2004 Canadian Professional Soccer League season
Football league season
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The 2004 Canadian Professional Soccer League season was the seventh season for the Canadian Professional Soccer League. The season began on May 24, 2004 and concluded on October 11, 2004 with Toronto Croatia defeating Vaughan Shooters 4–0 to capture their second CPSL Championship (known as the Rogers CPSL Cup for sponsorship reasons).[1] The championship was hosted for the first time at Victoria Park Stadium in Brampton, Ontario, which granted the Brampton Hitmen a wildcard berth.[2] In the regular season the Toronto Supra clinched their first Eastern Conference title, while Hamilton Thunder secured their second Western Conference title. Though the league decreased in membership they managed to expand to the Windsor - Detroit territory with the addition of the Windsor Border Stars.[3]
- Toronto Supra (Eastern Conference)
- Hamilton Thunder (Western Conference)
| Season | 2004 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Toronto Croatia |
| Regular Season title |
|
| Matches | 110 |
| Goals | 415 (3.77 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Paul Munster (London City) |
| Best goalkeeper | George Azcurra |
| Biggest home win | |
| Biggest away win | DS 0-8 TC |
← 2003 2005 → | |
Changes from 2003 season
The 2004 season saw the league decrease from 13 to 11 teams. The Ottawa Wizards, and the Durham Flames had their franchises revoked.[4] The Laval Dynamites went on hiatus as they awaited the completion of their home venue the Centre Sportif Bois-de-Boulogne.[5] Though the CPSL lost 3 franchises they managed to expand to the Essex County with the addition of the Windsor Border Stars.[6] Founding member the Mississauga Olympians were sold to John O'Neill and replaced the Durham Flames under the name Durham Storm.[7] Vaughan Sun Devils changed their name to the Vaughan Shooters, while the North York Astros joined them in their move to the Ontario Soccer Centre.[8] Director of Officials Tony Camacho resigned and was replaced by former Director at Large Walter Kirchner.[9]
Teams
| Team | City | Stadium | Manager |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brampton Hitmen | Brampton, Ontario (Bramalea) | Victoria Park Stadium | Steve Nijjar[10] |
| Durham Storm | Oshawa, Ontario (Vanier) | Oshawa Civic Stadium | Derek Bean[11] |
| London City | London, Ontario (Westmount) | Cove Road Stadium | Harry Gauss[12] |
| Hamilton Thunder | Hamilton, Ontario | Brian Timmis Stadium | Jorge Armua[13] |
| Metro Lions | Toronto, Ontario (Scarborough) | Birchmount Stadium | Goran Miscevic[14] |
| North York Astros | Toronto, Ontario (North York) | Ontario Soccer Centre | Vittorio Villacis[15] |
| St. Catharines Wolves | St. Catharines, Ontario (Vansickle) | Club Roma Stadium | Lucio Ianiero[16] |
| Toronto Croatia | Mississauga, Ontario (Streetsville) | Memorial Park | Aldo Krajcar[17] |
| Toronto Supra | Toronto, Ontario (Brockton) | Centennial Park Stadium | José Testas[18] |
| Vaughan Shooters | Vaughan, Ontario (Woodbridge) | Ontario Soccer Centre | Sam Mederios[19] |
| Windsor Border Stars | Windsor, Ontario | Windsor Stadium | Pat Hilton[20] |
Coaching changes
| Team | Outgoing coach | Manner of departure |
Date of vacancy |
Position in table | Incoming coach | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton Thunder | John Di Pasquale[21][22] | replaced | August 4, 2004 | Jorge Armua[13] | August 4, 2004 |
  Brampton  Vaughan London Mississauga Durham Windsor St. Catharines Hamilton  TORONTO Location of CPSL teams outside of Toronto for the 2004 CPSL season.  Western Conference  Eastern Conference
|
 Metro Lions Toronto Supra North York Astros Vaughan Shooters Location of CPSL teams in Toronto for the 2004 CPSL season. Western Conference Eastern Conference
|
Final standings
Eastern Conference
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toronto Supra | 20 | 14 | 4 | 2 | 49 | 21 | +28 | 46 | Qualification for Playoffs |
| 2 | Metro Lions | 20 | 12 | 5 | 3 | 50 | 32 | +18 | 41 | |
| 3 | Vaughan Shooters | 20 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 41 | 23 | +18 | 38 | |
| 4 | North York Astros | 20 | 3 | 4 | 13 | 33 | 41 | −8 | 13 | |
| 5 | Durham Storm | 20 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 17 | 77 | −60 | 7 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Western Conference
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hamilton Thunder | 20 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 51 | 22 | +29 | 36 | Qualification for Playoffs |
| 2 | Toronto Croatia | 20 | 9 | 4 | 7 | 42 | 30 | +12 | 31 | |
| 3 | Windsor Border Stars | 20 | 9 | 4 | 7 | 38 | 32 | +6 | 31 | |
| 4 | Brampton Hitmen | 20 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 32 | 35 | −3 | 26 | |
| 5 | London City | 20 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 35 | 42 | −7 | 24 | |
| 6 | St. Catharines Wolves | 20 | 3 | 5 | 12 | 27 | 44 | −17 | 14 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Rogers CPSL Championship playoffs
Quarterfinals
| October 3, 2004 | Toronto Croatia | 5–0 | Windsor Border Stars | Mississauga, Ontario |
| 7:00 ET |
|
(Report) | Stadium: Memorial Park Attendance: 250 Referee: Gord Arrowsmith (Ontario |
| October 5, 2004 | Metro Lions | 3–5 | Vaughan Shooters | Toronto, Ontario |
| 7:30 ET |
|
(Report) |
|
Stadium: Birchmount Stadium Attendance: 70 Referee: Angelo Gertsakis (Ontario |
Wildcard
| October 8, 2004 | Brampton Hitmen | 1–3 | Toronto Croatia | Brampton, Ontario |
| 7:30 ET | Jonathan Bustamante  37' |
(Report) |
|
Stadium: Victoria Park Stadium Attendance: 225 Referee: Steven DePiero (Ontario |
Semifinals
| October 9, 2004 | Toronto Supra | 1–4 | Vaughan Shooters | Brampton, Ontario |
| 10:00 ET | David Sousa 69' |
(Report) |
|
Stadium: Victoria Park Stadium Attendance: 100 Referee: Calin Pintea (Ontario |
| October 9, 2004 | Hamilton Thunder | 0–2 | Toronto Croatia | Brampton, Ontario |
| 1:00 ET | (Report) |
|
Stadium: Victoria Park Stadium Attendance: 100 Referee: Alex Williams (Ontario |
Rogers CPSL Championship
| Vaughan Shooters | 0–4 | Toronto Croatia |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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Assistant referees:
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All-Star game
In the 2004 All-Star game Boavista F.C. of the Primeira Liga conducted a North American tour where one of their opponents were a CPSL Select team assembled by Harry Gauss, and Steve Nijjar.[30] The match was played at Cove Road Stadium in London, Ontario.[31]
| May 28, 2004 | CPSL Selects | 0 - 3 | Boavista F.C. | London, Ontario |
| 8:10 pm | Report | Stadium: Cove Road Stadium |
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Top goal scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Paul Munster |
London City | 25 |
| 2 |  Danny Amaral |
Toronto Supra | 15 |
| 3 | Alex Braletic |
North York Astros | 10 |
| Michael Diluca |
Hamilton Thunder | ||
 Tati Errecalde |
Windsor Border Stars | ||
| 4 |  Maxim Elie Dorneval |
Metro Lions | 9 |
 Hayden Fitzwilliams |
Metro Lions | ||
| Kevin Nelson |
Hamilton Thunder | ||
| Matthew Palleschi |
Vaughan Shooters | ||
| 5 |  Aaron Byrd |
Windsor Border Stars | 8 |
| Paul Daccobert |
Brampton Hitmen | ||
| Daniel Jaroch | North York Astros | ||
| Leo Laurito | Toronto Croatia | ||
 Sasa Milaimovic |
Hamilton Thunder | ||
| Craig Patton | Metro Lions | ||
| Joey Todaro | Vaughan Shooters | ||
Updated: September 11, 2017
Source: http://www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com/reports04/04cpsl2x.htm
CPSL Executive Committee
A list of the 2004 CPSL Executive Committee.[32]
| Position | Name | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| President & Chairman: | Vincent Ursini | Canadian |
| League Administrator/Director of Media: | Stan Adamson[33] |  English |
| Director of Discipline: | Clifford Dell[34] | Canadian |
| Director of Officials: | Walter Kirchner |  Romanian |
| Administrative Co-ordinator: | Janet Leonard | Canadian |
| Community Services: | Peter Li Preti | Canadian |
| Legal Counsel: | Ira Greenspoon | Canadian |
| Marketing Consultant: | Cary Kaplan | Canadian |
| Marketing Manager: | Jess Krajacic | Canadian |
Individual awards
The annual CPSL awards ceremony was held on October 9, 2004 at the La Contessa Banquet Hall in North York, Toronto.[35] London City and Windsor Border Stars were both tied with the most wins with 2 awards.[36] London City's Paul Munster had a tremendous season where he captured both the Golden Boot and Rookie of the Year, which later spring boarded his career back to Europe to sign with Slavia Prague in the Czech First League. After leading expansion franchise Windsor Border Stars to an Open Canada Cup, former English football player Pat Hilton was given the Coach of the Year. While Windsor's Justin Marshall was voted the Defender of the Year.
The league chose Danny Amaral as its MVP after making his return to Canadian soccer with Toronto Supra after several seasons in Portugal. George Azcurra of Toronto Croatia won his fourth Goalkeeper of the Year. The Referee of the Year went to Amato De Luca, which marked his second CPSL accolade. The most disciplined team throughout the season were Durham Storm. The league also introduced the President of the Year award in order to recognize the top executive or organizer, and the inaugural recipient was North York Astros Bruno Ierullo.
| Award | Player (Club) |
|---|---|
| CPSL Most Valuable Player | Danny Amaral (Toronto Supra) |
| CPSL Golden Boot | Paul Munster (London City) |
| CPSL Goalkeeper of the Year Award | George Azcurra (Toronto Croatia) |
| CPSL Defender of the Year Award | Justin Marshall (Windsor Border Stars) |
| CPSL Rookie of the Year Award | Paul Munster (London City) |
| CPSL Coach of the Year Award | Pat Hilton (Windsor Border Stars) |
| CPSL President of the Year Award | Bruno Ierullo (North York Astros) |
| CPSL Referee of the Year Award | Amato De Luca |
| CPSL Fair Play Award | Durham Storm |