| Countries | Canada |
|---|---|
| Confederation | CONCACAF |
| Founded | 1926 (as the NSL) 1993 (as the CNSL) 1998 (as the CPSL) 2006 (as the CSL) |
| Divisions | CSL First Division CSL Second Division East CSL Second Division West |
| Number of teams | 28 |
| Levels on pyramid | 3 |
| Domestic cup(s) | Givova Cup |
| Current champions | Toronto Croatia (2011) |
| Most championships | Toronto Croatia (4 titles) |
| TV partners | Rogers Television |
| Website | Official CSL website |
| CSL 2011 | |
The Canadian Soccer League (CSL) is the top soccer league in Canada and is controlled by the Canadian Soccer Association.[1] It was formerly known as the Canadian Professional Soccer League (CPSL),[2] and was officially re-branded on May 17, 2006. CSL teams do not currently participate in the Canadian Championship, which determines the Canadian entry into the CONCACAF Champions League, as the league is considered the Third Tier of semi-professional/professional soccer in the Canadian soccer pyramid.[3] The Canadian Soccer League also operates a reserve league, the CSL Reserve Division, which is the top reserve league in Canada.[4]
The Canadian Soccer League season runs from April/May through October/November annually. There are currently 14 teams in the league that compete in a single table format. Teams play a balanced schedule of 26 games, with the top 8 ranked teams advancing to the playoffs. The playoffs operate as a two-leg quarterfinal home and away series, followed by a one-game semifinal for the four surviving teams and a one-game final to crown the CSL Champions.
The CSL's first season was in 2006, with the most notable change, aside from the new league name, being the emergence of an international division as a complement to the more traditional national division.
The forerunner of the CSL, The CPSL itself played its first season in 1998[5] by amalgamating four teams from the Canadian National Soccer League namely St. Catharines Wolves, North York Astros, London City, and Toronto Croatia with four (4) expansion franchises (Mississauga, York Region Shooters (1998), Glen Shields and Toronto Olympians).
The (CSL) has a history going back to 1926 as the National Soccer League (NSL).
In 2006, the change to the CSL was more than merely a cosmetic alteration. An international division was added, a new set of rules, regulations and a new constitution were established, the schedule format was changed, and the relationship with the OSA and QSF was upgraded.
In early 2008, the CSL and the OSA established a "Memorandum of Understanding" which provided the CSL with an increased level of autonomy and independence from the governing body.[6] This is expected to facilitate the league's expansion efforts.
The CSL season runs from May through to October The climax of the season is the CSL Championship Final, which takes place in October after an 8-team playoffs competition.
The CSL is the top level soccer league wholly within Canada. However four Canadian clubs play in higher leagues that are primarily based in the United States – Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC in Major League Soccer, Montreal Impact and FC Edmonton in the NASL. A new team based in Ottawa is expected to join the NASL in time for the 2013 season.
The CSL has appealed to the CSA for its league champion to be added as the 5th team to the CONCACAF Champions League tournament as qualification is restricted to the winners of the 4 team Canadian Championship which they have not been permitted to enter.
The league was re-branded and managed by former Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL) president, Cary Kaplan (First CSL Commissioner), and veteran soccer executive Stan Adamson (Executive Director) from its inception. Following the completion of the 2009 season, Cary Kaplan stepped down as Commissioner after serving five years.
2007 saw the debut of the Trois-Rivières Attak, replacing the existing Laval Dynamites franchise. The team is the junior/reserve side for the Montreal Impact USL First Division team. In 2008, Toronto FC of Major League Soccer, and owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, entered their Academy Team (TFC Academy) into the CSL. As a result, the CSL is now affiliated with two of Canada's top three professional soccer franchises: Toronto FC and the Montreal Impact.
On May 12, 2009, the CSL formally announced that they had received conditional approval to be in membership with the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA), as Canada's national professional league. The vote by the CSA Board was Unanimous by all provinces and territories. This the first league to receive this endorsement from the CSA in 16 years.
Following 4.5 years as Commissioner, and having achieved a Television Contract with Rogers; Membership with the CSA; partnerships with Toronto FC and Montreal Impact, establishing a Reserve/Second Division and a re-branded league as the CSL; Cary Kaplan resigned following the 2009 Championship Game.
The Brantford Galaxy SC, were added as expansion team in 2010, along with Hamilton Croatia and Milltown FC, although the latter two teams folded following one season in the CSL. In an unprecedented CSL championship game, two expansion sides, Hamilton Croatia and Brantford Galaxy SC, competed for the 2010 title on October 31, 2010 with the Galaxy crowned champions.
Shortly following the completion of the 2010 final, Domenic De Gironimo announced his resignation from the league after only one season at the helm; citing irreconcilable differences.
Vince Ursini, who previously was Chairman of the former CNSL/CPSL until 2004, returned seven years later in the same capacity in early 2011. Mississauga, Ottawa and Windsor were all added to the CSL under Mr. Ursini's watch, making the leagues membership at 14, the highest in several years.
These are the teams from the 2011 season:
These is a list of all Championship finals played so far. The final was called Rogers Cup from 1998 to 2009. Since 2010 it's called the Givova Cup due to sponsorship change.
| Year | Champion | Score | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | St. Catharines Wolves | 2–2 a.e.t. 4–2 on penalty shootout |
Toronto Olympians |
| 1999 | Toronto Olympians | 2–0 | Toronto Croatia |
| 2000 | Toronto Croatia | 2–1 | Toronto Olympians |
| 2001 | St. Catharines Wolves | 1–0 | Toronto Supra |
| 2002 | Ottawa Wizards | 2–0 | North York Astros |
| 2003 | Brampton Hitmen | 1–0 | Vaughan Shooters |
| 2004 | Toronto Croatia | 4–0 | Vaughan Shooters |
| 2005 | Oakville Blue Devils | 2–1 a.e.t. | Vaughan Shooters |
| 2006 | Italia Shooters | 1–0 | Serbian White Eagles |
| 2007 | Toronto Croatia | 0–0, 4–1 4–1 on aggregate |
Serbian White Eagles |
| 2008 | Serbian White Eagles | 2–2 a.e.t. 2–1 on penalty shootout |
Trois-Rivières Attak |
| 2009 | Trois-Rivières Attak | 0–0 a.e.t. 3–2 on penalty shootout |
Serbian White Eagles |
| 2010 | Brantford Galaxy SC | 3–0 | Hamilton Croatia |
| 2011 | Toronto Croatia | 1–0 | Capital City F.C. |
| (Pts) # |
Club [7] |
Seasons |
GP |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
GD |
Pts |
PPG |
(PPG) # |
1st |
2nd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toronto Croatia | 13 (1998–) | 251 | 122 | 62 | 67 | 474 | 345 | +129 | 428 | 1.71 | 7 | 3 | |
| 2 | York Region Shooters | 13 (1998–) | 251 | 118 | 59 | 74 | 480 | 355 | +125 | 413 | 1.65 | 8 | 2 | 1 |
| 3 | St. Catharines Wolves | 13 (1998–) | 251 | 94 | 59 | 98 | 363 | 414 | −51 | 341 | 1.36 | 12 | 3 | |
| 4 | Portugal FC | 10 (2001–) | 209 | 83 | 59 | 67 | 394 | 323 | +71 | 308 | 1.47 | 11 | 1 | |
| 5 | Trois-Rivières Attak | 8 (2001–03), (2005–2009) | 165 | 86 | 34 | 45 | 331 | 217 | +114 | 292 | 1.77 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| 6 | Brampton Lions | 9 (2002–) | 187 | 76 | 48 | 63 | 356 | 278 | +78 | 276 | 1.48 | 10 | 1 | |
| 7 | North York Astros | 13 (1998–) | 251 | 64 | 48 | 139 | 350 | 557 | −207 | 240 | 0.96 | 19 | ||
| 8 | Serbian White Eagles | 5 (2006–) | 108 | 66 | 24 | 18 | 237 | 103 | +134 | 222 | 2.06 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 9 | Durham Storm | 8 (1998-05) | 143 | 69 | 15 | 59 | 319 | 266 | +53 | 222 | 1.55 | 9 | 3 | 1 |
| 10 | London City | 13 (1998–) | 251 | 42 | 51 | 158 | 313 | 693 | −380 | 177 | 0.71 | 22 | ||
| 11 | Brampton Stallions | 6 (2001–06) | 123 | 43 | 31 | 49 | 191 | 205 | −14 | 160 | 1.30 | 14 | ||
| 12 | Ottawa Wizards | 3 (2001–03) | 59 | 44 | 10 | 5 | 159 | 39 | +120 | 142 | 2.41 | 1 | 3 | |
| 13 | Hamilton Thunder | 4 (2002–05) | 79 | 38 | 22 | 19 | 147 | 88 | +59 | 136 | 1.72 | 6 | 1 | |
| 14 | Windsor Border Stars | 5 (2004–08) | 108 | 37 | 23 | 48 | 172 | 191 | −19 | 134 | 1.24 | 16 | ||
| 15 | York Region Shooters (1998) | 5 (1998-02) | 83 | 24 | 14 | 45 | 125 | 199 | −74 | 86 | 1.04 | 18 | ||
| 16 | TFC Academy | 3 (2008–) | 64 | 22 | 15 | 27 | 95 | 104 | −9 | 81 | 1.27 | 15 | ||
| 17 | Durham Flames | 5 (1999-03) | 87 | 20 | 14 | 53 | 136 | 231 | −95 | 74 | 0.85 | 20 | ||
| 18 | Hamilton Croatia | 1 (2010–) | 24 | 13 | 5 | 6 | 51 | 27 | +24 | 44 | 1.83 | 3 | ||
| 19 | Milltown FC | 1 (2010–) | 24 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 43 | 22 | +21 | 43 | 1.79 | 4 | ||
| 20 | Brantford Galaxy SC | 1 (2010–) | 24 | 9 | 5 | 10 | 45 | 51 | −6 | 32 | 1.33 | 13 | ||
| 21 | Montreal Impact Academy | 1 (2010–) | 24 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 34 | 31 | +3 | 28 | 1.17 | 17 | ||
| 22 | Mississauga Eagles P.S.C. | 1 (1998) | 14 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 29 | 44 | −15 | 10 | 0.71 | 21 | ||
| 23 | Caribbean Selects | 1 (2006) | 22 | 1 | 3 | 18 | 15 | 87 | −72 | 6 | 0.18 | 23 |
| (Pts) # |
Club [8] |
Playoffs Reached vs Seasons Played |
GP |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
GD |
Pts |
PPG |
Rank (by Champions, Runners-Up, PPG) |
1st |
2nd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toronto Croatia | 12/14 | 31 | 20 | 3 | 8 | 65 | 32 | +33 | 63 | 2.032 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| 2 | York Region Shooters | 11/14 | 27 | 13 | 3 | 11 | 47 | 44 | +3 | 42 | 1.556 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| 3 | Serbian White Eagles | 6/6 | 21 | 10 | 2 | 6 | 36 | 27 | +9 | 32 | 1.524 | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| 4 | Durham Storm | 5/9 | 11 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 27 | 16 | +11 | 22 | 2.000 | 5 | 1 | 2 |
| 5 | Trois-Rivières Attak | 7/8 | 13 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 27 | 17 | +10 | 22 | 1.692 | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| 6 | St. Catharines Wolves | 6/14 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 15 | 20 | −5 | 14 | 1.167 | 2 | 2 | |
| 7 | Brampton United | 8/10 | 13 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 15 | 25 | −10 | 14 | 1.077 | 10 | 1 | |
| 8 | SC Toronto | 8/11 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 19 | 37 | −18 | 13 | 0.929 | 13 | 1 | |
| 9 | Brantford Galaxy SC | 1/2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 3 | +6 | 10 | 2.500 | 7 | 1 | |
| 10 | Hamilton Croatia | 1/1 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 9 | 2.250 | 11 | 1 | |
| 11 | Capital City F.C. | 1/1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 1.750 | 12 | 1 | |
| 12 | Brampton Stallions | 3/6 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 7 | −2 | 7 | 1.400 | 9 | 1 | |
| 13 | Ottawa Wizards | 3/3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 6 | −1 | 6 | 1.500 | 8 | 1 | |
| 14 | North York Astros | 5/14 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 16 | −8 | 6 | 0.750 | 14 | 1 | |
| 15 | Windsor Stars | 4/6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 17 | −11 | 3 | 0.600 | 16 | ||
| 15 | London City | 2/13 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 2 | 0.667 | 15 | ||
| 17 | Milltown FC | 1/1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 1 | 0.500 | 17 | ||
| 18 | Montreal Impact Academy | 1/2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 1 | 0.500 | 18 | ||
| 19 | TFC Academy | 2/4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 8 | −6 | 0 | 0.000 | 20 | ||
| 20 | Hamilton Thunder | 4/4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 7 | −5 | 0 | 0.000 | 21 | ||
| 21 | Mississauga Eagles FC | 1/2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 8 | −7 | 0 | 0.000 | 19 |
| Rank |
Club |
Year |
GP |
W |
D |
L |
Pts |
PPG |
Playoff Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Serbian White Eagles | 2006 | 22 | 17 | 4 | 1 | 55 | 2.50 | Lost Final |
| 2 | Ottawa Wizards | 2002 | 19 | 15 | 2 | 2 | 47 | 2.47 | Won Championship |
| 3 | Ottawa Wizards | 2003 | 18 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 44 | 2.44 | Lost Semi-Final |
| 4 | SC Toronto | 2011 | 26 | 20 | 3 | 3 | 63 | 2.42 | Lost Quarter-Final |
| 5 | Vaughan Shooters | 2005 | 22 | 16 | 3 | 3 | 51 | 2.31 | Lost Final |
| 6 | Ottawa Wizards | 2001 | 22 | 16 | 3 | 3 | 51 | 2.31 | Lost Semi-Final |
| 7 | Toronto Supra | 2004 | 20 | 14 | 4 | 2 | 46 | 2.30 | Lost Semi-Final |
| 8 | Toronto Croatia | 2011 | 26 | 18 | 5 | 3 | 59 | 2.26 | Won Championship |
| 9 | Toronto Croatia | 2006 | 22 | 14 | 5 | 3 | 47 | 2.13 | Lost Semi-Final |
| 10 | Trois-Rivières Attak | 2008 | 22 | 14 | 5 | 3 | 47 | 2.13 | Lost Final |
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