City, returned to Serbian White Eagles the following year and was assigned coaching and managerial positions.

“We are very pleased Mirko Medic has chosen to join our club where he will be in complete charge of the team.“ said Scarborough owner and GM Kiril Dimitrov.  “Mirko has a first class reputation as a winner and Scarborough SC and the players will benefit. We also expect Mirko will identify players available in Europe and we will continue to provide opportunities for local players as well,” he added.

The CSL expects to play a five-month full season in 2021, setting the kickoff date mid-May  through to the end of October.

PICTURE: Sierra Leone international goalkeeper John Trye (right) signs with Serbian White Eagles president Dragan (Doug) Bakoc before leaving on February 7 to join the West African team in training for an upcoming World Cup qualifier.

Despite the uncertainty of scheduling matches for the upcoming season due to the prevailing government regulations during the pandemic, team owners in the Canadian Soccer League are upbeat in their approach to the upcoming 2021 campaign. New signings, transfers, players called up by their national teams, a leading team is about to announce a new coach, are all part of the activity with three months to go to a mid-May kick-off-time, and however tentative that may be there is cautious optimism that a full season will be played in 2021.

Goalkeeper John Trye, who has played a major part in the success of Scarborough SC since joining that club in 2016, is newly signed by Serbian White Eagles just weeks after being called up by his Sierra Leone national team preparing for World Cup qualifiers. Trye,35, was first invited to the West African country’s national team in 2011 and last played in 2014, losing 3-1 to Congo in a Group D qualifier for the African Cup of Nations.

Trye’s professional career started in 2002 with FC Kallon, one of the top clubs in Sierra Leone’s National Premier League, then in 2007 with Alianza of San Salvador in El Salvador. In 2011 the 6ft 2in. Trye signed with Northern Virginia Royals of the U.S Premier Development League, then ASA Charge of the U.S.National Premier League before signing for Scarborough.

Fadi Salback continues to impress with Ukrainian club FC Podillya Khmelnytskyi  where the former Vorkuta FC forward is listed as the leading scorer at the half-way mark in the season. There is now interest by the European club in another Vorkuta player, Jon Michael Perkins, a defender, sometimes midfielder. Perkins, 23, born in Kingston, Jamaica and now living in Bowmanville, Ontario, was a regular with the soccer team at St. Bonaventure University in New York State for four years before joining the CSL club.. Perkins has been listed twice in the U-17 and U-20 Jamaican National Team player pool.

Vorkuta’s management considers that following the explosion of youth registrations in Canadian soccer some years ago, following which the game became the most played team sport in the country, there are now many young talented players ready to take the first step into high level football if given the opportunity.

Canadian players in other countries has a beneficial effect with the federal government’s reciprocity policy which requires some reasonable balance of player movement between countries if they are to allow foreign players into Canada.

“ FC Vorkuta is proud to play a strong and constructive role in developing young Canadian soccer talent into future international soccer stars and the club’s approach to reciprocity between the Canadian club and clubs in Ukraine is some indication that there can now be an explosion of Canadian soccer talent being recognized internationally,” said FC Vorkuta owner Igor Demitchev.

GM Kiril Dimitrov of Scarborough has indicated an announcement will be made soon of a new coach in good time for the approach to the new season.

PICTURE: Enio Perruzza (left) received a special CSL Broadcaster Award in 2012

Enio Perruzza will always be known as one of Canada’s top announcers in sporting events but for many years he held a private but proud memory of playing a game in the Canadian Soccer League. It was on September 5, 1999 when one of the league’s top teams, the Toronto-based North York Astros, had three goalkeepers on the injured list and a hurried transaction at the league office provided a temporary permit allowing Perruzza to play in an important match at Dufferin Park in Thornhill, just north of the city. It was a disastrous CSL debut for the  sports announcer and commentator with the Astros losing 7-0 to Glen Shields Sun Devils. The amiable, always fun to be with Perruzza, entered the game as a substitute and did not concede all goals, nevertheless quickly returned to using his booming voice at the microphone, leaving the business of playing soccer to the players.

Enio Perruzza died on January 15 at the age of 54 after being admitted to hospital in York Region several times during the past two years for surgery and treatment of a heart condition.

While an avid fan of the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens and a follower of many sports, soccer was the Italian-born Perruzza’s favourite and his talent for detail and clarity that could often be heard outside a stadium, attracted attention during the summer of 1986 which led to an invitation to announce a Toronto Blizzard game on August 3 that year.  The appointment was the beginning of 34 years of announcing and commentary of more than 3,000 events.

In his itinerary were many visiting teams including Benfica, Red Star Belgrade, the Mexican under 20 side and the Italian military team, but he held a pride also in being invited to announce 18 Ontario Cup finals and the occasional appointment to provide colour commentary on television.

Perruzza was recognized for his work in Canadian soccer, including a special broadcaster award at the Canadian Soccer League’s annual awards banquet in 2012.

David Rumack, who often assisted at games and stepped in when Perruzza was double booked, knew Enio well and was saddened by the news of his passing. “ Enio was a natural behind the microphone. An amazing professional he was great to work with, often well dressed and wore a tie for his work. His always wide smile was quick to greet many special guests to the press box. We in the soccer community are going to miss Enio greatly,” he said

Dragan Bakoc, president of the Canadian Soccer League, paid tribute to Enio Perruzza: “Enio was very much a part of the CSL as a friend and colleague covering many games for a very long time. Enio was known for his happy personality and great sense of humour while being highly professional with his announcements. He was very much in our plans when games resume this year and I know he would be looking forward to that time. This is a sad time and Enio will be missed for a very long time in the future,” he said.

Similar sentiments were expressed by Cyndy De Thomasis of York Region Shooters, a team that engaged Perruzza to announce home games on a regular basis over many seasons: “We are very saddened by the news and I am quite shocked. Enio was well liked by everyone at the club, also the fans he often greeted as they arrived. The players enjoyed his careful pronunciation of their names and got to know Enio as ‘the voice of the CSL’, he was clear and loud and at times could still be heard during a microphone malfunction. But apart from all of that, Enio was a nice guy with a very pleasant personality, always positive. He’s going to be a big miss for us and the soccer community,” she said.

Enio Perruzza is survived by parents Crescenzo and Angela, sisters Rosanna (Joe) Cuzzolino and Maria (Paul) D’Aguanno. Enio was uncle of Julia (Mark), Ashley (Jonathan), Gian Paolo and Alessandro, loving great zio of Sarino and Lorena.

A private visitation and service has taken place. In lieu of flowers donations would be appreciated to the Heart and Stroke Foundation or the charity of choice.

 Liber Soria photo

While there is little doubt that Scarborough SC had the edge in the first half of a tough, entertaining  encounter to deserve a 1-0 lead at halftime of the Canadian Soccer League championship final at Racco Park in Vaughan Saturday, it became even more clear as the game progressed that FC Vorkuta was taking control during the second half and looked like the eventual winner moving to the final whistle.

Scarborough, the defending champions, looked determined early and came close to scoring on several raids, mostly on the left where midfielder Neven Radakovic was a constant danger to the Vorkuta goal and played a part when Scarborough took the lead at the 40^th minute mark. Defender Angel Angelov found the net past Vorkuta goalkeeper Anatolli Starushchenko from a Radakovic cross for a 1-0 lead at the break.

Vorkuta rallied early in the second half and midfielder Bohdan Borovskyi  struck at 56 minutes to tie the score 1-1, a goal that set Vorkuta on the way to a further rally that led to the winning goal at 70 minutes  by substitute Pavlo Chornomaz who entered the game early in the second half.

It’s the second CSL Championship for Vorkuta following the memorable penalty kicks victory against Scarborough in 2018 and follows league titles in 2017, 2018 and 2019, to be one of the most successful expansion clubs to enter the Canadian Soccer League. FC Vorkuta first entered Canadian professional soccer in May 2017 following several seasons at the amateur level in Toronto and York Region after being launched in 2008 by Russian immigrants Samad Kadirov and Toronto lawyer Igor Demitchev, the major investor.

Scarborough won the CSL First Division in the season just ended and Saturday’s championship final was the fourth in succession, claiming victory in 2019.

FC Vorkuta

Anatolli Starushchenko (Goalkeeper), Illia Piltenko (Defender), Liubomyr Halchuck (Defender), Mykyta Tkachov (Defender), Bohdan Borovskyi (Midfielder), Sergii Ivliev (Midfielder), Vadym Gostiev (Midfielder), Serhii Melnyk (Midfielder), Dmytro  Polyuhanych (Midfielder), Roman Sakhno (Midfielder),

Mykola Temniuk (Forward)

Substitutes:

Oleksandr Lozinskyi (Goalkeeper), Oleksandar Alieksieiev (Defender) 78 min., King Cannes Choy (Midfielder), Pavlo Chomomaz (Midfielder) 57 min., Iaroslav Solonynko (Midfielder) 57 min., Amir Hossein Karami (Midfielder), Viktor Raskov (Forward), Oleksandr Volchkov, Kristijan Kezic.

Head Coach: Yanchuk Denys GM: Samad Kadirov

Scarborough:

Vladimir Dragicevic (Goalkeeper), Angel Angelov (Defender), Ricardo Fonseca (Defender), Jesus Eduardo Compean Gonzales (Defender), Vladimir Zelenbaba (Midfielder), Amir Hosic (Midfielder), Odain Omaro Simpson (Midfielder), Neven Radakovic (Midfielder), Michael Feyehun (Midfielder), Gonzalo Matias Cabrera Celis (Forward), Alyass Taha (Forward).

Substitutes:

Daniel McIntosh (Defender), Halburto Harris (Defender), Marvin Oneil Morgan (Midfielder) 78 min.,Dragan Cicovic (Midfielder) 73 min., Ivan Prieto (Midfielder), Zoran Rajovic (Midfielder) 70 min.,Milorad Stefanovic (Midfielder), Krum Bibishkov (Forward), Aleksander Stojiljkovic (Forward), Moussa Limane (Forward)

Head Coach: Zoran Rajovic GM: Kiril Dimitrov

Referee: Braden K., Assistant referees: Afsar Khan, Timor Qayoum, 4^th Official: David Sardina

Ground: Racco Park, Vaughan, Ont.

Racco Park (Concord – Thornhill Regional Park) at 299 Racco Parkway in Concord, just east of Woodbridge in Vaughan, is the venue for the CSL Championship Final on Saturday, October 17. It’s a 3 pm kickoff.

There is little to choose between Scarborough and FC Vorkuta as they prepare for the Canadian Soccer League championship to be played this coming Saturday, October 17, at a new venue just north of Toronto, a move necessary following the announcement of new restrictions and public health measures affecting sports events in the city.

The two teams have been impressive in sharing most of the top Canadian Soccer League honours during the past three seasons.

FC Vorkuta won the CSL championship by defeating Scarborough on penalty kicks in the 2018 final. Scarborough won the CSL championship in 2019 while FC Vorkuta took the league honours finishing on top of the First Division, a year the north Toronto side became the fourth team in the long CSL history to finish the season undefeated, winning 15 matches and tying three. Scarborough finished in the runner-up position that year, the third time in as many years the east Toronto club took part in the final. The final on Saturday will be Scarborough’s fourth in succession. The two sides ended their 2020 First Division standing at the top, tied on points to be separated by a tie-breaker rule that awarded the First Division title to Scarborough for winning one more game than FC Vorkuta.

The always dangerous striker Mykola Temniuk will no doubt be a force for Vorkuta in the final, and Sergii Ivliev to name just two up front. GM Samad Kadirov and coach Yanchuk Denys are bound to go with goalkeeper Anatolii Starushchenko who has been outstanding.

GM Kiril Dimitrov and player-coach Zoran Rajovic will be counting on in-form defender Daniel McIntosh and players to look out for also are Ilyass Taha upfront and little used Moussa Limane in the side’s effort to repeat Scarborough’s 2019 championship victory.