| Founded | 2008 |
|---|---|
| Region | Canada (CONCACAF) |
| Number of teams | 4 |
| Current champions | Toronto FC |
| Most successful club | Toronto FC (3 titles) |
| Television broadcasters | Rogers Sportsnet (English) RDS[1] (French) |
| Website | Official website |
| 2012 Canadian Championship | |
The Canadian Championship—known as the Nutrilite Canadian Championship for sponsorship reasons—is an annual soccer tournament contested by premier Canadian professional teams. The winner is awarded the Voyageurs Cup and Canada's berth in the CONCACAF Champions League[2] As of 2012, it will be contested by Major League Soccer sides Toronto FC, Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Montreal Impact (MLS) and North American Soccer League side FC Edmonton.[3] It is currently sponsored by Nutrilite and organized by the Canadian Soccer Association.
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The Nutrilite Canadian Championship is a seasonal club football competition organized by the Canadian Soccer Association. The tournament was organised following the entry of Toronto FC into Major League Soccer; prior to this, Canada's place in the CONCACAF Champions League had been awarded to the highest placed Canadian team in the USL First Division. With no promotion and relegation between MLS and USL, a new format was required. So, it was decided to organise a special round robin tournament between Toronto and the two Canadian USL teams.
The 2008 edition was contested between May 2008 and July 2008 and won by the Montreal Impact. The tournament consisted of a home and away series between the Montreal Impact, Toronto FC and the Vancouver Whitecaps. As the Canadian champions, Montréal qualified for CONCACAF Champions League 2008–09.[4][5][6]
The 2009 edition's format and participants were the same, contested by the three clubs in May and June 2009. It was closely contended by Toronto and Vancouver and won by the former via goal differential in the tournament's final game against the defending champions, Montreal, giving the Toronto franchise its first ever trophy and a spot in the qualifying round of the CONCACAF Champions League 2009–10.[7] Toronto repeated as champions in the 2010 competition, qualifying for the CONCACAF Champions League 2010–11.
Until 2010, the tournament has consisted of the top three professional teams in Canada in a home and away series with the top team winning entry into the qualifying stage of the CONCACAF Champions League. These teams have comprised the only Canadian teams in the two top professional soccer leagues with operations in Canada, which for 2010 were Major League Soccer and the temporary USSF Division 2 Professional League. The North American Soccer League has since received provisional sanctioning as the new second-division league beginning in 2011.
When FC Edmonton joined the NASL in 2011, the tournament was expanded to include the four most important professional clubs in the country.
From the 2011 edition, the tournament consists of two two-legged semifinals and a two-legged final. In the first semifinal, Toronto, as reigning champions, was assigned the first-place seed and played Edmonton, which was assigned the fourth seed as newcomers to the tournament. The two remaining teams, Montreal and Vancouver, faced off in the other semifinal. This was to be followed by a one-game final to be hosted by the highest remaining seed;[8] the CSA eventually decided to go with a two-legged final instead.
| Team | Professional league | Years participated |
|---|---|---|
| FC Edmonton | North American Soccer League | 2011–present |
| Montreal Impact | Major League Soccer | 2012-present |
| Toronto FC | Major League Soccer | 2008–present |
| Vancouver Whitecaps FC | Major League Soccer | 2011–present |
| Vancouver Whitecaps (1986–2010) | USL First Division, USSF Division 2 Professional League | 2008–2010 |
| Montreal Impact | North American Soccer League | 2008–2011 |
The winners of the Nutrilite Canadian Championship are awarded the Voyageurs Cup,[9] a trophy previously awarded to the Canadian USL First Division side with the best regular season record against other Canadian USL-1 teams. The USL was the highest level of Canadian soccer until Toronto FC became the first Canadian club in Major League Soccer.
The Voyageurs donated the cup to the Canadian Soccer Association to award to the winners of the Nutrilite Canadian Championship.
| Year | Winner | Runner Up |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Montreal Impact | Toronto FC |
| 2009 | Toronto FC | Vancouver Whitecaps |
| 2010 | Toronto FC | Vancouver Whitecaps |
| 2011 | Toronto FC | Vancouver Whitecaps FC |
| Club | Winner | Runner Up | Seasons Won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto FC | 3 | 1 | 2009, 2010, 2011 |
| Montreal Impact | 1 | 0 | 2008 |
| Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 0 | 3 | |
| FC Edmonton | 0 | 0 |
| Rank | Teams | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toronto FC | 16 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 22 | 9 | +13 | 32 |
| 2 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 16 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 14 | 13 | +1 | 22 |
| 3 | Montreal Impact | 14 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 9 | 19 | -10 | 10 |
| 4 | FC Edmonton | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | -4 | 0 |
The George Gross Memorial Trophy was created by the Canadian Soccer Association in 2008 to recognize each tournament's most valuable player. The Trophy is named after the late George Gross, a respected journalist and soccer lover.
| Year | Player | Position | Nationality | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Joao Plata | Forward | Ecuador | Toronto FC |
| 2010 | Dwayne De Rosario | Attacking Midfielder | Canada | Toronto FC |
| 2009 | Dwayne De Rosario | Attacking Midfielder | Canada | Toronto FC |
| 2008 | Matt Jordan | Goalkeeper | United States | Montreal Impact |
| Pos | Name | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dwayne De Rosario | Toronto FC | 4 |
| 2 | Chad Barrett | Toronto FC | 3 |
| Maicon Santos | Toronto FC | ||
| Ansu Toure | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | ||
| 5 | Roberto Brown | Montreal Impact | 2 |
| Alan Gordon | Toronto FC | ||
| Amado Guevara | Toronto FC | ||
| Marcus Haber | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | ||
| Eduardo Sebrango | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | ||
| Rohan Ricketts | Toronto FC |
List of American and Canadian soccer champions
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