2019 Canadian Soccer League season
Professional soccer league season
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The 2019 Canadian Soccer League season was the 22nd season under the Canadian Soccer League name. The season started on May 19, 2019, and concluded on October 26, 2019, with the CSL Championship final.[1] Fixtures for the 2019 season were announced on April 30, 2019.[2] The final consisted of Scarborough SC defeating FC Ukraine United at Centennial Park Stadium in Toronto, Ontario, to claim their first championship title.[3] The First Division title went to FC Vorkuta along with the Second Division title and the championship.[4] The single new addition to the First Division was Kingsman SC, and the departures occurred in the Second Division with Halton United, London City, and Milton SC becoming founding members of the Canadian Academy of Soccer League (CASL).
October 12 – October 26 (playoffs)
Scarborough SC (First Division playoffs, 1st title)
| Season | 2019 |
|---|---|
| Dates | May 19 – October 5 (regular season) October 12 – October 26 (playoffs) |
| Champions | FC Vorkuta (First Division regular season) Scarborough SC (First Division playoffs, 1st title) |
| Matches | 90 |
| Goals | 374 (4.16 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Mykola Temnyuk (18) |
| Biggest home win | FC Vorkuta 7–2 CSC Mississauga (June 8, 2019) FC Vorkuta 7–0 SC Real Mississauga (June 15, 2019) |
| Biggest away win | Real Mississauga SC 1–8 CSC Mississauga (August 3. 2019) |
| Longest winning run | 8 matches FC Vorkuta |
| Longest unbeaten run | 18 matches FC Vorkuta |
| Longest winless run | 4 matches Brantford Galaxy |
| Longest losing run | 6 matches Brantford Galaxy |
← 2018 2020 → | |
Summary
Scarborough SC was the highlight of the season as they claimed their first CSL Championship after two previous consecutive attempts at the title.[5][6] Throughout the regular season, the eastern Toronto team was a consistent challenger to Vorkuta and finished as runners-up in the league's first division.[7] They retained the services of Zoran Rajović as head coach and continued in the status quo of acquiring imports to maintain competitiveness with the major clubs.[8]
FC Vorkuta continued in their standard of recruiting talent from Ukraine, and as a result, achieved a league milestone of three titles (First & Second division titles, and the DII Championship).[4] The club became the fourth club in league history, after York Region Shooters in the 2014 season, to achieve an undefeated regular season. A surprising early defeat to Kingsman SC in the early round of the postseason eliminated their chance of acquiring a perfect season. Only the Toronto Olympians and York Region Shooters accomplished this feat in the top division.
The third position in the First Division was primarily contested between FC Ukraine United, SC Waterloo Region, and Serbian White Eagles. The White Eagles held the position for fourteen weeks straight before relinquishing in the final three weeks to SC Waterloo and ultimately to Ukraine United. The Etobicoke-based team experienced a tumultuous season as general manager Vladimir Koval and newly appointed head coach Mykhailo Hurka struggled in coordinating the usage of import players as they were fulfilling their commitments in Europe.[9] Injuries were also a factor in the team's performance, but late in the season, the club acquired several new players, with Molham Babouli being the most notable domestic acquisition.[10][11] As a result, Ukraine United secured third place in the division and reached the championship final.[12]
SC Waterloo and Serbian White Eagles both strengthened their core veteran squad with additional imports from the Western Balkans.[13][14] Throughout the majority of the season, the White Eagles held the third position, but a series of defeats late in the season allowed Waterloo to briefly secure the position until finishing fourth with a higher differential in scoring. Waterloo managed to hold the highly contested third position from Serbia three times throughout the season, and after winning six of its last seven games, usurped the position permanently until the final match of the season, with Ukraine United firmly securing the spot. Both Waterloo and Serbia competed in the postseason, with the former reaching the second round and the latter facing an earlier departure in the first round, respectively.
The final three playoff berths were contested among CSC Mississauga, Hamilton City, and Kingsman SC. Kingsman SC, an expansion franchise, held the sixth position for the majority of the season and enjoyed the benefit of acquiring seasoned imports from FC Vorkuta.[15] After battling Kingsman for the sixth position, Hamilton managed to steal the spot in the final stages of the regular season campaign. The town north of Vaughan accomplished a major upset in the postseason after handing Vorkuta its first defeat of the season. Subsequently, Kingsman was eliminated in the second round by Scarborough.[5] CSC Mississauga continued its focus on player development but followed the standard of the league's dominant clubs by attracting some foreign talent to remain competitive.[14] Its efforts were effective as the franchise secured its first playoff berth by finishing seventh with a higher goal differential than Kingsman.
While the two remaining clubs were Brantford Galaxy, and SC Real Mississauga finishing in the tenth, and ninth positions.[16] Brantford retained their veterans for the season, but struggled in making an impact and primarily was situated at the bottom of the standings the entire season.[17] Real Mississauga produced a similar result as Brantford finishing just three points ahead in the standings.
First Division
Changes from 2018
During the off-season, former SC Toronto founder and league equity owner Isac Cambas died on March 1, 2019, from cancer.[18] The season commenced with all nine teams from the 2018 season returning, with the approval of a single expansion team from five applicants.[19] The changes confirmed at the 2019 annual general meeting of team owners were the introduction of professional soccer to King, Ontario, with Kingsman SC fielding teams in the First & Second divisions.[20][21] Originally, the league released a press release announcing the return of professional soccer to Niagara Falls, Ontario, under the name Niagara FC, with former league veteran Timotej Zakrajsek and Tamara Samardzija as the driving forces behind the bid.[22] Unfortunately, the project failed to materialize as the club didn't make its debut.
Changes occurred in the CSL executive committee and staff, with Serbian White Eagles president Dragan Bakoc serving as the league's president.[18] Meanwhile, the Second Division fielded six teams for the 2019 season.[23] Several departing clubs became founding members of the Canadian Academy of Soccer League (CASL), a new professional league centered in Milton, Ontario, with Milton SC owner Jasmin Halkic initiating the operation along with the additions of Halton United and London City.[24]
Teams
| Team | City | Stadium | Manager |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brantford Galaxy | Brantford, Ontario | Heritage Field Turf | Milan Prpa[25] |
| CSC Mississauga | Mississauga, Ontario | Paramount Fine Foods Centre Fields | Josip Raguz[26] |
| FC Ukraine United | Toronto, Ontario (Etobicoke) | Centennial Park Stadium | Mykhaylo Hurka [27] |
| FC Vorkuta | Vaughan, Ontario (Woodbridge) | Ontario Soccer Centre | |
| Hamilton City | Hamilton, Ontario (Stoney Creek) | Heritage Field Turf | Sasa Vukovic[28] |
| Kingsman SC | King, Ontario | Esther Shiner Stadium | Oleg Kalyadin[29] |
| Real Mississauga SC | Mississauga, Ontario | Huron Park Soccer Field | Krum Bibishkov[30] |
| Scarborough SC | Toronto, Ontario (Scarborough) | Birchmount Stadium | Zoran Rajović[31] |
| Serbian White Eagles | Toronto, Ontario (Etobicoke) | Centennial Park Stadium | Uroš Stamatović[32] |
| SC Waterloo Region | Waterloo, Ontario (Eastbridge) | RIM Park | Radivoj Panić[33] |
  Brantford Waterloo Hamilton Mississauga Vaughan King  TORONTO Location of First Division teams outside of Toronto for the 2019 CSL season.  First Division |
 Scarborough Mississauga Serbian White Eagles Ukraine United FC Vorkuta Location of First Division teams in Toronto for the 2019 CSL season. First Division
|
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FC Vorkuta (C) | 18 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 66 | 15 | +51 | 48 | Playoffs |
| 2 | Scarborough SC (O) | 18 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 50 | 18 | +32 | 39 | |
| 3 | FC Ukraine United | 18 | 10 | 2 | 6 | 43 | 22 | +21 | 32 | |
| 4 | SC Waterloo Region | 18 | 10 | 1 | 7 | 41 | 25 | +16 | 31 | |
| 5 | Serbian White Eagles | 18 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 42 | 33 | +9 | 31 | |
| 6 | Hamilton City | 18 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 26 | 39 | −13 | 21 | |
| 7 | CSC Mississauga | 18 | 6 | 1 | 11 | 38 | 47 | −9 | 19 | |
| 8 | Kingsman SC | 18 | 6 | 1 | 11 | 30 | 48 | −18 | 19 | |
| 9 | SC Real Mississauga | 18 | 3 | 2 | 13 | 20 | 62 | −42 | 11 | |
| 10 | Brantford Galaxy | 18 | 2 | 2 | 14 | 18 | 65 | −47 | 8 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners
Positions by round
Playoffs
Quarterfinals
| October 12, 2019 | FC Vorkuta | 2–2 (a.e.t.) (2–4 p) | Kingsman SC | Vaughan, Ontario |
| 18:00 | Temnyuk  Volchkov |
Report | Oleksandr Alieksieiev Bortnik |
Stadium: Ontario Soccer Centre |
| October 12, 2019 | Scarborough SC | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | CSC Mississauga | Toronto, Ontario |
| 18:00 | Gonzalo Matias Cabrera Celis , |
Report | Berezovyi |
Stadium: Birchmount Stadium |
| October 12, 2019 | SC Waterloo Region | 1–1 (a.e.t.) (5–4 p) | Serbian White Eagles | Waterloo, Ontario |
| 19:00 | Miodrag Kovacevic 55' |
Report | Tadic 71' |
Stadium: RIM Park |
| October 13, 2019 | FC Ukraine United | 1–1 (a.e.t.) (4–3 p) | Hamilton City SC | Toronto, Ontario |
| 16:00 | Babouli 7' |
Report | Stojanović 48' |
Stadium: Centennial Park Stadium Referee: Tony Amaral |
Semifinals
| October 19, 2019 | Scarborough SC | 4–2 | Kingsman SC | Toronto, Ontario |
| 16:00 | Gonzalo Matius Cabrera Celis Radakovic Rajović Simpson |
Report | Belmokhtar , |
Stadium: Birchmount Stadium |
| October 20, 2019 | FC Ukraine United | 5–3 | SC Waterloo Region | Toronto, Ontario |
| 16:00 | Milishchuk 20' Ihor Sorotoskyi 34' Nuno Ponte 64' Babouli 75' Rick Di Vincenzo 90' |
Report | Žugelj 39' Petar Dordevic 47' Dado Hadrovic 53' |
Stadium: Centennial Park Stadium |
Finals
| October 26, 2019 | Scarborough SC | 2–0 | FC Ukraine United | Toronto, Ontario |
| 15:00 | Stojiljkovic , |
Report | Stadium: Centennial Park Stadium Referee: Norman Oliveira |
Season statistics
Goals
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals[35] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Mykola Temnyuk |
FC Vorkuta | 18 |
| 2 |  Aleksandar Stojiljković |
Scarborough SC | 13 |
| 3 | Vladimir Strizovic[citation needed] |
Serbian White Eagles | 10 |
| 4 |  Molham Babouli |
FC Ukraine United | 9 |
 Miodrag Kovacevic[citation needed] |
SC Waterloo Region | ||
| Dmytro Polyuhanych |
Kingsman SC | ||
| 5 | Said Belmokhtar |
Kingsman SC | 8 |
 Gonzalo Matias[36] |
Scarborough SC | ||
| Marko Stajic[37] |
Serbian White Eagles | ||
| 6 |  Kavin Bryan |
Scarborough SC | 7 |
| Yaroslav Solonynko |
FC Vorkuta | ||
| 7 | Aleksander Bozovic | SC Waterloo Region | 6 |
| Taras Kryvyi |
FC Ukraine United | ||
 Pero Menalo |
CSC Mississauga | ||
| Zoran Rajović |
Scarborough SC | ||
| Serhiy Ursulenko |
FC Vorkuta | ||
Hat-tricks
Second Division
The Second Division remained the same as the previous season, with six teams. The new additions were the reserve teams of CSC Mississauga, Hamilton City, and Kingsman SC. The departing clubs were Halton United, London City, and Milton SC to become inaugural members of the Canadian Academy of Soccer League (CASL), thus making the Second Division primarily a reserve division for its senior clubs. FC Vorkuta B successfully defended its championship and division title for the second consecutive season.
| Season | 2019 |
|---|---|
| Champions | FC Vorkuta B (Second Division regular season) FC Vorkuta B (Second Division playoffs, 2nd title) |
| Matches | 45 |
| Goals | 251 (5.58 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Marko Stajic (13) |
| Biggest home win | FC Vorkuta B 11–1 Serbian White Eagles B (June 22, 2019) |
| Biggest away win | Kingsman SC B 2–12 FC Vorkuta B (September 25, 2019) |
| Longest winning run | 9 matches FC Vorkuta B |
| Longest unbeaten run | 9 matches FC Vorkuta B |
| Longest winless run | 4 matches Brantford Galaxy B |
| Longest losing run | 6 matches Hamilton City SC B |
← 2018 2020 → | |
Teams
| Team | City | Stadium | Manager |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brantford Galaxy B | Brantford, Ontario | Cardinal Newman S.S. Field (Stoney Creek, Hamilton) | |
| CSC Mississauga B | Mississauga, Ontario | Ontario Soccer Centre (Woodbridge, Vaughan) | |
| FC Vorkuta B | Vaughan, Ontario | St. Robert S.S. Field | |
| Hamilton City SC B | Hamilton, Ontario | Cardinal Newman S.S. Field (Stoney Creek, Hamilton) | |
| Kingsman SC B | King, Ontario | Ontario Soccer Centre (Woodbridge, Vaughan) | |
| Serbian White Eagles B | Toronto, Ontario | Iceland Sports Complex (Mississauga) |
|
Brantford Vaughan Hamilton TORONTO Location of Second Division teams outside of Toronto for the 2019 CSL season. Second Division |
Serbian White Eagles Kingsman CSC Mississauga FC Vorkuta Location of Second Division teams in Toronto for the 2019 CSL season. Second Division
|
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FC Vorkuta B (C, O) | 15 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 74 | 19 | +55 | 39 | Playoffs |
| 2 | Serbian White Eagles B | 15 | 8 | 1 | 6 | 56 | 57 | −1 | 25 | |
| 3 | CSC Mississauga B | 15 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 38 | 45 | −7 | 23 | |
| 4 | Kingsman SC B | 15 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 27 | 41 | −14 | 16 | |
| 5 | Hamilton City SC B | 15 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 28 | 36 | −8 | 13 | |
| 6 | Brantford Galaxy B | 15 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 28 | 48 | −20 | 12 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners
Positions by round
Playoffs
Quarterfinals
| October 15, 2019 | CSC Mississauga B | 1–0 | Brantford Galaxy B | Mississauga, Ontario |
| 21:00 | Matthaus Garcia |
Report | Stadium: Paramount Fine Foods Centre |
| October 15, 2019 | Kingsman SC B | 2–3 | Hamilton City SC B | Toronto, Ontario |
| 21:00 | Pitel 75', 85' |
Report | Arsen Platis 30' Marco Serlez 50' Illija Bajcetic 70' |
Stadium: Esther Shiner Stadium |
Semifinals
| October 19, 2019 | FC Vorkuta B | 5–1 | Hamilton City SC B | Toronto, Ontario |
| 13:30 | Kristijan Kezic 58', 70' Oleksandr Yaremchuk 63' Borovskyi 66', 80' |
Report | Haris Osmanagic 50' |
Stadium: L'Amoreaux Sports Complex |
| October 19, 2019 | Serbian White Eagles B | 2–0 | CSC Mississauga B | Toronto, Ontario |
| 14:00 | Vladimir Strizovic 22' Luka Milidragovic 37' |
Report | Stadium: Centennial Park Stadium |
Finals
| October 26, 2019 | FC Vorkuta B | 2–0 | Serbian White Eagles B | Toronto, Ontario |
| 13:00 | Temnyuk 80' Yanchuk 92' |
Report | Stadium: Centennial Park Stadium |
Top Goal Scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals[38] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marko Stajic[39] |
Serbian White Eagles B | 13 |
| 2 |  Matthaus Garcia[40] |
CSC Mississauga SC B | 11 |
| Vladimir Strizovic |
Serbian White Eagles B | ||
| 3 |  Fadi Salback |
FC Vorkuta B | 9 |
| 4 | Pat Wilson | Brantford Galaxy B | 6 |
| 5 | Bohdan Borovskyi |
FC Vorkuta B | 5 |
| 6 | Donart Beqiri |
Brantford Galaxy B | 4 |
| Bogdan Bortnik |
Kingsman SC B | ||
| Kristijan Kezic[41] |
FC Vorkuta B | ||
| Misel Klisara |
Serbian White Eagles B | ||
| 7 | Marko Dzaric | Hamilton City SC B | 3 |
| Serhiy Ivlyev |
FC Vorkuta B | ||
| Vukasin Kovacevic | Hamilton City SC B | ||
| Danylo Lazar |
FC Vorkuta B | ||
| Ihor Melnyk |
FC Vorkuta B | ||
| Marko Milanovic | Serbian White Eagles B | ||
| Yaroslav Solonynko |
FC Vorkuta B | ||
| Đorđe Vukobrat |
Hamilton City SC B | ||
