Canadian Championship

Canadian Championship
Championnat canadien
Founded 2008
Region Canada (CONCACAF)
Number of teams 5 (7 from 2018)
Current champions Toronto FC (6th title)
Most successful club(s) Toronto FC (6 titles)
Television broadcasters The Sports Network
Réseau des sports
Website canadasoccer.com
2017 Canadian Championship

The Canadian Championship 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.[1] It is currently contested by MLS sides Toronto FC, Vancouver Whitecaps FC, and Montreal Impact, NASL side FC Edmonton, and USL side Ottawa Fury FC. Starting in 2018, the champions of League1 Ontario and the Première Ligue de soccer du Québec will join the competition. The tournament has been sponsored by Amway Canada in the past and is organized by the Canadian Soccer Association.[2]

History

The Canadian Championship is a club soccer competition organized by the Canadian Soccer Association. The championship determines Canada's entry in the annual CONCACAF Champions League. Fully professional Canadian soccer teams play in United States based leagues. Prior to the creation of the official competition in 2008, there was no domestic competition to determine the best Canadian professional team (as Canada Soccer's Challenge Trophy only crowned the best amateur team). An unofficial Canadian Champion determined in the same manner as 2008-2010, a home-and-away series with the games taken from USL First Division (USL-1) regular season league games, was awarded by the Canadian national teams' supporters group, The Voyageurs. This unofficial Canadian Championship became less legitimate when Toronto was awarded a Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise to start play in 2007 in the USSF Division 1 MLS league above the USSF Division 2 USL-1 league. Toronto's USL-1 team self relegated, while the other two Canadian professional soccer teams did not play meaningful games against the new MLS team in 2007.[3]

For the 2008-2009 season, CONCACAF changed their eight team FIFA Club World Cup qualification tournament from a two leg aggregate goals knockout elimination format, named the CONCACAF Champions Cup, to a format mirroring the UEFA Champions League with a play-in round, a group stage, and lastly a two-leg aggregate score knockout format for the final rounds. The format change for the 2008–09 CONCACAF Champions League provided the opportunity to expand the number of qualifying teams from different countries, and Canada was awarded a single entry in the play-in round preceding the group stage. The year 2008 was the first time a Canadian entry had been awarded by CONCACAF since 1992, and the first time a Canadian team participated since 1976.[4] To award the new Canadian entry, the CSA created a new competition consisting of a home-and-away round-robin series between the three fully professional Canadian teams: Montreal Impact, Toronto FC and the Vancouver Whitecaps.[5] As the Canadian champions, Montreal qualified for CONCACAF Champions League 2008–09.[4][6][7]

The 2008 edition was contested between May 2008 and July 2008 and won by the Montreal Impact. 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.[8] Toronto repeated as champions in the 2010 competition, qualifying for the CONCACAF Champions League 2010–11. Toronto won it for the fourth consecutive season in the 2012 competition.

In 2011 with the start of a fourth fully professional Canadian soccer team, FC Edmonton, the competition was changed from the home-and-away round robin series to a double-leg aggregate score knockout cup format with the two MLS teams seeded first and second, and NASL teams seeded third and fourth based on league standings of the previous year and the USSF tiering of Division 1 and Division 2.[9] This format mitigated competitive concerns regarding already eliminated teams and the number of additional (extra to their regular league) games each team would be required to play during a season.

On June 6, 2016 Canadian Soccer Association general secretary Peter Montopoli told TSN that plans were well under way to expand the tournament to include an access point for any team in Canada. He said that he expected the expansion to take place for 2017. His statement seemed to confirm other reports saying similar.[10] On March 9, 2017 Canada Soccer Association announced that from the 2018 edition the winners of the League1 Ontario and Première Ligue de soccer du Québec would compete.[11]

Trophy

The champions are awarded the Voyageurs Cup

The winners of the Canadian Championship are awarded the Voyageurs Cup,[12] a trophy previously awarded to the Canadian USL First Division side with the best regular season record against other Canadian USL-1 teams. Prior to 2008 there was no domestic cup competition open to top tier Canadian professional clubs only to amateur clubs. The Voyageurs developed a method of tracking league results between Canadian clubs to determine a professional Canadian champion. The USL was the highest level of Canadian soccer until in 2007 Toronto FC bought the first Canadian franchise in the US-based Division 1 league, Major League Soccer.

The Voyageurs, a supporters' group, donated the cup to the Canadian Soccer Association to award to the winners of the Canadian Championship. The Voyageurs Cup was supervised by the Voyageurs from 2002-2007. The trophy is still awarded by a Voyageurs member to the current winning club.[13][14][15]

Format

Prior to 2010, the tournament 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 were the only Canadian teams in the two top US-based professional soccer leagues, which for 2010 were Major League Soccer and the temporary USSF Division 2 Professional League. In 2011, the North American Soccer League received sanctioning as the USSF's new second-division league.

When FC Edmonton joined the NASL in 2011, the tournament was expanded to include the four most important professional clubs in the country. The tournament now consists of two two-legged semifinals and a two-legged final. In the first semifinal of 2011, 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;[16] but the Canadian Soccer Association decided to go with a two-legged final instead. The format was repeated in subsequent years with the previous year's league placement being used to seed the teams.[17]

Starting with the 2014 competition, due to the introduction of the Ottawa Fury FC to the NASL, the two Canadian NASL teams play in a play-off quarter final to see which team makes it to the semi-finals, in which the MLS teams will be introduced.[18]

Due to scheduling conflicts with the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup,[19] the 2015 edition was held during April, May, and August[20] but did not provide a competitor for the 2015–16 CONCACAF Champions League; instead the best-placed Canadian Major League Soccer team in the 2014 regular season was the country's representative.[19] The Whitecaps qualified for the championship on October 19, 2014.[21] The winner of the 2015 Canadian Championship qualified for the 2016–17 CONCACAF Champions League instead and starting in 2016, the competition will be held in June and July.[19]

Participants

Current Canadian Championship Clubs
Team City Professional league Year joined
FC Edmonton Edmonton, Alberta North American Soccer League 2011
Montreal Impact Montreal, Quebec Major League Soccer 2012
Ottawa Fury FC Ottawa, Ontario United Soccer League 2014
Toronto FC Toronto, Ontario Major League Soccer 2008
Vancouver Whitecaps FC Vancouver, British Columbia Major League Soccer 2011
Former Canadian Championship Clubs
Team City Professional league Years
Montreal Impact Montreal, Quebec North American Soccer League 2008–2011
Vancouver Whitecaps Vancouver, British Columbia USL First Division, USSF Division 2 2008–2010

    Results

    By year

    Year Winner Runner-up Teams Format
    2008 Montreal Impact Toronto FC 3 Home and Away League
    2009 Toronto FC Vancouver Whitecaps
    2010 Toronto FC Vancouver Whitecaps
    2011 Toronto FC Vancouver Whitecaps FC 4 Two-legged knock-out
    2012 Toronto FC Vancouver Whitecaps FC
    2013 Montreal Impact Vancouver Whitecaps FC
    2014 Montreal Impact Toronto FC 5
    2015 Vancouver Whitecaps FC Montreal Impact
    2016 Toronto FC Vancouver Whitecaps FC
    2017 Toronto FC Montreal Impact

    By club

    Rank Club Winner Runner-up Participations Seasons Won
    1 Toronto FC 6 2 10 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017
    2 Montreal Impact 3 2 10 2008, 2013, 2014
    3 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 1 6 10 2015
    4 FC Edmonton – – 7
    5 Ottawa Fury FC – – 4

    All-time table

    As of June 27, 2017
    Rank Teams Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
    1 Toronto FC 34 17 10 7 47 30 +17 61
    2 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 34 14 11 9 44 34 +10 53
    3 Montreal Impact 34 8 10 16 38 48 −10 34
    4 FC Edmonton 18 5 2 11 22 32 −10 17
    5 Ottawa Fury FC 12 5 1 6 14 21 −7 16

    George Gross Memorial Trophy

    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.

    YearPlayerPositionNationalityTeam
    2008 Jordan , MattMatt Jordan Goalkeeper  United States Montreal Impact
    2009 De Rosario, DwayneDwayne De Rosario Midfielder  Canada Toronto FC
    2010 De Rosario, DwayneDwayne De Rosario Midfielder  Canada Toronto FC
    2011 Plata, JoaoJoao Plata Forward  Ecuador Toronto FC
    2012 Johnson, RyanRyan Johnson Forward  Jamaica Toronto FC
    2013 Mapp, JustinJustin Mapp Midfielder  United States Montreal Impact
    2014 Mapp, JustinJustin Mapp Midfielder  United States Montreal Impact
    2015 Teibert, RussellRussell Teibert Midfielder  Canada Vancouver Whitecaps FC
    2016 Cheyrou, BenoîtBenoît Cheyrou Midfielder  France Toronto FC
    2017 Giovinco, SebastianSebastian Giovinco Forward  Italy Toronto FC

    Competition records

    Appearances

    As of June 27, 2017
    Pos Name Club Nationality Appearances
    1 Russell Teibert Vancouver Whitecaps FC  Canada 19
    2 Patrice Bernier Montreal Impact  Canada 16
    3 Jay Nolly Vancouver Whitecaps FC  United States 15
    4 Hassoun Camara Montreal Impact  France 14
    4 Jonathan Osorio Toronto FC  Canada 14
    5 Gershon Koffie Vancouver Whitecaps FC  Ghana 13
    6 Julian De Guzman Toronto FC, Ottawa Fury FC  Canada 12
    Dwayne De Rosario Toronto FC  Canada
    Leonardo Di Lorenzo Montreal Impact  Argentina
    Daryl Fordyce FC Edmonton  Northern Ireland
    Doneil Henry Toronto FC  Canada
    Jordan Harvey Vancouver Whitecaps FC  United States
    Andrés Romero Montreal Impact  Argentina

    Top goalscorers

    As of June 27, 2017
    Pos Name Club Nationality Goals
    1 Tomi Ameobi FC Edmonton  England 5
    Sebastian Giovinco Toronto FC  Italy
    3 Camilo Vancouver Whitecaps FC  Brazil 4
    Dwayne De Rosario Toronto FC  Canada
    Daryl Fordyce FC Edmonton  Northern Ireland
    Jack McInerney Montreal Impact  United States
    Pedro Morales Vancouver Whitecaps FC  Chile
    8 Chad Barrett Toronto FC  United States 3
    Eric Hassli Vancouver Whitecaps FC  France
    Doneil Henry Toronto FC  Canada
    Nicolás Mezquida Vancouver Whitecaps  Uruguay
    Maicon Santos Toronto FC  Brazil
    Ansu Toure Vancouver Whitecaps  Liberia

    Bolded players are still active players with a Canadian team.

    Goalscorers by season

    In the case that two or more players score the same number of goals, Canada Soccer's first tie breaker is most assists while the second tie breaker is fewest minutes played.

    Season Player Club Nationality Goals Notes
    2008 Roberto Brown Montreal Impact  Panama 2 2g, 0a, 157min
    2009 Dwayne De Rosario Toronto FC  Canada 3
    2010 Dwayne De Rosario Toronto FC  Canada 1 1g, 1a
    2011 Maicon Santos Toronto FC  Brazil 3
    2012 Sébastien Le Toux Vancouver Whitecaps FC  France 3 2g, 0a, 168min
    2013 Camilo Vancouver Whitecaps FC  Brazil 3
    2014 Jack McInerney Montreal Impact  United States 3
    2015 Tomi Ameobi FC Edmonton  England 4
    2016 Jordan Hamilton Toronto FC  Canada 2 2g, 1a
    2017 Sebastian Giovinco Toronto FC  Italy 3

    References

    1. ↑ "Canadian teams set to do battle". Globe and Mail. Canada. March 27, 2008. Retrieved March 28, 2008.
    2. ↑ "2012 Amway Canadian Championship". Retrieved January 27, 2012.
    3. ↑ "Toronto Lynx move to PDL". uslsoccer.com. Demosphere International Inc. October 10, 2006. Archived from the original on August 16, 2012. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
    4. 1 2 "Canada to create new club championship". Canadian Soccer Association. January 31, 2008. Archived from the original on February 29, 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2008.
    5. ↑ "Qualifying Format Unveiled for 2008-09 CONCACAF Champions League". www.concacaf.com. May 14, 2008. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
    6. ↑ "Canadian soccer on its way to qualifying for FIFA". Vancouver Sun. January 28, 2008. Archived from the original on January 30, 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2008.
    7. ↑ "Canada's soccer teams unveil details for CONCACAF Champions League". Toronto FC Media Relations. March 26, 2008. Archived from the original on November 9, 2007. Retrieved March 26, 2008.
    8. ↑ "2009 Nutrilite Canadian Championship Schedule and Results". Canadian Soccer Association. Archived from the original on April 21, 2009. Retrieved June 19, 2009.
    9. ↑ "Association confirms 2011 Nutrilite Canadian Championship schedule". canadasoccer.com. February 18, 2011. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
    10. ↑ Tierney, Mitchell (April 23, 2016). "Report: Provincial Champions to Play in Voyageurs Cup as Early as 2017". Retrieved June 10, 2016.
    11. ↑ "Report: Provincial Champions to Play in Voyageurs Cup as Early as 2018". March 9, 2017. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
    12. ↑ "Association announces partners for new Nutrilite Canadian Champions League". CanadaSoccer.com. May 23, 2008. Archived from the original on June 21, 2009. Retrieved May 25, 2008.
    13. ↑ "Voyageurs Cup Announced For A-League Teams". Canadian Soccer Association. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
    14. ↑ "The name game". Canadian Soccer News. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
    15. ↑ "A sports fan’s worst nightmare". Maclean's Magazine. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
    16. ↑ Rollins, Duane (December 12, 2010). "Format of Canadian Championship may change". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved December 13, 2010.
    17. ↑ "2012 Amway Canadian Championship". Retrieved January 27, 2012.
    18. ↑ "Fury FC to Face FC Edmonton in Amway Canadian Championship". Retrieved December 6, 2013.
    19. 1 2 3 "Canada Soccer announces move to new timeframe for future Amway Canadian Championships" (Press release). Canadian Soccer Association. March 21, 2014. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
    20. ↑ "Schedule for 2015 Amway Canadian Championship set" (Press release). Canadian Soccer Association. February 4, 2015. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
    21. ↑ "Vancouver Whitecaps, DC United join Seattle Sounders, LA Galaxy in 2015-16 CONCACAF Champions League". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
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